Hammerstein's Harlem Opera House, week of Jan. 24, 1895
Miss Olga Nethersole in Camille
Homepage A to Z Index Book outline About these letters About EJ Phillips Chronology EJ Phillips Facebook Fan Page
Theatres
Castle Garden,
Battery Park, Built: 1808, Demolished: 1940
Chickering Hall
interior
http://robertdavisinc.com/chicker.htm 437
5th Avenue and 18th Street
History
http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/ChickeringHall.html 1874-1893
with lectures by Oscar Wilde, Thomas Huxley [and George Riddle] then became
retail space. 1901 sold and razed.
New York 1886
"George Riddle sent me
tickets for his course of readings, the 1st on Saturday night at Chickering
Hall. Hattie went and took Mrs. Kirby. A Midsummer Nights Dream was the
subject, with [Walter] Damrosch's orchestra playing the music."
Empire Theatre
1430 Broadway, at 40th St,1893, Charles
Frohman
1430 Broadway near 40th Street, Built: 1893, Demolished: 1953, Owned by Al
Hayman
http://www.musicals101.com/bwaypast2.htm#Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Theatre_(New_York_City)
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists Al and David Hayman as managers of the Empire
Theatre.
Fifth Ave. Theatre Daly's
interior
http://robertdavisinc.com/dalys.htm
Fifth Avenue @ 26th
http://robertdavisinc.com/fifth.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Avenue_Theatre
1221 Broadway at 30th Street, Other names: Banvard's Museum (1867),
Wood's Museum (1868), Broadway (1876),
Metropolitan
Built: 1867, Demolished: 1920
http://www.musicals101.com/bwaypast1b.htm#Daly
Charles and Isabella Walcottwere at Daly's 1899-1901.
Fifth Avenue Theatre, 27 West 28th Street (NW Corner), Also named: St. James, Madison Square, H.C. Miner's 5th Avenue Theatre, Built: 1873, Demolished: 1939?, Seats: 1,529 Note: This theatre took its name from an opera house that burned down in 1873. An 1877 renovation included a ventilation system that blew air over blocks of ice, making this the world's first air conditioned theatre. Destroyed by fire in 1891, it was rebuilt at the same location and renamed the Madison Square. Musicals: The Pirates of Penzance 1879 - US Premiere http://www.musicals101.com/bwaypast2.htm#Fifth
There were at least four theatres named the Fifth Avenue Theatre http://robertdavisinc.com/fifth2.htm
interior http://robertdavisinc.com/grandop.htm
Hammerstein's Harlem Opera House, week of Jan. 24, 1895
Miss Olga Nethersole in Camille
Hammerstein, Oscar Andrew, The Hammersteins: A musical theatre family, Black Dog & Leventhal Publications, 2010
Hoyt's Theater Sept. 11, 1895 Today it was rumoured, and I heard it was announced in some of yesterday's papers - that we open on the 19th in Buffalo, NY for three nights and Saturday matinee, and return to open on the 23rd at Hoyt's [Madison Square] Theatre for a run. Mr. Chas Frohman is attending rehearsals, is very pleasant and seems to be well pleased with the work of the company.
The Madison Square Theatre was the scene of important developments in stage technology
, theatre design, and theatrical tour management. For about half its history it had other names including the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Daly’s Fifth Avenue Theatre, Hoyt’s Madison Square Theatre, and Hoyt’s Theatre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Square_TheatreHoyt's Theatre program week commencing Nov. 4, 1895
Madison Square Theatre program 1885
Madison Square Theatre floor plan
Interior
http://robertdavisinc.com/niblos.htm
Charlotte Nickinson performed here, as did John Nickinson in 1844, 1846 and 1850Olympic Theatre
Palmer's Theatre
Standard Theatre interior
http://robertdavisinc.com/standard.htmTony Pastor, the vaudevillian, was a living summation of nineteenth-century urban entertainment. An Italian born in 1834 (or thereabouts), the son of a grocer, Pastor was an uneducated urchin who sang at temperance meetings, played tambourine in a minstrel company at Barnum's Museum on lower Broadway in 1847, and knocked around through half a dozen circuses in the 1850s, working as a singer, clown, acrobat, tumbler, dancer, and horseback rider, often all in a single show. In the early years of the Civil War, Pastor began a career as a balladeer in "concert saloons," descendants of the English music hall where the acts were often flimsy excuses for the alcohol, and the "waitress girls" considered the serving of drinks the beginning rather than the end of their job. Pastor became a beloved figure, famed for a stock of 1,500 tunes, and for his good-humored ribaldry. He sang about soused Irishmen and farcical Negroes and avenging wives and long-suffering husbands. James Traub, The Devil's Playground : A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square, 2004 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0375507884/103-8920797-5029402?_encoding=UTF8&n=283155
Tony Pastor Collection, Humanities Research Collection, Univ. of Texas Austin http://research.hrc.utexas.edu:8080/hrcxtf/view?docId=ead/00106.xml [1837-1908]
A letter from Albert, aged 14 to his mother mentions going to Tony Pastor's Theater.
http://robertdavisinc.com/unionsq.htm http://www.josephhaworth.com/union_square_theatre.htm
Washington DC, Jan 6, 1893 [Ramsey Morris] hints of being established permanently in a New York Theatre should be a hit in New York we shall remain for a longer period than three weeks. I am afraid though that the Union Square is not the right theatre for us - too far downtown now.
New York, Mar 24, 1893 In today's Herald you will see an article stating that B.F. Keith of Boston will take charge of the Union Square Theatre on April 8th. That is the end of our present engagement, but Mr. Keith & Mr. [Ramsey] Morris are in negotiation to continue Joseph for an indefinite run. Whether their efforts will be successful remains to be seen. I hope they will be.
Wallacks interior
http://robertdavisinc.com/wallacks.htmWallack's (2nd), Broadway at 13th Street, Later named: Germania, Star, Built: 1861, Demolished: 1901 Note: This was the second theatre to bear the name of actor-manager James W. Wallack. After Wallack's death, his son Lester managed the theatre until 1881. Later known as the Germania and the Star, it housed all sorts of productions until it was demolished to make room for a skyscraper. http://www.musicals101.com/bwaypast6.htm#Wallack's
Lost Wallacks 1861 Theater, Daytonian in Manhattan http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-lost-1861-wallacks-theatre-broadway.html
LESTER WALLACK'S THEATRE Lester Wallack moved into his up-town theatre at the northeast corner of Thirtieth Street in February, 1881, but the building was not ready for opening until January 4, 1882. The exterior of the building has never been completely finished. Here Wallack had an excellent stock company as before; but the house never became so famous or so popular as the old Thirteenth Street theatre, perhaps, because a new generation of theatre-goers had grown up and the actor-manager was getting old. He retired from active management, and the house opened as Palmer's Theatre on October 8, 1888, to become and remain Wallack's once more on December 7, 1896. Jenkins, Stephen, The Greatest Street in the World: The Story of Broadway, 1911 http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Manhattan/Broadway/Union.html
Owen Marlowe
[Virginia Nickinson's husband] and Mrs. Charles Walcott[Isabella Nickinson] were members of Wallack's Theatre CompanyWoods Museum and Theatre,
George Wood 514 Broadway, later site of Daly's theatre New York Songlines West
30th St and Broadway
http://www.nysonglines.com/broadway.htm
George Wood obituary 1886 May 18
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10034184/george_wood_theatrical18_may_1886_ny/
First managed the Old Bowery Theater inNnew York in 1850-51, then settled in
Cincinnati and built Wood's Theatre there at Sixth and Vine. Married Eliza Logan
in 1859 [who died in 1872] moving to St. Lous, where he also built a theatre
named after himself. He returned to New York in 1864 and leased the New
York Theatre, originally Brougham's Lyceum and the first Wallack's Theatre,
running it until April 1, 1867. When Henry Wood retired from the management of
Minstreal Hall, 514 Broadway, Wood opened it Jan 15 1866 with "The Balloon
wedding". In 1868 he entered into an agreement with PT Barnum. His second
wife was Henrietta Grainger, a young Australian actress who was a member of his
company. His second wife was a chorus singer in Duff's Mikado company
until Wood's "precarious condition [Bright's disease] demanded her constant
attentions." He was survived by his wife and three young children, and was
buried at Greenwood Cemetery with his first wife and a child who had predeceased
him, after a service at the Church of the Transfiguration. EJ Phillips
frequently mentions visiting Mrs.Wood and the boys in New York and Philadelphia
where they went to school at Girard.
Barnum's Museum burned on March 2 1868 and he never owned or operated a museum of his own again, but he did work with George Wood's Museum which housed the remainder of his collection, for which Wood paid 3% of the gross receipts to Barnum. Weird and Wonderful The Dime Museum in America 1997 https://books.google.com/books?id=env9TrQmu7oC&dq=%22george+wood%22+barnum&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Brooklyn
Section IV
Entertainment including theaters and the Crystal Palace, http://legacy.www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/print/exhibits/movingup/labeliv.htm
Section VIII Including Broadway and hotels and businesses
http://legacy.www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/art/print/exhibits/movingup/labeviii.htm
New York Public Library, R. Waddell, Moving Uptown: Nineteenth Century Views of
Manhattan, 1998
The heart of the [Museum of the City of New York] Theater holdings is the John Golden Archive, which consists of approximately 40,000 folders, organized by production, personality and theater building. This archive preserves a virtually complete chronology of the theater in New York City from the late eighteenth century to the present. The folders contain such materials as photographs, contracts, correspondence, playbills, manuscripts, advertising materials, reviews, obituaries, clippings, sheet music, autographs, souvenir programs, and prompt books with marginalia on blocking and performance. The photographic holdings of the Theater Collection provide a visual chronicle of New York theater from cartes-de-visite of the 1860s through production stills of the 1990s.
http://www.eoneill.com/mcny/collection.htm 1220-1227 Fifth Avenue from East 103rd to 104th Streets, across from Central Park Atlanta Georgia Julius Cahn's 1897 Guide lists the Grand Opera House and Lyceum Theatres. Baltimore Cahn's 1897 Guide lists the Academy of Music, Ford's Grand Opera House, Holliday Street Theatre, Kernan's Monumental Theatre and Lyceum Theatre.Fords Grand Opera House
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford%27s_Grand_Opera_House 1891 Saints and Sinners West Fayette St between West Howard and Eutaw Opened 1871. Closed 1964. Owner John T Ford also owned Ford's Theatre in Washington DC.Lyceum Theatre 1894 Olga Nethersole Built by John Albaugh in 1890. Albaugh also owned Albaugh's Grand Opera House and the National Theatre in Washington DC, and was married to Maggie Mitchell's sister. Fifth Years in Theatrical Management 1912 https://books.google.com/books?id=ODEzAQAAMAAJ&dq=baltimore+john+albaugh+lyceum+theatre&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Now an office building, with ground floor Phillip's Market and Papyrus card and
stationery store. When was this building built?
These three
theaters were all in the same block
Boston Theatre
was at 539 Washington Street, between West and Essex Street, Boston. Built in
1854, seated 3,000.
Kings Boston
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Theatre has images
Now the Boston Opera House
http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/224
Boston, May
27, 1888 We remain here two weeks longer playing
Jim [the
Penman] It was decided last Thursday when A.M.P[almer] came to attend
the Actors Fund
benefit at the Boston Theatre
Bijou Theatre The Union Square Theatre company seems to have appeared
here. The Boston Athenaeum collection of theatre playbills has been helpful in
tracking EJ Phillips in the years before we have letters for.
545 Washington St.
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/11085/ Now an office
building, next door to the Boston Opera House. Part of Emerson's Paramount
Theater?
Bowdoin Square Theatre The company stayed at the Hotel Bowdoin (which was connected with this theatre) in 1895 while playing at the Boston Museum.
Globe Theatre 1893 Joseph 364 Washington St. at State Street
Park Theatre
"A small, compact, and elegant playhouse" (619-621 Washington Street near the corner of Boylston)
Tremont Theatre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremont_Theatre,_Boston_(1889) 1890, 1891 Madison Square Theatre 1889-1940s, building demolished 1983. The theater was owned by John Schoeffel, husband of Agnes Booth Schoeffel
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists 12 Boston theaters.
Buffalo
Academy of Music burned Sept
2 1895
erected 1852 by Henry T Meech [died 1870] leased 1875-76 to Abbey &
Schoeffel.
https://www.nytimes.com/1895/09/02/archives/a-great-sunday-fire-in-buffalo-the-historic-old-academy-of-music.html
Main & Seneca Streets, photos
http://buffaloah.com/h/acad/index.html
Julius Cahn's 1897 Guide lists the Star and Lyceum Theatres.
Charleston South Carolina Julius Cahn's 1897 Guide lists the Academy of Music.
Charlotte North Carolina Cahn's 1897 Guide lists the Opera House.
Hooleys Theater
Richard Hooley (1822-1893) Hooley's Theatre first opened in 1872. 149 Randolph St., between Clark and LaSalle after the Chicago Fire A book published about 1899, "The Story of a Theatre" by Lyman B. Glover, printed by R. R. Donnelley and Sons Company at The Lakeside Press, Chicago, Illinois, that tells about his theater. NY Times obituary Sept 9, 1893 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1091039/hooley_richard_m_died_ny_times_9_sep/ The first Hooleys Opera House opened on Clark St in 1867.Richard Hooley photograph http://www.ancientfaces.com/research/photo/366248 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5145883 Richard Martin Hooley
The reconstruction of Chicago's Hooley's Theater in 1882 was the first commission to generate praise for Louis Henry Sullivan independent of Adler. Louis Henry Sullivan was, said one commentator, "the master spirit directing and shaping the creation" (1) of the new interior. By the time McVicker's Theater was remodeled in 1885, Louis Henry Sullivan 's work was "the best" of its kind in Chicago, according to one critic, "superior to anything heretofore seen in any public building in this country", in the eyes of another. Famous Architects http://architect.architecture.sk/louis-henry-sullivan-architect/louis-henry-sullivan-architect.php
McVicker's Theatre
, The First McVicker's Theatre was built in 1857 and destroyed in the great fire. Rebuilt in 1872 and remodelled in 1885, it burnt again Aug 26, 1890, during the run of the war play Shenandoah. Rebuilt, it opened again in March 1891 with the [Joseph] Jefferson -Florence company of The Rivals. The theater closed in 1984 and was torn down in 1985, a sad and inglorious end for a theater which, in an earlier life, hosted Sarah Bernhardt's first Chicago stage appearance a century earlier. http://www.bergsengs.com/McVickers-Theatre.htmlJames H. McVicker
(1822-1896). McVicker was a Scotsman and a comedian. On May 2, 1848, he appeared as the "First Low Comedian" in a theater owned by James B. Rice. Rice would later become Mayor of Chicago. McVicker worked in France and England and owned a stock company of actors in the U.S. He is best known, however, by the theaters he owned. In 1857, he built a theater on Madison St. west of State. It cost $85,000 and was completely equipped including a drop curtain that depicted the railroad bridge connecting Rock Island with Davenport. The curtain was considered by many a work of art. From opening night, until its destruction in the Great Fire of 1871, the stage was visited by the finest actors and the best musicians. His second theater was built in 1871 and was destroyed in the Great Fire nine weeks after opening night. After the fire, he spent $200,000 to build the Theater Ludlow. Sarah Bernhardt on her first American tour appeared at McVicker's Theater. In 1862, John Wilkes Booth achieved personal success in Richard III. His [McVickers'] daughter, Mary, was a popular performer starting at the age of ten. When she was 18, she married Edwin Booth the brother of the assassin. She died in 1881, childless, and 33 years of age. At the death of Lincoln, the City chose a Committee of One Hundred to be at the funeral in Springfield. James McVicker was one of the men chosen to represent the City. http://chicagoscots.net/Name%20List/Name%20List%20M.htm
McVicker's Theatre, Chicago
http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/1798/
25 W. Madison Street 60602
James H. McVicker (1822-96)
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McVicker's_Theater
McVicker's New Theatre, Observanda, 1891
https://archive.org/details/mcvickersobserva00chic
Schiller Theatre
1892-1960 [demolished] http://www.cinematour.com/theatres_us.php?province=IL&page=4 64 W. Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60601 A large portion of the facade featuring portraits of famous Germans was saved and was later incorporated into the entranceway of the Second City Theater on North Wells Street. http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1016/ and other places in Chicago http://chicago-architecture-jyoti.blogspot.com/2011/09/lincoln-park-apartment-1945-n-lincoln.htmlNew York, Nov. 18, 1895 Well I was not asked to go to London, but to Chicago for a Summer Season, after this Season is over, which will not be for some time yet. The Summer Season will be for from ten to sixteen weeks at Hooley's Theatre, possibly beginning in June. So I accepted and think that will be better than going to London and perhaps getting lost in the fog.
Chicago
Theatres Hooleys, Richard Hooley; McVickers JH McVicker
Story of a Theatre, Lyman B. Glover, 1898
http://www.archive.org/details/storyoftheatre00glov Hooleys and
other Chicago Theaters
Pike's Opera House, Cincinnati, Great Fire of 1866, Harper's Weekly April 14,
1866
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohhamilt/news/1866april14.html
Fourth and Vine Streets
Pike's Opera House also burned in 1903
FRANK
LESLIE'S ILLUSTRATED New York and dated: April 14, 1866. This 16 page newspaper
contains prints and text concerning the latest news of the day. Some of the
prints and news in this issue include: "Burning of Pike's Opera House,
Cincinnati" shows the fire company--with fire engines--in action.
http://www.rarenewspapers.com/new.asp
Pike's Opera House history http://www.diggingcincinnati.com/2013/08/history-of-se-corner-of-fourth-and-vine.html
Pike's Opera House was still listed in the 1897 Cahn's Theatrical Guide, with the Grand Opera House and eight other theaters in Cincinnati.
Cleveland Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Euclid Avenue Opera House, Cleveland Theatre and Lyceum Theatre.
Los Angeles, Sept. 19, 1888 Direct your letters to Theatre. A.M. Palmer, Co. At Denver, "Tabor Opera House". , Denver, opened 1881 http://www.taboroperahouse.net/ http://www.babydoe.org/houses.htm 16th and CurtisThe Westin Hotel is located next to the Tabor Center, a multi-use office, hotel and shopping complex. The Tabor Center is built on the site of the former Tabor Opera House named for Horace Tabor, Colorado's silver mining King. Not only famous for his wealth, Horace Tabor's life became the basis for the opera "The Ballad of Baby Doe," detailing the love triangle of him, his wife August and his true love, Baby Doe. http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/econ/group8/summit97/sites.htm
Baby Doe Tabor http://www.babydoetabor.com/
There is a new large theatre here called "The Broadway Theatre". Opera is being played there, this being the second week. Lohengrin was the Opera last night.1756 Broadway St.
Detroit 1892 1893 1895 1896 Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Detroit Opera House, Whitney Grand, Lyceum Theatre, Capital Square and Campbell's Empire Theatre.
Harrisburg Pennsylvania 1897 Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Grand Opera House
Hartford Connecticut 1894 Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists Parson Theatre and the Hartford Opera House.
Indianapolis
Metropolitan 1867-1868
Academy of Music 1868
Metropolitan Hall: Indianapolis' First Theater
http://historicindianapolis.com/the-metropolitan-indianapolis-first-theater/
Coates House and Coates Opera House, Kansas City Public Library http://www.kclibrary.org/?q=blog/week-Kansas-city-history/worst-fire-kansas-city-history
Knoxville Tennessee
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical guide lists Staub's Opera house, Gay and Cumberland StreetsLondon Ontario Cahn's 1897 Theatrical guide lists the Grand Opera House.
Los Angeles, Sept. 19, 1888 The theatre here is very pretty, as far as the Auditorium goes, but the dressing rooms are very uncomfortable.Aug 12, 1890 The dressing rooms at theatre were very hot last night, but that was due to the gas and want of proper ventilation. Our house was crowded and everything passed off nicely.
Louisville Kentucky
Barney Macauley founded Macauley's Theatre in 1873, although his younger brother John T. Macauley became the theatre's proprietor in1879.
http://digital.library.louisville.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/macauley/id/211
Macauley's Theatte 1873-1925
In 1873 when it was built on West Walnut Street, (now Muhammad
Ali Boulevard)
between Third
Street and Fourth
Street,
the New
Orleans Republican proclaimed
Macauley’s Theatre as “one of the finest and most beautiful theatres in
the Western country. It is fitted up with all the modern improvements. The
ceilings are frescoed in deep rich colors.”
Macauley's Theatre Collection, University of
Louisville
http://digital.library.louisville.edu/cdm/description/collection/macauley/
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macauley%27s_Theatre
Macauley's lobby was decorated with pictures of the famous actors and actresses
who had performed there, many with personal inscriptions and dedications. When
the theatre closed, these were donated to the University
of Louisville,
which still includes them in their archives. Accessed 2018 April 11
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists
Macauley's Theatre, Amphitheatre Auditorium, Avenue Theatre, Grand Opera House
and Temple Theatre.
Madison Wisconsin Fuller Opera House
Middletown New York Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Casino Theatre. The Argus printed theatre programs.
Davidson Theater http://www.astortheater.org/history14.html
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Davidson Theatre and four others -- Academy of Music, Alhambra, Bijou Opera House and Pabst Theatre.
Montreal
Theatre Royal 1825-1844 John Nickinson
Marché Bonsecours.
Oct 1894 New York "We play in the "Academy of
Music" in Montreal I believe"
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists Academy of Music, Queen's Theatre, Theatre
Royale and Theatre Francais.
New Haven: Grand Opera House and Hyperion Theatre listed in Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide.
New London Lyceum Theatre
New OrleansBen DeBar
(1812-1877) had been "stage manager for Noah Ludlow and Sol Smith at the St. Charles Theatre in New Orleans, when they retired in 1843 he assumed management of their New Orleans and St. Louis theatres.EJ Phillips was for some years a member of the famous stock company Ben DeBar [1821-1877 HAS] at St. Louis. She went from St. Louis to New Orleans to play old lady parts at the Varieties Theatre, the leading stock theatre at New Orleans, under the management of Lawrence Barrett.(1838-1891).
Varieties Theatre
Lawrence Barrett 1870s Gravier St between Baronne and Carondelet Sts New
Orleans opened 1849 burned 1853 rebuilt, managed by Dion Boucicault burned again
1870 rebuilt 1872 on Canal St 1849-1872 Lawrence Barrett 1871-1875
New Varieties Theatre 921 Canal St. 1897 Gay Parisians
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Academy of Music (managed by CB Jefferson and Klaw and Erlanger), St. Charles Theatre (also managed by Jefferson, Klaw and Erlanger), Grand Opera House and French Opera house
Newark NJ Cahn's 1897 Theatrical guide lists the Newark and Jacob's Theatres, Waldman's Opera House.
Newport Rhode Island Cahn's 1897 Theatrical guide lists the Opera house.
Omaha Cahn's 1897 Theatrical guide lists The Creighton and Boyd's New Theatre Philadelphia
Arch Street Theatre, 609-615 Arch Street
http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/16554 Irwin R.
Glazer Theater Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Arch Street Theatre Philadelphia
Jim [the Penman] is to be played here in the
"Arch" [Street Theatre] next Monday. Mr. Holliday will be with the
party. Joe
Whiting as "Jim" &
Ada Dyas as
"Mrs. Ralston" and Mr. [H.M.]
Pitt for his old part of "Percival" This will give us rehearsals as the
cast must be changed considerably.
Broad Street
Theatre
Philadelphia Wissinoming Jan 15 1891 I arrived here last Friday night.
Went to Broad St theatre Saturday. Was called to rehearse on Tuesday. Played
yesterday matinee in
Capt. Swift.,
rehearse
Jim the Penman
tomorrow and play in it Sat Mat and in Capt. Swift Saturday night.
Hotel Davidson, Nov 8, 1893 Milwaukee New Years day open in Philadelphia for
two or more weeks at Broad St theatre.
Chestnut Street Theatre
FF Mackay
was manager of the Chestnut Street Theatre
from 1875-78, along with William Gemmill (c. 1845- 1882
CDP) and
J. Frederick Scott. "However in 1878 severe internal difficulties began and the
Company's previously favorable position (as Philadelphia's only first-class
resident company) began to erode. Many of the company's best actors resigned. "
On New Years Day we open with a Matinee [Lady
Windermere's Fan] at Chestnut Street Theatre [Philadelphia] for
two weeks
Concert Hall and Chestnut Street Theatre, Chestnut Street at Twelfth (north side), 1211-27 Chestnut Street, Watercolor by Benjamin R. Evans, 1879, Library Company of Philadelphia.https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/item/597
Chestnut Street Opera House, 1021-1029 Chestnut St. http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/14712 This seems to be a different building.
Grand Theater Was there a Grand Theater in Philadelphia? Joseph seemed to have been produced there by Ramsey Morris in 1892.
National
Theatre
Park Theatre
, Broad and Fairmont Ave, Broken Seal for one week Isabella Nickinson Walcottand her husband Charles Walcottwere in this theatre company before joining Daniel Frohman's New York company in 1887.We have a number of doleful letters from Mrs. M Augusta Garretson, who managed the Walnut St Theatre from Aug 21 1859 until she sold it to Edwin Booth and his brother in law John Sleeper Clark in 1865.. The New York Clipper reported July 1869 that she was the lessee of the Chestnut St Theater. (1880 census born 1812, widowed).
Louisa Drew reported "Mr Drew and myself acted at the Walnut St Theatre, under the management of Mrs. DP Bowers, either ate in 1857 or early in 1858; and Mr. Drew played a farewell engagment there, previous to his departure for California and Australia, in the latter part of November1858, Mrs. Garretson then being lessee. Annals of Philadelphia in the Olden tTime 1891 https://books.google.com/books?id=5ZFJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Lititz Pennsylvania [Lancaster County] record reported the death in Philadelphia of Mrs. M Augusta Garretson July 31 1903 "She was for six seasons the proprietor and manager of the Walnut Street Theatre. Mrs Garretson, whose maiden name was Tucker was born in New York 80 years ago."" [1823]
Walnut Theatre History (1809-present)
http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/theatre/
Walnut Street Theatre
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists 14 theaters in Philadelphia -- and 23 newspapers.
Philadelphia Theatrical Papers
1877- 1943, Univ. of Delaware Library http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/phila.htm PittsburghPittsburgh, Nov. 28, 1894 Here I am living next door to theatre, which is also a great rest to me, and I am beginning to feel quite like myself.
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide notes that the Alvin seated 2,000 people. Other Pittsburgh theaters were the Bijou, Grand Opera House and the Hopkins.
1890 Marquam Grand Opera House (later the Orpheum, torn down 1970s.) https://www.allclassical.org/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-marquam-grand-a-tragedy/Richmond Virginia Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Academy of Music and Richmond Theatre.
Rochester New York Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Lyceum Theatre.
Sacramento Eagle Theater https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27174 California's first theater, prompted by the California Gold Rush, is long gone, but has been reconstructed. Originally opened in 11849 and now part of the California State Railroad Museum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Theatre_(Sacramento,_California)
Saint Joseph Missouri Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Tootle Theatre and New Crawford Theatre.
Saint LouisOlympic Theatre 107 South Broadway opened 1866. A new building replaced the original in 1882.
St. Louis Mo Theatre Timeline http://moviesyearbyyear.blogspot.com/p/stlouis-mo-theatres.htmlCahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists 9 theaters, including the Century (managed by Al Hayman), and Olympic.
Salt Lake City
Shortly after the Mormon's arrival in
Salt Lake they built a small playhouse and Brigham Young was determined to
construct a first class theatre. Construction began in July 1861 and the formal
opening was in March 1862. In 1870 the
railroad
connected Salt Lake City to both coasts and "during the next fifth years
practically every notable actor of the American stage" appeared there and was
the favorite of many "not only because of the enthusiasm of its audiences, but
also because of the atmosphere and character of the house".
[History
Am Theatre]
The Salt Lake
Theatre, finished in March 1862, was the largest structure yet built by the
Saints and cost $100,000. William H. Folsom was the architect of the exterior,
which was Doric in style. E.L.T. Harrison, an architect from London and recent
convert, modeled much of the interior after the London Drury Lane Theatre.
Building supplies came from the now-disbanding Camp Floyd and the wreckage of
government wagons on the trail. The theater was dedicated with a prayer by
Daniel H. Wells, and an address by Brigham Young. Over 1,500 people crowded the
theater for the opening, and many continued to come for later performances.
Dubbed the "Cathedral in the Desert," the theater became a neutral ground for
Mormons and non-Mormons, although it was controlled by the Mormons.
San Diego mentioned only in passing. Fisher Opera House I don't think EJ Phillips ever got to San Diego.
San Francisco
Thanks to the Gold Rush, theatre came to California. The first theatrical
performance by professional actors was given in San Francisco in 1850."
Cambridge
Baldwin Hotel and Theatre
At the corner of Market and Powell Streets according to hotel stationery. Built by gambler/ entrepreneur Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin in 1875 (Sumner Bugbee, architect) Originally called Baldwin's Academy of Music, the theatre emphasized touring stars and attractions. "In 1878 Baldwin built a magnificent hotel which encompassed the playhouse and occupied the rest of the block. Virtually all the great touring performers of the day appeared in their best-known vehicles at the house ... Both hotel and theatre were destroyed by fire in 1898." [Oxford]In the evening, by way of severe contrast [to the Mission Dolores they visited earlier that day], we went to Baldwin's Theatre, attached to the hotel of the same name and just finished. It is really the prettiest to be seen in any part of the world -- a perfect little gem, fitted up like a bonbonniere in crimson satin and gold. The six proscenium boxes on either side, and the row of French boxes at the back are marvelously pretty. Nothing could be more rich and exquisite in refinement of taste. The symmetry of the house is unmarred by rows of pillars, the galleries being suspended from the roof. California: a pleasure trip from Gotham to the Golden Gate, Chapter 20, April, May, June, 1877. Mrs. Frank Leslie http://nbc-lumber.com/Leslie/Ch20.htm
The
Baldwin Hotel and Theatre burned in 1898. Albert Nickinson, in San Francisco
for the Spanish American War took
photographs
of the ruins.
Baldwin Hotel fire 1
California Theatre
For many years the leading theatre in San Francisco, it opened in 1869 on Bush Street, designed by SC Bugbee and Son, costing $150,000, and built for Lawrence Barrett and another actor by the head of San Francisco's Bank of California. Emphasized a resident ensemble, while its principal rival the Baldwin Theatre specialized in touring stars. The theatre burned in 1888. A replacement was built on the same site and destroyed in the 1906 earthquake.NO. 86
CALIFORNIA THEATRE
Located at what is now 440 Bush Street
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist3/playbill.html
444 Bush Street
http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/cal0086.asp
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists Al Hayman as the manager of both Baldwin's and the California Theatre. Other theaters listed include the Columbia, Morosco's and Tivoli Grand Opera Houses. Peter Robertson is listed as the theater critic at the Chronicle, one of six daily papers, and five weeklies.
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Seattle Theatre.Stockton California Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the theater in Stockton as Yo Semite Theatre.
Syracuse New Wieting Opera House, Bastable Theatre, Grand
Opera House
Tacoma Washington
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the theater as the Tacoma
Theater.
Royal Lyceum Theatre
John Nickinson and EJ Phillips at the Royal Lyceum Theatre 1850'sNickinson's Royal Lyceum "offered a repertoire ranging from Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer to popular melodramas such as Uncle Tom's Cabin" Nickinson was known for his gala Christmas productions of Cinderella and Aladdin. [Oxford Companion to Canadian Theatres]
Nickinson also managed Hamilton's Metropolitan Theatre, going there with the Toronto company each year. (This must have been how he met EJ Phillips). Hard economic times, starting in 1858, led to his giving up the Royal Lyceum in 1859. He ended up as stage manager at Pike's Opera house in Cincinnati and died there in 1864. [what is this from?]
Charlotte Nickinson Morrison at the Royal Lyceum Theatre 1871-1878
Bibliography
Shortt, Mary "The Royal Lyceum: part I 1848-1859", John Nickinson chapter, Master's Thesis on Toronto theatre 1809-1874 c. 1979.Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Princess Theatre, Grand Opera House, Toronto Opera House and Massey Music Hall.
Troy New York Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists Rand's Opera House
Vancouver
1896
Washington DC
Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the New National Theatre, Academy of Music and John Albaugh's Lafayette Square Opera House, as well as the Bijou Family Theatre, Grand Opera House and Columbia theatre.
Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide lists the Grand Opera House
EJ Phillips' letters and other sources mention at least 110 cities -- Cahn's 1897 Theatrical Guide was very helpful in identifying theatres for these.
|
city |
state |
1897 pop. |
EJP first year |
EJP more years |
theaters |
|||||
|
Albany |
NY |
100,000 |
1891 |
1894 |
Haumann's Bleecker Hall |
|||||
|
Alliance |
OH |
10,000 |
1893 |
Opera House |
||||||
|
Asheville |
NC |
15,000 |
1897 |
Grand opera House |
||||||
|
Atlanta |
GA |
100,000 |
1897 |
Grand Opera House, Lyceum Theatre |
||||||
|
Auburn |
NY |
30,000 |
1892 |
Burtis Opera House |
||||||
|
Augusta |
GA |
45,000 |
1897 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Baltimore |
MD |
500,000 |
1891 |
1892 1893 1894 |
Academy of Music, Fords Grand Opera House, Holliday St, Kernans Monumental, Lyceum |
|||||
|
Binghamton |
NY |
45,000 |
1892 |
Stones opera house |
||||||
|
Birmingham |
AL |
68,000 |
1897 |
O'Brien's Opera House |
||||||
|
Bloomington |
IL |
28,000 |
1893 |
Grand opera house |
||||||
|
Boston |
MA |
494,500 |
1886 |
1887 88 89 90 91 93 95 |
Boston Museum, Boston Theatre, Bijou, Globe, Park |
|||||
|
Boulder |
CO |
6,500 |
1890 |
Temple Hall |
||||||
|
Brooklyn |
NY |
1,200,000 |
1886 |
1889 1893 1894 |
Park Theatre Brooklyn Theatre,? |
|||||
|
Buffalo |
NY |
375,000 |
1890 |
1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 |
Academy of Music, Star, Lyceum |
|||||
|
Burlington |
IA |
30,000 |
1896 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Canton |
OH |
35,000 |
1893 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Cedar Rapids |
IA |
25,000 |
1896 |
Green's Opera House |
||||||
|
Charleston |
SC |
70,000 |
1897 |
Academy of Music |
||||||
|
Charleston |
WV |
15,000 |
1893 |
Burlew Opera house |
||||||
|
Charlotte |
NC |
20,000 |
1897 |
Opera House |
||||||
|
Chattanooga |
TN |
50,000 |
1897 |
New Opera House |
||||||
|
Chicago |
IL |
1,700,000 |
1875 |
1878 86 87 88 89 90 92 93 94 95 96 |
Hooleys, McVickers |
|||||
|
Cincinnati |
OH |
300,000 |
1862 |
1893 1897 |
1862-1865 w/JN |
Pikes Opera House, |
||||
|
Cleveland |
OH |
366,000 |
1889 |
1893 1895 |
Cleveland Theatre, Euclid Ave Opera House, Lyceum Theatre |
|||||
|
Colorado Springs |
CO |
15,000 |
1886 |
Opera House |
||||||
|
Columbus |
OH |
130,000 |
1892 |
1895 1896 |
Grand Opera House, Great Southern, High St Theatre |
|||||
|
Davenport |
IA |
40,000 |
1896 |
1896 |
Burtis Opera House, New Grand Opera House |
|||||
|
Decatur |
IL |
27,000 |
1893 |
1896 |
Germania Opera House |
|||||
|
Denver |
CO |
150,000 |
1883 |
1886 1888 1890 |
Taber's Opera house, Broadway Theatre |
|||||
|
Des Moines |
IA |
75,000 |
1896 |
Foster's Opera House |
||||||
|
Detroit |
MI |
305,000 |
1892 |
1893 1895 1896 |
Detroit Opera House, Whitney Grand Lyceum Theatre, Capital Sq, Campbell's Empire theatre |
|||||
|
Dubuque |
IA |
40,000 |
1896 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Easton |
PA |
40,000 |
1897 |
Able Opera House |
||||||
|
Evansville |
IN |
65,000 |
1893 |
The Grand, People's theatre |
||||||
|
Freeport |
IL |
17,000 |
1896 |
Tower's Opera House |
||||||
|
Grand Rapids |
MI |
85,000 |
1893 |
Powers Opera House |
||||||
|
Hamilton |
Ontario |
50,000 |
1848 |
1861 90 92 |
1830s--1852 |
Metropolitan Theatre |
||||
|
Harrisburg |
PA |
50,000 |
1897 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Hartford |
CT |
75,000 |
1892 |
1894 |
Hartford Opera House, Parsons |
|||||
|
Herkimer |
NY |
5,000 |
1892 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Indianapolis |
IN |
125,000 |
1867 |
1895 |
Empire Theatre, English Opera House, Grand Opera House, Park Theatre |
|||||
|
Ithaca |
NY |
15,000 |
1892 |
The Lyceum |
||||||
|
Janesville |
WI |
16,000 |
1893 |
Myers' Grand |
||||||
|
Johnstown |
PA |
37,000 |
1892 |
Cambria Theatre, Johnstown Opera House |
||||||
|
Kansas City |
MO |
200,000 |
1886 |
1888 1890 1896 |
Coates Opera house, New Coates Opera House |
|||||
|
Knoxville |
TN |
45,000 |
1897 |
Staub's Opera House |
||||||
|
Lafayette |
IN |
30,000 |
1893 |
Grand opera House |
||||||
|
Lancaster |
PA |
40,000 |
1892 |
1897 |
Fulton Opera House |
|||||
|
Lawrence |
MA |
53,000 |
1895 |
Opera House |
||||||
|
Lockport |
NY |
20,000 |
1861 |
Arcade Hall |
||||||
|
London |
Ontario |
35,000 |
1892 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Los Angeles |
CA |
97,000 |
1888 |
1890 1896 |
Los Angeles Theatre, Orpheum, Burbank |
|||||
|
Louisville |
KY |
210,000 |
1893 |
1898 |
Macauley's Theatre, Amphitheatre Auditorium, Avenue Theatre, Grand Opera House, Temple Theatre |
|||||
|
Macon |
GA |
35,000 |
1897 |
Academy of Music |
||||||
|
Madison |
WI |
20,000 |
1896 |
Fuller Opera House |
||||||
|
Middletown |
NY |
15,000 |
1886 |
Casino Theatre |
||||||
|
Milwaukee |
WI |
275,000 |
1893 |
1895 1896 |
Davidson Theatre, 4 others listed |
|||||
|
Mobile |
AL |
40,000 |
1875 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Montreal |
Quebec |
300,000 |
1894 |
1895 |
Theatre Royal [JN] Academy of Music, Queen's Theatre, Theatre Francais |
|||||
|
New Haven |
CT |
100,000 |
1894 |
Grand Opera House, Hyperion Theater |
||||||
|
New London |
CT |
16,000 |
1894 |
Lyceum Theatre |
||||||
|
New Orleans |
LA |
275,000 |
1871 |
1897 |
L Barrett 1871-1873 |
St Charles Theatre, Varieties Theatre |
||||
|
New York |
NY |
1,900,000 |
1877 |
1886-1897 |
Sturtevant |
37 theaters |
Academy of Music, Castle garden, Chickering Hall Empire Theatre, Fifth Ave/Daly's Grand Opera House, Harlem Opera House/Hammerstein's, Lyceum, Madison Sq, Madison Sq Garden, Niblo's' Olympic, Palmers, , Standard, Tony Pastors, Union Sq, Wallacks |
|||
|
Newark |
NJ |
350,000 |
1894 |
1896 1897 |
Newark Theatre, Jacob's Theatre, Waldman's Opera House |
|||||
|
Newport |
RI |
22,000 |
1894 |
Opera house |
||||||
|
Niagara Falls |
NY |
30,000 |
1892 |
1894 |
Niagara Falls Ont4,5K |
Park Theatre |
||||
|
Norfolk |
VA |
75,000 |
1893 |
Van Wyck's Academy of Music |
||||||
|
Ogden |
UT |
18,000 |
1886 |
no performances |
||||||
|
Omaha |
NE |
150,000 |
1886 |
1888 1890 1896 |
Creighton, Boyd's New Theatre |
|||||
|
Oswego |
NY |
22,000 |
1892 |
Richardson Theatre |
||||||
|
Ottawa |
Ontario |
53,000 |
1861 |
Her Majesty's Theatre |
||||||
|
Peekskill |
NY |
12,000 |
1892 |
DePew Opera House |
||||||
|
Pensacola |
FL |
15,000 |
1897 |
Opera House |
||||||
|
Peoria |
IL |
68,000 |
1893 |
Grand opera House |
||||||
|
Philadelphia |
PA |
1,500,000 |
1875 |
1887-1898 |
1875-1877 |
Arch St, Broad St. Chestnut St, Grand Theater, National Theatre, Park Theatre, Walcots Walnut St Canhn's lists 14 theaters in Philadelphia |
||||
|
Pittsburgh |
PA |
350,000 |
1891 |
1893 1894 1896 |
Alvin Theater, 3 others in Cahns |
|||||
|
Pittsfield |
MA |
28,000 |
1891 |
Academy of Music |
||||||
|
Portland |
OR |
100,000 |
1890 |
1896 |
Marquam Grand Opera House |
|||||
|
Portland |
ME |
45,000 |
1895 |
Portland Theatre, City Hall |
||||||
|
Providence |
RI |
155,000 |
1893 |
1894 1895 1897 |
Keith's Opera House, Providence Opera House |
|||||
|
Pueblo |
CO |
36,000 |
1886 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Richmond |
VA |
100,000 |
1893 |
Academy of Music, Richmond Theatre |
||||||
|
Rochester |
NY |
160,000 |
1893 |
1894 |
Lyceum Theatre |
|||||
|
Rockford |
IL |
35,000 |
1893 |
1896 |
Opera House |
|||||
|
Sacramento |
CA |
35,000 |
1886 |
1890 1896 |
Clunie Opera House |
|||||
|
Saint Joseph |
MO |
60,000 |
1886 |
1888 1890 |
Crawford Theatre, Tootle Theatre |
|||||
|
Saint Louis |
MO |
700,000 |
1865 |
1893 1894 1895 1896 |
1865-1870 NO |
Olympic, Century & 10 |
||||
|
Salt Lake City |
UT |
65,000 |
1886 |
1890 1896 |
Salt Lake Theatre |
|||||
|
San Diego |
CA |
20,000 |
1896 |
Fisher Opera House |
||||||
|
San Francisco |
CA |
300,000 |
1883 |
1886-1888 1890 1896 |
Baldwin Theatre, California Theatre |
|||||
|
Savannah |
GA |
65,000 |
1873 |
1897 |
Savannah Theatre |
|||||
|
Scranton |
PA |
90,000 |
1892 |
1897 |
Academy of Music |
|||||
|
Seattle |
WA |
65,000 |
1890 |
1896 |
Seattle Theatre |
|||||
|
South Bend |
IN |
28,000 |
1893 |
Oliver Opera House |
||||||
|
Springfield |
IL |
35,000 |
1893 |
Chatterton Opera House |
||||||
|
St Thomas |
Ontario |
15,000 |
1892 |
Duncombe's New Opera House |
||||||
|
Stockton |
CA |
30,000 |
1890 |
YoSemite Theatre |
||||||
|
Syracuse |
NY |
125,000 |
1892 |
Bastable Theatre, Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Tacoma |
WA |
60,000 |
1890 |
Tacoma Theatre |
||||||
|
Terre Haute |
IN |
45,000 |
1893 |
Opera House burned since last issue |
||||||
|
Toronto |
Ontario |
200,000 |
1852 |
1892 1894 |
Toronto 1852-1862 w/JN |
Royal Lyceum, Grand Opera House, Princess Theatre, Toronto Opera House, Toronto Theatre |
||||
|
Trenton |
NJ |
90,000 |
1897 |
Trenton's Opera House |
||||||
|
Troy |
NY |
62,000 |
1892 |
1893 |
Rand's Opera House |
|||||
|
Utica |
NY |
50,000 |
1886 |
1892 |
Utica Opera House |
|||||
|
Vancouver |
BC |
20,000 |
1896 |
Vancouver Opera House |
||||||
|
Washington |
DC |
300,000 |
1885 |
1887 1891 1893 1894 |
National Theatre, Academy of Music, Albaugh's Grand Opera House |
|||||
|
Wheeling |
WV |
40,000 |
1892 |
1893 |
Opera House |
|||||
|
Wilkes Barre |
PA |
100,000 |
1892 |
Grand Opera House |
||||||
|
Wilmington |
DE |
70,000 |
1892 |
1897 |
Grand Opera House |
|||||
|
Zanesville |
OH |
30,000 |
1893 |
Schultz Opera House |
||||||
Bibliography
Birkmire William H, The planning and Construction of American Theatre John
Wiley & Sons 1896
http://books.google.com/books?id=-RItAAAAYAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Boston Athenaeum, Theater Database
http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/224 Programs and playbills,
circa 1860-1900
Critic Alexander Woollcott on Sarah Bernhardt, Katharine Cornell and historic theaters, Miss Kitty Takes to the Road 1934 https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.208566/2015.208566.Long-Long_djvu.txt
League of Historic American Theaters http://network.lhat.org/homeLast updated August 25, 2020
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