In November of 1891, Thomas G. Moses and Ed Loitz left for San Diego, California to paint scenery for the John C. Fisher Opera House. Moses wrote, ”Here was another fine job. The climate was great.” His heart would remain in California for the remainder of his career and he would seek out employment along the west coast many times.
Moses recorded that the supervising architect for the theater was Mr. Haupt, “a clever fellow” whom he became very “chummy” with throughout the duration of the project.
The opening show was performed by the William T. Calton Opera Company to a packed house in January 1892. Moses refers to this project as “the first real theatre build in San Diego.” He wrote “When I painted the curtain it was left wholly up to me to select the subject. I took a street scene in Verona, Italy. There was a life size figure on the very bottom of the curtain as there was no border or frame. The figure looked as if it was standing on the stage. One evening I was standing in the rear – the curtain was down. Two young men came up to it and one said, ‘Hurry up, the curtain is up.’ He had only glanced at the curtain and seeing the lower half thought my figure was a real one. Quite a compliment.”
Fisher opened his opera hose on January 11, 1892. The theater’s seating capacity for the space was 1400 (approximately 420 seats in the parquet and dress circle, 420 seats in the first balcony, and 70 seats in the twelve gallery boxes). The venue was promoted to be “one of the finest ever constructed in San Diego – probably the best theater on the West Coast in its time.” The building was situated on the entire block between Fourth and Fifth Streets for 200 feet. The entrance to the theater was Romanesque surmounted by a turret that rose 120 feet above the sidewalk. The first two stories were constructed of granite with the top three of pressed brick. The entrance was located on Fourth Street with the stage door on Fifth.
The Fisher Theater was also one of the first theaters in the country to use a complete electrical system. It is interesting to note, however, that space was also left for the use of gaslight on the stage. The inclusion this second system, although not practical at all, was intended as a precautionary measure. The electrical system consisted of 1,000 “sixteen-candle power” Edison incandescent lamps. This gave both the auditorium and the stage an illumination never encountered in a West Coast performance venue before this one.
John C. Fisher was described as “a rotund Kentuckian who came to town in 1887 as manager of a furniture store.” He was soon president of the Chamber of Commerce, an active in the cable-car company, and an owner of the Florence Hotel. Moses wrote that, “The Hotel Florence was on a high point overlooking the whole bay and the country was also fine. There were many ‘one lungers’ at the hotel, as the majority of guests were idlers. They had a lot of time to be very inquisitive as to my very active business and any of them called on me at the theatre. I more than enjoyed every moment that I was there. I met Miss Joy of Portland, Oregon, one evening in the hotel. I didn’t recognize her. Mr. Fisher called me to the veranda and she overheard it and spoke to me. She and her Mother were spending the winter in California. I didn’t have my overalls on and she had to remark at the difference it made in me.”
Moses continued, “I was strolling down town one December morning in my shirt sleeves – too warm for a coat. A battleship was coming into harbor, firing a salute. It was a fine sight. I afterwards went aboard the same ship. The last day of the year I finished the job and was forced to file a mechanics lien on the building to protect ourselves. I took a dip in the surf in December and enjoyed it. There was a good swimming pool at Coronado Beach Hotel, which was patronized quite often.” How very interesting. The mechanics lien was just tossed in there between leisure activities. I wonder what that was all about?
To be continued…
[Emphasis
Much of the history was from San Diego History online. Here is the http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collection/photographs/fisher/
