Medinah Temple

Medinah Temple
Medinah Temple Facade
General information
Type	Auditorium, rebuilt as a department store in 2000
Location	600 N. Wabash Ave. Chicago, Illinois United States
Coordinates	41°53′34″N 87°37′38″W / 41.89278°N 87.62722°W / 41.89278; -87.62722Coordinates: 41°53′34″N 87°37′38″W / 41.89278°N 87.62722°W / 41.89278; -87.62722
Completed	1912
Design and construction
Architect	Huehl and Schmidt

Built by the Shriners architects Huehl and Schmidt in 1912, the Medinah Temple is a colorful Islamic-looking building replete with pointed domes and an example of Moorish Revival architecture. It is located on the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois at 600 N. Wabash Avenue, extending from Ohio Street to Ontario Street.

History

The building originally housed an ornate auditorium seating approximately 4,200 on three levels. The stage floor extended a considerable distance into the auditorium, and the seating was arranged in a U-shape around it. The auditorium contained an Austin Organ Company pipe organ (opus no. 558), installed in 1915, with 92 ranks, a 5-manual fixed console and a 4-manual movable console (added in 1931). Among the many events that took place in this venue was the annual Shrine Circus. Additionally, WGN-TV used the Medinah Temple for The Bozo 25th Anniversary Special (telecast live September 7, 1986).

The fine acoustics of the Medinah Temple's auditorium made it a favorite site for recording. Many of the Chicago Symphony's most famous recordings from the late 1960s (for RCA with then-music director Jean Martinon) through the 1980s (for Decca with then-music director Sir Georg Solti) were recorded there. The music to Fantasia 2000 was recorded at the Medinah Temple auditorium from 1994 to 1996.

Beginning in late 2000 the exterior of the building was restored and the interior gutted and reconstructed for use as retail space. It was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 27, 2001.^[1] It is currently occupied by Bloomingdale's Home and Furniture Store, which opened in 2003.

Notes

↑ "Medinah Temple". City of Chicago. Retrieved 2007-05-18.

External links

Chicago Landmark cultural venues

National Historic Landmark / National Register of Historic Places / Chicago Landmark	Auditorium Building Lorado Taft Midway Studios

National Historic Landmark / National Register of Historic Places	Adler Planetarium German submarine U-505 Orchestra Hall Shedd Aquarium

National Register of Historic Places / Chicago Landmark	Biograph Theater Bush Temple of Music Chicago Cultural Center Chicago Theatre Fine Arts Building Former Chicago Historical Society Building Krause Music Store Navy Pier Headhouse and Auditorium South Shore Cultural Center Tree Studio Building and Annexes Unity Hall Uptown Theatre Yondorf Block and Hall

National Register of Historic Places	Field Museum of Natural History

Chicago Landmark	Chess Records Office and Studio Civic Opera Building Congress Theater Essanay Studios Harris and Selwyn Theaters Medinah Temple Museum of Science and Industry New Regal Theater Portage Theater Pui Tak Center South Side Community Art Center Sunset Cafe Thalia Hall Three Arts Club of Chicago Whistle Stop Inn Woman's Athletic Club

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