Drypigment.net

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

I return to the life and times of Thomas G. Moses after a four-week break.

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “… got a train for Davenport, Iowa. Some fine daylight ride.  Met Lester Landis and we set our model up for the Scottish Rite Bodies.  No chance to close for some time.” Work had started on the building during the spring of 1921 and was completed in the fall of 1923. The old Masonic temple that housed the Davenport Scottish Rite was located on the corner of Third and Main Streets, built in 1886.

Moses was representing Sosman & Landis Studio, whereas Toomey & Volland delivered the first Scottish Rite scenery to Davenport. In fact, a Toomey & Volland advertisement in “New Age Magazine,” listed the Davenport as one of sixteen Scottish Rites theaters using Toomey & Volland scenery by 1912.

By the spring of 1922, the foundation for the new Masonic Temple was completed, just in time for the Scottish Rite Reunion. There were nearly one-hundred candidates in the Cornerstone-Stone Class, named in recognition of the progress on the new temple. Six months later, the four-day fall reunion with the Zerubbabel Class was also very large.  On Jan. 1, 1923, the membership strength of Zarephath consistory was 2,383. The building was dedicated during the fall reunion of 1923.

Moses wrote, “Made several trips to Davenport in hopes of getting the big contract of about $16,000.00, but we were too high.” It was a massive endeavor with scenery for two stages.

The main auditorium was located on the second floor. With a seating capacity of  2,700, it featured a pipe organ and motion picture booth. The main theater was not only intended for public entertainment but also Masonic ceremonial for the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine and the Mystic Order of the Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm (Grotto). There was also a smaller theater on the main floor, known as the Gothic Room. This secondary stage hosted ceremonials for the York Rite and Order of the Eastern Star.

The new Masonic Temple was completed by the fall of 1923. When the building opened, the “Daily Times” announced, “Davenport’s new million-dollar Masonic temple is a monument to the faith and perseverance of a group of Davenport Masons who long ago conceived the idea of sheltering all of the local Masonic lodges and clubs in one large building. It has always been the hope of Davenport Masons that this city should eventually have one of the most beautiful temples in the state, representative of the prominent position occupied by Davenport in Iowa Masonry. More than 10 years ago progressive members of the various lodges began to study out plans whereby their ideal might be worked out, and October 1913, the first committees are said to have been named to consider the project and to report upon its possibilities. Strange enough, the earliest committees on the new temple project agreed upon the site at Seventh and Brady streets as one of the most ideal locations in the city for the new temple. Today the Masons are dedicating their new temple…The temple together with its site cost approximately $1,040,000 and this amount has been raised through subscription by the members of all the Masonic bodies of Davenport, in the form of stock in the New Masonic Temple association” (Nov. 19, 1923, page 9).

On Nov. 19, 1923, “The Daily Times” included a series of articles about the new building. Of the theater, the newspaper reported, “The new Masonic temple has the finest auditorium in the tri-cities and offers exceptional facilities for public concert work and other forms of entertainment. The auditorium is built in the amphitheater style and is illuminated by the largest indirect lighting fixture in the United States……As an auditorium devoted to music and the art of dancing, the Masonic temple will in a large measure take the place of Davenport’s lost ‘legitimate’ theater.”

William J. Klinck was manager for the main auditorium. Of the new theater, Klinck reported, “We have gone to a great deal of additional expense to equip the stage for practical show purposes. Of course, there are over a hundred sets of stuff for the Masonic work alone, but aside from this, we will be able to accommodate any stage attraction, no matter how large. We are not planning any theatrical attractions this season, but for next year I am trying to line up Al Jolson, the Passing Show, the Greenwich Village Follies, the Barrymores and many other high-class attractions. We will have nothing whatever to do with mediocre shows and will not even listen to any proposition that does not include the binging here of performers regarded as real stars.”

To be continued…

Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett

Relocating any historic scenery collection from one state to another is always a challenge.  Regardless of any information gathered during a preliminary site visit, there are always a few surprises.

The Richmond Scottish Rite scenery collection is composed of 73 drops, dating from 1902 to 1920. Much of the collection was produced by Toomey & Volland Scenic Studio of St. Louis, Missouri, during the first decade of the twentieth century. The original pieces measured approximately 20’h x 34’w. In the 1920s additional scenes were purchased from Toomey & Volland when a new stage was constructed. Interestingly, the size of the original scenery was reduced to 18’h x 26’w; all of the scenery was cut down on the top and at the sides at this time.

In the 1960s, the Richmond Scottish Rite built a new building and stage, but only hung 2/3 of their scenery collection. This meant that 1/3 of the collection went into storage, out of sight, out of mind.

The current stage was much wider than the old one, and I believe that the original intent was to purchase new scenery for the 1968 stage. In the end, the additional stage space on either side of each drop was greatly appreciated during removal and temporary storage prior to shipping!

Many original sandwich battens were replaced with jute webbing and tie line or pipe pockets about twenty-five years ago. Some repair work was done to various scenes too, including the replacement of 1” cotton netting with a ½” plastic version. Sadly, an abundance of hot melt glue was used to attach the plastic netting, irreparably damaging some areas of the painted scenes.

In other cases, spray adhesive was used for attaching fabric patches, white foam, bobbinet and plastic netting. This was a singularly horrible idea, as the spray adhesive partially melted the white foam.

All of these “add-ons” had to be carefully removed before rolling, encapsulating and shipping.  Leaving on the foam, plastic netting, or anything else would damage the painted surface. This job was much more than lowering drops from lines, rolling, encapsulating, packing and shipping. However, preserving these beautiful examples of scenic art will be well worth it.

I first visited the Richmond Scottish Rite from October 24 to 26, 2020. Michael Powers accompanied me to complete a preliminary inspection of the stage artifacts and rigging system. Here is a link to the post describing my first visit:  https://drypigment.net2020/10/26/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-richmond-scottish-rite-october-24-26-2020/

After careful documentation of each drop, the rigging system and stage area, a plan was put in place for the relocation of the Richmond Scottish Rite scenery collection to Tucson, Arizona. It is a 2,228-mile drive from Richmond to Tucson – four days of driving. The major obstacles for this project were both holiday timing and a nationwide health crisis. 

For context, the Richmond Scottish Rite was being sold and all of the drops needed to be removed from the building by the evening of Jan. 14, 2021. All other artifacts in the building were being removed mid-December in preparation for the sale. There was not enough time to complete the project before the holidays, so we were left with starting immediately after the New Year. This meant that I would have less than two weeks to complete the project. Due to the holidays, our departure from Minneapolis, Minnesota, was scheduled for Jan. 3, with work commencing on Jan. 5. My crew would consist of two riggers and two scenery handlers. There would be a fifth individual on call for the final loading of the truck. All locals.

As I watched the COVID-19 infection rate spiral out of control across the United States in December, my plans changed. If the building did not have a definitive sale date, I would have postponed the project until late spring or early summer.  With the building changing hands Jan. 15, however, I saw no other option to save the scenery and decided to complete the job with only two other people. We would be our own self-contained quarantine bubble. Continued delays in nationwide shipping services and a supply shortage supported this decision. In the end, I would bring all supplies and food with me to make sure everything arrived on site and on time. By the way, the building is still for sale. You cannot imagine my reaction when I noticed the lack of a “sold” sign on the “For Sale” sign upon arrival.

So here is how I approached this particular project. 

The two other people that I brought on site were my husband (Andrew Barrett) and Michael Powers. Between the three of us we have 180 years of life experience, as well as a healthy respect for safety protocols. Michael would handle the lines from the fly rail, with Andrew and I handling all of the scenery below.

All of our tools, supplies and food were transported from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Richmond, Virginia, in a 15’ U-Haul truck. Food and supplies were packed after renting our first U-Haul on Jan. 2, 2021.

Andrew drove the truck and I drove my car. Michael bounced between the two vehicles for company. The intent was to leave the 15’ truck in Richmond, while having my car for transport to and from work.  We would then rent a 26’ truck to transport the drops from Richmond to Tucson. The rolled drops measured 20’ long and the top battens measured 25’-5” long. Andrew would then drive the 26’ truck while Michael and I headed home to Minneapolis with half of my tools and some of the food. In Tucson, Andrew could drop off the shipment, return the 26’ rental truck and rent an SUV to transport himself and the other half of my tools home. Everything worked like clockwork in the end. In many ways, one of the most difficult tasks was planning meals to last for all of us from Jan. 3-20, so we did not visit restaurants or shop at grocery stores in another region.

The three of us left early in the morning on Jan 3, spending our first night in Indianapolis, Indiana. Due to weather conditions and other mishaps, our first  9 ½-hrs. driving day became an 11-hour day. Our only stops were gas stations and rest areas. By the evening of Jan. 4, we were unloading in Richmond, after another long day of driving. As planned, we started work on the morning of January 5. We worked five days in a row, took one day off, and worked four more days. We all departed Richmond on the morning of January 15.  Our workdays ranged from 9 to 10 ½ hours, with our “day off” being reserved as a possible workday. Thank goodness we did not need to use it. We did not take breaks, and only stopped for a 30-minute lunch. We all felt the pressure form the compressed timeline, and I can’t sit still in general.

The first day went fairly slow, as we unloaded, prepped the space, and assembled the PVC pipes. We were only able to roll three drops that day, but established an efficient system.

One-third of the scenes had never been hung at the current theater, placed into storage in 1968 when the Scottish Rite Masons built their new home and stage. Until our October visit, these scenes were simply tucked away under piles of dust above a properties room, stage left.  During my  October visit, we lowered and documented these drops.  Each rolled drop had both top and bottom battens. Only the original front curtain for the previous stage was missing a top batten.

The scenery that hung above the stage was an entirely different story. Fifteen drops still had their original top battens directly tied into the operating lines. Some of these drops still retained their bottom battens, but the majority had newer pipe pockets sewn onto the fragile fabric. Some drops had a combination of jute webbing and bottom battens. Other drops had both jute webbing and pipe pockets, replacing the original wood battens. As I suspected upon preliminary inspection, all of the seams were failing so the jute and pipe pockets had to be removed prior to transport. I didn’t want to chance their being reused. Due to time constraints, the drops with battens were cut off and the 26’-0” long battens shipped intact. By the way, this is also how the 1902 Little Rock, Arkansas, scenery was also shipped to Pasadena, California, in the 1920s. The original drop fabric was never removed from between the battens.

Historic fabric takes on a unique shape when hanging for decades, unlike rolled drops; it is quirky. Over time, the center and sides of a drop stretch, sometimes to an irreparable point. This means that you can’t line a tube up to the edges of the fabric and start rolling; you have to locate a central seam, position the tube and roll backwards to the edge, then secure the fabric to the tube. This is one of those odd projects where too many hands actually make more work. You want fewer points of contact when rolling. Rolling an historic drop is often time-consuming process, often consisting of rolling, re-rolling, re-positioning and re-rolling. This is often my least favorite part of the process.

I tried a new technique for rolling the drops this time out of sheer necessity; necessity being the mother of invention. Much of it had to do with the tube. Instead of a 20’ long tube, I pieced together two  3” x 10’ PVC pipes with a coupler. The ends also had temporary couplers to help elevate each side from drooping and maintain consistency while rolling. And there was just one person rolling – me. 

I crawled along the center, slowly rolling with an open palm, using the coupler as my guide. The three couplers raised the tube ¼” off the ground, allowing the fabric to adjust during rolling. Andrew occasionally lifted the end of a tube, or shifted it, to adjust tension and overall direction. Unlike a solid 20’ tube that keeps constant pressure on the fabric, there is space for the fabric to adjust itself while rolling with the couplers. Overall, this was the easiest and best rolling job that I have ever completed in the minimal amount of time. Absolutely no creases or wrinkles.

The issue with rolling historic drops is that they are not flat pieces of fabric. Furthermore, the drops are no longer square; both tops and bottoms flare out. Although the task may seem simple,  it is not. Drops do not roll up like large pieces of linoleum, easily feeding onto a tube at the same rate. You must always remember that there is more fabric in the center. The central fabric was stretched after billowing in the air for years; think of a parachute. This excess fabric and odd shape mean that the drop will not easily roll and have a tendency to “walk” in one direction or another. The tube needs to be at least a foot longer on each end of the fabric for walking. Once the fabric starts to “walk,” however, it can easily go off one side or the other. You need to prevent fabric from walking as much as possible. However, you can’t force the fabric onto the tube and make it roll on straight, as there will be areas with excessive material.  Even employing constant tension during the rolling will cause wrinkles to form, as excess fabric gathers around the roll. Creases cause the paint to crack and flake during transit, so they need to be avoided.

Back to my timeline. The drops rolled on the floor were completed by the end of the third day, and we began lowering drops on the fourth day. Tyvek suits, respirators and hard hats were a necessity as the dust continued to filter down from the lines. We minimized the spread of contaminants in both the space and on ourselves. Unfortunately, I donated the majority of my N95 masks supply to medical workers last spring, and depleted my final supply of masks on site at the Tabor Opera House in September. I returned to standard respirators with N95 cartridges. People who complain about fabric masks have obviously never worn a respirator for an entire work day while doing manual labor.

We did get to rest on the sixth day, and drove to Virginia Beach to watch the waves.  Seeing the ocean, and having a picnic lunch in our car on a col day did a world of good for our tired bodies and minds.

We were able to finish rolling all drops by Tuesday, Jan. 12. Wednesday was spent picking up the 26’ truck and building the shipping frame for the drops and battens. While Michael and Andrew prepared the truck, I completed the labeling system for the drops.  

The end of each roll contained two labels. The first (white) label included a number and description, as well as indicating whether it was the top or bottom of the vertically rolled scene. The number on the first label correlated to a detailed packing list. The second (color) labels listed the scenic piece, included an image pictures of the piece, and noted all of the Masonic degrees the setting could accompany. The color coding distinguished between exterior and palatial scenes, in addition to those reserved for specific empty lines at the Tucson Scottish Rite.

Laughter sustained all of us for the majority of the project and we worked extremely well as a team. Michael and I returned to Minneapolis on Saturday, with him  driving home Sunday morning (Jan. 17). Andrew dropped off the shipment yesterday  (Jan. 18) in Tucson and starts for home today.

Tomorrow  (Jan. 20) I return to all of the projects that I put on hold, especially the Tabor Opera House (Leadville, Colorado) scenery evaluation.  I will continue to post painted details from both Richmond and Leadville in the upcoming weeks.

It’s good to be home.

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

I am ending 2020 with a winter scene. It seems appropriate for the winter solstice tonight, despite the fact that there is no snow on the ground, and I live in Minnesota! I will resume posting after the upcoming presidential inauguration, allowing myself a day or two of celebratory recovery.

In September 2020, I led a group of volunteers at the Tabor Opera House to document nineteenth-century wings, shutters, borders and set pieces in the attic. After my visit, I began examining each piece in detail, creating condition reports, historical analyses, replacement appraisals, and a collections care management document. There is scenery spanning from 1879 to 1902 at the Tabor Opera House, a remarkable scope that shows the transition from wing-and-shutter scenery to fly drops.

On site, there was one lone shutter that depicted a snowy landscape. It was all that remained of a pair, with a winter scene painted on the back of an original wood shutter constructed for the 1879 stage. When the shutters were repainted in 1888, the fabric was replaced on the second shutter, possibly the result of irreparable damage. This is when the winter scene lost its mate.

The pine frame was originally covered with standard cotton sheeting manufactured at Boott Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. When the frame was recovered, the new fabric was standard drillings from Stark Mills in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! See you in 2021!

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Henry Sieker passed away on the 7^th, all very sudden.  My 66^th birthday came and went and I don’t know as I had many bad effects from the day.”

Henry Sieker was a Chicago painter and one-time Sosman & Landis employee. This is one of those instances where Moses brought to light an individual who otherwise may have remained unknown, a individual lost to time and theatre history.  Not everyone makes a name for themselves in the theater. Sieker is an example of a painter who came and went without any fanfare.

Henry Ernest Sieker was born on Feb. 10, 1886, in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were Frank (Franz) Sieker (1849-1890) and Catherine Kemper (1853-1901). The couple celebrated the birth of seven children, with four growing to adulthood.  The 1880 Census listed that Henry was living at home with his three siblings – Fred (1876), August (1882), and Martin (1885). By 1900, their father passed away and all four boys were living with their mother at 29 Lufkin Street in Cleveland, Ohio. At the time Henry was working as a messenger boy. Henry and Martin remained close throughout the duration of their lives, eventually moving to Chicago and living together.

Henry married Nattley C. Buselski (b. 1886), the daughter of Mathias and Johanna Buselski.

Henry and Nattley celebrated the birth of their only daughter in 1909, Irene Florence. The 1910 US Federal Census listed Siecker as a scenic artist in the scenic studio profession. At the time, he was still living with his brother, Martin who worked as a candy maker in a candy factory.

Sieker’s draft registration card provides a little information about his physical appearance. He was tall, medium build with blue eyes and blond hair. The registration also listed him as living at 4016 W. 21^st Chicago and working as a sign painter at Sosman & Landis.

Eight years later, the 1920 census still listed Sieker as a sign painter, working in the Factory industry and living at 4016 West 21^st Street. He was still living with his brother, wife and daughter.

Sieker passed at the age of 36 on July 7, 1922. At the time, he was living at 4023 W 21 St., just up the street from where he lived in 1920; an unknown change of circumstances perhaps. Sieker was buried on July 10, 1922 at Elmwood Cemetery and Mausoleum in River Grove, Illinois. I not yet located any details or cause of death.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Started on a bunch of Masonic models, and it will take some time to do them.  Went to Joplin, Mo., after a good contract.  Was too high.” A similar thing would  happen only a few months later, with Moses writing, “Made several trips to Davenport in hopes of getting the big contract of about $16,000.00, but we were too high. 

Sosman & Landis was nearing the end of its existence at the same time many other studios were getting their start.  Sosman & Landis lost the Joplin job to another Chicago firm – The Fabric  Studio. The Fabric Studio appeared on the scene as abruptly as it disappeared a few years later. However, between 1922 and 1923 the studio showed much promise. The same year that they landed the Joplin Scottish Rite project, they delivered some very impressive scenery to the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, Kansas. Interestingly, by 1923, Thomas G. Moses and Fred R. Megan rented the Fabric Studios’ space as they waited to purchase the Sosman & Landis name; waiting for the firm to liquidate all their assets.

The Fabric Studio scenery painted for the Joplin Scottish Rite is colorful, impressive, and indicative of a changing aesthetic. I had an opportunity to visit the Joplin Scottish Rite and document the historic scenery collection during the summer of 2018 and document the scenery painted at the Fabric Studios. Here is link to my post about that visit: https://drypigment.net2018/07/03/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-the-joplin-scottish-rite-july-2/

There was a studio stamp on many drops that included the address 117 N. State, 4th floor, Chicago, Illinois. At this time, there were three main individuals running The Fabric Studio, artistic director P T. Blackburn and stage carpenter J. A. Bannon. As most young studios, the men continued to work independently while getting the studio up and running. In the end, the Joplin Scottish Rite may be the only artistic legacy left of this short-lived studio.

The earliest mention of the Fabric Studio that I have located to date is from the summer of 1921. The company placed a want ad in the “Chicago Tribune,” advertising for girls to help in their sewing room (“Chicago Tribune,” 27 August 1921, page 14). The earliest work credited to the new form was for Princess Minstrel Misses. Advertisements placed in “The Richmond Item” announced, “Seven young ladies in ‘a Fanfare of Joy, Song and Dance and Music’ with Cecil Jefferson. A miniature minstrel production offered exclusively by seven talented girls with an elaborate stage setting. Hear these clever girls in the latest songs and jokes. Costumes by Hazel Rene, Chicago. Scenery by The Fabric Studio, Chicago. 20 minutes of Real Entertainment”  (8 Dec 1921, page 5).

In 1922, The Fabric Studio of Chicago was competing with the Kansas City Scenic Co. for the contract to paint and install a new front curtain and scenery for the Memorial Auditorium in Wellington, Kansas. W. S. Mayer was the salesman for The Fabric Studio of Chicago (“Wellington Daily News,” 25 August 1922, page 1). That same year, The Fabric Studio also secured a substantial contract for Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre. The “Wichita Eagle” reported the Fabric Studio’s scenery included the original asbestos curtain depicting a gold gauze curtain with an exterior garden scene, a Spanish market scene; a silk velour for the valance; a grand drapery; a silver gauze tableaux curtain; a picture sheet; “two exterior oleos and drops;” a complete conservatory set; and a complete Gothic set (3 September 1922, page 48).

The chief scenic artist associated with the Fabric Studios at this time was P. T. Blackburn. He is quite an interesting individual. Blackburn was the head of the artistic staff for several stock companies over the years, including the Grand Players from Davenport, Iowa. Max Schroeder was another scenic artist who represented painted for the firm 1922, specializing in landscapes. Blackburn and Schroeder greatly contributed the studio’s colorful aesthetic. The firm’s head installation expert was J. A. Bannon, an older gentleman with extensive experience with stage machinery and the installation of stage systems.

Blackburn was credited as specializing in fine plushes, satins, and velours, such as the gold gauze front curtain and the silver gauze tableaux curtain for the Orpheum. Of the gold curtain delivered by the Fabric studio. The “Wichita Daily Eagle,” reported, “Scenery in the Orpheum theater ranks with that any vaudeville theater in the entire country, according to J. A. Bannon, who came to Wichita from Chicago, to install the scenery for the Fabric Studio, the makers. Bannon should be an authority since he is an old timer in the show business and has installed scenery in theaters in nearly every city in the United States. Bannon is very enthusiastic about the gold gauze curtain which he says is an unusually fine production. It portrays an exterior garden scene and was painted by Max Schroeder. A wonderful work has been accomplished in the floor perspective of the scene in the curtain. The perspective is only twenty-five inches in extent but gives the floor appearance of being twenty-five feet.” Of Bannon, the article reported, “Bannon started ‘trouping’ as a property man with Karafe’s Water Queen in the eighties. He soon became stage carpenter and traveled as such for years, visiting Wichita many times.”

In 1923, the “Quad City Times” include a portrait of Blackburn and reported, “Mr. Blackburn, scenery artist at the Grand theater is a star never seen by the audience. All of the scenery is painted by him. ‘It is an endless job – this business of being a  scenery painter of a stock company – but I like it anyway,’ opined Mr. Blackburn yesterday, He had been with the Grand company for more than a year” (18 March 1923, page 21). In 1923, Blackburn was also producing scenery for productions, such as “Nice People” in 1923 (The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, 27 Jan 1923, page 8). Blackburn was mentioned as a scenic artist when he married  in 1923 (The Daily Ties, 21 April 1923, page 7). The article announced, “Miss Erma Hermiston, youngest daughter of Mrs. Fred Hanson of DeWitt, was married to P. T. Blackburn, scenic artist for the Grand Players, now appearing at English’s Opera house, Indianapolis. Mr. Blackburn has for over a year and a half been artist for the company during the stay at the Grand in Davenport. Both he and his bride, who had made her home in this city, are very well known. The wedding took place at the First Presbyterian church, Rev. Milner officiating.” The couple was listed in the Colorado Divorce index on Sept 3, 1930.

By 1931, Blackburn was credited with the settings for Loew’s and Paramount’s “Lysistrata” ( “Los Angeles Record,” 28 Dec 1931, page 8). He also did the sets for “Shanghai Gesture” (Los Angeles Evening Express, 1 Sept 1931, page 10). In 1932 he was noted as a “well known Hollywood stage designer and artist,” associated with the comedy “Just Married”  (Honolulu Star 7 July 1932, page 8). By 1949, Blackburn was the head artist for Paramount Studios and a weekend resident of the San Jacinto mountain resort area (“The Desert Sun,” Palm Springs, California, 17 May 1949, page 4). In addition to scenic art, Blackburn and his department also developed new stage equipment and curtain tracks for scenery painted by Paramount artists.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett

Scenery by Toomey & Volland scenic studio of St. Louis, Missouri, for the Scottish Rite Theatre in Richmond, Virginia. In October 2020, I visited the Richmond Scottish Rite with Michael Powers and Richard Finkelstein to document the historic scenery collection, dating from 1900-1920. For more scenes from Richmond, keyword search “Richmond Scottish Rite.”

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

During the first four months of 1922, Thomas G. Moses worked on scenery projects in Tacoma, Seattle, San Francisco and Oakland. He then headed to Denver, Colorado, writing, “On arriving at Denver, we went to the Oxford and secured a fine room.  Met the Scottish Rite Bodies and Mr. Stanley Warner, regarding their new Temple, then started for Kansas City where we stopped for only a day.  Got a line on what was wanted, then started for home.  We arrived home May 14th after an absence of five months and a fine old trip.”

Moses was referring to Stanley C. Warner, a well-known Denver Mason and attorney who became the Sovereign Grand Inspector General (SGIG) of Colorado.

Stanley Clark Warner was the son of Sidney Warner and Minerva Jane Clark, born in Wilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1863. In Canada, Warner established himself as an attorney after graduating from Victoria College in 1884 and being admitted to Canadian Bar in May 1887. By the fall of 1887 he married Mary Ella Smith (1863-1935) in Utica, New York, and the couple settled in Napanee, Ontario. In 1903 the Warners moved to Denver where Stanley became extremely active in both Public Service and Freemasonry. Warner was a partner in the firm Herrington, Warner & Grange before becoming a judge. From 1923 to 1929, he worked as the Public Administrator for Denver and by 1929 was a Colorado Agent of the Corporation Trust Co. of New York.

In regard to Freemasonry, Warner belonged to the Scottish Rite, York Rite and Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Warner was even the Grand Commander of the Knights Templars.

Interestingly, in 1926, Warner delivered the “Gettysburg Address” in honor of Lincolns birthday for radio. It was broadcast from the Scottish Rite cathedral in Denver, presented by Colorado Consistory No. 1, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (“Aspen Times,” 11 Feb 1926, page 2). When Moses met with Wagner and the Scottish Rite Bodies in Denver during 1922, it was to discuss scenery for this building.

In 1910, Sosman & Landis delivered scenery to the Denver Scottish Rite, so this project should have been pretty simple to land. Unfortunately, times had changed. Scenery delivered to Scottish Rite theaters became more complicated by the 1920s, as the Mason’s attitude toward purchasing scenery began to shift.  Before WWI, Sosman & Landis worked in conjunction with M.C. Lilley, a major fraternal supplier. Working together, they delivered entire theater packages to new buildings. This meant an almost guaranteed sale when they began to design the scenery collection. By the 1920s, Scottish Rite scenery projects became more  independent of the entire theater project, simply representing one element and going to the lowest bidder. This changed the success rate for Sosman & Landis when going after a project.

Sosman & Landis continued their standard practice to secure a contract; meeting with a client, creating designs and then writing contracts for the desired work.  The problem is that they invested too much time in the preliminary process; time that their competitors did not necessarily invest in. In short, competitors let Sosman & Landis do all the upfront work, and then swept in to under bid it. Furthermore, the Masonic design process was extended, the scope for massive complexes taking years to complete. A project began in 1922 may not come to fruition until 1925, 1926 or 1927.

In the end, Sosman & Landis invested too much time into lost work.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In 1922 Thomas G. Moses was painting scenery for the Tacoma Scottish Rite.  During this time, he wrote, “I had a lot of extras on the job as well in the town.  I did a complete set for the Elks club, and some window displays.”  Everything was painted at the Tacoma Theatre.

By 1922, the Tacoma Elks Temple was six years old; time for some additional stage settings, as was common for many theaters. The building opened Feb. 19, 1916, to great fanfare and a very large membership (The Tacoma Times, page 1).

The Elks Temple was designed by Ecole des Beaux Arts graduate, É. Frère Champney, known for his world fair building designs at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo (1901), St. Louis Exposition (1904) and Lewis and Clark Exposition in Portland (1905). Before moving to Seattle in 1907, he was well-known for his work and connected to a firm in Buffalo, New York. Much has been written about the well-known architect and the Tacoma Elks, but very little has been written about the theater. To date, I have located no images of the 1916 stage, original stock scenery collection or 1922 scenery painted by Moses. Other than Moses’ own record, I have nothing to add about the technical theatre elements.  I am continually surprised that after incredible effort and expense to construct these massive edifices so much was left undocumented. This is common for many theaters in the 1920s. Unlike their predecessors, many 1920s newspaper accounts fail to include extensive building descriptions that focus on theaters and stage details, as well as the contributing artisans.

The Tacoma Elks Temple, like many fraternal buildings, had healthy membership levels in the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, the peak membership numbers that so many groups experienced in the 1920s continued to decline throughout the remainder of the century. At one time Tacoma boasted the largest Elk membership in the country. Over time, however, the organization could not overcome a series of obstacles and eventually vacated the building.

The Elks Temple made the news again in 2019 when the dilapidated building was purchased by Brian McMenamins, owner of McMenamins restaurant and hotel chain. By November 2019, the renovated entertainment complex and hotel was featured on several local television stations, recounting the renovation story. McMenamins invested approximately $30 million dollars to transform the structure into the McMenamin Elks Temple hotel, restaurant and event space.

I have to wonder when the scenery painted by Moses was tossed out; if it was decades ago, or during the renovation. Although much has been written about McMenamins and the history of the Tacoma Elks, the history of the stage is nonexistent.

To be continued…

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

In September 2020, I led a group of volunteers at the Tabor Opera House to document nineteenth-century wings, shutters, borders and set pieces in the attic. After my visit, I began examining each piece in detail, creating condition reports, historical analyses, replacement appraisals, and a collections care management document. There are at least twelve theatre collections, with scenic artifacts divided by artist and/or period.
This project is similar to receiving a big bag of puzzle pieces, containing an unknown number of puzzles with no other information. There are no box tops that show you the completed picture, but you need to somehow assemble each of the puzzles. By the way, not all of the pieces are original, and some may have been altered over the years.

There are so many moving parts, creators and timelines, that some days the projects is a bit overwhelming and I have to step away; allowing the information to process. When I return a few hours later, something becomes a little more clear.

Such was the case with pieces from the pink interior setting. Of the set, I catalogued only two wings and a remnant this fall. The construction of the two wings is on par with other pieces built from 1879-1881. The painting, however, appears to be the work of T. Frank Cox, dating from 1887-1888. Each wing is also double-sided, with a palace interior on the reverse. The palace composition was painted in the 1890s, combining several wings from a variety of settings. However, a fabric remnant shows that the backside of the original fabric was a prison setting, now hidden between the two layers of fabric. The pink setting fabric is rough cotton sheeting from Boott Mills, whereas the second layer of fabric on the reverse side is standard drillings from Stark Mills.

However, high above the attic floor there are two more pieces, currently inaccessible and stored in a makeshift loft. They were placed there before additional joists and wiring went in, so we could not remove them this fall due to a limited amount of time. The two additional wings are leaning against the same wall that is above the proscenium arch in the attic. This wall divides the attic from a space that was once hotel rooms and the gridiron and stage machinery above the stage. I climbed the ladder to the grid and we assembled a makeshift walkway over the open joists to reach the pile. I could only take a of few photos of the piles, as nothing could be shifted at the time. Too much dirt would have floated down upon the project below, and we really needed to construct a temporary floor. There were two pieces from the pink interior setting visible in the pile; one being a door wing. Other pieces included shutters, rollers, windows, and other set pieces.
As I compiled the various condition reports about the pink setting yesterday, I noticed a slight pattern in the pink; it was an underlying composition. Altering the detail and contrast of the image once it was in grayscale, helped me identify what was painted below, and then I added a few lines to help others identify the painted panels.

For more information about other Tabor Opera House scenery, scenic artists and stage carpenters, visit www.drypigment.net and use the keyword search function.

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

At the beginning of 1922 Thomas G. Moses was working in Tacoma, painting scenery for the Scottish Rite. Of the project, he wrote, “Harry Naile showed up the latter part of February.  We then started to get things into the Temple and it began to look like a job.  I did a picture of Jerusalem for the asbestos curtain, and it came out very good…On the completion of our contract and on the eve of our departure, the trustees gave us a dinner in our honor, which was attended by Harry Naile, it was very fine – we certainly felt honored….completed our work on April 1^st, got all settled and with Naile and the Madam, we started south.  Enjoyed the trip very much; had two days in San Francisco, then took the boat for Stockton.  On our arrival, we found the large hotel was laboring under the delusion of war rates.  So, we found a small apartment, very nicely furnished, and we certainly enjoyed it.  Naile had good accommodations at a small hotel.” Moses and Naile were traveling from one project to another. This had remained the standard practice at Sosman & Landis from the beginning; a scenic artist and carpenter were paired for most on site projects.  Occasionally, if a job required more hands, a second scenic artists was sent on site. For Moses, this was frequently Ed Loitz. However, stage carpenter’s such as Naile also filled in as the primary scenic artist’s assistant after the construction was completed and a second set of hands was needed on site. This speaks to the versatility of the Sosman & Landis stage carpenters at the time.

Harry Elmore Naile worked as a carpenter and assistant to Moses from 1922-1925. I have yet to determine how long he worked at Sosman & Landis in that capacity, but he was repeatedly mentioned in Moses Memoirs at this time. Projects in addition to the Tacoma Scottish Rite completed by Naile included the Binghamton Scottish Rite (1923) and the Pasadena Scottish Rite (1925). In Binghamton, it was Moses, Loitz and Naile. Of the project, Moses wrote, “I got settled  at the Marion Hotel, Loitz and Naile got quarters up near the Temple.” Basically, Moses showed up to painter, while Loitz and Naile prepared everything for his arrival. Moses had specifically asked to work with Naile in 1923. In regard to the Binghamton project, he wrote, “I insisted on having Naile on the job, so Hunt allowed me to send for him.  He and Mrs. Naile arrived on the 1^st of October and we then proceeded to get things going.” 

For larger projects, local labor was added as needed. So, in Binghamton, Naile hired a crew. You see, Moses was painting a variety of scenery at the Binghamton Scottish Rite, including drops destined for Eldorado and Wichita. Of this group, Moses wrote, “Naile and his men are not giving me full service and I am getting desperate, as to my ability to pull the contract through with profit.”   

Born on June 15, 1879, he was the son of Mary Elizabeth Orr (1854-1900) and Louis Phillip Naile (1855-1918); one of four children born to the couple. His siblings were Roy (1886-?), Grace (1891-?), and Ralph ( 1897-1958).  His father was a house carpenter who later remarried after the death of his first, so there is also a half-sister, Loretta (1908-?).

Harry grew up in Pierceton, Indiana. He met and married Georgia E. Robinson (b. 28 Jan. 1888) 1907. Georgia was the only child of William W. Robinson (1863-1926) and Mary A. “Mamie” Rogers (1869-1954), born in Kansas. Her father was a painter, and likely the link that connected Harry and Georgia. On June 1, 1907, the couple tied the knot in Colorado Springs, with Edgar W. Work performing the ceremony. He was twenty-seven years old at the time, and Georgia was only nineteen years old. Interesting fact: Colorado required the grooms to be over 21 years old when applying for a marriage license, but the brides needed to be only eighteen years old.  Regardless, the couple spent much of their marriage apart, with Harry lodging in various hotels and boarding houses for work. The 1913 Polk County directory listed “Naile, Harry E. (Georgia), removed to Chicago, Illinois.

His 1918 draft registration card listed Harry as the stage mechanic for the Chateau Theatre at 3810 Broadway in Chicago, living at 514 E. 42^nd Street. His was described at 5’-7” tall, with a slender build and blue eyes. Interestingly, no hair color was listed; the first omission that I have encountered to date.

In 1920, he was lodging with several theatrical performers at 57 East Van Buren Street in South Town Chicago. I have yet to track down where Georgia was living at this time, or if she returned to stay with her parents when he was on the road. The couple had no children, so it was not as if she needed to stay in any one place for long. When opportunity presented itself, she also traveled with her husband, such as to Binghamton, New York.

By 1925, Moses and Nail were working at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Pasadena, California. The Pasadena Scottish Rite had purchased a used scenery collection that needed to be touched-up, supplemented, and installed. Nail was in charge of both the used stage machinery and scenery installation. Of the work, Moses wrote, “Harry Naile is coming along with his work fairly well, and we will finish on time without a doubt.” Naile was also mentioned in “Pasadena Evening Post.” The article reported, “The final work of hanging and installing the curtains will be under the supervision of Harry Naile, a member of the Sosman & Landis company. This work demands such expert workmanship that Mr. Naile was brought form Chicago so that no mistake in installation could be made” (Pasadena Evening Post, 14 Feb. 1925, page 16).

After the Pasadena Scottish Rite project, Moses and Nail worked in San Jose. Of the project, Moses wrote, “I started for San Jose on March 27^th and found Naile had everything in good shape.” They then worked in Los Angeles on the Fullerton job. That was the last mention of Naile in Moses’ memoirs, and I have located no mention of Naile in the newspapers during the remainder of the decade.

By 1930, Naile was living at the Kenomore Beach Hotel, 552 Kenmore Avenue, in Chicago. The 1930 US Federal Census listed Naile as a superintendent for a theatrical supply company, although it remains unclear as to which firm. He died shortly after the US Federal census recorded his employment.

Naile passed away on September 15, 1930. He was only fifty years old at the time and had been married to Georgia for twenty-three years. I have yet to locate any death notice or obituary, giving any cause for his passing.

Georgia was left a widow at forty-six years old and never remarried. She lost her father only four years earlier. Her mother also lived a long life, remaining a widow for almost three decades. I believe that Georgia returned to Colorado Springs where she lived with her mother.  Georgia was a widow for forty-five years.

Of Georgia’s own passing the “Gazette Telegraph” in Colorado Springs reported, “Naile- Mrs. Georgia Naile, 2612 W. Cucharras, passed away Tuesday at a local nursing home. Arrangements later”  (12 March 1975, page 4).

Both Georgia and Harry are buried in Colorado Springs’ Evergreen Cemetery.

To be continued…