It was a chilly Wednesday, December 30, 1903, when a death-dealing blast of flame hurtled through the packed auditorium of Chicago’s newly-opened Iroquois Theatre, claiming the lives of 600 people, mostly women and children. With a death toll twice that of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, it remains the worst theater fire in the United States, and was the deadliest single-building disaster in the country prior to 9/11.
During the second act of a holiday matinee performance of Mr. Blue Beard, a fire broke out backstage, igniting draperies and sets, and spreading quickly. Chaos erupted, and within fifteen minutes, more than one-third of the patrons were dead, many trampled to death.
Despite being billed as “absolutely fireproof,” the theatre exhibited numerous deficiencies regarding public and fire safety. The tragedy led to significant changes in building safety codes and code enforcement across the country.
The presentation will be given by Caron Primas Brennan, a teacher at the Newberry Library and a founder of the Iroquois Theatre Fire Historical Society.
This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.
$15 per person / $12 for members
All ticket sales are final; no refunds or exchanges.