At the beginning of 1912, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Started right by hustling out some work for Bangor, Maine.” Moses was referring to the recently fire-damaged Bangor Opera House. An extensive fire damaged the building in 1911, necessitating a new stage, scenery and necessary machinery the following year. The 1912 Sosman & Landis installation was short lived, as two years later another fire destroyed the building. The “big conflagration of 1911” was recalled in a newspaper article after the second fire. On January 15, 1914, “The Boston Globe” reported, “The Bangor Opera House, the oldest and largest theatre here was destroyed by fire this morning.” The fire department managed to contain the flames to the theater and prevented its spread to nearby buildings, with losses estimated at $80,000. Sadly, five men lost their lives as they fought the flames in frigid temperatures that night. The hose men were all in line, playing the hose through the door, when an explosion occurred and toppled the brick wall nearest them. All of the firemen were instantly crushed to death.
The first Bangor Opera House, designed by architect Arthur H. Vinal, was built in 1882 for a population numbering 20,000. Prior to this new theatre space, “Jno. B. Jeffrey’s Theatrical Guide and Directory” listed only three performance halls in the city: Bangor Music Hall (seating capacity 650), Norombega Hall (seating capacity of 1500), and Bangor City Hall (seating capacity of 800). Neither Bangor’s Music Hall nor City Hall contained any painted scenery. Only the Buskin Club had purchased nine scenes that were used at Norombega Hall; a modest enticement for touring theatrical troupes.
For many years, the opera house was the only stage in Bangor available for legitimate theater and touring productions. The Bangor Opera House had a seating capacity of 1,109, a fair size for many types of events. The size of the proscenium opening measured 31’ high by 31’ wide, with the height from the stage floor to the rigging loft was 45. Some records indicate that the height of the rigging loft was only 40 feet. The depth under the stage was 10 feet and boasted 2 traps. The full stage area measured 40’ deep x 65’wide. There was a height of 18’ from the stage floor to the underside of the grooves to accommodate the painted wings. In addition to painted wings, theatrical directories indicate that there were fifteen sets of scenery. The original installation was painted by scenic artist M. H. Andrews and added to over the years. Unfortunately, all painted scenery was destroyed during the 1911 fire, providing an opportunity for Sosman & Landis to provide a new installation
By 1912, the Bangor Opera House building was owned by a corporation, with local businessman Dr. Thomas U. Coe as a significant stockholder. The population of Bangor at this time numbered 40,000 people. “Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide” for the 1913-1914 season reported an increased seating capacity after the fire of 1159. The stage was also illuminated with electricity by this time (110 AC and 8 stage pockets). After the 1914 fire, however, everything was lost, leaving Bangor without a full-stage theater once again. Although immediate action was taken to replace the city’s lost theater, it took time to gather the necessary funds, and then the United States entered World War I
The lot theatre lot was purchased by Joseph P. Bass in February 1919. Bass was a businessman and publisher of the “Bangor Daily Commercial.” He announced his plan to rebuild the opera house, selecting the new lessee to be the Alfred S. Black chain of theatres. For the next few decades, a variety of entertainment was featured at the Bangor Opera House. Like many theaters during the mid-twentieth century, however, the stage would eventually feature film. By 1966, the theater was known as the Bangor Cinema. Over the years, it fell into a state of disrepair.
By 1997, the building was acquired by the Penobscot Theatre Company. The opera house underwent a series of restorations, with the exterior façade being restored during 2007-2008. By 2016, the company launched a capital campaign to complete a number of other necessary improvements. The recent auditorium makeover included new carpet, seating, lighting fixtures and fresh paint. It is now a very blue auditorium. As with many historic theater venues, much of the early history is forgotten, with the main focus remaining on the architectural style and/or a specific architect. Little is remembered interior, especially details of the original stage, scenery, lighting, and other mechanical systems that remained behind the curtain line.
To be continued…
