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Ferdinand Peck

Photo credit: Chicago History Museum
Ferdinand Peck Photo credit: Chicago History Museum
Photo credit: Francesca Russell
The Auditorium Theatre Photo credit: Francesca Russell

Developer Ferdinand Peck’s dream of improving Chicago by bringing art to all led to the construction of the Auditorium Building and Theatre on Michigan Avenue.

After the Haymarket Square massacre of 1886 — a result of the contentious divide between industry and labor in Chicago — Peck felt that the city would benefit from the creation of a place where art and beauty could be enjoyed by everyone.

He hired architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler to realize his dream of a world-class civic and commercial center.