Historic theater backdrops found during Bronzeville Forum roof repairs

CHICAGO - Construction crews have discovered a cache of historic theater backdrops while repairing the roof of the Bronzeville Forum, built in 1897.

One is believed to have been used in the venue's very first production.

"When we came, when Black people came to Bronzeville in great numbers, in the mid-teens — 1915, 1916 — we adopted this space," said Bernard Loyd, President of Urban Juncture, which owns the Forum. "We became the center of what became known as the Black Metropolis: the City within a City."

At the heart of that city-within-a-city was Bronzeville's Forum.

"Nat King Cole performed here. In high school, he formed bands that for a portion of the proceeds, would perform on stage," said Loyd.

Most of the country's jazz greats performed at the Forum and later: the Jackson Five and Diana Ross. The building is right now undergoing extensive renovation and recently, repairing the roof, crews found a treasure trove of old fabric backdrops. They decided to open one, which depicted a woodland scene, but was very badly damaged.

"They were all in very fragile condition, so we decided to wait to open the other backdrops until we had professional assistance," said Loyd.

Fast forward to the last few weeks when they opened two others. One is a European city center scene, while the other is a unique scene of the original Forum in Rome, Italy, which is believed to have been used in the Bronzeville Forum's very first production back in 1897.

"What's most extraordinary about that scene is that three of those people are Black. And they're pointing at the future. And they're right at the center of the scene, and this is 1897!" Lloyd said.

If you want to take a look at these backdrops at scale, the Forum is going to be a part of Open House Chicago, the weekend of October 14th and 15th. The images of the backdrops are going to be projected onto the stage itself.

Longer term, there's an effort underway to preserve and hang the originals.