In 1892, the Sosman and Landis Company opened another studio space on the West Side of Chicago. They rented the “old Waverly theatre” and referred to this second space as “the Annex.” According to Thomas G. Moses, the studio measured 93 feet wide by 210 feet long and 40 feet high. It had four paint frames with plenty of floor space for all kinds of work. This space was specifically secured for Moses and his crew. By August 1892, Moses found the new Studio all finished and they moved in immediately. His arrangement with Sosman & Landis was to receive all of their sub-contracted work. This statement has always intrigued me as the majority of Masonic installations were subcontracted to Sosman & Landis by M.C. Lilley. When did the subcontracting begin, and if not Masonic, who else was subcontracting work to scenic studios – architectural firms?
Furthermore, he wrote that Sosman & Landis would supply all of the paint supplies for the Annex Studio at no charge. Moses records that his studio crew included A. J. Rupert, Frank Peyrand and Harry Vincent besides a number of assistants and paint boys. He wrote, “It was awfully hard to keep the building warm. It was so big we had to use stoves.” Even with his own studio, however, Moses was still constantly sent on the road to complete on site work for the company. During these extended absences, Ed Loitz took charge of the Annex studio.
Very little is known of the first Waverly Theatre space in Chicago. It was advertised as “Chicago’s Parlor Theatre” in Chicago Tribune during 1888. “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses, Theatres, Public Halls, Bill Posters, Etc.” (1889) noted that the Waverly was “formerly Grenier’s Garden & Theatre” on West Madison, Throop and Ada Streets. The 1892 “World Almanac and Bureau of Information” published that the physical address of the old Waverly theater was 454 W. Madison St. This is not to be confused with a later Waverly Theatre constructed in 1913. The stage old Waverly’s stage measured 40’ x 60’ with a seating capacity of 1400. This would have made a sizable studio and been a particular challenge to heat in the winter, especially when trying to keep the size water for painting in a liquid state.
In 1888, the Waverly’s manager was Burr Robbins with Andy Mackay as the assistant manager. By 1889, W. H. Powell was listed as the new manager. On June 30, 1889, the Chicago Tribune announced, “The Waverly Theatre has lately changed hands and is now being run as a first-class family theatre. The audiences for the last two weeks have been largely made up of the leading people of the West side and the performances were worthy of patronage. The Gaiety Opera Company under the management of A. Mackay has been playing to large houses in “Fra Diavolo.” Next week there will be a revival of “H.M.S. Pinafore,” with Messrs. Alonzo Hatch and Mack Charles and Miss Golde in the leading roles. The theatre is admirably adapted and well located for a family theatre and under the new management ought to prosper” (page 15).”
Four years later in 1892, the theatre was transformed into the second studio for Sosman & Landis. Obviouosly the management fof the Waverly theatre had not been successful. I was intrigued with the reason for the reconfiguration of the space and started digging through newspapers. I wanted to see if there was any mention about the Waverly’s close or transformation into a scenic studio space. Just about the time I had exhausted all possibilities, I came across a phenomenal article that included the line, “Chicago is universally acknowledged as the World’s Greatest scenic center.” This caught my attention. As I read the article, another paragraph stood out:
“Chicago is today the largest scenic supply center in the country. Of the eighteen theatres in this city the major portion have their own scenic artists. Three mammoth studios here send their art product as far east as Maine and all over the west to the shores of the Pacific. The oldest firm here in this line of work claims to have supplied nearly 1,300 opera houses, theatres, and halls with scenery during the last ten years, and of late business has increased enormously.”
“Three mammoth studios” with one being noted as “the oldest firm.” The names of the studios were not provided, so I started thinking about who was in operation at this point in Chicago. By 1891, Walter Burridge had partnered with Ernest Albert and Oliver Grover to create Albert, Grover & Burridge. That had to be one of the three studios. The oldest firm also had to be Sosman & Landis. Who owned the third “mammoth studio” in Chicago that I had never stumbled across? What it an individual’s company that used an actual theater space?
The article was fascinating and read as a “Who’s Who” in scenic art by 1892. It is certainly worth posting in it’s entirety for historical record. Therefore, I have turned it into a word document. It will be the topic of my next few posts due to its length.
Another treasure! This article is a proverbial “holy grail” for the scenic art world.
To be continued…
