As Chicago more than doubled in population between 1885 and the 1920s, commercial entertainment expanded in number and variety to meet demand and concentrated in the central business district. In 1885, Chicago's downtown offered only a few major venues for music, drama, and variety performances, along with two panoramas, all examples of "passive" recreation. The majority of these were located north of Adams and east of LaSalle, away from the dense wholesale and financial districts. By 1926, downtown entertainment had become more varied, with penny arcades and bowling alleys adding a participatory element, and a secondary theater district had emerged, centered on South State Street. The pattern had further evolved by 1937, with a new attraction for men, billiard halls, finding locations throughout downtown.

Authors: Michael P. Conzen and Katharine W. Hannaford
Source: Newberry Library