At the end of 1890, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I did better this year, financially – a little better than $4500.00, but when I think of the miles that I had to travel and the long hours and the separations from my family, I should have, and am entitled to, double the amount.” He had his regrets. We all do when extended absences for work separate us from our loved ones. In between trips, Moses would briefly return to Chicago where he would work on a number of specialty projects. After his seven month absence in the Pacific Northwest, Moses continued with other projects in Denver (Broadway Theatre), and Pueblo, Colorado; Altoona, Pennsylvania (two unnamed theaters); and Evansville, Indiana (an opera house). He was constantly on the road, both securing future contracts and painting scenery – salesman and scenic artist. He knew all the numbers, the competitors, and the profit margin. He received a weekly salary from the studio, knowing that his name and reputation were landing many of the jobs.
Of Evansville, Moses wrote, “The town was very picturesque – beautiful sunsets on the river.” The 1890 census, ranked Evansville as the 56th largest urban area in the United States. The city was a major stop for steamboats along the Ohio River, and it was the homeport for a number of companies engaged in river trade. The Evansville Opera House opened on Sept 9, 1868 and was a popular social gathering place on Sycamore Street, located across from the St. George Hotel.
The 1875 Evansville directory noted the new Opera House as having a dress circle, family circle and galleries, seating 957 people with a 50’ deep stage and complete set of scenery. This was the first space before renovation by millionaire David J. Mackey in 1890. The directory continued that this first stage used “flats” that were 25 feet in breadth and 18 feet in height. This was the “shutter” part of the wing and shutter system for the venue; large flats that slid together to form a painted background, instead of using a drop. Shutters and roll drops were used when the theater did not have enough height to accommodate a fly system that would raise, or “fly” drops out of sight. This directory also noted that the theater was lit by gas and heated with a furnace.
In 1890, the year Moses went to Evansville for work, the opera house had just been acquired by Mackey and he was in the process of renovating the space. Mackey remodeled the performance venue and moved the stage to first floor from an upper level. After the renovation, various publications promoted that it was “the finest theater south of Chicago” in 1890. The building was located at 215 Sycamore Street, between the Vendome Hotel and the Business Men’s Association.
The building was designed by James William Reid and Merritt J. Reid of Reid Brothers Architects. The firm designed buildings across the country, including the Willard Library, many buildings for the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad, and the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.
Sadly, Mackey’s grand opera house was destroyed by fire less than a year after opening, on February 23, 1891. This was one more venue where Moses’ work was destroyed by fire, leaving today’s extant collections even more significant.
The theatre was rebuilt and in 1893, the Grand Opera House and the People’s Theatre consolidated in the same building. In 1909 the Grand Opera House was renamed the New Grand Theatre, and later simply called the Grand Theatre, or the Grand.
The Grand was home to a variety of entertainments over the years. It housed musicals, operas, melodramas, and performances by traveling stock companies, dancers, acrobats, clowns, and magicians. The building later hosted silent movies, and then the “talkies.” The theater was also used as a community space for town hall meetings, school commencements, political rallies, convention sessions, and talent shows. By 1930, the Grand Theatre regularly featured motion pictures and hosted community events.
The venue was sold to the Fine Brothers in 1938 and later to Producers, Inc. The building was demolished in 1962 with the intent to use the lot for parking. A parking garage now sits on the original site of the Grand Opera House.
To be continued…
