Theatre Architects

Here you can find out about the architect firms and individual architects associated with the theatres featured on this website.

To view all architect firms and individual architects featured on this website click here.

Rapp and Rapp

The architectural firm Rapp and Rapp was active in Chicago, Illinois, during the early twentieth century.

Brothers Cornelius Ward Rapp (1861–1926) and George Leslie Rapp (1878–1941) of Carbondale, Illinois, were the named partners and 1899 alumni of the University of Illinois School of Architecture. A third brother, Isaac Rapp, was also a well-known architect primarily in Colorado and New Mexico.

The first theatre designed by the firm was the now-demolished Majestic Theatre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The firm is well known as one of the leading designers of early twentieth century movie palaces. It designed over 400 theatres, including the Fox West Theatre in Trinidad, Colorado (1907), the Five Flags Theater in Dubuque, Iowa (1910), the Chicago Theatre (1921) and Oriental (now Nederlander) Theatre (1926) in Chicago, Illinois, and Paramount theatres in New York (1926) and Aurora (1931).