High above you blazes the great vertical sign that has become a symbol of the whole city. The Chicago Theatre opened in 1921 as a lavish movie palace, one of the first of the grand picture houses, built by the Balaban and Katz chain to make ordinary moviegoers feel like royalty. Its lobby was modeled on the royal chapel at Versailles, with a grand staircase and a five-story-high foyer dripping in gilt and crystal.
The six-story C-H-I-C-A-G-O sign on the marquee, blazing in red, is one of the most photographed landmarks in the city. For decades it offered films paired with live stage shows and a mighty Wurlitzer organ; today it hosts concerts and comedy. Notice that enormous lettered sign and the ornate terra-cotta arch behind it, modeled on the Arc de Triomphe; it was built to dazzle, and a hundred years on, it still does.