Auditorium Building

Auditorium Building

Auditorium Building
4.5
About
Once the tallest building in the city, the Auditorium now houses a performance space and the campus of Roosevelt University.
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: Downtown / The Loop
Often visitors' first stop in Chicago, The Loop is a good starting point to sample the city's energy and flavor. This central business district boasts Michelin-rated restaurants, upscale hotels, premier shopping, and enough arresting architecture to keep your camera busy for hours. You won’t find too many photo galleries of downtown Chicago without a shot of Millennium Park and Cloud Gate (“The Bean”), one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. A stunning skyline coupled with cultural attractions like the Art Institute of Chicago present a Downtown where work and play peacefully coexist.
How to get there
  • Harold Washington Library – State/Van Buren • 4 min walk
  • Harrison • 4 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles13 reviews
Excellent
10
Very good
2
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0
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1
Terrible
0

Eva T
United Kingdom5,875 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
We were staying in Congress Plaza Hotel and this building is just opposite it so we passed by every time going in or out from the hotel. At the first look the stone clad around the lower part of the building looks massive and heavy but then, looking carefully, you see great design of the building as a whole. We haven't been inside so I cannot comment on the interior. We saw that Roosevelt University houses there.
Written August 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LBorden
Chicago, IL54 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2015 • Solo
Louis Sullivan is America's greatest architect and he trained Frank Lloyd Wright. This building has exquisite design, floor tile work, stained glass, a gilt ceiling, and is the perfect bridge between the 19th and 20th centuries. It was the tallest building of its time and an engineering marvel as well. It has perfect acoustics, amongst the best in the world. The tours are very affordable, or try to hear good music here. On the other side of the building is Roosevelt University. You can easily visit its beautiful lobby and, if you are clever, its second floor, Ganz Music Hall on the 7th Flr , the barrel vaulted library on the 10th floor with its exquisite lake views and partially intact woodwork on its south side, and stained glass works hung between the 10th and 9th floors. I took college classes in this building purely for its beauty.
Written July 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joel-and-Michael
West Lafayette, IN43 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2012 • Business
See the wonderful Louis Sullivan lobby (the original hotel lobby from the multi-purpose building that now serves as the front door of Roosevelt University) Beautiful mosaics and plasterwork, all original to the building. A great free-peek for architecture enthusiasts.
Written February 10, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Explorer28293
London1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
What a pity. Arguably the most significant building in the Midwest, Sullivan's lovely 1887 Auditorium Theater is almost impossible to get into. Tours are infrequent & the prissy tour guide froze at anything more than basic questions. So tune out the memorized pitch and look at the voluptuuous detail around you. Pay special attention to the murals and marble mosaics. Then go next door to Roosevelt University, where there's even more Sullivan beauty. They don't offer tours at all so you must know where to look: The 2nd floor & the partially restored library on the top floor. Be prepared for a loooooooong wait for the lift. Ask the nice lady at the desk for a brochure (it's free). For another lovely building & a better guide, try the Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan Avenue. Two Tiffany domes!!!!
Written January 16, 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CaptTrouble
Hudson, WI7,827 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Couples
If you like architecture, here is another building to add to your list. Now a National Historic Landmark, it opened in 1889. Designed by architects Adler & Sullivan, the young Frank Lloyd Wright was a draftsman on the project. Check out the amazing windows over the doors; fine decorative art. We saw them at night after a concert with light shining through them.
Written May 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Toroniee T
Ottawa, Ontario576 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Friends
Chicago is full of architectural buildings of great significance. This is one of them. It is a massive building that occupies Michigan Ave. and E Congress Pkwy. You can't miss it.
Written August 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rolf A
Chicago, IL411 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2016 • Solo
Today known as Roosevelt University, the Auditorium Building by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan was the world's most influential building when it was new in 1889. Its interior decoration set the French and Belgians to adopt new ornament and glass techniques that by 1895 would be called Art Nouveau. Visit the interior by starting on the top floor to see plaster and woodworking and and then walk down the stairs looking at the stained glass and mosaic flooring. The windows are by Healy & Millet a Chicago firm that exhibited at the 1889 Paris World's Fair (the Eiffel Tower fair). The windows were written about in the French press and many artists/architects went to see them. The window glass came from Kokomo, Indiana. Kokomo sold lots of glass to Europe. It was a new style of glass and it became very popular in Europe from 1894-1915. Take the Auditorium only tour too, to get a full appreciation of the importance of the building.
Written April 28, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

glhenry
Oklahoma City, OK704 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2015 • Business
Chicago is a city full of beautiful old historic buildings and the Auditorium Building is one such place. I didn't get to see a show here but the building itself is fantastic.
Written September 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Madachoo
Chicago, IL45 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Friends
Louis Sullivan, mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, created a masterpiece I would place in the upper echelons of architectural achievements. While tours are available, it is best to plan your visit around an event...The Joffrey Ballet is housed there, but there are other music and theatrical events throughout the year. It is a shame to just walk thru on tour as it acoustic qualities are still unsurpassed and it is a joy to watch any performance there. The early use of electric lights is amazing. You will see many elements that show up repeatedly in Wright's work...the beautiful arches, the arts and crafts touches. In all my travels there is nothing quite like it.
Written November 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John T
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 • Solo
Went there to see Sting 3.0. Sting was the bassist and singer for the Police. And until they reunite, he is solo. Great show. Hopefully, the Police get back together as its been a long time since Sincrinicty album. Geez are they lazy or what? Great show by Sting. Very old venue, but the sound is great.
Written December 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Auditorium Building - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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