Copernicus Center (Chicago, Illinois)

The Copernicus Center (formerly Gateway Theatre) is a 1,852-seat former movie palace that is now part of the Copernicus Center in the Jefferson Park community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The Copernicus Center is located at 5216 W. Lawrence Avenue. The former Gateway Theater was designed by architect Mason Rapp of the prestigious firm of Rapp and Rapp, famous for their design of deluxe theaters not only in Chicago (Chicago, Oriental, and Palace Theatres) but throughout the United States. It is the architect's only surviving atmospheric theatre in Chicago. History June 27, 1930, was the opening day for Jefferson Park's new deluxe motion picture palace. Weeklong festivities in the area leading up to the opening were capped off by a gargantuan parade sponsored by area businesses. All the Chicago dailies covered the event, and in fact, the Chicago Herald-Examiner put forth a full-page spread proclaiming the new theater as "the most acoustically perfect theatre in the world." The original Grand Hall and Grand Foyer ceilings and walls were designed and hand painted in a maze of connected Greek/Roman scenes of Deities and custom patterns by noted Chicago artist Louis Grell (1887–1960). For over 50 years, the Gateway was the direct-from-the-Loop flagship theater for the Balaban and Katz movie theater chain. In 1977, the search began for a permanent site to house a Polish Cultural Center in Chicago. In 1979, groundbreaking ceremonies took place at the old Gateway Theater Building located near Milwaukee and Lawrence avenues. Because the Gateway Theater's historical importance, the Foundation decided to preserve the theater itself while remodeling around it, dividing the original 40-foot entry lobby and constructing three floors of office, meeting room and classroom space for the Cultural Center. This first stage was completed in 1981. In 1985, the "Solidarity Tower", with its matching facade, was erected atop the building. The exterior of the building was modified to resemble the historic Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland and seen by commuters driving along the Kennedy Expressway. That year the Copernicus Foundation took over the administration of the Gateway theatre and opened its doors to the Polish American and other ethnic communities, as well as Jefferson Park civic organizations which it has been serving until the present day. In 1988, the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra became the official orchestra-in-residence. The orchestra practices weekly and hosts concerts three times a year. Access The Copernicus Center is located one block west of the Lawrence Avenue exit of the Kennedy Expressway. It is also accessible via Jefferson Park Transit Center, which is served by the CTA Blue Line and Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line. See also Balaban and Katz Theatre in Chicago History of Chicago Culture of Chicago Poles in Chicago Polonia Polish-Americans References External links Jefferson Park Historical Society's article on the Gateway Theatre Description of the Gateway Theatre Picture of the 'old' Gateway Exterior View of the Present Gateway Theatre's Exterior and its historic Wurlitzer Organ Balaban and Katz Foundation Balaban and Katz Louis Grell Foundation