Chicago - Auditorium Building

The Auditorium Building, designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan and built between 1887-89, now houses the private Roosevelt University (founded 1945; 6,000 students), the O'Malley Theater and the Ganz Recital Hall.

The building was created to combine commercial and recreational space. It originally held a hotel, offices and the famous theater, still known for its excellent acoustics. Four wide, rounded arches span the width of the theater, which is lavishly decorated with gold-leafed, plaster reliefs. The structure was built using a mix of granite and limestone and employs a cast-iron interior frame with wrought-iron trusses.