Many of these music halls were built with the help of local concrete pumping companies. Most of the music halls shown here no longer exist, but there are a few that still do. Not all concrete pumping companies helped build these music halls, but many did.

The McVickers Theatre at Broadway and East Madison was built in 1910 from reinforced concrete. This theater was a popular place to see a show during World War I and served as a beacon for servicemen returning home on leave from Europe after the war ended in 1918. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1926.…