 Aerial view of venue (c.2010) | |
 | |
| Full name | James C. Petrillo Music Shell |
|---|---|
| Former names | Grant Park Band Shell (1931-78) |
| Address | 235 S Columbus Dr Chicago, IL 60604 |
| Location | Grant Park |
| Owner | City of Chicago |
| Capacity | ~35,000
|
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 11, 1931 |
| Opened | August 24, 1931 |
| Renovated | 1978 |
| Construction cost | $15,000 ($300,525 in 2023 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | E.V. Buchsbaum |
Building details | |
| |
| General information | |
| Relocated | July 24, 1978 |
| Renovation cost | $2.6 million ($12.1 million in 2023 dollars[1]) |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect(s) | C.F. Murphy Associates |
| Other designers | Klepper, Marshall & Kings Associates |
The Petrillo Music Shell (sometimes referred to as the Petrillo Bandshell or formally as the James C. Petrillo Music Shell) is an outdoor amphitheater in Grant Park in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It serves as host to many large annual music festivals in the city such as Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza.
It is also the former host of several smaller annual events that have moved to the newer Jay Pritzker Pavilion such as the Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago Gospel Music Festival, and Chicago Latin Music Festival.
The name has been applied to two different structures: one that stood facing Hutchinson Field, near the south end of Grant Park, from 1931 to 1975; and a replacement structure facing Butler Field at Monroe and Columbus that opened in 1978.
The original bandshell was commissioned in 1931 by Mayor Anton Cermak during the Great Depression to help lift the spirits of the citizenry with free concerts.[2][3] In 1975, the music shell was named to honor James C. Petrillo, president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians from 1922 to 1962 and president of the American Federation of Musicians from 1940 to 1958, who created a free concert series in Grant Park in 1935.[4] Petrillo was a commissioner of the Chicago Park District from 1934 to 1945.[5][6]
- ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Petrillo Music Shell". MapQuest Inc. Archived from the original on September 23, 2007. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ Tiebert, Laura, Frommer's Chicago with Kids (3rd edition), 2007, Wiley Publishing, Inc., ISBN 978-0-470-12481-9, p.263.
- ^ Cremin, Dennis H. (2005). "James C. Petrillo: The Man Behind the Petrillo Band Shell". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ "Petrillo Music Shell". Sun-Times Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- ^ "Petrillo Music Shell". Metromix. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
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