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Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 627 – The Dallas Scottish Rite, 1909

Part 627: The Dallas Scottish Rite, 1909

In 1909, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “The Dallas Masonic work came in early, so did San Francisco and Cleveland, Ohio.” These were only three of six Scottish Rite installations supervised by Moses in 1909 while he was working at Sosman & Landis. Others included Kansas City, Kansas, Winona, Minnesota, and Atlanta, Georgia.

Postcard of the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Dallas, Texas, completed in 1913.

Sosman & Landis delivered 119 drops and stage machinery to the Scottish Rite at 500 S Harwood Street, Dallas. This Temple was not completed until 1913, however, degree productions took place on the stage by 1909. The scenery contract for the stage was negotiated by Bestor G. Brown of M. C. Lilley & Co.

On April 26, 1913, the “Dallas Morning News” described the Masonic Cathedral and Architect Herbert M. Green’s contributions. Keep in mind that the theater of the building was referred to as “the great degree room.”

The article reported, “On the second floor one will find the lobby, which is in Roman Ionic; the Corinthian lodge room is green and gold: candidates lounging room, modified Colonial with color scheme of brown and blue and smoking foyer in the same effect. In the great degree room are columns copied from those in the Temple of Karnak at Thebes. Over sixty shades of color are used harmoniously in the ornamental beams and columns supporting the ceiling of sky blue – a ceiling whereon the stars of the twelve signs of the Zodiac are so cunningly constructed, and with such ingenious electrical attachments that when the great hall is in total darkness, the constellations seem to blaze in all reality from the very heavens above.

The largest stage in Texas is in this degree room – and the largest pipe organ. There are offices restrooms, wardrobe rooms, bowling alley, grill and kitchen – heating, ventilating and lighting systems which are unsurpassed, push button elevator and house telephone system – In short every device by which modern ingenuity can add to beauty and comfort and convenience.”

The article further described that the theater, “a proscenium arch 28×22 feet is the largest stage in Texas, 24 feet deep and 60 feet in width. One hundred and nineteen scenic drops are so delicately counterweighted that the stage picture can be changed in two seconds, and if necessary in the dark. These drops are hung over the entire ceiling of the stage, being spaced three inches apart from the proscenium arch to the rear wall of the stage. Each degree has its own scenery, some degrees three and four scenes, all forming an extensive and complete equipment that it is possible to produce more different scenes than on any stage in the country. Fifteen hundred white, blue, red and amber lights, controlled from a switchboard seven feet high and twelve feet long are required to light the stage properly. These are subdued and softened as necessary by bank after bank of dimmers arranged by interlocking devices to control the degree of light at any one point of en masse. The dawn of day, a nightfall or a moonlight effect can be reproduced with marvelous fidelity…To the rear of the stage are property rooms, etc. and on the third floor a large wardrobe room, with cases for the various costumes.”

The 1913 article concluded, “”The complete cost of the building has not been, as yet, made public but it is expected to be close to $230,000. Other items not included in the building cost are:
Organ $23,000.00
Stage Scenery $28,000.00
Furnishings $21,000.00
Ground $34,000.00
Making an estimated cost of the complete equipment of about $350,000.”

The article ended here.

Today’s monetary equivalent of $28,000 spent in 1909 for a Scottish Rite scenery collection is $773,024.62. Dallas was only one of six Scottish Rite collection supervised by Thomas G. Moses that year. The others were in San Francisco, CA, Cleveland, OH, Kansas City, KS, Winona, MN, and Atlanta, GA. Keep in mind that Masonic work only made up 25 -30% of all work at the Sosman & Landis studios. The firm, like the Scottish Rite, was accumulating a massive amount of money at this point.

In a letter from Brown to William G. Bell at the Austin Scottish Rite, dated July 7, 1912, Brown provided further information pertaining to the Dallas Scottish Rite stage. This correspondence was to help Austin Scottish Rite bodies understand the design and delivery process; Sosman & Landis could not provide estimates or cost and installation without knowing how much scenery was needed and the structural condition of the building. Brown used the Dallas Scottish Rite as an example, writing, “the Dallas stage has in the neighborhood of 25,000 lineal feet of wire and rope in its installation; the quantity of wire and rope necessary, is determined by the heighth of the gridiron, the location of the fly gallery, and the general dimension of the stage. We would also have to look into the question of freight charges and be advised as to what prices we could obtain common gray iron castings in Austin for use as counterweights. We would have to determine on the correct number of drops to be used, because each drop requires eight pulleys besides counterweight frames and eye bolts.” These costs all needed to be estimated prior to providing a number, yet the Austin Scottish Rite kept asking, “but how much will it cost?”

Brown continued, “In our original correspondence, Mr. Green of Dallas, indicated that he was preparing plans for remodeling an old building [in Austin] and that when these plans were determined upon, he would send us the dimensions of the stage. Mr. Green understands what would be wanted, as he had the experience on the Dallas Temple.” Again, Brown was referring to Herbert M. Green, the architect and a member of the Scottish Rite and the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 611 – The Union Opera House and Greene’s Opera House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Part 611: The Union Opera House and Greene’s Opera House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Col. J. M. Wood stated that the first theater he designed as a young architect was in Cedar Rapids, Ia.; this was while testifying about the theatre roof collapse in Detroit during 1898.

I was curious to see if I could find Wood’s first theatre project in Cedar Rapids. There were two potential candidates – the Union Opera House and Greene’s Opera House. Both buildings were built by Judge George Greene. The Union Opera House opened in 1870, the same year that some sources list J. M. Wood establishing his first architectural firm in Chicago. Wood was 29 years old in 1870.

The Union Opera house was in the same building that housed the Union bank and the Daily Republican Steam Printing Offices.

The “Cedar Rapids Gazette” commented on performance spaces at he time, reporting “Before 1871, Cedar Rapids concert halls were temporary in nature. They were usually large rooms on upper stories of office buildings and had removable seating and portable stages. But in the year that the Union Opera House was established at First Avenue and Second Street SE, it featured a permanent stage and fixed seats for 600” (Cedar Rapids Gazette, 19 July 1964, page 11). Keep in mind that Cedar Rapids was a stop for traveling troops going between Chicago and Omaha or Minneapolis and Kansas City. The two opera houses were built on land purchased from Osgood Shephard, who was described as “a horse thief” by local historians and the “first Cedar Rapids resident” (Des Moines Register, 19 Jan. 1969, page 31).

As I hunted through old newspaper article and theatrical guides, I encountered some technical information pertaining to the Judge’s second opera house – Greene’s Opera House. This was quite an interesting space – so interesting that I am compelled to explore it over two installments. There was a listing for Greene’s Opera House in the “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses, Theatres, Public Halls, Bill Posters, Etc. of the Cities and Towns of America” (1882). Greene’s Opera House was constructed in 1879, located at 113 Second Street NE, between First and A Avenues. The opera house’s façade was made of red brick and trimmed black brick, cut stone and ornamental tiling. The edifice was crowned with an ornate iron cornice. The four-story building had the theater located in the second and third floor and was located across the street from the Roosevelt Hotel. The Greene Opera House was once listed as one the largest theaters between Chicago and Denver.

Greene’s Opera House, built next door to the Union Opera House in 1879.

Judge Greene was one of the Cedar Rapids’ founders and a leading businessman. He was an Iowa legislator, as well as an Iowa Supreme Court justice. Rather late in his career, Judge Green considered building opera houses. In fact, his second opera house was still under construction when Greene passed away in June 1880. It was his son, Calvin H. Greene, who saw to the completion of the theatre and became the venue’s first manager.

Greene began construction on his second opera house next door to the Union Opera House. This is similar to the Temple theatre being built next door to the Detroit Opera House, with Col. J. M. Wood being involved with the design of each theater, even though they were constructed years apart. The Union opera house was eventually converted into a hall for meetings and other social events after the immediate success of Greene’s Opera House. The Union Theatre was later renamed Woodward Hall by 1889.

As with many nineteenth-century opera houses, the theater was not completely finished by opening night. Regardless, Greene’s Opera House officially opened to a house of 2000 on Dec. 27, 1880. The first production was the Emma Abbott Grand English Opera Company’s production of “The Bohemian Girl.” Unfortunately, it was winter and the patrons of the theater were bundled up with coats and gloves throughout the performance. The building was not completed until that spring – Aug. 4, 1881. As with many western theaters, Greene’s Opera House advertised as one of the “finest west of Chicago.”

The building’s foot print was 60 feet by 142 feet, rising and four stories high above the street, with the theater on the second and third floors. The size of the proscenium opening was 30 feet by 33 feet with a 40 feet by 60 feet stage. The height from the stage to the grooves was 18 feet with the height from the stage to the rigging loft at 36 feet. The depth under the stage was 9 feet with 4 traps. There were also 21 sets of scenery in 1884.

The theater included a parquet, dress circle and three balconies with seating for 2,000. The “Daily Times,” reported that with chairs placed on stage there was a seating capacity of 2,500 (22 April 1896, page 3). As with may performance spaces of the time, seating primarily consisted of “folding opera chairs, many which were upholstered.” At Greene’s Opera House, the chairs were upholstered in maroon plush, or red Morocco. I immediately thought of the opera chairs purchased by Horace C. Tabor for his opera house in Leadville, Colorado, and the advertisements for opera chairs in “Jno. B. Jeffery’s Guide and Directory to the Opera Houses.”

The building was illuminated with gas. There with a large 92-jet “sun burner” in the center of the theater’s dome that purportedly illuminate the space to be “as bright as day.” There were an additional 850 gas jets throughout the building for general lighting. Interestingly the stage area also included an elegant gas chandelier, that could be raised and lowered as required.

Chandelier removed from Greene’s Opera House in 1968, after it sat unused for years.

Chandelier that once hung in Greene’s Opera House

In 1900, the Henderson and Smith Company acquired the building and remodeled the theater.

A 1904 edition of “The Cedar Rapids Gazette” described the “elegant appointments” that included ten large dressing rooms, steam heat, and electric lighting. The theater remained in operation until 1928, although other sources note dates ranging from 1921-1926. When it closed, the theatre was $50,000 in debt and immediately fell into disuse (Des Moines Register, 19 Jan. 1969, page 31). Greene’s Opera House eventually became a storage garage, destined to be demolished by 1969.

Tomorrow I will explore the scenic art trio who decided to manage Greene’s Opera House during the 1880s.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 610 – Theatre Architects Col. J. M. Wood and Sidney Lovell

Part 610: Theatre Architects Col. J. W. Wood and Sidney Lovell

For the past five days, I have focused on the “Detroit Free Press” article about the Temple Theatre roof collapse and the that testimony of theater architect Col. J. M. Wood (1841-c. 1907).

Wood was a theatre architect, born in New York City during 1841. Early in his career, he moved to Chicago and soon started working as an architect. Some records indicate that Wood started his own firm in 1870, but I question that particular date. In 1892, Wood was noted as “an enthusiast in this branch of his profession, and has 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). By 1905, the “Indianapolis News” reported that Col. J. M. Wood, had “built ninety-eight theaters, some of them the finest in the country” (24 Oct., 1905, page 2).

I have briefly mentioned Wood in past installments, including # 214 (Wood’s Theatre in Bay City, Michigan) and #532 (Jefferson Theatre in Goshen, Indiana). When Wood was the architect for the Opera House in Goshen, Indiana during 1905, Thomas G. Moses provided the drop curtain and scenery. While researching Wood, I discovered an interesting post about his work with Sidney Lovell. It was posted at Under Every Stone blog spot. This blog primarily focuses on gravestones and cemeteries. Wood’s one-time assistant and later business partner, Sidney Lovell designed several mausoleums for Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery.

Sidney Lovell was raised in Racine, Wisconsin, one of nine children born to English immigrants, Phillip Lovell and Louisa Maria Knill Lovell. At the age of fifteen, Sidney met James M. Wood. The year was 1882 and Wood was in town to attend the grand opening of the Blake Opera House, for which he had worked as the architect. The “Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950”mentioned that Sidney Lovell became Wood’s architectural assistant in 1883, confirming what was posted in the blog. The publication also notes, “During the period from 1883 until 1892 Wood was described as ‘..having designed and erected more large theatres, opera houses and hotels in the leading cities west of the Ohio River than any other architect’ (biog. of Sidney Lovell in The Bay of San Francisco: The Metropolis of the Pacific Coast and its Suburban Cities, 1892, Vol. ii, 462-3).

When Wood headed to his next theater project in Wausau, Wisconsin, Lovell went with him. After the Wausau project was completed, Wood returned to Chicago with Lovell in tow. The two found worked with a Chicago scenic studio. In Chicago, Lovell transitioned from architectural assistant to architect. An article in the “Racine Daily Journal” announced that Lovell became a “full-fledged architect in Chicago” by 1885 (10 April 1885). That same year, Wood returned to Racine and designed the new opera house. He submitted an article to the “Journal Times” describing the plans for a Moorish style building based on the Alhambra. The stage was to be ten feet deeper than the Blake Opera House, and separated from the auditorium by a brick fire wall and iron drop curtain, “thus effectively shutting off the extra hazardous department from that portion where the major portion of money is invested” (11 Nov. 1885, page 3).

From 1885 to 1888, Wood and Lovell traversed the country, both designing new and remodeling existing opera houses. The well-known architect John Galen Howard also worked as a draftsman for Wood in Chicago during this period, in 1887. Some sources note that Wood worked in close connection with a Chicago scenic studio; the studio was never named. In looking at the theaters and comparing them to Thomas G. Moses’ records, I suspect that the studio could have been Sosman & Landis. Thomas G. Moses worked with Wood during 1885-1886 on Wood’s Theatre in Bay City, Michigan, and in 1889-1890 on the Riverside Opera House. In regard to the Riverside Opera House, “The Daily Courier” mentioned the contributions of “J. M. Wood, the architect of Chicago, considered the finest theatrical architect in the country” as well as “the scenery has been painted by Thomas G. Moses of Chicago, one of the best scenic artists in the United States” (San Bernardino, California, 27 Dec 1889, page 3).

In 1891, Lovell was later added a partner by Wood, forming the architectural firm of Wood & Lovell. Their partnership’s first office was established in San Francisco, turning out a remarkable amount of work between 1888 and 1893. In 1890, the “Journal Times” reported Lovell “has a reputation of being one of the finest draughtsman in the western country” (Racine, Wisconsin, 25 Feb 1890, Page 3). It was in San Francisco that Lovell met and married Jane Winters Bruner, the daughter of noted surgeon William Happersett Bruner. By 1893, Wood and Lovell transferred their business offices to Chicago. The firm was now located in the new Ellsworth Building, located at 537 S. Dearborn Street.

Wood is credited as the principal architect for theaters, opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. His projects include the New California Theater (Los Angeles), the Grand Opera House (Portland), the Tacoma Theater (Tacoma, Washington), New Broadway Theater (Minneapolis), Blake Opera House (Racine, WI), the Grand Opera House (Warsaw, WI), Rockford Opera House and Grand Opera House (Danville, IL), Academy of Music (East Saginaw), Academy of Music (Kalamazoo, MI), Redmond’s Opera House (Grand Rapids, MI), Academy of Music (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Academies of Music in Franklin, Oil City and Altoona (Pennsylvania), and the Academy of Music (Cedar Rapids, IA), just to name a fewWood was noted as “an enthusiast in this branch of his profession, and has 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). In 1905, the “Indianapolis News” reported that Col. J. M. Wood, had built ninety-eight theaters, some of them the finest in the country” (24 Oct., 1905, page 2).

Little is known of Wood beyond 1907. The theaters designed and erected by Wood include the New California Theater [San Francisco, CA]; Grand Opera House, Los Angeles [CA]; Grand Opera House, Portland [OR]; the Tacoma theater [Tacoma, WA]; New Broadway, Denver [CO]; Hennepin Avenue Theater, Minneapolis [MN]; Blake Opera House, Racine [WI]; and Grand Opera House, Warsaw, Wisconsin; Rockford Opera House [Rockford, IL], and Grand Opera House, Danville, Illinois; Academy of Music, East Saginaw [MI]; Wood’s Opera House, Bay City [MI]; Academy of Music, Kalamazoo; Redmond’s Opera House, Grand Rapids [MI]; Academy of Music, Toronto, Canada; Academy of Music at Franklin, Oil City and Altoona, Pennsylvania; Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Lovell eventually established the firm of Lovell & Lovell, advertising as “architectural and consulting engineers.” Lovell was also widely known for his mausoleum designs. The first mausoleum he designed was the Community Mausoleum in Chicago’s Rosehill Cemetery. It is noted as being the prototype for the mausoleum at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. Lovell also designed units 1 and 2 of the Old Mission Mausoleum in Wichita, Kansas.

Lovell worked as an architect for fifty years, passing away in 1938 at the age of 71 years old, decades after Wood.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 609 – The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, fifth and final section

Part 609: The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, fifth and final section

The Temple Theater in Detroit is pictured on the left.

While researching the Temple Theatre in Detroit, I encountered an interesting article about an 1898 theater roof collapse. It was published in the “Detroit Free Press” (2 Dec. 1898, page 2). Here is the fifth and final section of the article.

Col. Wood’s Book.

When Col. Wood took the stand in the afternoon he produced the book that contained the record of all the trusses he had built in fireproof theaters. The book had the description and amount of the materials used in all theaters H said that he did not figure the carrying capacity of the Detroit Opera House truss, but had it done by Chief Engineer Fowler, of the Youngstown Bridge Co. The Witness then illustrated how the load to be carried by one of the opera house trusses which had a span of 96 feet 8 inches thick was figured. For the weight of the concrete for the roof, which was two inches thick, the concrete when dry was figured at 15 pounds to the square foot, top dressing and slate 13 pounds, snow 25 pounds and the corrugated iron trough 2 1/4 pounds, making for the roof a total of 55 ¼ pounds to the square foot, actual weight.

For safety this weight was figured at 60.4 pounds to the square foot, making a total of 90.493 pounds. To this was added the weight of the roof beams and girders, bringing the total weight to be carried by the truss up to 96,973 pounds, or 48 tons. The truss itself weighed 8 ½ tons and would carry 61 tons as a safe load, according to the figures of the engineer who determined it. The carrying area of the truss is 1,496.23 square feet. This showed that the truss of the opera house is many tons within the factor of safety.

Mr. Frazer, for the sake of comparison then had Col. Wood figure the load carried on the Wonderland truss, which weighed only three and a half tons. Using the same basis of computation, the concrete roof of the Wonderland building, which was four inches thick, was figured at thirty pounds to the square foot, the composition and gravel at 4 ¼ pounds and snow at twenty-five pounds, although only ten pounds was actually allowed by the architects. This made the load fifty-nine and a quarter pounds per square foot, which figured up a total of about forty tons.

The prosecutor then called attention to the fact that the Detroit Opera House the eight and a half ton truss carry forty-eight tons, while in the Wonderland building a truss weighing but three and a half tons carry forty tons.

In explaining the differences in the construction of the structural steel work in the two buildings, Col. Wood said that in the Detroit Opera House the roof beams were six inches wide and weighed twelve and a half pounds. They run longitudinally, four feet apart, with a 15-foot span. In the Wonderland building he said that the girders ran longitudinally, while the beam ran transversely. The latter, he said, were 9-inch “I” beams, spaced twelve feet apart. Asked which was the better, he said in the Detroit Opera House the beams tended more to hold the truss in place and in addition, it had a diagonal braces. Being only four feet apart, each one had a carrying area of sixty feet.

The attention of Col. Wood was called to the fact that Arthur Scott had testified that the 22 feet 2-inch “I” beam running from the front of the Wonderland building to the truss, was partly held by a brace six feet from the truss, and he was asked his opinion of such construction. He said that if he were to indicate the construction, he would have a beam running to the truss heavy enough to carry the intended load.

More Technical Talk

Prosecuting Attorney Frazer brought out the fact that in the Detroit Opera House there were three trusses between the proscenium wall and the dividing wall, a distance of 66 feet and 3 inches, while in Wonderland there were but two trusses in the distance of 63 feet 8 inches. Col. Wood said that the conditions were not the same, the opera house being wider; and therefore, it was necessary to use three trusses, putting them close together, so as to avoid using heavier ones.

Going back to the construction of the “I” beam, and the fact that it was rested partly on a brace, the witness said that different architects had different views of construction. He believed tha the brace helped to carry the load, but did not think that it carried half the distance between itself and the wall for the same load. Col. Wood favored a strong beam, resting on the truss, to using any braces.

In this connection, Col. Wood stated that John Scott had told hi that his brother, Arthur Scott, was an engineer.

When asked his opinion of the roof, Col. Wood said that he had only made an examination since the collapse and that he depended on the judgment of men he knew were authorities regarding roofs. They had told him that the girders and beams were too light.

“Those familiar with cinder-concrete construction,” he said, “know that there is s spring to the beams. When the cinder-concrete is knitting, it must be allowed to remain quiet. If it is pounded, you are simply mashing it up. The beams should be stiff enough so as to not disturb the concrete.

Concerning the rook, he said that he was not competent to say what it should carry, though he could with some difficulty figure out such a problem. He stated that he submitted a quarter-inch drawing of the Wonderland truss to an engineer company and was told that if it had been properly detailed, constructed and erected it would undoubtedly carry the load intended for it. Col. Wood said that he had been unable to furnish the company with any particulars regarding the plates, or distance between the beams. In answer to Mr. Frazer, he said that the company found that the sizes of steel indicted by him could be combined to hold the necessary load.

“Do you know what made this fall down?”

“No; we all have our opinion.”

“What’s yours?”

Why the Roof Fell.

“Well, my opinion is that there was a general weakness in the whole roof and a general lack of attention to details in the construction, not alone in the roof. I do not want to reflect on the steel construction, as I do not know that the engineering company fulfilled its contract, according to the designs submitted to them. The 5-inch roof beams were overloaded.”

Here Mr. Frazer broke in wit another question, and Col. Wood did not get through expressing his opinion.

He was not of the opinion that under the conditions that prevailed at Wonderland the 5-inch beams would have sagged. Witness stated that the DeMan system was not used on the Detroit Opera House, but that the estate did the work, letting it out to Vinton & Co. for 5 percent of the cost. Col. Wood said that cinder and cement had been shown to make fireproof concrete as the cinders were the residue of coal after everything else had burned, and the cement in the process of manufacture had to be subjected to a greater heat than a fire could cause. He was asked why the workmen of the Wonderland building simply had to light a fire on top of the concrete and then shovel it off, and he replied:

“They may only be shoveling what they had disturbed before.”

It was his opinion that the concrete ought to settle hard in two weeks so that the false work could be removed.

Attorney Boynton’s Question.

When questioned by Attorney Boynton regarding his business career, Col. Wood said that before becoming an architect he had been a decorator and before that a builder. He told an interesting story of his first business venture in Chicago, in order to pay this theological college debts, and said that after his first year the money came so fast at that time he continued as a decorator. His first theater, he said, was built at Cedar Rapids, Ia., and the first fire-proof theater he built in Memphis, Tenn. He showed the jury the plans of the truss used in that construction of that theater and said that it was the typed used in the Detroit Opera House, he having never used any other. He did not know the name of the truss, but said that it was a truss suspended from the top cord. Asked why he had always used it, he said that it was the first one given him by the engineer in whose hands he placed the matter, and as the truss had always proved satisfactory he had continued to use it. Before using that truss, he had always used the old Howe truss in the non-fire-proof theaters. Col. Wood showed the plans of some ten trusses he had built upon, on e now in the process of construction at Kansas City and the plan of another he recently drew for a theater he is to build in Denver.

Regarding the first interview in John Scot & Co.’s office, Col. Wood said that Mr. Wiggins left after a short time. There was no one else there and witness continued to talk with John Scott. He told the latter that all the plans should be drawn in one office, to which Mr. Scott was agreeable.

“I think,” said Col. Wood, “that I began some preliminary sketches the next day. Mr. Scott told me that his brother was an engineer., had had a good deal of experience and handled the steel work in their building. I did not tell him that I was engaged to do the steel work. No reference was made to my connection with the Detroit opera house.”

Adjournment was taken, with Col. Wood still on the stand.”

The end of the article.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 608 – The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, fourth section

Part 608: The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, fourth section

While researching the Temple Theatre in Detroit, I encountered an interesting article about the theater roof collapse. It was published in the “Detroit Free Press” on Dec. 2, 1898. This fourth section of the article focuses on the testimony of theater architect Col. J. M. Wood.

Col. J. M. Wood, theatre architect, from the “Indianapolis Star,” 16 April 1907, page 4

Wood was born in New York City during 1841. Early in his career, he moved to Chicago and started working as an architect. He completed many designs for theaters, opera houses and concert halls throughout the United States. By 1905, the “Indianapolis News” reported that Col. J. M. Wood, had built ninety-eight theaters, some of them the finest in the country” (24 Oct., 1905, page 2).

Back to the 1898 “Detroit Free Press” article:

Col Wood Takes The Stand.

Col. J. M. Wood followed Mr. Scott. He stated that he was 59 years of age, resided in Chicago, had been an architect since 1879, having been a builder and contractor previous to that time. He disclaimed being an engineer and said that his specialty was theaters and hotels, and had such buildings as come in connection with theaters. He had built over 80 theaters, and Mr. Frazer asked him if any of them had ever tumbled down, which he answered with a very polite “no.” Asked to enumerate some of the theaters he had built in different parts of the country, he mentioned Lafayette Square theater, Washington; Lyceum, Memphis’ Lake theater, Racine; California hotel and Theater, San Francisco, and others at Los Angeles, Denver, Cedar Rapids, Minneapolis, etc. Col. Wood was then asked to give the spans of some of the trusses in these theaters. He said that in all the theaters he had built he had buttresses in the walls two feet thick. He gave the span of the trusses in the Lyceum, at Memphis, which he said was the first fireproof building he had erected since he began the construction of that form of building, five years ago, as 70 feet. The Lafayette theater in Washington has a width of 67 feet, 6 inches. He stated that the trusses in this theater were of skeleton steel construction, with a clear span and carrys [sic.] a roof garden and restaurant above them. The Detroit Opera House he gave as 96 feet 8 inches between walls, and that the span of the Denver Auditorium, which is now being planned, will be 80 feet. “You use the same type of truss always?”

“Yes, sir; one has just been finished at a theater in Kansas City.”

“How does your truss differ from the Wonderland truss?”

“It is inverted. You would probably call it a suspension truss. It differs in many ways.”

Mr. Frazer made a diagram of the truss on the blackboard. He added that he received his knowledge form the strain sheets of two engineers to whom the truss was submitted.

Always Ask an Engineer.

“Do you always submit your trusses to engineers?”

“Where the truss differs in span from those I already have, I submit a sketch to engineers and ask them to furnish a strain sheet and also to designate the members they believe are necessary to carry the load. For the theater at Memphis I submitted the matter – not even a sketch, mind you – to Youngstown Bridge Co., and their chief engineer, Charles E. Fowler, returned to me the type of truss he believed best suited for the theater, together with the strain sheets and necessary members to carry the load. For the Lafayette theater in Washington, I submitted a sketch giving the type of truss I wanted, together with the columns, and gave the load on the chords, leaving the engineers to work out the strains and the members necessary to carry the load.

Col. Wood then started that he was the architect of the Detroit Opera House. With him were associates Mason & Rice and A. W. Chittenden. Asked why they were called associate architects, Col. Wood said that when the Clark estate decided to rebuild they wished to identify the building with local architects. For that reason sketches were asked from different firms for the front elevation and office portion of the building. They were not required to do anything regarding the theater. Continuing the witness said:

“Mr. Wells, the agent of the estate, clearly defined what he expected of each one. Mason & Rice were to design the front elevation and everything as far as the division wall. He left us to determine how we would divide the compensation. The construction of the theater proper was left in my hands.”

“Col. Wood then narrated how he became connected with the Wonderland work, stating that early in April Mr. Wiggins called on him at the Russell House and referred to building a new theater. Mr. Wiggins told him that he had contracted for the upper floors of the Barbour building for the museum, which made it necessary to employ the same architect.

“He asked me,” said Col. Wood, “to act in conjunction with John Scott & Co., and I said that I would, providing it was perfectly satisfactory to them, and Mr. Wiggins told me that they had already agreed. In talking to John Scott, he said that the Scotts would expect to control the construction of the building and act with me as designer of the theatrical arrangements of the building.

Col. Wood’s Duties.

In detailing conversation which took place at John Scott & Co.’s office, when he was introduced to the firm. Col. Wood said that he remembered distinctly Mr. Wiggins saying that he was determined to know the correct lines of vision and be up-to-date in building his theater. As to his part of the work, Col. Wood said that he was employed to design the interior arrangements, boxes, stage, seating, determine the lines of vision and secure proper acoustic conditions.

“What did you have to do with the truss and roof?”

“Nothing at all, sir.”

“Did you undertake to handle the steel work?”

“The only things I undertook to indicate were the lines in which the steel work must be kept to insure my lines of vision. In the rigging loft it was necessary that I should lay the beams, as they controlled the machinery of the stage.”

The witness also said that he laid out the pitch of the first floor, in order to get the proper line of vision for the seats, so that each one would give an equal view of the stage.

“What estimate did you give him a close approximate estimate of the cost of a building of that size – something that I have done for a great many and never charged anything. I told him $67,000. Mr. Wiggins did not try to scale down the price, but said that he would like the cost to be kept down to $65,000, if it could be done without detriment to the building. Mr. Wiggins put no limit on the cost, as far as I know. On the contrary, he wanted a modern theater, perfect in every particular.”

Col. Wood then stated that the first work on Wonderland he did was to lay out the floor plan.

Didn’t Furnish Truss Drawing.

“Did you furnish John Scott & Co. with drawings of the truss?”

“I never furnished them with anything except a sketch of the balcony and gallery, showing lines within which they had to keep.”

“Who made the drawings of the roof?”

“I do not know who made them. I am inclined to think that Arthur Scott made all the drawings.”

“Did you furnish Arthur Scott with the sizes of steel for the truss or roof beams?”

“I did not.”

“Did you give him the load the truss ought to carry?”

“No, sir.”

When asked to figure what the truss of the Detroit opera house would carry, Col. Wood started to figure, but said that he might forget some of the items and offered to bring a book which contained a record of every truss he had ever built in a fire proof theater, and he added:

“You will find that I have always been away below the factor of safety.” He said that for the Detroit opera house he allowed twenty-five pounds for snow and at Memphis fifteen pounds though the latter place was much further south. The Scotts allowed only ten pounds for Wonderland.

Asked to explain regarding the inspection of steel, he said that some architects allowed the company furnishing it to do the inspecting and furnish strain sheets, while others had the inspecting done by outside parties. The steel in the Detroit opera house was inspected by the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory, at the mill, in Cleveland, in the shop and during the process of the work on the theater.

“Hear of any inspection of steel in the Wonderland building?”

“No. There was no reason I should, as I had nothing to do with it. Mason & Rice consulted me about the inspection of steel on the Detroit opera house, because it was part of my duty to design and construct the theater and control everything about it.”

“Who controlled the construction of the Wonderland building?”

“John Scott & Co.”

Col. Wood said that he never inspected the roof or steel work, but that once he saw that the had one of the trusses together in the back of the building and heard afterwards that in the raising the truss the gin pole broke.

“You furnished John Scott & Co. with the plans of the Detroit Opera House?”

“Only as a matter of friendship. It was a set of plans given me by Mason & Rice. I did not instruct Arthur Scott to use them, for I had no authority to do so, and they did not ask for them.”

“Did you get any plans from John Scott & Co.’s office?”

“I got a set of plans from there November 12, a week after the accident, and that was the first time I ever had a set of plans out of that office. I receipted for them on that date, November 12.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 607 – The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, third section

Part 607: The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, third section

The Temple Theater, also known as the Wonderland Theater. It was next to the Detroit Opera House

While researching the Temple Theatre in Detroit, I encountered an interesting article about an 1898 theater roof collapse. The testimony in today’s section is from John Scott (1850-1928), a well-known architect in Detroit, Michigan. He practiced there in partnership with his brother Arthur H. Scott from 1889 until after 1914. Born in Ipswich, England, he and his brother were the sons of the Detroit architect William Scott (1821-1889). By 1874 John joined his father in a formal partnership – William Scott & Son, renamed William Scott & Co. by 1875. After the death of their father in 1889, John and Arthur partnered with Louis Kamper, as Scott, Kamper & Scott, Architects. In 1891, the firm was renamed John Scott & Co. in 1891, remaining active until after 1920. John Scott retired in 1926 and passed away in 1928.

Here is the third section of the Wonderland Disaster Investigation published in the “Detroit Free Press” –

The Roof Contract.

Attorney Conely then took up the matter of the roof contract. Mr. Scott said that when the original specifications were being drawn for the roof, he understood that it was to be fireproof. He also understood that the DeMan system had been used to some extent on the Detroit Opera House. Witness then said that when the roof bids were first opened, John Scott and himself were in favor of giving the contract to a Cleveland firm, as Mr. DeMan’s bid was not complete. The later was so told, but wanted the matter reopened so he could fix his bid to meet the requirements. This was done and Col. Wood recommended the adoption of the DeMan bid. Mr. Scott stated that his bid was about $400 lower than the next lowest bid.

Attorney Boynton – “Who sent for Col Wood to consult him about the DeMan roof?”

“I did not, personally. Technically, I do not know who sent for him.”

Mr. Scott was then shown a longitudinal section of the roof beams, in which the brace on which he contended the beam running from the front wall to the truss rested, was missing. He admitted that the size of the roof beams was decided on before the details were worked out. He said that he took them from the opera house plans and standards, as far as possible, and worked the rest out himself.

Prosecuting Attorney Frazer asked the witness who arranged for the inspection of the steel, and the answer was that the inspection was determined on the advice of Col. Wood, which caused the prosecutor to remark that if he was not careful he would get the whole truss over on Col. Wood and break his neck. He then said that he wrote in the clause in the specifications referring to the inspection and said that he got it from the specification of the opera house, which Col. Wood told him to use as far as they applied.

“The clause called for the inspection of the steel at the mill?”

“It was optional.”

“Do you know enough to tell us how you drew them up?”

“I can’t remember the exact wording, but the clause stated that the architects had the right to appoint an inspector at the mill.”

Had No Inspector.

“Did you employ anyone as inspector of the steel put in the Wonderland building?”

The witness first tried to evade a direct answer and then said that no inspector was employed, outside of the one at the mill.

“Who inspected the steel at the mill?”

“The people who made the material had it inspected.”

“You paid the people who made the steel for inspecting it?”

“We did not pay for it.”

“As a protection for the owners of the building you had the steel inspected by the people who made it and did not pay the men they employed? Is not that a fool arrangement?”

Mr. Frazer had first made the question more pointed, but changed the form when Mr. Conely objected. Mr. Scott finally said that in his opinion the steel should be inspected by an inspector not connected with the mill.

“You had the authority to order an inspection of the steel at the mill?”

“Yes.”

“You did not have it inspected in Detroit?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“There is also an inspection to see that the right sizes of steel are placed in the trusses being built?”

“Yes”

“You did not employ an inspector there?”

“I don’t know. I suppose the man on the building inspected it.”

“Who?”

“John Scott.”

“He had no inspector?”

“No.”

Witness added that he believed John Scott knew enough to see that the steel work conformed with the detail drawings. He said that he could not swear that John Scott had inspected it. Mr. Scott admitted that to have the steel inspected as the work progressed was the only safe way to see that the specifications were carried out by the contractors. Witness said that an engineering company could have skimmed the job in many ways, had it set out to do so. Mr. Scott stated that he had received strain sheets for all the steel made at the mill, showing the results of the tests made on the different pieces. He didn’t know whether Col. Wood saw them.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 606 – The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, second section

Part 606: The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, second section

While researching the Temple Theatre in Detroit, I encountered an interesting article about an 1898 theater roof collapse. It was published in the “Detroit Free Press.” Here is the second section of the article.

Scott Finishes His Story.

The examination of Arthur Scott was concluded at the morning session. He admitted that he had figured on the strains to the members of the truss, using the Carnegie and Pencoyd tables as far as they applied, and then working out the rest with his own knowledge. On Wednesday, Mr. Scott was asked to figure out the strain on a three-inch channel, used in construction of the truss, but admitted that he could not find any table for it. The prosecution will contend that he could not find the table for the reason that there is none for a three-inch channel, such a size not being recommended for such work, on account of being too small for safety.

Attorney Boyton continued his cross-examination. He showed the witness the different plans of the new Wonderland building, which had been introduced in evidence and asked him to designate the work done by Col. Wood. Mr. Scott admitted that nearly all the drawing had been done by himself, but said that some had been made from rough sketches by Col. Wood. It was shown that the lines drawn by Col. Wood referred mostly to the pitch of the floor lines of vision and seating. The witness was unable to produce any other sketch made by Col. Wood, although he insisted that Col. Wood had made a great many small ones that had been destroyed and it was hard to recall what they were.

“In your direct testimony, you sated that in the balcony and gallery you put in the same weight of material as indicated in the Detroit Opera House plans, so that you practically followed them?”

Detroit Opera House under construction. pictured in the DeMan System of Fireproof Construction book published in 1901.

“Yes; I did not follow them literally. The overhang was smaller than in the other house.”

“How did you compute the strains if the truss?”
“Took them from the analysis of the truss.”

“It is a question of mathematical computation and you did the computing?”

“The truss was already analyzed.”

“Where did you get the type of truss used on the Wonderland building?”

“Took it from Carnegie’s book.”

“Did you take the load for all the members from Carnegie?”

“Not all. Took the channels from Pencoyd, the sizes and weights according to the tables.” Mr. Scott then admitted that he used the Pencoyd tables as far as they applied, and that he then worked out the rent from his own knowledge.

“You did not follow the opera house truss at all?”

“Not in form; only in detail.”

“You followed it because certain details in both trusses happen to conform?”

“Yes.”

“Is there any similarity in assembling the details, it lies in the fact that the Carnegie tables indicated such a similarity?”

“Yes.”

Witness was positive that Col. Wood took the plans of the Wonderland structural steel work out of the office, having seen him do so. Regarding the book in which Col. Wood is alleged to have kept all the weights of the iron and steel work, witness said that Col. Wood has told him that he had worked out the details of weights and would have them whenever it was necessary to make out an estimate to pay for work.

“Did he ever make an estimate to pay for work?”

“He did not. He was not here, I think.”

“Where are the specification that you gave him corrected?”

“The original ones were destroyed, after being corrected. He gave me verbal corrections.”

“It is not a matter of fact that the only suggestion Col. Wood made was regarding the corrugated iron, in connection with the balcony and seating?”

“At that time it was all that he made.”

“Did he ever take the general specifications?”

“Not at that time. He took them the day before they were given out to the contractors.”

Mr. Scott said, in reference to the shop drawings made by the Peninsular Engineering Co., that they had never been formally approved, but that he had examined them as to the measurements sufficiently to satisfy himself that they were made in accordance with his designs.

To be continued…

Many thanks to Richard Archer who discovered a DeMan System of Fireproof Construction book published in 1901. Here is the link: https://books.google.com/books?id=c9o0AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PT44&lpg=RA1-PT44&dq=deMan%20truss&source=bl&ots=Qsznjo39tt&sig=N3SlspWsgAbRm160yzPbhAJ43w4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiC64i0tdTfAhWEVN8KHUJwCTUQ6AEwC3oECAEQAQ&fbclid=IwAR2GXwH1WhZNzn6ZMyK-tSG4xGPbBTxS9OTPbh7NIKvEG4ARTZRPM0-ZaAM#v=onepage&q&f=false

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 605 – The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, first section

Part 605: The Wonderland Disaster Investigation in Detroit, 1898, first section

I have been exploring the Temple Theatre in Detroit and Detroit’s “Wonderland,” an entertainment company that offered everything from live theatre and minstrel shows to moving pictures and vaudeville acts; from aerial acts to talking dogs, everything was part of the vaudeville mainstream. From the time it opened in 1901, the Elks Temple theatre hosted the Wonderland Company, offering four vaudeville shows every day. Ticket prices included admission to the show, as well as a visit to see the oddities in the curiosity museum. In later years, Harry Houdini, W. C. Fields, Buster Keaton. Jack Benny, George Burns, Fred and Adele Astaire, were included among the stars that appeared on the Temple Theatre stage. As Vaudeville fell out of favor, the Temple closed about 1930, other than showing a few fly-by-night films.

Postcard detail depicting the Detroit Opera House and Temple Theater located next door.

The original Wonderland Theatre, known as Detroit’s “palace of amusement,” included both a variety show and oddities museum. Founded by Enoch “Pop” Wiggins, the Wonderland Theatre started on Woodward Avenue in 1886 in Merrill Hall, later known as the Avenue Theatre. Its popularity caused the company to move further up the road to Campus Maritus. Unfortunately, disaster struck on Nov. 5, 1898, when the roof of the theater collapsed during construction, crushing 12 workers to death and injuring nearly 20 others. In the end, fifteen lives were lost. The company temporarily used the Detroit Opera House until the new Temple Theatre was completed.

There is an interesting article about the Wonderland building and theatre architect J. M. Wood after the roof collapsed. It puts theatre construction within a historical context. Due to the length of the article, it will be posted over several installments. Published in the “Detroit Free Press,” the article “Positive Denial!” detailed the description of events surrounding the Wonderland Disaster investigation (2 Dec 1898, page 2). Here is the first section of the article:

POSITIVE DENIAL!

—

COL WOOD FLATLY CONTRADICTS SCOTT BROTHERS’ TESTIMONY.

—

DID NOT HAVE CHARGE OF STRUCTURAL IRON AND STEEL WORK.

—

SIMPLY HAD TO LOOK AFTER THEATRICAL ARRANGEMENTS.

—

THINKS THERE WAS A GENERAL WEAKNESS IN THE ROOF.

—

ALSO A GENERAL LACK OF ATTENTION TO DETAILS.

—

THE FIVE-INCH ROOF BEAMS WERE OVERLOADED.

—

Arthur Scott Concluded His Testimony Yesterday Morning.

—

“Col. J. M. Wood. The theatre architect was the main factor in the investigation yesterday, and he was on the stand nearly the entire day. He entered a positive denial of the statements of John and Arthur Scott that he had charge of the work, designed the truss and was responsible for figuring loads. Col. Wood stated that he had not only not designed the truss, but that he had not paid the least attention to it, being out of the city most of the time when it was being constructed and erected. He also displayed plans of every truss he ever used in fire proof theater buildings, showing that they were of the suspension type and nothing like the one used in the Wonderland building.

At the request of Prosecuting Attorney Frazer, he calculated the load carried by the Detroit Opera House truss, which weighs over eight tons, showing that he had figured many tons within the safety factor. He also showed that be computing the truss of the Wonderland building by the same method as that used for the opera house truss, the former, which weighs over eight tons, showing that he had figured many tons within the safety factor. He also showed that by computing the truss of the Wonderland building by the same method as that used for the opera house truss, the former which weighed three and a half tons, carried forty tons, while the eight and a half ton truss in the opera house carried forty-eight tons for the safety load. He indicated at some length the designing he did for the Wonderland building, stating that he had nothing whatever to do with the steel work, but had to indicate the lines of vision and general lines within which John Scott & Co. would have to keep the steel work.

Col. Wood testified that in the first interview with John Scott, the latter told him that his firm would insist on having control of the construction of the building and would consult with him regarding the arrangements of the theater. The witness had a book showing a record of all material used in all the theaters he had built of the fire-proof type, and he was able, without any hesitation, to answer any question regarding them. His answers were all s direct and positive that there was no chance to quibble with him. He asserted that he was employed to look after the stage, the seating acoustic conditions, line of vision, boxes and other matters pertaining strictly to the Wonderland theater, while with the architectural and steel construction he had nothing to do; and paid no attention to it.

Regarding the fact that he had loaned John Scott & Co., a set of plans of the Detroit opera house, he said that he did it simply as an act of courtesy, to a brother member of the profession, thinking that it might give him some idea of theatrical construction. He denied that he told Arthur Scott to follow those plans, saying that he had no authority to order him and had not been asked to have anything to do with the construction of the building. He also denied that he had given Arthur Scott the load the trusses would have to carry, or that he had anything to do with the designing or construction of the roof. Incidentally, Col. Wood stated that the DeMan system was not used on the Detroit Opera House.

Col. Wood showed his willingness to give his opinion regarding the cause of the accident, but Mr. Frazer spoiled a full answer by breaking in with another question. It was his belief that there was a general weakness of the roof and the construction, and he also thought that the 5-inch roof beams were overloaded. As to the truss, he did not feel competent to give an opinion, but stated that an engineering company had given him an opinion that steel members of the sizes mentioned for the Wonderland truss would probably hold the load intended, if properly detailed and constructed.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 358 – Thomas G. Moses and the English Opera House in Indianapolis

Part 358: Thomas G. Moses and the English Opera House in Indianapolis

In 1897 Thomas G. Moses briefly left the Sosman & Landis annex studio. He journeyed to Indianapolis where he painted “a complete outfit” for a Valentine Theatre Company production at the English Opera House. Two years earlier, Moses painted a set of stock scenery for the company’s home, the new Valentine Theatre in Toledo, Ohio. For more information about his previous work at the Valentine Theatre, see installment #331.

Postcard of the English Hotel and Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Photograph of the English Hotel and Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Thomas G. Moses painted scenery for the Valentine Theatre Company in 1897.

The English Hotel and Opera House in Indianapolis was expanded during 1896. The new venue was dedicated on October 26, 1897, and advertised as a “first-class theatre.” The price tag for the new theatre was $110,000, with the theatre block costing over $750,000. The New York Times reported, “The house, scenery, and curtain were painted by Thomas G. Moses of Chicago” (New York Times, 27 Oct. 1897, page 1). The venue’s stage was 35’ wide by 43’-6” deep. The proscenium was a series of receding arches, in ivory and gold. The stage was cut off from the auditorium with an asbestos curtain.

Proscenium arch and stage at the English Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana.

View of the auditorium from the stage at the English Opera House in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The English Opera House was another renovation project by J. B. McElfatrick & Sons during their prolific thirty-year period from 1880 to 1910. The firm designed, built, and renovated theaters across the country. McElfatrick also worked with George H. Ketcham for many of his venues that included the English Theatre, the Grand Opera House (Columbus) and the Valentine Theatre (Toledo). These three theaters all used stock scenery collections painted by Moses and his crew. At the English Theatre Moses painted the new scenery with his assistants Fred McGreer and Ed Loitz; he wrote, “I think we did some good work.”

Fred McGreer. From the Cincinnati Enquirer (15 April 1900, page 12)

While Moses was in Indianapolis, projects began rapidly coming into the Sosman & Landis shops; his absence was acutely felt in the studio. Of this time, Moses wrote, “Early fall found Mr. Landis and Mr. Hunt camped on my trail; offering me the Pike Theatre Stock Company work at Cincinnati for the season. They agreed to send down enough drops from the studio to complete my contract. I accepted $75.00 per week and went, taking McGreer and Loitz.” This was during the same time when David Hunt joined Joseph Sosman and Perry Landis to form Sosman, Landis & Hunt, a theatrical management firm. One of their venues was the Pike Theater.

Illustration of Fred McGreer supervising the painting of scenery at the Pike Theatre. Fred McGreer. From the Cincinnati Enquirer (15 April 1900, page 12)

Moses’ typed manuscript indicates that he never really got along with Hunt. In Indianapolis, Hunt took credit for a series of articles and illustrations that appeared about their shows at the Pike. In fact, Moses was submitting the illustrations and struck up a friendship with the well-known theatre critic Montgomery Phister (1853-1917). He wrote, “Hunt never knew that I did it – he flattered himself the paper was doing it.” Hunt was a big talker and disliked by many of the scenic artists.

James Montgomery Phister was engaged in newspaper work for more than 40 years as a writer, cartoonist, and dramatic critic. He was well known for a reputation of fairness and accuracy in his criticism. Born in Maysville, Kentucky, Phister graduated from Woodward High School and continued his education at Yale University. During the Spanish-American war he served as a war correspondent. Of his many tours through Europe he was the guest of the noted English actor Irving. When he passed away on July 9, 1917, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported, “Every doorman and every stagehand knew him and respected him. He enjoyed the friendship of such great figures of the stage as Sir Henry Irving, the Sotherns, Bernhardt, Duse, Alexander Herrmann, Dixey and all of the best in the profession of that in the mimic world. He was a thirty-second degree Mason and a life member of N. C. Harmony Blue Lodge of Cincinnati” (“Twenty Years Ago in Cincinnati,” 9 July 1937, page 4).

Obituary of James M. Phister in 1917, published in the Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) 10 July 1917, page 12.

Phister had also worked as a scenic artist early in his career and developed a fondness for Moses. One day, Moses and Phister decided to play a small joke on Hunt to put him in his place. Hunt insisted that he was an expert on everything, especially if he didn’t know what he was talking about. Phister told Hunt, “I think Moses uses too much raw umber.” Hunt later repeated this to Moses as his own idea. Moses responded, “Raw umber! What kind of color is that? I don’t use it at all.” Hunt was stumped and reported back to Phister. Moses wrote, “We had a hearty laugh over it.”

The colonial color dry pigment version of raw umber.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 332 – Thomas G. Moses and the Lowell Opera House in Massachusetts

Part 332: Thomas G. Moses and the Lowell Opera House in Massachusetts

In 1895, Thomas G. Moses recorded that he painted “a number of scenes and a drop curtain for Lowell, Mass. opera house.” This was one more stock scenery collection delivered by the Moses that year. I wondered how he made the initial connection and received the contract. After all, there were plenty of well-known regional artists who could have created the painted settings for any theatre in Lowell. It was a substantially-sized community. Was Moses that popular, or did he have an inside connection? I think that it was both.

The town of Lowell was founded in 1826. It is situated at the confluence of the Merrimack and Concord (Musketaquid) rivers, approximately 25 miles northwest of Boston. The major nineteenth-century business in the area was the Merrimack Manufacturing Co. (incorporated in 1822). It greatly contributed to the city’s dramatic growth over the decades and the area became primarily known as a manufacturing center for textiles. The industry wove cotton produced in the South and also shipped some of their product back to the south for slave garments. Both the bolts of fabric given to the slaves and the resulting clothing used the name “lowells.”

By the 1850s, Lowell boasted the largest industrial complex in the United States. Immigrants came in waves to Lowell; the Catholic Germans, French Canadians, Portuguese, Poles, Lithuanians, Swedes, Greeks and Eastern European Jews all established small communities and many worked in the Merrimack factory or for other businesses in the area. The town continued to thrive and by 1875, a Club Dramatique was established, providing come semblance of local entertainment. In the 1880s Lowell’s first opera house was constructed with a seating capacity of 1,500. Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory reported that the proscenium measured 30’ x 30’ and the stock scenery collection included 20 sets. The size of the stage was 45’ wide by 33’ deep.

By 1896, the population of Lowell had grown to 100,000. The Fay Bros. & Hosford became the proprietors and managers for the “new” Lowell Opera House. Their first season was announced during the spring of 1894 with the statement “The indications are that under the new and energetic management the Opera house next year will surpass all previous records” (The Lowell Sun, 19 May, 1894, page 1).

Advertisement for the Lowell Opera House when Fay Bros. and Hosford became the proprietors and managers of the venue in 1894. Lowell Daily (24 Aug 1894, page 2).

The new managers immediately began planning for the future, and began to renovate the venue. This included a new stage with new stock scenery collection by Moses. J. B. McElfatrick & Sons was the architectural firm responsible for the alterations of the space in 1895. The firm was located in New York and had previously worked with Moses.

The front entrance for the opera house in Lowell, Mass.

Located on the ground floor of the building, the Lowell opera house had a seating capacity of 1,500. The auditorium and stage were illuminated with a combination of both gas and electric lighting. The new space included a square proscenium opening that measured 34’-0” wide by 34’-0” high. The depth from the footlights to the back of the stage measured 45 feet with the distance between the footlights and curtain line at 3’-0.” The distance between the side walls of the stage was 60’-0” and 48’-0” between the girders. The stage to rigging loft was 80 feet with the depth under the stage at 10.’ The architects implemented a new spatial design, seating plan, and technology in their design. The venue desperately sought to attract popular touring productions to the area with an improved facility.

Advertisement in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide for the Lowell Opera House (1896).Stock scenery for this venue was painted by Thomas G. Moses.

So, how did Moses get this job? As suggested above, I believe that the theatre architects recommended him; they knew and respected him from previous projects. This was a similar to the situation for the New Lyceum Theatre in Memphis, when architect Frank Cox recommended Moses to create the stock scenery. The architectural firms recommended specific artisans for certain aspects of the designs. So I started to explore other theatres designed and constructed by J. B. McElfatrick & Sons during the late-nineteenth century. I was pleasantly surprised with my findings, thinking that I might be onto something with the evolutions of the backstage area too.

It was in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide (1896) where I noticed an advertisement for J. B. McElfatrick & Sons. They marketed theatre buildings as their specialty, listing seventy-one theaters and opera houses by 1896. This architectural firm was a significant contributor to the evolution and construction of “modern theaters.” I will discuss these characteristics in tomorrow’s post.

B. McElfatrick & Sons was especially prolific during the thirty-year period from 1880 to 1910. Although the founder had established offices in Philadelphia, Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis, the 1896 advertisement noted that their offices were located in the Knickerbocker Theatre Bldg., New York. J. B. McElfatrick & Sons were responsible for the new Lowell Opera House as well as many other venues where Moses had worked over the years. They designed and built theaters all across the country, including the English Opera House in Indianapolis. Interestingly, George H. Ketcham was the proprietor of the English Opera House, the Grand Opera House (Columbus), and the Valentine Theatre, all with stock scenery collections painted by Moses in the 1890s.

To be continued…