The International Amphitheatre rose at 4220 South Halsted Street in Chicago’s Canaryville neighborhood, built in 1934 next to the Union Stock Yards to host the International Live Stock Exhibition. Designed by architect Abraham Epstein for about $1.5 million, it became a prototype for modern convention halls thanks to early innovations in air conditioning and broadcast infrastructure, including coaxial cable hookups that let television carry national events live for the first time.
Over six decades the arena hosted five presidential nominating conventions, most infamously the chaotic 1968 Democratic National Convention, alongside performances by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. It also served as an early home for Chicago’s NBA franchises. After the stockyards closed and convention business drifted to newer venues, the building closed in 1983, briefly reopened in 1987, and was ultimately demolished in 1999.
- Chicago Bulls played here 1966–1967. See every Bulls arena →
- Washington Wizards played here 1961–1962. See every Wizards arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 4220 South Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois
- Opened: 1934
- Closed/Demolished: Closed 1983, briefly reopened 1987-1989; closed for good in 1999, with demolition beginning August 3, 1999
- Capacity: About 9,000 seated for sports and most events
- Architect: Abraham Epstein
- Notable fact: Hosted five presidential nominating conventions, including the 1968 Democratic National Convention
A Stage for Politics and Rock and Roll
The International Amphitheatre’s scale and broadcast capability made it a magnet for the biggest events of the mid-20th century. It hosted the 1952 Republican and Democratic conventions, the 1956 Democratic convention, and the 1960 Republican convention, culminating in the turbulent 1968 Democratic National Convention, where protests outside clashed with proceedings inside during the Vietnam War era.
The same hall that nominated presidents also welcomed Elvis Presley, who debuted his gold lame suit there in 1957, and the Beatles, who played the venue on September 5, 1964, and again on August 12, 1966, in what became the opening show of their final tour. The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin also passed through its doors, making it one of Chicago’s defining concert stops of its era.
Home Court for Chicago’s Early Franchises
Before the United Center existed, the International Amphitheatre gave Chicago’s pro basketball and hockey teams a place to play. The Chicago Packers used it during the 1961-62 NBA season, and the expansion Chicago Bulls called it home for their inaugural 1966-67 campaign. The Chicago Cougars of the World Hockey Association also skated there from 1972 to 1975.
As the adjacent Union Stock Yards wound down operations in the early 1970s and newer Chicago venues captured convention and entertainment business, the Amphitheatre’s bookings declined. It closed after a 1983 auto show, reopened in November 1987 as a home for Loyola Ramblers college basketball, lost that tenant in 1989 after attendance dwindled, and was finally torn down starting in August 1999, closing out a run that had shaped Chicago’s convention and entertainment history for nearly 65 years.
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International Amphitheatre FAQs
Where was the International Amphitheatre located?
It stood at 4220 South Halsted Street in Chicago’s Canaryville neighborhood, next to the former Union Stock Yards.
Why was the International Amphitheatre demolished?
Business declined after the Union Stock Yards closed in the early 1970s and newer venues took over Chicago’s convention and entertainment events. The building closed in 1983, had a short-lived 1987-1989 revival as a Loyola basketball venue, and was demolished starting in August 1999.
Which presidential conventions were held there?
It hosted the 1952 Republican, 1952 and 1956 Democratic, 1960 Republican, and 1968 Democratic National Conventions, the last of which became infamous for the protests surrounding it.
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Photo: Joe+Jeanette Archie / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.