Cobblestone lane lined with red brick Victorian industrial buildings in Toronto's Distillery District at dusk.

Where Was Chicago Filmed?

The musical was set in Chicago but shot almost entirely in Toronto, with one stop in Oshawa.

Check availabilitySee every location

The Short Answer

Despite its title, Chicago was not filmed in Chicago. The 2002 musical was shot almost entirely in Toronto, Ontario, with additional scenes in nearby Oshawa. Principal photography ran from December 2001 to April 2002. Locations included the Distillery District, Casa Loma, the Ontario Legislative Building and the Elgin Theatre, all doubling for 1920s Chicago.

Rob Marshall's Oscar-winning adaptation of the stage musical takes place in the jazz clubs, courtrooms and jail cells of 1920s Chicago. Yet the production never set foot in Illinois. Instead, the filmmakers recreated the era in and around Toronto, which stood in for the Windy City.

Several of those Toronto locations are still standing and open to visitors today, and most sit within a compact downtown area that can be covered on foot in a single day.

Every Location At A Glance

LocationWhereWhat was filmedAccess
Distillery DistrictTorontoPrison exteriors including Fermenting Cellar Building as Cook County Jail and Trinity Street for Roxie being carted awayFree to see
Casa LomaTorontoBilly Flynn's office interior (Oak Room) and exterior shotsTicketed
Ontario Legislative Building, Queen's ParkTorontoCourthouse steps for press conference scenesFree to see
Elgin TheatreTorontoChicago Theatre interior for the finale performanceTicketed
Parkwood EstateOshawaInteriors and Kitty Baxter's home exteriorTicketed
Osgoode HallTorontoHospital exterior and press scenes around RoxieOutside only
Canada Life BuildingTorontoExterior of Billy Flynn's officeOutside only
Danforth Music HallTorontoClub where Roxie auditionsTicketed

Filming Locations Map

8 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Distillery District, Toronto
Location 01

Distillery District

Ontario, Toronto Free to see

Filmed here: Prison exteriors including Fermenting Cellar Building as Cook County Jail and Trinity Street for Roxie being carted away

The Distillery District did heavy lifting in the film, serving as the Cook County Jail exteriors, with the Fermenting Cellar Building standing in for the jail itself. Trinity Street appears in the scene where Roxie is carted away. The district also housed interior sets, including the prison block and courtroom. Today it is a pedestrian-only heritage area of Victorian industrial buildings filled with shops and restaurants, and it is freely open to the public at any time.

Casa Loma, Toronto
Location 02

Casa Loma

Ontario, Toronto Ticketed

Filmed here: Billy Flynn's office interior (Oak Room) and exterior shots

Casa Loma's Oak Room was used as the interior of Billy Flynn's office, with exterior shots of the castle also featured. The room has screen history beyond this film, having also appeared in X-Men. The castle is now a museum open for tours, and it remains one of Toronto's most popular filming locations. Admission is ticketed, so visitors hoping to see the Oak Room should buy entry in advance, especially in peak season.

Ontario Legislative Building, Queen's Park, Toronto
Location 03

Ontario Legislative Building, Queen's Park

Ontario, Toronto Free to see

Filmed here: Courthouse steps for press conference scenes

The grand steps of the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park became the courthouse steps where the press conference scenes unfold. The building is a working government structure, but its exterior is freely accessible, and the surrounding parkland makes it an easy stop between Casa Loma and downtown. Photographers will recognize the columned facade from the media scrum sequences involving Roxie and her newfound fame.

Elgin Theatre, Toronto
Location 04

Elgin Theatre

Ontario, Toronto Ticketed

Filmed here: Chicago Theatre interior for the finale performance

The Elgin Theatre's ornate interior stood in for the Chicago Theatre during the film's finale performance. It is a historic theatre that still hosts performances, and tours are sometimes available, though access depends on the schedule. Even from the lobby, visitors get a sense of the gilded atmosphere that made it a convincing double for one of Chicago's most famous venues. Check the listings before visiting if a tour is the goal.

Parkwood Estate, Oshawa
Location 05

Parkwood Estate

Ontario, Oshawa Ticketed

Filmed here: Interiors and Kitty Baxter's home exterior

Parkwood Estate in Oshawa, east of Toronto, provided interiors as well as the exterior of Kitty Baxter's home. The estate is a preserved historic house museum with formal gardens, and it is open for guided tours on a ticketed basis. Its period architecture made it a natural fit for the film's 1920s setting. Oshawa is a short drive or train ride from downtown Toronto, so the estate works well as a half-day excursion.

Osgoode Hall, Toronto
Location 06

Osgoode Hall

Ontario, Toronto Outside only

Filmed here: Hospital exterior and press scenes around Roxie

Osgoode Hall, the historic legal building on Queen Street West, appears as the hospital exterior and features in the press scenes surrounding Roxie. Only the exterior can be viewed, but its imposing facade and fenced gardens are worth a few minutes on any walking route through downtown. It sits close to both the Canada Life Building and the Elgin Theatre, making it easy to combine several Chicago locations in one stretch.

Canada Life Building, Toronto
Location 07

Canada Life Building

Ontario, Toronto Outside only

Filmed here: Exterior of Billy Flynn's office

The Canada Life Building on University Avenue served as the exterior of Billy Flynn's office. This landmark office tower is not open to tourists, but the street-level exterior is fully accessible and instantly recognizable from the film. Its beaux-arts styling helped sell the illusion of a big American city in the 1920s. It stands a short walk from Osgoode Hall, so the two locations pair naturally.

Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
Location 08

Danforth Music Hall

Ontario, Toronto Ticketed

Filmed here: Club where Roxie auditions

The Danforth Music Hall played the club where Roxie auditions early in the film. The venue still operates as a working music hall, hosting concerts and events regularly, which means access is generally tied to a ticket for a show. Arriving for an event gives visitors the chance to sit inside a space that appeared on screen. Otherwise, the exterior can be viewed from Danforth Avenue at any time.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

Chicago is set in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1920s, but the divide between setting and shooting location could hardly be wider. Every scene was filmed in Canada, in Toronto and the nearby city of Oshawa, Ontario. Not a single frame was shot in the actual city of Chicago. Toronto's stock of Victorian industrial buildings, historic theatres and period architecture allowed the production to recreate the look of the era without leaving Canada.

The Studio Side

The production was based at Downsview Park Studios in Toronto, which served as the hub for principal photography between December 2001 and April 2002. The studio itself is not open to visitors, so fans should focus on the practical locations around the city instead, most of which are publicly accessible.

Tours That Visit These Locations

One bookable tour covers downtown Toronto filming locations, including sites that feature on this page's surrounding film trail. It is a general film and television tour of the city rather than a Chicago-specific outing.

Downtown Toronto Film Locations Walk

Toronto: Hollywood North Experience Film & TV Tour

This guided walking tour of Toronto's Hollywood North credentials passes through downtown landmarks such as David Pecaut Square, Union Station and Nathan Phillips Square, all within a short walk of several Chicago locations like Osgoode Hall and the Canada Life Building. It is a practical way to orient yourself in the city where the film was actually made.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Was Chicago filmed in Chicago?

No. The 2002 film was shot entirely in Canada, in Toronto and Oshawa, Ontario. No scenes were filmed in the city of Chicago itself.

Why was Chicago filmed in Toronto?

Toronto offered period architecture, historic theatres and Victorian industrial districts that could convincingly stand in for 1920s Chicago, along with established studio facilities at Downsview Park Studios.

When was Chicago filmed?

Principal photography ran from December 2001 to April 2002 in Toronto and the surrounding region.

Can you visit the Chicago filming locations?

Yes. Most are in central Toronto and freely viewable, including the Distillery District, Queen's Park, Osgoode Hall and the Canada Life Building. Casa Loma, Parkwood Estate and the Elgin Theatre require tickets or event entry.

Where is the jail from Chicago?

The Cook County Jail exteriors were filmed in Toronto's Distillery District, with the Fermenting Cellar Building standing in for the jail. Trinity Street appears when Roxie is carted away. The district is open to the public.

Is the Chicago Theatre in the film real?

The finale's Chicago Theatre interior was actually the Elgin Theatre in Toronto. The historic venue still hosts performances, so visiting usually means buying a ticket to a show.

Toronto may seem like an unlikely stand-in for 1920s Chicago, but the city's period buildings did the job so well that most viewers never noticed the swap. With several locations walkable in a day and Casa Loma and Parkwood Estate within easy reach, a Chicago pilgrimage turns out to be a Toronto trip after all.

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