Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 2 Hubbard Street Dance

18 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | January 19 - March 3, 2019 Chauncey Depew "I have stood in every great hall and sat in all the famous theaters and opera houses in the world, but in its unrivaled acoustics, both for oratory and music, in its unequaled capacity to comfortably accommodate vast audiences, and in the harmony and taste of its ornamentation, this Auditorium of Chicago is without a rival or a peer." − Chauncey Depew We Live the History: If you've recently been on the second floor Dress Circle lobby to admire the incredible stencil restoration work we’ve done on the north inglenook, to attend one of our Fireside Chats, or just to head to your seats, you may have also noticed that there are inscriptions above each inglenook fireplace. But unless you have time to get up close and personal with the text, the inscriptions — and their authors — can be a little hard to decipher! We recently received a question asking us to demystify these inscriptions. What do these plaques say, and who, exactly, spoke the words that are inscribed above each fireplace? Read on to find out! Deciphering Mysteries in the Auditorium's Inglenooks Chauncey Depew was the president of the New York Central Railroad when he first toured the Auditorium Theatre in 1888 (before the theatre even o¤cially opened!) at the behest of the theatre’s main patron, Ferdinand Peck. The Chicago Tribune, in an article called “A Peep at the Auditorium,” noted that Depew commented more than once that the Auditorium was “the most impressive structure in the world.” Peck liked an 1890 statement by Depew so much that he eventually had it inscribed above the fireplace in the north inglenook. Depew would go on to become a United States senator from New York in 1899, but he is perhaps best remembered as a remarkable orator and “after-dinner speaker.” Have a question about something you’ve noticed around the theatre? Learn more on one of our Historic Theatre Tours (offered on Mondays at 10:30AM and noon, Tuesdays at 5:30PM, and Thursdays at 10:30AM) or email us at info@auditoriumtheatre.org! Benjamin Harrison , who served as the 23 rd president of the United States from 1889-1893, had an extensive history with the Auditorium Theatre. He was nominated as the Republican Party’s candidate at the 1888 Republican National Convention, which was hosted at the Auditorium before the building even o¤cially opened. While in o¤ce, Harrison and his vice president, Levi Morton, traveled from Washington, DC to attend the opening performance at the theatre on December 9, 1889. An excerpt from the speech that Harrison gave on opening night was inscribed on the plaque installed above the south inglenook fireplace in the years following the theatre's opening. Inscription in the north inglenook.