The Beckwith Memorial Theatre of Dowagiac, Michigan, was built in 1892 for the cost of one hundred thousand dollars. Today’s equivalent would be $2,588,925.36! Albert, Grover & Burridge directed the plan and installation of all stage fittings, the wall decorations of the auditorium and painted décor throughout the entire building. This was a major extravagance for a small town that numbered less than seven thousand people.
Roger E. Greeley’s “Best of Robert Ingersoll, Immortal Infidel: Selections of His Writings and Speeches” (1977), includes a tribute delivered by Ingersoll to the beloved memory of Philo D. Beckwith. Greeley became intrigued with the history of Beckwith and his theater, a structure advertised as “the finest theatre in America.” I can see why as I am now fascinated with the story and the building too.
Beckwith Memoial Theatre was a sizable house that had a capacity to seat 700. There were 499 overstuffed mohair chairs with 170 in the balcony. For the grand opening, thirty-six hanging drops could be combined in various combinations for seventy-six set possibilities. These settings were all painted by Albert, Grover & Burridge. The size made me think of early installations for Southern Jurisdiction degree productions.
Beckwith was an interesting character, beginning his career as a manufacturer of an agricultural implement that improved the round seed drill. He then focused on the mass-production of cast iron wood-burning stoves and furnaces, founding the company Round Oak Stove. His business prospered and so did the town. Beckwith desired to construct a grand theatre for his bustling town. Unfortunately, he never lived to complete his dream and died unexpectedly in 1889. His family decided to complete his vision and build a fine theatre for his memorial, sparing no expense. Greely stumbled across a front-page story in the Dowagiac “Republican” from January 18, 1893. The article’s heading proclaimed: “The Beckwith memorial Theatre Building. The finest theater in America.” As I read the article, I thought of that Rick Boychuk emailed to me concerning the Crump Theatre. This article was intended to make its way to you, Rick.
Let’s start with an excerpt from the “Republican” article:
“It is the fitting and arrangement of the stage in the Beckwith Memorial Theatre, that the greatest care has been exercised to obtain the best possible results, and a great degree of success has been obtained. To go into technicalities and the use of stage terms would not be perhaps intelligible to our readers generally, so we will note only the main points. The stage is fifty by thirty-eight feet. Up to the gridiron, from which is suspended by an elaborate system of lines and pulleys all of the stage settings it is possible to use in the form of drop curtains, is fifty feet, allowing ample room for hoisting out of sight a whole screen in a few seconds, and allowing rapid changing of scenes so necessary to the continuing of the action of a play and effects are made possible that were unknown in the old days of sliding flats. To those acquainted with and interested in things theatrical and matters pertaining to proper stage fitting we think it is sufficient guarantee of the success of the stage to say that Albert, Grover & Burridge, of Chicago, had the direction of the stage fittings and the wall decorations of the auditorium and the entire building. Ernest Albert, of A., G., & B., under whose direction the art glass, colorings, the selection of draperies, and the furnishings of the theater were made, had succeeded admirably in producing the most beautiful and harmonious whole.”
The author credits all of the original designs used in the decoration to J. Frederick Scott and the drop-curtain to Oliver Dennet Grover, both of Albert, Grover & Burridge. Does this mean that Scott designed the building murals or the actual scenery? It remained unclear to me. Grover’s drop curtain was described as “a dream of loveliness. It was monumental in character with male and female figures and cupids representing the different elements of drama, in a Grecian landscape, where splendid temples set amid cypress and acacia backed up by the faint lines of distant hills from the background.” The image was published in volume fifteen of “Building Age” (Jan. 1893, page 267-271).
I also stumbled across another interesting statement about the Beckwith Memorial Theatre scenery in “W.A. Norton’s Directory of Dowagiac, Cassopolis and La Grange, Pokagon, Silver Creek and Wayne Townships” (1899). On page 159, the author writes, “The scenery is designed for the cyclorama effect which has been found so effective, and which was first used in the Auditorium in Chicago. By this arrangement a scene can be set as a street or garden by simply moving the scenes which are profiled on both sides and top, anywhere desired. Every set of scenery is a finished piece of art. It is, after the latest fashion, lashed together with ropes and is capable of being made into seventy-five distinct stage dressings.”
Scenes that are “profiled on both sides and tops” would be the leg drops. The cut opening would designate the street or garden scene with information painted on the leg drops. The various combinations of leg and backdrops would create incredible variety for potential stage compositions, all easily lowered to the stage floor for instant configurations. This was just like the new scenery for Scottish Rite theatres. There was no longer the complicated and noisy transitions of flats sliding in their respective grooves.
Norton’s Directory discusses the electric lighting for the stag, writing, “The problem of electric lighting of theatres has been solved in this house, by the use of a large switch-board, I which there are twenty-five levers, and nine powerful resistence coils. The lighting of the stage itself is exceptionally complete, four hundred electric lamps in three colors being utilized for this purpose.” Wow. Beckwith may be a significant “missing link” in the evolution of stage design, counterweight systems and lighting. This places Albert, Grover, & Burridge on the cutting edge of innovation and I couldn’t help thinking of the Electric Theatre spectacle title “A Day in the Alps” at the Columbian Exposition. This scenic spectacle utilized 250 electric incandescent lamps that were operated in full view of the audience with thirty-six switches controlling red, white, and blue lamps.
Albert, Grover, and Burridge were all close friends to Thomas Gibbs Moses. Numerous sketching trips were planned to capture lovely landscapes and improve their skills. In 1890, Albert and Burridge called on Moses as they were all in Pueblo, Colorado, at the same time. Moses was there for work and Albert and Burridge were on a sketching trip. Could they have discussed the Chicago Auditorium’s new scenery, the creation of an innovative painting studio, or any of potential technology waiting to be marketed to a variety of clients? There were so many ideas waiting to be explored and implemented across the country
The Beckwith Memorial Theatre stopped featuring staged entertainment in 1928. The building was demolished in 1966.
To be continued…
Hi, great article on the Beckwith Theater in Dowagiac. I am the director of the Dowagiac Area History Museum and have copies of most of the newspaper articles cited here and many more re: the structure. One question– the architectural drawings shown here. Where did you get those? Are you able to share images? As far as I know, nobody in Dowagiac today has ever seen those!!
I am working toward getting a state historic marker placed at the site of the building– this article puts the theater at the cutting edge of theater technology for the era, likely the first in the state with the stage rigging and design. Thanks for sharing!!
The Beckwith Memorial theatre was such and important structure. I am thrilled that you are trying to get a state historic marker for the site! Rick Boychuk told me about your project yesterday. Please email me and we will schedule a time to chat. waszut_barrett@me.com.