rare and all original vintage c. 1920's "arctype" auditorium spotlight from the non-extant chicago stadium. the lamp house was likely mounted on a bracket or a telescopic wrought iron stand where it was suspended by a cast aluminum yoke. the lamp housing is made of wellsville polished iron, double lined on both sides and triple lined top with front and rear plates of aluminum. the 3/4 inch air space between each lining for ventilation carries away the heat. the hinged drop or dump door in the back of the lamp house retains the original arc lamp with old carbons left inside. the condenser lens is original and intact. the fixture is a lighting technology developed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, which was replaced by the incandescent spotlight. the carbon arc lamp was the first widely-used type of electric lighting and commercially successful form of electric lamp; it was first used for street and factory lighting, as it was extremely bright and could flood large areas with light. it also found application in film production and theater, and in projectors. they began to be phased out after the 1910's, at least as general lighting (but continued to be used as spotlights). the fixture was salvaged from the non-extant chicago stadium, that was replaced ten years ago by the modernized united center. the chicago stadium at 1800 w. madison, was an indoor arena opened in 1929 at a cost of over $7 million, as the largest structure of its kind. its architect was eric e. hall, a swedish immigrant and high level mason who also designed many of the county's largest buildings-including the criminal courts building, county jail, and juvenile home. the stadium was modeled on detroit's olympic stadium, and was the first arena to have an air conditioning system; its seating capacity was over 15,000, designed to offer affordable entrance with unobstructed views. the arena opened with a boxing match, and thereafter played host to various sporting events, midget car races, rodeos, political conventions, concerts, water shows, races, circuses, soccer games and church services. championship hockey, basketball and football games took place inside the arena when weather prohibited outdoor events. in 1995, the 65 year old building was razed for the united center to supplant it.