Majestic-Shubert-LaSalle BankTheater, Facelifted...
I took the opportunity to tour the just reopened LaSalle Bank Theater. Built in 1906 as the Majestic, and knon for decades as the Shubert, LaSalle Bank just spent 14 million dollars on a facelift to have their name on the marquee for the long term.
The facelift for the most part was done well. I feel as though it was more of a renovation, than a restoration. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. With a renovation, they were able to keep most all of the original features, including minor blemishes from time. Outside of a lot of unexpected sheetrock, they did the right thing overall. With a restoration, it would have become a precious museum piece, and looked fake and new, and would have cost three times as much.
The building was open today from noon till five, and will be open again on Saturday from noon till five as well. I took about 125 shots of the interior, several of which are here on my Flicker site. Here is a sampling of some of the better ones.
I found it a real challenge to take the interior shots without a flash or a tripod, but thanks to the anti shaky feature on my camera, I was able to capture several with a 1/4 second shutter, which came out quite nice.
This shot was as I was descending the stage, looking directly up the side of the proscenium with the box seats to the left.
From the balcony, looking down on the seats below.
I was thinking that there would be a sign for the second balcony, or at least another as ornate as this one, but couldn't find it.
Up on the stage, you got to take a good look at the "ropes" and all the rigging that make changing scenery seem so easy. It was very interesting in that they mostly did a restoration of the original equipment, rather than replace it all with modern rigging. ( I suspect the old stuff is better anyway.)
And finally back out onto the street. The building isn't completed yet, it is being converted into a Hampton Inn Hotel. They have gone to a lot of trouble to hide the construction going on around the entrance.
The facelift for the most part was done well. I feel as though it was more of a renovation, than a restoration. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. With a renovation, they were able to keep most all of the original features, including minor blemishes from time. Outside of a lot of unexpected sheetrock, they did the right thing overall. With a restoration, it would have become a precious museum piece, and looked fake and new, and would have cost three times as much.
The building was open today from noon till five, and will be open again on Saturday from noon till five as well. I took about 125 shots of the interior, several of which are here on my Flicker site. Here is a sampling of some of the better ones.
I found it a real challenge to take the interior shots without a flash or a tripod, but thanks to the anti shaky feature on my camera, I was able to capture several with a 1/4 second shutter, which came out quite nice.
This shot was as I was descending the stage, looking directly up the side of the proscenium with the box seats to the left.
From the balcony, looking down on the seats below.
I was thinking that there would be a sign for the second balcony, or at least another as ornate as this one, but couldn't find it.
Up on the stage, you got to take a good look at the "ropes" and all the rigging that make changing scenery seem so easy. It was very interesting in that they mostly did a restoration of the original equipment, rather than replace it all with modern rigging. ( I suspect the old stuff is better anyway.)
And finally back out onto the street. The building isn't completed yet, it is being converted into a Hampton Inn Hotel. They have gone to a lot of trouble to hide the construction going on around the entrance.
posted by Devyn at 4:47 PM
1 Comments:
I am the Director of Sales for the hotel going up above the project. I was thrilled at some of the interior shots you did of the theater. We are finding similarly beautiful architecture on the interior of the building. Most importantly are the exterior architectural details of the building which are being replaced with clay tile pieces that have been hand made to match the original pieces. I would love to talk to you about the project should you have any other questions. I would be happy to give you a personal tour of what is coming. You can reach me at 312-332-5052.
Colin Kaiser
Director of Sales
Hampton Majestic Hotel - Chicago
Post a Comment
<< Home