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The Civic Opera Block was designed by Graham Anderson Probst and White’s chief designer, Alfred Patrick Shaw in the Art Deco style. It was built by Samuel Insull to house the Chicago Civic Opera.  Its steel structure is sheathed in limestone and peaks at just over  555’ above Wacker Drive.  With more than 3500 seats, the theater is the second largest in North America.  A block-long colonnade stretches along Wacker Drive with classic pediments at either end.  The pediment sculpture is the work of Henry Hering. Facing west, two wings, each 22 stories high flank the tower forming an enormous "throne", sometimes referred to as Insull's armchair.  Combined with Holabird and Root’s Daily News Building and GAPW’s Merchandise Mart, the Civic Opera Block helped redefine the West Loop and Chicago River’s edge, changing the River’s character from a sooty warehouse district to soaring urban landmarks.

MORE CIVIC OPERA LINKS HERE
++ The Theater
++ The Pediment