Copyright © 2019 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1914, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Went to Fort Wayne to Fort Wayne to see Frank Stouder on the scenery for the new Palace Theatre.” Frank E. Stouder is an interesting character in his own right; having over two decades of theatre management experience by the time he met Moses that year. In 1914, Stouder was planning the Palace Theatre, by listed as the manager for the Masonic Temple and Temple Theater (Fort Wayne News, 6 April 1914, page 1).
The Temple Theatre was at the corner of Clinton and Wayne streets, having been built in 1881. Stouder first became in involved with the Masonic Temple and Theatre as their acting manger in 1886 (Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, 28 April 1886, page 5). By 1889, he was also listed as the venue’s treasurer (Fort Wayne Sentinel, 30 May 1889, page 4). Stouder managed the venue for over a decade, booking successful acts to perform in Fort Wayne.
Stouder was also a well known performer and baritone, singing in many musical concerts at the Temple Theatre and throughout Fort Wayne. When booking acts in 1902, newspapers reported, “Stouder found time to devote attention to his vocal music in New York and took a lesson every day of Signor Carbone, a baritone of the Metropolitan Opera Co.” (The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, 11 July 1902, page 1). Stouder was a member of multiple social clubs and participated in a variety of public performances where he was praised for his musical contributions. His success as a manager, however, drove his career, and by 1906, he also managed a summer venue – the Robinson Park Theatre (Daily News-Democrat, Huntington, Indiana, 22 March 1906, page 1).
It is not surprising that Stouder was the instigator for the Palace Theatre. Partnering with Byron H. Barnett, they both become the owners and managers of the venue, with each being known for their theatrical experience. The Palace Theatre was built to feature B. F. Keith attractions, as they toured the country. It was a sizable venue with a seating capacity of 2,000, (1,700 on the main floor and balcony and 300 in loges and boxes).
Ground for the Palace Theatre was broken on May 26, 1914, with an anticipated Thanksgiving Day opening. Changes and unanticipated delays pushed the opening a little later, but the wait was worth it. Newspapers promised the Palace Theatre would be “not only the finest theatre in Indiana, but the finest in the middle west and one that could not be destroyed by fire, even if a torch were applied and no effort made to stop the progress on a blaze that might ensue” (Fort Wayne Sentinel, 31 Oct. 1914, page 9). Supposedly, there was no wood in the building, except the casings around the doors and the wood stage floor, even the staircases were made out of metal.
C. W. and George Rapp, two Chicago architects who specialized in theatre buildings at the time, designed the theatre. There was an emphasis on fire safety, and newspapers reported that the structure was “absolutely fireproof,” being built of reinforced steel roof trusses weighing eight tons each. There were thirty inches of exit space for each 100 people, ensuring the evacuation of the auditorium in two minutes. The article continued, “The stage roof is supported on I-beams and is of the same material as the auditorium covering. One-third of the entire area of the stage roof is left in the form of ventilators. Why? Suppose for instance that a careless performer in direct violation of the laws of the state and the rules of the house should throw a lighted match, cigar stub or cigarette into some combustible material and set fire to the stage floor, the properties and the scenery. This ventilation in the roof would cause the flames and smoke to shoot upward and none of it would reach the auditorium. The management will have installed an asbestos curtain of the very latest and best material and in the twinkling of an eye.”
But wait, there’s more beside the asbestos curtain!
There was also a “Run Down Water Curtain.” The “Fort Wayne Sentinel” described, “Without moving more than a couple feet [the stage manager] will be able to ring down a water curtain. What is a water curtain? Why it is nothing more than a succession of tiny water streams of water flowing from a big pipe above the opening. When the valve is opened the water starts flowing and renders it impossible for the flames to break though.” (31 Oct 1914, page 9).
Finally, newspapers described the new scenery by Sosman & Landis scenery. The “Fort Wayne Sentinel” noted, “Even the scenery is to be fireproof. This does not mean that it will not burn, but it does mean that it will not blaze. Why? Because when the canvas on which it is painted is first put on the stretchers it is given a thin coating of fluid that is warranted not to blaze and this means exceedingly slow combustion and little danger. This fire-proofing is required in the specifications. No oils are used in the painting as all scenery is done with watercolors and this removes another element of danger.”
To be continued…
