In 1921 Thomas G. Moses, “A good Shrine contract at Hammond came our way and we will be able to put up something good.” Moses was referring to the Orak Temple Shrine in Hammond, Indiana. Members of the Ancient and Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (A.A.O.N.M.S.) met at Hammond’s Masonic Temple. The massive fraternal edifice, completed in 1909, was expanded and a large stage installed in 1921.
The Masonic Temple where the Orak Shrinemet in Hammond, Indiana. This building was greatly expanded in 1921.The Masonic Temple in Hammond, Indiana, after it was expanded in 1921. The Orak Shrine and other Masonic orders met here.
At the beginning of 1921, hundreds of Shrines participated in the installation of newly elected officers of Orak Temple Shrine that January (The Times, Munster, Indiana, 12 Jan 1921, page 1). The new leadership would immediately invest in membership experience that spring and on Jan. 13, 1921, the Masonic Building Association let out contracts for the construction, fixing dates for the various stages of construction (The Times, page 1). The excavation and foundation work was scheduled to be completed by March 1, with the entire building under a roof by May 15, 1921. The three-story structure included an immense auditorium in the northwest section. The design of the stage was 40 feet wide by 27 feet deep with “all the accessories found in big theatres.”
Progress on Hammond’s Masonic Temple was published in “The Times,” (Munster, Indiana) 22 March 1921.The proposal for Hammond’s new Masonic Temple. From “The Times,” (Munster, Indiana), Jan 13, 1921.
The scenery contract may have been entered into with the Shrine, but there were likely other scenic pieces for Masonic groups that met in the building. Scottish Rite scenery contracts frequently included Blue Lodge, York Rite, DeMolay and Shrine scenery.
By March 19, 1921, cornerstone laying ceremonies were conducted at the Masonic Temple. “The Times” reported, “The entire front of the old temple has been torn away so that the wall of the new structure will be in uniform in its Muenich court frontage. The steel work in the left background encloses the opening of what will be the huge stage of the auditorium” (22 March 1922, page 1).
On March 22, 1921, “The Times” reported, “The corner stone, a mammoth block of four feet square, will be placed…The old stone has been removed and the steel box and contents, placed in the cavity within a stone years ago. will be placed in the new stone along with another box containing newspapers, documents and other articles of interest.” The building was sold in 1999 and eventually demolished a decade later. The structure didn’t even make ninety years. It is always difficult to read about the efforts of one generation, and the to trace these efforts dismissed by others.
The two time capsules were recovered in 2009 amidst the rubble of the demolished building. The capsules contained a variety of artifacts that included newspapers, yearbooks, architectural plans, photographs, moonshine, whiskey labels, lodge coins, a box of laxatives and horse manure. Attached to the small box of manure was a note explaining that future generations might not understand its significance with the advent of the automobile.
Railroads hired a variety of nineteenth century artists to paint scenes that would entice western travel.
In 1886, James Edgar Lamphere painted a drop curtain for DeRemer’s Opera House in Pueblo, Colorado. The drop was presented to Mr. DeRemer by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. In essence, it was an advertising curtain for their scenic line that passed the Curecanti Needle. This is the first mention that I have encountered of a railroad marketing their services on a drop curtain. It is possible that they also presented a drop curtain depicting Royal Gorge to H. A. W. Tabor for his opera house in Leadville, just a few years earlier.
The DeRemer drop curtain gives insight into a new form of marketing for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG). On February 3, 1886, the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” reported, “the most attractive thing to strike the eye upon entering the house is the beautiful drop curtain, presented to Mr. DeRemer by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, and we unhesitantly say that the Scenic Line of America never got up a better of more beautiful shipment. The scene from which the drop is painted is on the line of the Rio Grande road in the Black Canon, and is known as Curranti [sic.] Needle, being a tall, majestic, needle-like spur of rock standing high above all the surrounding mountains. It is a pretty scene, and Mr. Lamphere, the artist who did all the work can be proud of it. The scenic scene is in the center of the curtain. On each side is shown as banner, and a close inspection will show a brief inscription on each banner tells what the scene is. The curtain is about twenty-four feet high by thirty-three feet wide.”
The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad tracks passing the Curecanti Needle.
A few years earlier, the Tabor Opera House acquired a drop that featured Royal Gorge, likely during the 1882 stage renovation. It was noted as the venue’s second drop curtain, valued at $1000; a hefty sum for the time. Royal Gorge was located on the Leadville branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (Western Magazine, Vol. 4, page 176). The first drop curtain for the Tabor Opera House in 1879 was painted by Lamphere and described in the “Leadville Weekly Herald.” The article described, “The drop curtain is a masterpiece from the brush of Mr. Lamphere, and represents a glorious mountain scene, at the base of which is a fine old castle, with a stream running at the foot; alongside of the water is a rugged road, which ends in the winding of canyon” (page 3). This was very standard and appropriate composition for the time, harkening back to an old world with European castles in the distance.
The second drop curtain delivered to the Tabor Opera House depicting Royal Gorge was an unusual central composition for the time, especially when placed it within the context of other nineteenth-century drop curtain descriptions. It is interesting to note that the drop curtains for both DeRemer Opera House and the Tabor Opera House featured a specific scene along the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Both the DeRemer Opera House and the Tabor Opera House had scenery painted by Lamphere, also establishing a connection. When placed within the context of railroad companies hiring artists to produce large-scale artworks that inspire travel, this make sense; the captivating scenes functioned as unique advertisement for a particular railroad line.
In 1870, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) started as a 3 ft. narrow-gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado. It’s first run in 1871 was between Denver and Fountain Colony, later known as Colorado Springs. By the late 1870s, the D&RG and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway commenced in a bitter dispute over right of way. In 1874, the D&RG railway extended west, linking Pueblo and Cañon City, and by March 1880, the D&RG paid an exorbitant sum for track that extended through the Arkansas River’s Royal Gorge. This acquisition is likely what prompted the creation of the Royal Gorge drop for the Tabor Opera House.
The D&RG’s construction of this route provided quick access to Salida by May 20, 1880, and Leadville later that same year. The railway connection between Leadville and Denver, greatly eased Tabor’s travel while he planned his second opera house in Denver; the Tabor Grand opened in 1881. From Salida westward, the D&RG railway continued over the Continental Divide at Marshall pass, and after passing Gunnison entered the Black Canyon. It was at this point along the Gunnison river that travelers passed the Curecanti Needle, a 700-ft. granite spire pictured on the DeRemer Opera House drop curtain in 1886.
Curecanti Needle along the Gunnison RiverThe Curecanti Needle pictured in the center.
The Denver & Rio Grande even adopted the Curecanti Needle as a symbol of their Royal Gorge route, referring to this line as “The Scenic Line of the World.” By the mid-1880s, D&RG had the largest narrow-gauge railroad in North America. The Curecanti Needle remained a popular landmark with Denver & Rio Grande passengers until the 1950s, when service was ended through the Black Canyon.
The D&RG formed a transcontinental bridge line between Denver and Salt Lake City, operating the highest mainline rail in the United States. It was this line that theatre companies used, transporting theatrical productions and artists between the Tabor Grand Opera House and the Salt Lake Theatre. This also ties back to career of Henry C. Tryon, scenic artist for the Tabor Grand Opera House, who left Denver to work in Salt Lake City from 1882 to 1884.
1886 map for the Denver & Rio Grande RailroadDetail of the section near Gunnison with the Curecanti Needle.1886 map for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad
Backdrop delivered by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri. Last month I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite and documented the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. Here is a link to my past post:
Scene painted at Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish RitePainted detail. Toomey & Volland Studio for the Richmond Scottish Rite
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses recorded that he secured a contract with the Omaha Scottish Rite for $2,400.00 worth of work. He later wrote, “I have plenty to do on Masonic models and I am afraid I will have to get some help.” By 1921, the country was experiencing another wave of Scottish Rite Theatre construction. The building of massive Masonic structures and the expansion of existing ones were occurring all across the county.
This also signaled that money was flowing into the Scottish Rite at an almost unprecedented rate, helping fund these endeavors. WWI had paused many Masonic construction projects, as had the Spanish Flu pandemic and had a brief recession. Many Scottish Rite Valleys returned to an investment in membership experience; stages and new degree productions were a significant part of the membership experience.
The story surrounding the original Sosman & Landis scenery for the Omaha Scottish Rite is quite fascinating. In 1914, the “Omaha Daily Bee” described, “The new Scottish Rite Cathedral is a three-story structure, with high basement, built of Bedford granite, with imposing Ionic columns and porticos. The auditorium on the second and third floors where the initiations will take place is an attractive modern theater, with a stage 30×40 feet and a seating capacity of about 1,000. It is tinted in cream and pink decorated panels and has all the arrangements for lighting, stage settings and precautions against fire, of the most up to the minute theater. It has a wardrobe and paraphernalia room adjoining” (1 Nov. 1914, page 25). M. C. Lilley subcontracted the 1914 scenic portion of the project to the Sosman & Landis Studio in Chicago. The firm had also created an earlier set for the previous building. Other Scottish Rite theatre projects in the Sosman & Landis studio that year included Grand Forks and Pittsburgh.
The Omaha Scottish Rite
This was also the same year that Joseph S. Sosman passed away on August 7,1914, and the board of directors elected Moses as the company’s new president. He recorded, “On the 10th, a stockholders meeting was called, and I was elected president of the Sosman and Landis Company. Arthur Sosman was elected vice-president and P. Lester Landis, secretary and treasurer. It is very strange to me that I had never given this change of the business a thought. I had never thought of Sosman dying.”
This is a horrible turn of events that forever changed the fate of the studio in regard to Masonic contracts. It placed a non-Masonic scenic artist in charge of a scenic studio that specialized in Scottish Rite scenery. Sosman had been the driving force for years, as he was a well-respected Scottish Rite Mason in Chicago, a member of the Oriental Consistory. There was a new problem; Moses was not yet a Mason who understood how to navigate the Fraternity, or how to manage all of the necessary administrative duties at the studio.
In 1921, the Omaha Consistory held its annual session in Omaha from November 14-17 (Bloomfield Monitor, 3 Nov 1921, page 9). An attendance of 1000 members was anticipated, likely prompting the purchase of additional scenery. (Alma Record, 4 Nov. 1921, page 3).
I had the opportunity to visit the Scottish Rite Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 15, 2018. This was the first of many stops at historic theaters on our way to New Mexico. I was heading to Santa Fe to participate in the book signing event for “The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre” (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018).
The host for my stop at the Omaha Scottish Rite was Micah Evans, Development Director of the Scottish Rite Foundation of Nebraska. Evans could not have been more accommodating or generous with his time, as I slowly documented all of the scenery painted by Maj. Don Carlos DuBois. I knew I was not going to see the original Sosman & Landis collection from 1914 or the additional scenery ordered in 1921. The Omaha Scottish Rite now uses Masonic scenery that was originally installed at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1996 the collection was purchased for $40,000, and after all removal, transportation and installation, the tab was approximately $140,000.
The whereabouts of the original Sosman & Landis scenery remain unknown, only a few stage artifacts remain in lobby display cases.
John Charles Alexander (1843-1908) worked as both a stage carpenter and stage manager at the Tabor Grand Opera House in the Denver venue during the 1880s and 1890s. Some credited him as the Tabor Grand’s master mechanic. Alexander’s knowledge about stage machinery and scenic appointments was critical for other Colorado theaters I the region, especially those that became part of the Colorado Circuit (later known as the Silver Circuit). John C. Alexander and his son, Frank R. Alexander, not only worked at the Tabor Grand, but also worked at other Denver theaters, including the Broadway Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, Denver Theatre and Elitch’s Gardens. The Alexanders worked in a variety of capacities and were listed with various titles, including property man, fly man, stage carpenter, and stage manager.
John Charles Alexander
It is impossible to tell John’s story, without including that of his son, and vice versa. Even four years after his father’s passing, Frank’s story could not be told without mention of his father. On November 14, 1912, the “United Labor News” reported, “Frank Alexander, stage carpenter of Elitch’s Garden, has just returned from Larimie, Wyo., where he installed a full equipment for the new theatre in that city. Frank is the son of J. C. Alexander, who built the stage of the Tabor Opera House, and is one of the best carpenters in Local No. 7 of the Stage Employes. More power to you, Frank (“United Labor Bulletin,” Vol. 8, No. 41, May 16, 1914).
John C. Alexander’s son, Frank R. Alexander (center) , working as a stage carpenter
Building was in the Alexanders’ blood.
John Charles Alexander was the son of Robert Alexander (1804-1855) and Rebecca Russell (1807-1873). Born on July 4, 1843, John Alexander grew up in Toronto Municipality of Ontario, Canada. He was the seventh of nine children born to the couple, with his siblings being Eliza (1830-1848), Agnes (1833-1921), Samuel (1834-1864), Frances “Frank” W. (1837-1913), Robert (1838-1900), James (1839-?), Rebecca (1847-?), and Eliza Jane (1853-1909). Robert Alexander was a carpenter and four of his five sons followed him in the profession. John, Robert Jr., Frances, and James all emigrated to the United States and all entered a building profession. In 1884, brother Frank W. and John C. were listed in the Denver city directory. At the time Frank was a pattern maker for a foundry, a handy connection to have if your brother is stage mechanic, designing and building stage systems in the region. Keep in mind that stage mechanics were integral in the planning and construction of performance venues.
When John Alexander was eighteen yrs. old, he moved to neighboring York. In York he married Ann Louisa McClusky (b. 1850-1888) and by 1870 and the two were living in Chicago. Interestingly, US Federal census reports list 1865 as John’s initial year of immigration to the US. By 1872, Alexander was working in Chicago as a carpenter, likely a stage carpenter. John and Ann celebrated the birth of their first two children in Chicago: Francis R. (1870-1924). Anna Mae (1873-1954). The small family briefly returned to Toronto where their third child was born 1877, Ethelia “Etta” Rebecca (1877-1958). By 1880 the US Federal Census listed John and Anna L. living with their three children in Buffalo, New York. Alexander was again employed as a stage carpenter. Within two years, the family moved west and was living in Denver, Colorado. The 1882 Denver City Directory listed J. C. Alexander as the stage carpenter at the Tabor Grand Opera House, residing at 266 Weston. John C.’s brother, Frank W. Alexander, was also listed in the directory, now working as a “doortender” at the Palace Theatre. John and Ann’s fourth child, John Milton Alexander, was born in Denver in 1883.
For the next five years the Alexanders moved from one Denver residence to another. Despite the series of moves, Alexander continued to work at the Tabor Grand Opera House from 1882-1889, with his title changing from that of stage carpenter to stage manager. The Alexanders’ life changed dramatically, however, in 1888 when Ann died in childbirth. At the time, she was 37 yrs. old. Her newborn daughter, Anna L. McCloskey Alexander, also passed away only a few weeks later. This must have been a devasting blow to the close-knit family.
Her obituary was placed in the Rocky Mountain News on March 22, 1888: “Anna Louise Alexander died on the nineteenth instant, after a brief illness. She was the wife of Mr. John C. Alexander, the stage manager for the Tabor Grand opera house. In her demise a most estimable lady is lost to a large circle of friends. She was a loving and faithful wife, and her motherly ministrations extended far beyond the portals of her own household. She was always generous and charitable, and her image will ever be held dear to those who were so fortunate as to have known her. She will be sadly missed by the employes of the opera house, who were wont to gather ’round her table and partake of the good cheer and hospitality which none better than she knew how to provide. She was 37 years old at the time of her death, and had been married sixteen years. She was the mother of three promising children, the youngest of which is four years old. She could look back on her sixteen years as a wife and mother as years of joy and happiness.”
John’s son, Frank R. Alexander, entered the theatre profession around this time and was officially listed as a property man at the Tabor Opera House in the 1889 Denver City Directory. For the next ten years, father and son often worked together at the same venue. However, between 1890 and 1891 there was a brief pause, a momentary parting the Tabor Grand. I believe that they left to work for William H. Bush during the planning and construction of his new hotel and theatre complex. Bush’s Metropole Hotel and the Broadway Theater opened in August 1890. On January 10, 1890 the “Solid Muldoon” reported, “Col. W. H. Bush’s Broadway Theatre and Apartment House, now being erected in Denver, will not be excelled or equaled in the Western country for a decade or two to come. The building will be ready for occupancy by August 1890, and then Denver can ‘point with pride’ to the grandest and most thoroughly appointed temple of amusement between the two oceans. The opening night should be made an ovation and benefit to Mr. Bush, whose energy and enterprise the ‘Queen City’ owes much more than so ordinary a demonstration calls for.” When it opened, Colorado newspapers proclaimed, “Good judges declare it one of the handsomest theatres in the world” (Delta Independent, 26 August, 1890, page 1). The “Delta Independent” described, “The interior finish and the furnishings are beautiful and the appointments are the most modern” (12 August 1890). The Broadway Theatre was in direct competition with the Tabor Grand. Bush and Tabor had a history.
The planning of the Tabor Opera House in Leadville began with William Bush, then owner of the Clarendon Hotel. Tabor was simply an investor. When Bush ran out of money, he asked Tabor for an additional investment. The final result was Tabor buying Bush and naming the new theatre the Tabor Opera House. Tensions increased between the two when Tabor built the Vendome Hotel in Leadville. The Vendome was a direct competition with Bush’s Clarendon Hotel.
Turn-about is fair play, and Bush funded a competing performance venue in Denver. The Metropole Hotel and Broadway Theatre complex directly competed with the Tabor Grand Opera House.
Metropole Hotel and Broadway Theatre, Denver, Colorado.Drop curtain painted by Thomas G. Moses for the Broadway Theatre in Denver. Denver Public Library Digital Collection.
Sparing no expense on his hotel and theatre complex, Bush brought in a band of Chicago professionals that specialized in performance venues and stage technology. Designed by Col. J. M. Wood (1841-1907), the Broadway Theatre was advertised as the first fireproof theatre in the west. Similarly, the Vendome Hotel was advertised as the first fireproof hotel in the west. I have explored the career of Wood in past posts, as well as his establishment of the architectural firm Wood & Lovell in 1891. For more information, visit: https://drypigment.net2019/01/09/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-610-theatre-architects-col-j-w-wood-and-sidney-lovell/. By 1892, Wood was credited with having “devoted a great deal of time and study to the comfort, convenience, acoustic qualities and effect in the design and arrangements of opera houses, theaters and concert halls” (“The Bay of San Francisco,” Volume 1, 1892). Wood had repeatedly hired and worked with Sosman & Landis, specifically selecting Thomas G. Moses from the firm. The team took Denver by storm, and another link connected the Queen City with the Windy City. Although Alexander lived in Denver, he also had roots with the Chicago theatre community. It would have made sense for all involved to bring Alexander and his son onboard for the Broadway Theatre project.
Interestingly, John C. Alexander was not listed in the Denver Directory during 1890, and by 1891 he was simply listed as a bartender. This may have been a calculated listing at the time. The John C. Alexander listed as a bartender in the 1891 Denver Directory is the same as the stage carpenter, simply based on his home address. In the same 1891 directory, however, Frank R. Alexander was listed as the stage carpenter for the new Broadway Theatre. Whatever the reason for both Alexanders to not being associated with the Tabor Grand in 1891, both were back by 1892.
The 1892 Denver Directory listed John C. Alexander as the Tabor Grand’s a stage manager with his son as a stage carpenter, Their work for the venue was short-lived and by 1897 both Alexanders were back at the Broadway Theatre, each working as stage carpenters. John C. Alexander became the stage manager for the Broadway Theatre in 1898. Keep in mind that the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was repealed in 1893, financially crippling Tabor and forcing him to eventually his theaters.
Drop curtain painted by Thomas G. Moses for the Broadway Theatre in Denver. Denver Public Library Digital Collection.Drop curtain painted by Thomas G. Moses for the Broadway Theatre in Denver. Denver Public Library Digital Collection.
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Some good work for Balaban and Katz gave us a variety.” I bet; Balaban & Katz movie palaces were in a league all their own.
Sam Katz, Morris Katz, Barney Balaban, and Abe J. Balaban joined together in 1916, establishing Balaban & Katz. The firm became well known for constructing a chain of ornate heaters for motion picture. In 1921 Chicago papers ran advertisements for “Balaban & Katz Wonder theatres – The World’s Foremost Amusement Palaces.” By the spring of 1921, the firm ran theaters in the north, west and south sides of Chicago. The Central Park Theatre was located at Roosevelt Road (12th St) and Central Park Avenue; the Riviera at Broadway and Lawrence, and the new Tivoli at Cottage Grove and 63rd Street.
Balaban & Katz advertisement for the Tivoli Theatre, Riviera Theatre and the Central Park Theatre in Chicago, from the “Chicago Tribune,” 19 Sept 1921, page 13.
When Moses mentioned work for Balaban & Katz at the beginning of 1921, he was likely referring to the Tivoli. Announcements for the new venues elaborated: “Tivoli Service, you are entitled to it! That’s the Balaban & Katz slogan which greets you from the screen of the wonderful Tivoli Theatre. And it means exactly that. Courtesy, comfort and care are dominating features of the Balaban & Katz theatres – the Central Park, Riviera and Tivoli.” Advertisements elaborated, “Fifty-three energetic ushers, nattily clad and in perfect esprit de corps, assist the thousands of visitors of the Tivoli theatre to commodious seats. Their conduct is precise and gentlemanly. They’re college and high school youths, for the most part, drilled by a military and theatrical expert to meet all emergencies” (Chicago Tribune, 7 March 1921, page 6).
The Tivoli theatre in ChicagoThe Tivoli Theatre stage with settings by Sosman & Landis Studio of ChicagoThe Tivoli Theatre stage with settings by Sosman & Landis Studio of Chicago
The 3,500-seat Tivoli Theatre at 6329 Cottage Grove opened on February 16, 1921. Designed by the architectural form of Rapp & Rapp, the theater was two stories high and fashioned in a French Baroque style, decorated and furnished by the Mandel Brothers with draperies of rose silk plush, and velours. There was even gold cloth with heavy applique work and studded jewels. The colors of magenta, turquoise, green, cream and gold tones were found throughout the lounge, mezzanine and promenades. The lobby’s ceiling mural was even intended to resemble the Sainte-Chapelle at Versailles. Marble and gold leave permeated every nook and cranny of the space, living up to the purported $2,000,000 price tag.
The Tivoli Theatre in ChicagoThe Chicago TheatreThe Chicago TheatreThe Chicago Theatre
That fall Balaban & Katz opened the Chicago Theatre on October 26. Of the $4 million endeavor, newspaper advertisements billed the Chicago Theatre as “Wonder Theatre of the World.”
The Chicago Theatre
Larger than the Tivoli Theatre, the Chicago was a 5,000-seat venue that operated as a combination house. There was a full stage with complete scenic and lighting systems. The presentation department prepared elaborate prologues and other scenic effects for motion picture presentations. Here is a link to some lovely photos and a write up about the Chicago Theatre by Mike Hume at historictheatrephotos.com (https://www.historictheatrephotos.com/Theatre/Chicago-Theatre.aspx).
These opulent stages embraced the use of sumptuous fabrics and dimensional details for not only the building, but also for the stage. In many ways their appearance signaled the definitive shift from painted ornament to dimensional ornament in stage art. Although scenic studios still produced an abundance of painted illusion, change was in the air, as the largest projects began to embrace the skills of the interior decorator much more so than the scenic artist. There is a notable shift from scenic art to scenic craft for many projects by the 1920s. The “variety” that Moses mentioned about the Balaban & Katz projects in 1921 would permeate the industry and become standard.
One of the projects that I am working on right now is establishing artist provenance for each piece of scenery at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. This means creating a biography for scenic artists and stage mechanics who manufactured scenery and stage machinery for the Tabor Opera House and Tabor Grand Opera House. When possible, I link a specific creator with an extant artifact. This week, the focus of my search was J. C. Alexander, a well-known stage carpenter in Colorado from 1883-1908. The story of his life and career took shape as I read dozens of articles about his projects in relation to the Tabor Grand Opera House and the Colorado Circuit.
I doubt that H. A. W. Tabor understood much about theatre stages when Tabor Opera House was built in 1879. The architects and contractors failed to include experienced theatre professionals in the early planning; always a crucial and costly mistake. Although Tabor hired a very skilled fresco artist (J. E. Lamphere) and a capable carpenter (Mr. Barber), their stage arrangements failed upon repeated use. This did not mean that Lamphere of Barber were unskilled, they simply did not specialize in scenic illusion, stage machinery and stage transformations.
By 1882, the Tabor Opera House auditorium and stage underwent a pretty substantial rebuild. The roof was lifted up for acoustics and the stage appointments completely redone. Of the stage work, the “Leadville Daily Herald” reported, “there will be a change for the better in regard to scenery, scene shifting and drop curtains. Those ridiculous hitches in scene shifting that have heretofore occurred on one or two occasions will no longer take place. An experienced stage man has been secured in the person of Mr. H. C. Sprague, who has had extensive experience in the east” (August 23, 1882). H. C. Sprague became the stage carpenter for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, and J. C. Alexander became the stage carpenter for the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver. Of the two, Alexander became integral in helping mechanically prepare venues for inclusion in the Colorado Circuit.
At some point between 1879 and 1882, Tabor realized that the key to securing touring shows was the backstage appointments. A specific set of stage accommodations attracted touring shows; you can’t put on a successful production without the necessary equipment. Regardless of the extravagance spent on front of house accommodations, it was the backstage area that mattered and attributed to securing popular productions.
Getting class acts to Denver, let alone to Leadville, was expensive. The only way to increase profits was to have the same production tour several venues in the area, or stop on their way to another location. This meant that the traveling costs were divided among the various theaters, reducing the overall expense for each house. Ultimately, western theatrical circuits saved money by sheer volume of venues. Simply offering multiple stops on a tour, however, was not enough to engage a touring company. The stage accommodations had to technically support each show.
For example, when the Grand Central theatre opened in Leadville only a month after the Tabor Opera House, it became quickly apparent that the Grand Central had a far superior stage. The only way for the Tabor Opera House to overcome this deficiency was to connect with a larger metropolitan venue and become part of a circuit – the Tabor circuit. When Denver’s Tabor Grand Opera House opened in 1881, it became the life blood for Tabor’s much smaller venue in Leadville. Without the connection to the Tabor Grand, I doubt that the Tabor opera house would have weathered any of its Leadville competition. Even with featuring the same touring productions as the Tabor Grand, the Tabor opera house had to improve their scenic appointments, hence, the 1882 renovation. The improvements necessitated the involvement of a stage carpenter and scenic artist intimately familiar with the demands of touring companies. Enter Henry E. Burcky, J. C. Alexander and H. C. Sprague. Keep in mind that “stage carpenter” is interchangeable with stage mechanic and stage manager at this time.
After the 1882 renovation of Leadville’s Tabor Opera House, the Tabor Grand Opera House began to hire out the services of their stage carpenter and scenic artist (Burkey and Alexander). This was an attempt to improve regional stages, thus establishing appropriate stops on a western circuit – the Colorado Circuit. In 1885, Alexander and Burcky transformed DeRemer’s rink into the new DeRemer Opera House. One article published in the “Colorado Weekly Chieftain” on Dec. 29, 1885, interviewed Alexander about a possible stage renovation.
John Charles Alexander
The renovation would allow Pueblo to host the same touring shows featured at the Tabor Grand Opera House. There was incentive for both of Tabor’s theaters, as well as the Pueblo community. Here is the 1885 article in its entirety:
“On Sunday, Mr. J. C. Alexander, the stage manager and master mechanic of the Tabor Grand opera house, Denver arrived in the city for the purpose of taking a look at DeRemer’s rink and giving an unbiased opinion as to what could be done towards converting it into an opera house. Mr. Alexander was astonished and greatly pleased at the building, it was so much superior in every way to what he expected to see. The building is both longer and wider than the Tabor Grand, and all it lacks to make room equal to the Tabor Grand auditorium in every way is height. Desiring to get Mr. Alexander’s unbiased opinion regarding the proposed scheme, a Chieftan reporter tackled him yesterday afternoon. We inquired if he thought the rink could be converted into a first class opera house.
“Certainly, sir,” said Mr. Alexander, “It can be converted into an opera house second only to the Tabor Grand in Colorado. I have studied this hall thoroughly that last few hours, and I can tell you it can be made into a splendid theater – a theater where any company visiting Colorado can play and show all of their scenery. “Here,” said he, “you will see we have a working stage of 40×76 feet between walls, with the same width of proscenium opening as the Denver stage. It can be and will be furnished with five sets of working grooves, same as the Tabor, to fold back the fly galleries and give a clear working space in width of 48 feet. We also have a clear working height to the rigging loft of 26 feet, five sets of border lights and the footlights complete the same as we have at the Tabor. To start in with Mr. DeRemer proposes to put in eleven sets of complete scenery, besides a beautiful drop curtain. The eleven sets of scenery, as the house progresses towards completeness, can be painted on the reverse side, thus giving twenty-two sets of beautiful scenery. Here also we will have ample space for scene room, property room and eight dressing rooms. With these improvements any special bit of scenery painted for the production of a special play at the Tabor Grand, will be sent over the Colorado circuit, the completion of this improvement making it possible to set the Tabor scenes at Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Leadville, but Pueblo to the greater advantage that elsewhere on the circuit, because here you will have the largest and best appointed theater on the circuit, and be possessed of every facility to produce attractions as they should be produced. The people of Pueblo will never have such an opportunity to get a good opera house again. I will tell you why. They are only asked to make a temporary loan of $3,000 towards making all these improvements. Now the fact is the improvements contemplated will cost nearer $6,000 than $3,000, yet I understood Mr. DeRemer to say that if the people put up the $3,000 asked for the improvements will be made as contemplated regardless of the extra cost. He further tells me that he will expend every dollar of surplus earnings of the house in making improvements in the building. The fact is that people ought to advance $6,000 at once instead of $3,000.
“How many people can be seated in this building as now planned.” Asked the reporter.
“About 900,” replied Mr. Alexander, “or nearly 200 more than can be seated on the first floor of the Tabor Opera House. The seats will all be elevated and nicely arranged provided the project can be carried out, and there will not be a bad seat in the house. The height of the stage will be three feet ten inches from the floor and everything will be permanent about the stage, it can be dug out underneath after it is started and the pit and traps put in. In the same way the roof can be raised at any time, and these things I am assured will be done as fast as possible. If this scheme goes through the Tabor Grand has agreed to play all its attractions here permanently. That is why I am here and taking such an active interest in the way the work of improvement is to be done.
“Could a building about 130×52 feet be converted into a first class or even possibly good opera house, Mr. Alexander,” inquired the reporter.
“No, sir,” said Mr. Alexander; “it could not, and for the very obvious reason that such a building would lack one of the great things which a theater mush have – and width, What kind of a stage you put within fifty-two feet? What kind of scenery could you put up? Such a structure would be an abortion, so far as using it for theatrical purposes is concerned. The only way to convert a building fifty feet wide into a theater would be to tear down the structure, rebuild it and add about thirty feet more to its width.
Leaving Mr. Alexander the reporter hunted up Mr. J. R. DeRemer and Mr. George M. Haight, to find out what truth, if any, there was in the statement that the improvements to be made in the rink would cost $6,000.
“Yes,” said Mr. Haight, “Mr. Alexander thinks the improvement will cost much but if the people put up the three thousand dollars asked we will make the improvements at once.
“Yes,” said Mr. DeRemer, “and you can just tell the people that whatever Mr. George M. Haight says about this matter goes. He represents me in this matter fully and I will carry out whatever he agrees to do. It is estimated these improvements will cost $6,000, but we have only asked for $3,000, and as soon as that sum is subscribed we will commence this work with a vim. I will say further that every surplus cent of earnings of this house will be used to improve and beautify the structure until Pueblo has a first class opera house. I don’t think I can say any more, It now remains to be seen whether the people want an opera house. The people, however, are asked for but $3,000, as a temporary loan. The only feasible plan to secure an opera house is to make up this $3,000 fund at once. All other propositions are chimerical and impossible. If we can’t raise the sum asked by DeRemer we can’t raise anything for an opera house, but we believe this sum can be raised, and we hope to announce it has been subscribed before the week is out, Of the sum asked there only remains $1,000 to be raised. Now don’t refuse to put your name down when called upon. We can all afford to help this project along liberally and it is our duty as good citizens, with the prosperity of the town in view, to do so cheerfully and promptly.”
On January 7, 1886, the “Colorado Daily Chieftain” announced. “If the people of Pueblo want a first class opera house, let them wait on Mr. J. R. DeRemer or Mr. George M. Haight to-day and subscribe a loan of $525 towards the DeRemer opera house project, and our word for it, work will be commenced tomorrow. It this is not done very few of the Tabor Grand attractions will visit Pueblo in the future.” That almost sounded like a threat, but the money was soon raised and on February 3, 1886, DeRemer’s Opera House opened to the public. The “Colorado Daily Chieftain” reported, “During the past few weeks many people, of course, have visited what was formerly known as the finest skating rink in the west and watched the transformation in progress, but for all that there were few people present at the opening last night who were not surprised and astonished at the beautiful appearance of the interior of the new theaters…the stage is the largest in the state beside the Tabor Grand at Denver. It is furnished with all the scenery paraphernalia required in all first class opera houses. This work has all been done under the personal supervision of Mr. Maynard, assistant stage manager at the Tabor Grand…Pueblo is now accredited with the best equipped and largest opera house outside of Denver and in the state…Pueblo ought to be proud of DeRemer’s opera house; it is a first class place of amusement now, and in time we feel certain it will be excelled by few in style and finish.”
There were many more changes to go, including the raising of the roof to make it three stories high, but the house was open. Once the roof was raised, the seating would be divided into a parquet, dress circle, balcony and gallery.
Tomorrow, I will continue to explore the life and career of John C. Alexander.
Scenic studios manufactured themed décor for a variety of charity balls and other fundraising events. These projects catered to a specific clientele, one that was often a repeat customer.
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The big pageant for the Municipal Pier gave us a good show for the Salvation Army, and one for the dance hall.” The next year, Moses mentioned Salvation Army work again, writing, “Had some Municipal Pier work, especially the Salvation Army work.”
Salvation Army button, 1921
As I combed through dozens of articles, searching for information about the Salvation Army and Municipal Pier events that year, one caught my eye. As we have entered a season of giving, it is time to remember those who sacrifice for good of others.
On May 29, 1921, the “Chicago tribune” published an article entitled, “Assaults on Our Finances” (page 72).
“Looking back, I can hardly remember a moment in the last few years when we have not been in the surge of some such drive. Sometimes the organizers of these assaults on the glorious inviolability of our private and personal finances try to disguise them under such terms as “presentation.” But the fact and act remain the same.
It is the selfish, untiring, devoted energy of the few in the interests of the many, in the interests of community itself, which accompanies the financing of such enterprises as the Red Cross, the Y.W.C.A., the Y.M.C.A., the Boy Scouts, the Salvation Army, and the various other great undertakings which are the hope of our civilization. These few take the exhausting, ungrateful, nerve racking task of soliciting money from the great and heedless majority of a self-absorbed world.
Instead of being grateful to them for taking the hardest part of the job off our hands, the tendency of the average citizen is to complain when so approached. Yet eliminate from our social system these various enterprises and what would be the residue? A rampant materialism which would suck the soul out of us all and breed anarchy and destruction.
So, the next time you are approached by one of these champions of reform and philanthropy, say, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”
In 1921 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Most of my time has been taken up with model making and looking after the work. Not much chance to paint.” Moses was working on an annual contract at Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio in Chicago. He resigned as president of the company in 1918, leaving to work for both New York Studios and Chicago studios before returning to the firm. After all, he had a long history with the company, and by 1921 had worked for the studio forty-one years.
After a director’s meeting in 1921, Moses wrote, “It was settled that I remain at $8,000.00 a year. The next day I was on the road to Little Rock, Arkansas, where I spent a week and closed the contract for $9,548.00, then on to Kansas City where I got a small order for a window display, and Omaha where I closed for $2,400.00, another Scottish Rite job, all on my 65th birthday week.”
At sixty-five years old Moses was constantly on the road again, but this time with growing health concerns. He had physically pushed himself to the limit for a long time, and life was starting to catch up with him. The 1920s would be a difficult decade for Moses, and American Society as a whole. In some ways, the roaring twenties was akin to fire, raging out of control; clearing a path, but destroying much along the way. As society tried to progress forward, there were those who dug their heals in the sand trying, desperately to maintain a status quo. Moses continued to plod along, but the world and theatre industry were rapidly changing around him. More and more he was asked to solely secure contracts, design productions, and manage a disgruntled paint force. Since 1904, Moses had been in charge of all design, construction, painting and installation at Sosman & Landis studio. Regardless of title or position, there was less and less time to do what he loved – paint. Like many, Moses continued to search for that ideal balance of work and pleasure.
Many colleagues tried to lure him west, suggesting that he relocate to California. Late in 1921, Moses wrote, “Letters from the Pacific Coast, which offered me all kinds of inducement to come west are all very good, but when I consider my age, I hesitate to make the plunge.”
It’s understandable. All of his previous departures from the company had been unsuccessful; yet remaining at Sosman & Landis posed a whole host of problems. In 1920, six members of the Sosman & Landis paint staff left to form Service Studios, now a competitor. This was a significant percentage of the work force, causing a difficult situation for all.
Moses continued to trudge along, but all by himself. The situation makes me think of the lyrics from the 1921 song, “All By Myself” by Irving Berlin:
All by myself in the morning
All by myself in the night
I sit alone in a cozy Morris chair
So unhappy there
Playing solitaire
All by myself I get lonely
Watching the clock on the shelf
I’d love to rest my wear head on somebody’s shoulder
Berlin’s song was introduced in “The Music Box Revue of 1922.” It certainly stood the test of time, having struck a chord with many. Here’s Bobby Darin’s version from 1962: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5V2xgsC59U
