Col. Wood 's Museum burned to the ground during the Great Chicago Fire , and all of its contents were lost . Nevertheless , a week after the conflagration , Wood leased the Globe Theatre ( which was located just outside the main downtown district ) and began the long march towards reopening . After several years of preparations and collecting , Wood 's museum was finally ready for visitors in 1875 ; this version too was stocked with bizarre finds , and Wood charged a quarter to visitors . The museum took up the second through fourth floors of the theater building . In 1877 , this version was also destroyed by a fire , but Wood once again reopened it in 1884 . He ran this final version out of the Olympia Theatre building , which he leased ; a restaurant that had been operating on the main floor was retained , and Wood devoted the remaining four floors to showcasing novelties . The museum eventually increased its seating so that it could accommodate 1,000 people
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Col. Wood's Museum