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Photo: Greg Shutters, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
One of the premier Off-Loop theaters in Chicago, Victory Gardens hosts a noteworthy slate of original plays and adaptations both fun and dramatic. Among their several stages is the Biograph Theater, and they're kind enough to screen classic movies there ($5) from time to time so people can relive old Hollywood and ill-fated dates of John Dillinger.
Victory Gardens Theater is a theater company in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to the development and production of new plays and playwrights. The theater company was founded in 1974 when eight Chicago artists, Cecil O'Neal, Warren Casey, Stuart Gordon, Cordis Heard, Roberta Maguire, Mac McGuinnes, June Pyskaček, and David Rasche each fronted $1,000 to start a company outside the Chicago Loop and Gordon donated the light board of his Organic Theater Company. The theater's first production, The Velvet Rose, by Stacy Myatt, premiered on October 9, 1974.
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Plays are shown here (see Victory Gardens below), but the theater is still best known as the place where John Dillinger went down in 1934. America's most famous bank robber was leaving after a movie with the Lady in Red when FBI agents opened fire. The owners of the theater have never been keen to play up the connection, but the classic marquee is still there. Reportedly, Dillinger fans hold gatherings outside on July 22, the anniversary of his death.
One of the best concert venues in Chicago, this former movie theater received a beautiful renovation in 2009 and now hosts good, moderately priced ($12-15) indie rock shows most nights of the week. (Keep an eye out for some excellent free events on Sundays.) Arrive early for a space in the roomy balcony or a few drinks in the comfortable bar area. There's a Dillinger connection here, too — the FBI's sharpshooters were camped out on the theater's roof, waiting for him to leave the Biograph.
An eclectic mix on two stages includes solo shows, major contemporary plays like "Ragtime" and "The Vagina Monologues," and the popular improvised musicals of Baby Wants Candy (Sa 10:30PM, $15).
Young children might enjoy this Wizard of Oz-themed park with statues and playlots.
Historically, spiritually and architecturally, the Shrine is a "must see" destination for Chicago visitors. The Shrine Honors the first American Citizen Saint and Patron of Immigrants in the Catholic Church. Designed by world renowned architect Leonard Gliotto, the Shrine is a celebration of carrara marble, Florentine stained glass, gold mosaics, colorful frescoes and Romanesque splendor. All are welcome to visit the chapel, meditation garden, historical exhibit and gift shop. Visitors may take a self-guided tour or schedule a docent-led tour. Catholic Mass is celebrated Saturday at 4PM and Sunday at 10AM.
This neoclassical veterans memorial is truly grand. Its interior is an extravagant ensemble of marble, bronze sculptures, stained glass, and huge murals.