Part 464: Patrick J. Toomey and the Majestic Theatre in Austin
P. J. Toomey’s only son wrote a book about his maternal genealogy and German heritage titled, “The Vogts von Berg in Düsseldorf and American” (200 copies printed for private distribution, St. Louis, Missouri, 1921). He dedicated the book to his mother Mrs. Mary Vogt Toomey.
Mary Anna Vogt was born in Iowa City on December 20, 1859. She was one of seven children born to Dr. William Vogt and Mary O’Connor. Her father was born in Düsseldorf in 1816, studying medicine in Heidelberg before working as a ship’s surgeon. He later practiced among the German intellectuals in Belleville, Illinois before being invited by the Governor of Iowa to visit Iowa City, where he later married Mary O’Connor of that city in 1849. The couple had seven children: Carl Albert (b. 1852), Catherine Hannora (b. 1853), William Julius, Mary Anna (b. 1854), Augustine (b. 1855), James Francis (b. 1858), Caroline (b. 1861), and Edith (b. 1887).
P. J. Toomey’s wife, Mary graduated from St. Agatha’s Seminary in 1874 and from Mount St. Joseph’s College in 1878. She taught English at Iowa City High School between 1880 and 1884. On October 5, 1886, Marry married Patrick Joseph Toomey. Although the couple had two children, Thomas Noxon (b. 1893) and Mary Wilhelmina (1903-1904), only their son survived infancy. For many years, Mary was the Corresponding Secretary, General Council, for the Daughters of the Queen of Heaven. From 1908-1909, she studied in Paris. It was during this time, that her husband sent postcards to Thomas Moses at Sosman & Landis. Mary was presented to Pope Leo XIII, and to Pope Pius X. She was extremely active in charitable and civic work since shortly after her marriage to Toomey.
There are several connections between the Toomey family and the Moses family, possibly having contributed to their continued friendship over the decades. First of all, P. J. Toomey and Mary Vogt were approximately the same age as Thomas G. Moses and Ella Robbins. Thomas and Ella married in 1878, whereas P. J. and Mary married in 1886. In some ways they shared similar family circumstances; Thomas Moses’ father was once a ship’s captain while Mary Vogt’s father was once a ship’s surgeon. Both Toomey and Moses came to the United States as infants, with Toomey born in Limerick, Ireland, and Moses born in port at Liverpool. Each entered scene painting at approximately the same age as an apprentice. Whereas Toomey was apprenticed to Thomas C. Noxon, Moses was apprenticed to Lou Malmsha at McVickers and worked his way up the ranks at Sosman & Landis; both studied with mid-nineteenth-century immigrants. Their artistic mentors passed along a similar approach to scenic art, using opaque colors common to European and Scandinavian immigrants, versus the English tradition of glazing (see past installments 387 and 411).
Mary Vogt’s sister Caroline married a lawyer, George Benjamin Hufford, on April 20, 1905 in Leavenworth, Kansas; the couple moved to Austin, Texas where Hufford was a U. S. Commissioner. They lived in Evergreen Heights in Austin. There is a reason why I am telling this backstory as it has to do with the Majestic Theatre in Austin, Texas.
When I was in Austin this month for the League of Historic American Theaters conference, the closing party was held at the Paramount Theatre, originally established as the Majestic Theatre. During the welcome and brief presentation by the staff, the fire curtain was lowered. It was original to Majestic Theatre when it was built in 1915. As I looked at the painted curtain, complete with blue draperies, ornate frame, woodland stream, and tassels at the bottom, something looked familiar.
It was the tassel painting that made me think of a Noxon & Toomey drop design that I encountered in 2016. The unique tassels at the bottom of the composition jogged my memory.
Sure enough, the fire curtain composition was signed “Toomey & Volland” of St. Louis. I had started to explore the stylistic tendencies of each artist a few years ago, and I believed that this curtain was by Toomey, not Volland. It is possible that it could have been done by any of the studio artists at the time, but it had a much older feel about it – a throwback, one could say.
Sadly, it was lit with oversaturated colors and some of the painting techniques were difficult to discern, as overly saturated lighting flattens the dimension of the scenic illusion and skews the entire composition. Regardless, it was obvious that this composition was painted by an artist from an earlier generation – the generation of Thomas G. Moses. I believe that this is the work of the senior partner in the painting firm at the time – Toomey. Toomey has entered my blog on occasion, as he was a good friend of Moses.
But here is where it gets interesting and loops back to the Paramount theatre. As I was researching Toomey & Volland, I came across the reference that Toomey’s sister-in-law who settled in Austin, Texas.
Her husband was a City Commissioner. Furthermore, for the opening of the Majestic (later Paramount), members of the City Commission and their families were invited as guests for one of the first box parties. The Majestic was managed by Austin F. Gale Wallace, and before the fire curtain rose for the first time, Wallace gave “a curtain speech,” introducing the Mayor and members of the City Commission and then acknowledging those who had been instrumental in “giving Austin this large, modern, up-to-date amusement house – ‘the last word in theater architecture,’ said Mayor Woolridge” (The Austin American, 12 Oct. 1915, page 3). I have yet to find any credit being given to Toomey & Volland, or any other contractors beyond the architectural firm for their contributions.
To be continued…
Here is the link to Thomas Noxon Toomey’s book: https://books.google.com/books?id=RudFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=Mary+Vogt+Hufford&source=bl&ots=bf1krOTCqC&sig=oyd3beloyo3kZsFMvXnhVhP2ajo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiP35WT_cTcAhWMx4MKHaHGA1wQ6AEwAHoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
