Chicago Musical College is currently a division of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University Roosevelt University downtown campus (Auditorium Building) Roosevelt University   Roosevelt University is a four-year, private institute of higher education with full service campuses in Chicagos Loop and northwest suburban Schaumburg. ...

It was founded in 1867, less than four decades after the city of Chicago was incorporated. It has given over a hundred years of uninterrupted service to music and music education and has played an important role in the development of the cultural life of the Midwest. 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ...

In 1865, after initial efforts to establish a Florenz Ziegfeld, Sr. as its director. (Ziegfeld Sr. was the father of Florenz Jr. who is better known as a successful and trail-blazing Broadway impresario.) 1928 Time cover featuring Ziegfeld Florenz Ziegfeld (March 21, 1869–July 22, 1932) was a Jewish-American Broadway impresario who achieved fame by perfecting the United States revue. ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ...

Two years later, in 1867, Ziegfeld established his own Chicago Academy of Music, the fourth conservatory in America. In 1871, the conservatory moved to a new building which was destroyed only a few weeks later by the Great Chicago Fire; despite the conflagration, the College was again up and running by the end of the year. Artists rendering of the fire, by John R Chapin, originally printed in Harpers Weekly The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Oct. ...

In 1872, the school changed its name to Chicago Musical College; over 900 students were enrolled in that year. A Normal Teachers' Institute was added to the school's offerings. Tuition in those far-off days cost an average of one dollar per lesson. Four years later the State of Illinois accredited the College as a degree granting institution of higher learning. A Preparatory Division was opened which established branches throughout the city.

Rudolph Ganz joined CMC's faculty in 1900 and, except for a brief hiatus in the 1920s, remained associated with the school until his death in 1972. In 1917, CMC offered a Master of Music Degree, and seven years later the School became a charter member of the National Association of Schools of Music. Rudolph Ganz (born 24 February 1877 in Zurich, Switzerland, died 2 August 1972 in Chicago, USA) was a Swiss pianist, conductor and composer. ...

By 1925, the College moved into its own eleven-story building at 64 E. Van Buren Street. One hundred and twenty-five names appeared on the faculty roster for that year, and the School opened three dormitory floors for students. In 1936, CMC was admitted as a full member to the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the only independent music college in the Midwest to enjoy such status. By 1947 the College was offering Doctorates in Fine Arts and Music Education. Van Buren is the name of several places in the United States of America, probably named for the eighth President of the United States of America, Martin Van Buren: Van Buren, Arkansas Van Buren, Indiana Van Buren, Maine Van Buren, Missouri Van Buren, New York Van Buren, Ohio Van Buren...

In 1954, CMC merged with Roosevelt University's School of Music which was founded in 1945. The name "Chicago Musical College" was retained for the new college which was created by the union of the two schools. All operations moved to join the University in the now national landmark Auditorium Building at 430 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Loop. The building houses one of the finest auditoriums in the world, in addition to the Rudolph Ganz Memorial Recital Hall. Roosevelt University downtown campus (Auditorium Building) Roosevelt University   Roosevelt University is a four-year, private institute of higher education with full service campuses in Chicagos Loop and northwest suburban Schaumburg. ... The Auditorium Building in Chicago The Auditorium Building in Chicago, Illinois is one of the best-known designs of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan. ... Michigan Avenue refers to remnants of Old U.S. Highway 12 that ran from downtown Detroit to Chicago. ... The Loop is what locals call the downtown neighborhood of Chicago. ...

In the Fall of 1997 Roosevelt established a College of Performing Arts which joined Chicago Musical College and the Theater Program under one administrative unit. In 2000, under the leadership of new dean James Gandre, the name was changed to Chicago College of Performing Arts. The College has two divisions: The Music Conservatory and The Theatre Conservatory.

• Source from a Roosevelt University web page written by Don Draganski, edited by Brian Wis