The tragic Iroquois Theatre Fire of 1903.
At least 602 people died.
The Iroquois Theatre was fireproof. At least, that’s what everyone thought. The theatre was newly built in Chicago, Illinois, and was opened on November 23rd, 1903. The building was stunning. It had massive walls, long marble stairs, and beautiful mahogany wood trim. Critics and theatre-goers were all very excited to see this architectural masterpiece built, but they had no idea what devastation it would bring.
Warning signs of a tragedy
The theatre wasn’t as structurally perfect as it looked. Fire safety standards have changed significantly over the years, mostly due to accidents like this one, but the theatre still did not meet the safety standards at the time. Which were already relatively low. Some of the men who were helping construct the theatre went on strike because they felt it was unsafe but the owners of the theatre pushed for its completion. Certain ‘luxury items’ were not installed at the time of the theatre opening because the owners didn’t want to wait any longer. Some of these items included fire alarms, sprinklers, and telephones in case of emergencies. The required exit signs did not fit properly into the walls so no exit signs were added at the time of opening either.
