Photographer: Chicago Theaters

Designed by Fridstein & Company, the Congress Theater in Chicago was built in 1926for the Lubliner & Trinz movie theater chain. (PCT 1)

The Congress Theater's ornate interior and exterior combine Classical Revival and Italian Renaissance styles. In its heyday, it could seat more than 2,904 moviegoers. (PCT 2)

In recent years, the theater operated as a live music venue with a 3,500-person capacity. The theater is currently shuttered, with plans to renovate the property having stalled. (PCT 3)

The Lawndale Theater in Chicago has experienced numerous transformations through its history. Starting as a silent movie theater, it became a Yiddish playhouse, and then was renamed the Rena Theater in 1949. Its final 40 years were spent as a church, when the balcony was sealed off from congregates. (PCT 4)

The 1917 Central Park Theater is the first cinema presentation house of the wildly successful and popular Balaban and Katz entertainment corporation. It is also the first collaboration of Chicago showmen A.J. Balaban and Sam Katz and theChicago architects C.W. and George L. Rapp. (PCT 5)

Following the tremendous success of the Central Park Theatre, Balaban and Katz built the Riviera Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Chicago Theatre, Uptown Theatre, and other theaters to house their style of cinema presentation—all with architects Rapp and Rapp. Lobby, Central Park Theater (CPT 6)

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Buffalo State Hospital

Construction on the complex began in 1872 and opened in 1880 as the state-of-the-art Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane. The process brought together three innovative thinkers and designers of the time: Henry Hobson Richardson, the father of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style; Frederick Law Olmsted, the American landscape architect who had designed Central Park in New York City; and Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, the founder of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSII), a precursor to the American Psychiatric Association.

Healing

Poli's Palace

The Loew’s Poli Palace and Majestic Theaters comprise a 13-acre complex in the heart of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Built by theater impresario Sylvester Poli as a vaudeville house, it featured vaulted ceilings, gilded hand-carved moldings, and seating for more than 3,600.

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Uptown Theater

With an opening day marquee announcing “an acre of seats in a magic city,” Chicago’s 4,300-seat Uptown Theatre is the largest freestanding theater in the country, debuting in 1925 as one of the world’s most glamorous movie palaces. The Uptown Theater in Chicago is the last jewel of the Balaban and Katz theater chain. Its opulent grand entrance is adorned with marble floors and 24-carat gold and silver leaf designs reflecting the period’s extravagances. Although the Uptown enjoyed several years of success, changing economic factors forced the theater into a steady period of decline. The Uptown closed for good in 1981 when its owners neglected to heat the building during the winter and it suffered extensive damage from frozen water pipes. Purchased through judicial sale by Jam Productions in 2008, restoration efforts have been slow, with repair estimates nearing $70 million.

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Living

Banks

The financial institutions we go to keep our money safe and dreams alive. Their architecture – typically of solid construction with classical architectural features – is not merely about aesthetics, of course; banks are designed to convey strength, stability, and security.

Living

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Richmond Power Plant

The Richmond Power Plant’s nestled along the Delaware River opened in 1925 to service the growing northeast population of Philadelphia. The turbine hall is one of the biggest open rooms ever designed and once housed the world’s largest Westinghouse turbo generators. Closed in 1985, the location still has been frequented by several Hollywood productions, serving as the backdrop to one of Michael Bay's grotesque Transformer movies, as well as having one of its massive generators being the time machine used by Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys.

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Praying

Midwest Churches

Houses of the holy in the heartland of America.