WTTW Chicago Stories Screenings

Enjoy an episode of WTTW Chicago Stories in our theater as part of your visit!

In April and May, we’ll be screening “When the West Side Burned.“

View of the demonstrations or Holy Week Uprising following the death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the West Madison Street area near the National Guard Armory in Chicago, April 6, 1968. ST-17200864-0090, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM

In the days after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, columns of smoke rose above Chicago’s West Side. The murder of a man who preached nonviolence in the face of struggle ignited grief and rage as uprisings spread in cities across the United States with violence, looting, and fires, as deployed police and the National Guard escalated tensions. On the West Side, the anguish was palpable as 11 people died, hundreds were injured, thousands were arrested, and approximately 200 buildings were destroyed.

Running time: 57 minutes

Screening Times*

Tuesday–Saturday: 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m.

Sunday: 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.

The Great Chicago Adventure Film 

This dynamic film transports visitors through major events in Chicago’s history. Feel the intensity of the Great Chicago Fire and splendor of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Explore the sights of bustling Maxwell Street in the 1950s and peer down from an I-beam of the Sears Tower in the 1970s. Relive Chicago sports victories and cheer on President Obama during his Grant Park victory speech.

Running time: 27 minutes.

Screening Times*

Tuesday–Saturday: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Sunday: 12:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m.

*The Robert R. McCormick Theater is occasionally used for other programs and events. Screening times subject to change. Please confirm times with the Ticket Desk during your visit.