Inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan and completed in 1889.

Peck was committed to building a state-of-the-art performance venue that would make high culture available to the general public, while also helping to bolster Chicago's sullied reputation.

[8] The international sensation brought about by the opening of the Auditorium was seen by Congress as an indication that the people of Chicago possessed the vision and financing to successfully produce a world-class fair.

[9] In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt famously told the Auditorium crowd, he felt "as strong a bull moose", during his controversial run for an additional term as United States' president.

Musicians who have performed at the theater include French organist Alexandre Guilmant in 1893 for the Chicago World's Fair and Russian pianist Sergei Prokofiev in 1921.

[citation needed] Since its reopening in the 1960s, a host of rock and pop performers have played at the theatre, including Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, The Doors, The Impressions, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Genesis,[16] David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Osibisa, Parliament-Funkadelic, James Taylor, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Queen and Neil Young.

Broadway musicals with long-running productions at the theatre have included The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Show Boat, Hello Dolly!, The King and I, and The Who's Tommy.

Winner of State Farm Insurance's 2009 "Embrace Life" award, the camp helps the children gain self-confidence, learn to express themselves and fosters emotional growth through interaction with other campers and caring adults who have experienced the same loss.

On October 2, 2014, it was announced that the 2015 NFL draft would be held at the Auditorium Theatre, making the first selection meeting outside New York City in fifty years.

[2][20][21] The theatre featured many technological advancements for its time, including the display of 3,500 bare carbon filament light bulbs (only publicly seen for the first time in 1879), unrivaled acoustics, air conditioning (which called for the delivery of 15 tons of ice daily), 26 hydraulic lifts that could easily raise and lower sections of the stage, and an expansive 95-foot loft above the stage for flown scenic elements.

Ornamentation did not glorify a noble figure or mimic baroque palaces, but rather featured the artful interpretations of natural elements including flowers and vines, and bucolic murals.