The Nederlander Theatre was originally the Oriental Theatre . However , the first theater venue on the site opened November 27 , 1903 , as the Iroquois Theatre , which burned in the deadliest theatre fire in U.S. history . After the fire 's recorded death toll reached over double the death toll of The Great Chicago Fire , city officials closed all theatres in the city for inspection . Following the incident , the city enacted news laws that addressed aisle-way and exit standards , scenery fireproofing , and occupancy limits . The newly renamed James M. Nederlander Theatre is one of several houses now operating in Chicago 's revitalized Loop Theater District . According to Richard Christiansen of the '' Chicago Tribune '' , the reopening of the Oriental-Ford Center for the Arts , now James M. Nederlander , spurred the restoration of other theaters in The Loop
the deadliest theatre fire in U.S. history
Iroquois Theatre fire
Nederlander Theatre (Chicago)