Restoration at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre uncovers treasure trove of historical items
CEO Rich Regan and his team are committed to preserving the historic building.
"We're in a constant state of restoration," he said.
The latest project involves restoring the atrium and stained glass windows, which Regan said they know hasn't been touched since 1967.
And the project has provided some unexpected entertainment. When workers removed a section of seats to put up scaffolding, they found what the audience left behind decades — even centuries — ago.
The treasures include a Chicago Herald newspaper from 1889, extremely brittle but still readable, and old programs from shows like Ballet Russe dating back to 1936., when you could buy a Buick for the cost of what is now a monthly car payment.
There's even a 57-year-old ballet ticket; a seat to see the New York City Ballet at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31, 1967.
"From the imagery to the advertisements, the composer, the show time – all of those factors really catapult you back in time to that moment," Regan said.
Who knows what history might be hiding under every other seat in the house.
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I'm going back on reality TV. Here's what it costs me to look camera-ready.
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Contact: Amanda MagalskiFINN Partners on behalf of MGA Entertainmentmga@ Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: A video accompanying this announcement is available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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