Opera House, Newburgh, NY

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November 20, 1884 

"From the daughter of Francis N. Bain, 1st proprietor, we have the following authentication: Mrs. John Nolle (Francis Bain Nolle) reminds us that the early Opera House on 2nd Street, just east of the hotel and the Academy of Music, on Broadway, west of Grand Street, supported interesting plays and singers. In fact, many of the plays that were to run on Broadway in New York City had try-outs in Newburgh. Also, Newburgh on the circuit of the early producers tours." 

Chickering Hall, New York

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The firm also ran the "Chickering Hall" concert auditorium in New York City at no.130 Fifth Avenue, 1875-1901. The building was situated on the north-west corner (not north-east contrary to some sources) of Fifth Avenue and West Eighteenth Street, and was the venue for Oscar Wilde's first lecture in America. [Source: New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age, Robert A.M. Stern (Author), Thomas Mellins (Author), David Fishman (Author)].  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickering_and_Sons

Opera House, Brockton, Massachusetts

Submitted by scott on

November 14, 1884 

Mark Twain had complained that there was not enough notice of this event to generate a suitable audience. Here is the text from the notice published in the Brockton Enterprise, November 1, 1884: \

"OPERA HOUSE.--M.W. Hanley's company, presenting Harrigan & Hart's play, "Dan;s Tribulations," will be at this house November 6th. Nov.9th the Flora Myers company return for a season of dramatic representations at popular prices. The 14th Mark Twain, the humorist, and Mr. George W. Cable, the novelist, will appear in a lecture and readings."  

Rumford Hall, Waltham, MA

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The Colonial Revival-style City Hall of Waltham, designed by Kilham, Hopkins and Greeling, was built in 1926 and opened and dedicated in 1927. It stands on the old site of Rumford Hall, a building constructed a century earlier, in 1827, to house the Rumford Institute. Founded in 1826, the Institute was a lyceum, with lectures and classes in the arts and sciences for the female mill workers at the Boston Manufacturing Company, which built the Hall. An early instructor at the Institute was the Unitarian minister and educator, Bernard Whitman.

Blackstone Hall Building, Providence, RI

Submitted by scott on

November 8, 1884 

We were able to determine from the Providence Board of Trade Journal (vol. 2, p.94, 1891) that Blackstone Hall was on the corners of Washington and Snow Streets in downtown Providence. And that it could accommodate 500-600 people. We could not identify a specific address.  

We do have a copy of a glass plate negative of Blackstone Hall which locates it at Washington and Acorn Sts. In the photo we believe the hall is the building with the cupola as it was described as "architecturally excellent" in that same Board of Trade mention. 

Gilmore's Opera House, Springfield, MA

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The Capitol was originally built as the Gilmore Opera House in 1857!  It burnt down in 1864, remodelled and reopened in 1865. In April, 1920, it became the Capitol Theater. It had a balcony with a total of 1,450 seats. A prosenium arch curved around the stage/screen and to the right of it, in a wall niche, was a 2,500 pipe Austin organ that was played during it’s silent movie days.  The exterior front had a long marquee with narrow title space on the front. Two verticle signs spelling Capitol hung on the building above either side of the marquee.

Music Hall, Orange, New Jersey

Submitted by scott on

An 1887 business directory sets the Music Hall's location at the corner of Main and N. Day Street. Subsequent names for the hall are 1908 - Orange Theatre and 1920 - Bijou Theatre both with the address of 243 Main Street. The Music Hall was designed and built in 1880 by architecture firm Silliman & Farnsworth (picture and source attached). 

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