Montrose-Fox, 27 S. Cascade Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401
“The theatre [Montrose-Fox] is decidedly alien to the American scene in its design.” -Exhibitors Herald-World, December 21,1929
Excerpts from Exhibitor’s Herald-World, December 21, 1929:
“The Fox theatre in Montrose, Colo., is highly decorative in both design and furnishings, it is comfortably furnished, it has entirely modern equipment, there is a stage, and the seating capacity is 789. Yet Montrose has no more than 4,000 inhabitants, nor is it a suburb of a large city.”
“[The theatre] presents a very pure adaptation of Moslem architectural art, as applied to the mosque. It was designed by Dick Dickson, Denver. M.S. Fallis, Denver, was the architect.”
“Passage from the lobby is into a foyer formed by a corridor curving around the rear of the auditorium. The walls are done in rough-finished plaster, with the expanse broken by arched window niches and arched doorways.”
“The auditorium has only one floor and relies principally on its shape and on cove lighting effects for its beauty. This chamber is vaulted, with a polygon painted centrally on the ceiling, from the center of which is suspended a large chandelier. Two rows of coves, one above the other where the ceiling begins to converge upward toward the middle, run the length of the auditorium from each side of the proscenium arch. The latter is of the Moslem variety employed throughout the house. On each side of it, at the location of the organ lofts, Moslem bays project out, with niches shedding light from concealed sources.”
The theatre is still in operation as the Fox Cinema Center, a two screen multiplex.
Exhibitors Herald-World, December 21, 1929, is part of the Theatre Talks collection.
Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, chosen 2010 Best Book of the Year by the Theatre Historical Society.
Gladmer Theatre, 223 N. Washington Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933
Considered one of the finest theatres in Michigan, the Gladmer made its début in 1873 as Buck’s Opera House with E. E. Myers as architect. It became Baird’s Opera House when Daniel Buck sold the space to James Baird in 1890.
Facing increasing competition from other downtown houses, the theatre was extensively renovated in 1910, becoming the Gladmer, Fuller Claflin serving as architect. According to Lost Lansing the name derived from the owner’s daughter and son, Gladys and Merrill.
Excerpts from the Cahn-Leighton Official Theatrical Guide, 1912-13:
F. J. Williams Manager
Seating Capacity:
Lower Floor: 575
Balcony: 432
Gallery: 500
Boxes: 60
Stage:
Proscenium Opening 36×30 feet
Footlights to Back Wall 42 feet
Between Side Walls 66 feet
Apron 2 feet
Between Fly Girders 54 feet
To Rigging Loft 72 feet
To Fly Gallery 30 feet
12 Dressing Rooms
The Michigan Agricultural College Record, April 19, 1918:
“At a house meeting in the woman’s building last week, new rules governing the girls’ attendance at downtown theaters were presented by Miss Arnot Lewis, president of the Women’s Student Council. Junior and senior girls may now attend the Gladmer, Colonial, or Plaza, unchaperoned, provided there are two or more couples in the party.”
Unable to compete with the shopping mall multiplexes, the Gladmer closed its doors in 1979. One of Lansing’s finest theatres demolished.
Postcard the collection of Theatre Talks LLC
Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, chosen 2010 Best Book of the Year by the Theatre Historical Society.
National Theatre, 111 East Houston Street, New York
The National will be one of the sites featured on my Footsteps of Yiddish Theater walking tour for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation on Sunday, June 8, 2012, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It is free but reservations required: RSVP to rsvp@gvshp.org or call (212) 475-9585 ext. 35
Photo of the national in the 1940s when it featured Yiddish vaudeville and “the latest in Jewish talking pictures”–”complete change every Friday” (part of the Theatre Talks LLC collection).
Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, chosen 2010 Best Book of the Year by the Theatre Historical Society.
Brooklyn Academy of Music, 176 Montague Street, Brooklyn, New York
Excerpts from the Architectural Record, October 1908, on architect Leopold Eidiltz:
“The Academy of Music in Brooklyn was its author’s most important secular work up to that time. Confined to a single street front, parallel with the axis of the interior, it was an attempt, then novel on this side of the ocean and not common on the other, to express a theatre in its exterior.”
The opening night concert took place on Tuesday, January 15, 1861. In a speech to the audience, Samuel B. Chittendon, president of the Academy’s directorate, stated:
“Let me say here, that no one of us purposed to build a theatre, nor do we propose to allow this building to be used for theatrical purposes. But, we saw that we needed a large public building for our Philharmonic Society, operatic entertainments, concerts, lectures, our Horticultural Society’s flower shows and those exhibitions, in which the citizens of Brooklyn delight” (The Brooklyn Eagle, January 16, 1861).
A lengthy debate ensued with many people writing the local papers with their thoughts on theatrical performance in Brooklyn. Editorially the Brooklyn Eagle was staunchly pro-theatre. Finally on December 23, 1861, the Academy of Music presented Hamlet with E. L. Davenport in the title role and Julia Bennett Barrow as Ophelia.
The Brooklyn Eagle, December 24, 1861:
“Shakespeare’s tragedy of Hamlet was performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last evening. We deem it proper here at the commencement to state the fact explicitly, in order that should the city be overwhelmed by an earthquake any time during the day there may be no mistake in attributing the visitation to the true cause.”
The Brooklyn Eagle, October 2, 1884, on the renovation of the Academy:
“The old Academy was in design and nature like the boy’s dog-pure mongrel. The design was supposed to be Morrish but wasn’t. There was much that was Moorish about it but that much was sadly marred by an intermingling of somber Dutch and heavy designs of the like.”
On November 30, 1903, the Academy of Music was destroyed by fire.
The New York Times, December 1, 1903:
“It was one of the swiftest destructions that Brooklyn has ever known, the great auditorium being a seething sea of flame within twenty minutes…”
The Brooklyn Eagle, December 1, 1903:
“The cause of the fire is still more or less a mystery and the officials have little hope of satisfactorily solving it.”
A motion picture Burning of the Academy of Music, Brooklyn, was released by American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, December 1903.
A history of the original Brooklyn Academy of Music can be found in the second volume of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, chosen 2010 Best Book of the Year by the Theatre Historical Society of America.
Postcard part of the Theatre Talks LLC collection.
Thompson’s Moving Pictures, Rockaway Beach, New York
American inventor LaMarcus Adna Thompson (1848-1919) is known today as the “Father of the Gravity Ride.” Inspired by the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway in Pennsylvania and the work of other inventors, he created the world’s first gravity powered roller coaster amusement ride, opening at Coney Island on June 2, 1884.
Later he would patent a style of coaster known as L. A. Thompson’s Scenic Railway featuring a theme, elaborate backdrops and lighting effects triggered by approaching cars. Opening in 1910, Thompson’s ride at Venice Beach, California is generally considered his masterpiece with its fake mountain scenery and Egyptian temples.
In 1913, Thompson made a brief foray into the motion picture industry by acquiring the American rights to a screen that could be used in an “ordinary theatre either by day or night.” An unsuccessful demonstration at Newark, New Jersey followed by an installation at Rockaway Beach, next to L.A. Thompson’s Scenic Railway.
F. H. Richardson, columnist for the trade publication Moving Picture World invited to view the results.
Excerpts from Moving Picture World, August 9th, 1913:
“I journeyed to Rockaway and, as there was no show that day the operator was absent; but I found the house electrician making numerous efforts to get a light with the projection lamp, without results. Before a light was secured it was necessary to take the inductor apart, tighten its contacts, repair its switches, and to mighty near rebuilt the lamp as well. It was in a horrible condition. How on earth a man can call himself an operator, or even a good imitation of one, and allow his appliances to get into such a disgraceful condition, is utterly beyond my comprehension.”
Richardson continued with a few more criticisms about the equipment and its operator. Always looking for improvements within the industry, Moving Picture World could be very critical of poor theatre construction and presentation. Finally back to the screen.
“Well, after almost two and a half hours work we got the lamp and inductor into shape and projected a reel of film. It was dark by that time, so I had no opportunity of viewing the screen by daylight. With a Power’s inductor at its lowest notch, the 16 1/2 foot picture was very good indeed. The whites showed up pure white, and detail was remarkable. I do not think there is any question as to the value of this screen.”
Above postcard is part of the Theatre Talks LLC collection.
Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, awarded “2010 Outstanding Book of the Year” by the Theatre Historical Society of America.
Temple Theatre, Geneva, New York
The March 11, 1916 issue of the trade publication Moving Picture World features a short article on Franklin C. Pierce, of Pierce & Nagle, proprietors of the Temple theatre in Geneva, New York.
According to Pierce there were four moving picture theatres in his small town:
“These have a total of 3,800 seats, and the population of Geneva is 12,000. You will therefore understand that the total seating capacity is out of proportion to the size of the place.”
The postcard advertises “vodvil” but “80 percent” of Temple patrons wanted only motion pictures. The theatre would “probably dispense with vaudeville entirely.”
For movies, Pierce “uses the Triangle, Fox, Metro and Big Four Programs.” For “hints’, he looks to the Strand Theatre in New York City. This opulent movie house, with 2, 989 seats, opened in 1914 under the direction of Samuel “Roxy” Rothapfel.
“Mr. Pierce has arranged his stage in an elaborate fashion and has built a $5,000 lobby. He has an orchestra of five pieces.”
In order to gather “new ideas” for the Temple, Franklin C. Pierce made “occasional trips to New York, Buffalo and other cities.”
Moving Picture World ending with:
“He [Pierce] says that audiences in small cities are usually very critical. He is meeting with success in serving his high-class patrons.”
The above postcard is part of the Theatre Talks LLC collection
Cezar Del Valle is the author of the Brooklyn Theatre Index, awarded “2010 Outstanding Book of the Year” by the Theatre Historical Society of America.
Theatre Talks Starting over
The original concept of this blog was to promote the Brooklyn Theatre Index with a slight nod towards my walking tours and talks. Numerous articles, on self-publishing, recommend blogging as a form of promotion.
After a promising start, the entries became sporadic and not always well written. I suppose this is true of most blogs.
Times Square Walking Tour
Photo: Betty Sword
A decision was made, this week, to start over with the weaker entries deleted. The new Theatre Talks would be better written and more informative. Perhaps it might even find a following.
The Brooklyn Theatre Index will still receive a mention when something new happens. The same with the talks and walking tours (there will be one on January 8, 2012 for the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation).
Tomorrow, Theatre Talks starts over with the Temple Theatre.
The Brooklyn Theatre Index—One Year On
On August 29, 2010, I gave an illustrated talk at the Coney Island Museum as part of their Ask the Expert series. This was the official launching of the first volume of the Brooklyn Theatre Index.
Being introduced by museum director Aaron Beebe (photo: Betty Sword)
The Index received an excellent review from Brooklyn historian, John Manbeck in the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper of September 16, 2010:
“Inside the book are 477 pages of information about Brooklyn’s love affair with theaters, both live action and movie. The sheer numbers are overwhelming. The table of contents runs according to street names but in the index, theaters are cross-referenced alphabetically by theater names, which makes the tome ideal for a future online transfer of production titles and names of individuals.”
“It sounds like a reference for theatre buffs and it is. But it is also fascinating information for the average Joe.”
The second volume followed in October with both receiving an excellent review by theatre historian Ken Roe on the Cinema Treasures website:
“The definite appraisal of all movie theatres to have operated in Brooklyn, a borough known to have had the most theatres operating out of the five NYC boroughs.”
The Brooklyn Theatre Index chosen 2010 Outstanding Book of the Year by the Theatre Historical Society of America. The society’s president, Karen Colizzi Noonan, stated:
“Comprehensive, accurate and useful, The Brooklyn Theatre Index series is a valuable addition to any series theatre historian’s library.”
Nearing completion, the third volume on Coney Island, awaits funding for formatting and editing.
The Brooklyn Theatre Index copyediting, interior book design and layout by David Bow at Integrative Ink.
Lost Stages of the Lower East Side
Lost Stages of the Lower East Side
Saturday, August 13, 2011
12:00pm-2:00pm
Cezar Del Valle will be conducting a walking tour for the
Lower East Side History Project
$20 per person, RSVP not required
Meet Outside of the Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery
Subway: F train to 2nd Avenue
More Information: 347-465-7767
“Critics Pick”–Time Out New York
Airdromes
During the sweltering New York summers, in the days before air conditioning, the legitimate theatres would close their doors until the end of August. The early movie houses remained open or moved to an outdoor space nearby or on the roof. Known as airdromes (sometimes spelled airdome), these outdoor venues were part of the silent era of movie going.
The owner of a movie house may have started with an outdoor space. Once that proved successful, a building would be constructed or converted to cinema use. On Staten Island (circa 1904-05), Rodney Powell painted a wall at Broadway and Richmond Terrace, showing movies on that screen to an audience seated on benches. He would show the same films on Sunday afternoons under the Picnic Shelter at the Ocean Grove in Graniteville.
Comedy Theatre, Jamaica, Queens, advertises “open air” movies
Restaurants and public halls often operated airdromes as a seasonable venue. Fred Winter’s Summer Garden, 1097 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, associated with Consumer Park Hotel and Cafe.
An ornate screen and a fountain helps provide the Summer Garden with a bit of decoration. No record survives of the Cafe presenting movies indoors. The listing in American Motion Picture Directory 1914/15 may refer to the Garden.
In addition to its three stages, Feltman’s sprawling Ocean Pavilion, on Surf Avenue at Coney Island, also had Sea Side Garden, “featuring superb motion pictures.”
The theatre trade publication, New York Clipper, July 11, 1914:
“In the rear of the park [Feltman's Ocean Pavilion] there has just been erected one of the largest and finest open air moving picture theatres in the country. The theatre seats over two thousand people and only first run pictures are shown. While admission to the park is free, there is a charge of ten cents to enter the picture theatre.”
The coming of sound and air conditioning brought an end to the airdrome in New York. By the early 1930s, the outdoor movie theatre was fading into history with attempts being made to convert the old spaces.
In 1933, Loew’s hired their favorite architect, Thomas Lamb, to enclose the Kameo Theatre’s roof garden at 530 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. Nothing came of the project.
The Carlton Theatre, on Flatbush Avenue, announced plans for a cabaret in the old rooftop airdrome. After some initial publicity, with Jimmy Durante mentioned as a possible opening attraction, the new venue failed to materialize. Possible problems with sound, and the surrounding neighborhood, (same as with talkies) may have brought a halt to the project.
Above photos from the collection of Theatre Talks LLC (Cezar Del Valle)
