 The Chicago Theatre Preservation Group commenced renovation of the buildings which were completed in 1986 at a cost of $ 9 million ( $ 19 @.@ 4 million ) , with $ 4 @.@ 3 million ( $ 9 @.@ 3 million ) spent on the Theatre . The renovation by architects Daniel P. Coffey & Associates , Ltd. and interior design consultants A.T. Heinsbergen & Co. restored the Chicago Theatre to a 1930s appearance and a seating capacity of 3 @,@ 600 . The theatre reopened September 10 , 1986 , with a performance by Frank Sinatra marking the culmination of a four @-@ year historic preservation effort championed by the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois , The gala reopening was also symbolic because Sinatra had performed at the theater in the 1950s . The restoration of the adjoining Page Building , itself a Chicago and National Register landmark , provided office space to support the theatre . The theater , like its neighbor the Joffrey Tower , is an important component of the North Loop / Theatre District revitalization plan . Theatre district revitalization plans go back as far as Mayor Jane Byrne 's 1981 plan . 
