Abbey's Park Theatre

Nearly on the site of the old Buck's Horn Tavern, Abbey's Park Theatre stood in the seventies and eighties. The Stock company was one of the best in New York, containing several actors who later joined Daly's company. Between seasons many well-known actors appeared; among them, Mrs. Langtry, who made her American debut upon this stage.

 The house was planned by Dion Boucicault, but he got into difficulties and was not its manager when it opened in 1874. It came under the management of Abbey on November 27, 1876,the actress Lotta being his financial backer. Among the plays first given here was "The Gilded Age" in which John T. Raymond appeared as the protagonist, Colonel Mulberry Sellers. The play was founded on Mark Twain's story of the same name. The house was destroyed by fire, October 30, 1882,several hours before the evening performance, and was not rebuilt.

A Few Tid-Bits Regarding Theatres of the Area

The San Francisco Minstrels moved up-town between Twenty-eighth an Twenty-ninth streets, on the west side, in 1874, and with Birch, Wambold, and Backus ran successfully for several years. J. H. Haverly secured control on December 1, 1883, and ran his "Mastodon," or "Megatherian," Minstrels for some time. He was obliged to go back to the paleozoic age for an animal big enough to represent the size of his show, with eight end men and the company in proportion. The house was the Comedy Theatre under Haverly and was run as a combination house. Dockstader had the place for a while and gave his amusing monologue Misfits. The house belongs to one of the Gilsey family, and it has been through all sorts of theatrical vicissitudes down to 1909,rejoicing then in the name of the Princess Theatre."Sam" T. Jack ran it for some time with a somewhat risky show.

 He appeared one morning in the Gilsey office, after he had signed the contract, with an old valise and several bundles tied up in newspapers, and notified the clerk he had come to pay his first six months' rent. The clerk expected a check; but instead of producing one, Jack tumbled his bundles onto the table and said: "Here it is; count it and see if it is right." An examination showed the bundles to contain a collection of bills of all denominations, mixed up in apparently inextricable confusion. One of the Gilseys and the clerk put the bundles into a cab and drove to the bank, where, after two hours' work, assisted by several of the bank clerks, they succeeded in sorting out the mixture and found it correct to the last dollar.

Two other theatres have entrances from Broadway: Daly's old Twenty-eighth Street house, and Jo Weber's. The first began as Apollo Hall, and later became Daly's Fifth Avenue Theatre. After Daly's removal, it became Harry Miner's Theatre and was burned out January 2, 1891; it is now Keith and Proctor's. The other theatre on Twenty-ninth Street was originally Weber and Field's, where those amusing comedians gave very funny burlesques of the passing shows. After the dissolution of their partnership, it became Jo Weber's Theatre.

1) Lester Wallack's Theatre

Lester Wallack moved into his up-town theatre at the northeast corner of Thirtieth Street in February, 1881, but the building was not ready for opening until January 4, 1882. The exterior of the building has never been completely finished. Here Wallack had an excellent stock company as before; but the house never became so famous or so popular as the old Thirteenth street theatre perhaps, because a new generation of theatre-goers had grown up and the actor-manager was getting old. He retired from active management, and the house opened as Palmer's Theatre on October 8, 1888, to become and remain Wallack's once more on December 7, 1896.

2) Banvard's Museum and Theatre

The oldest theatre in this neighborhood was originally Banvard's Museum and Theatre at 1221 Broadway, near Thirtieth Street. It was the first building in the city erected expressly for museum purposes, and was opened June 17, 1867. It became Wood's Museum and Metropolitan Theatre in 1868, and Wood's Museum and Menagerie in 1869. Very good plays with first-class actors
were given under both managers, as I can personally testify. In 1877, it became the Broadway Theatre, and two years later it became Daly's remaining under the management of Augustin Daly until his death. It was the one theatre where the visitor could find the perfection of acting, management, and presentation, whether the play were a French or German farce or a Shakesperian revival. Ada Rehan, John Drew, Mrs. Gilbert, James Lewis, George Clarke, and others were known, admired, and loved by a generation of theatre-goers.

3)The Brighton Theatre

The Brighton theatre at 1239 Broadway opened with a variety show on August 26, 1878; and after many changes of names, became the Bijou Theatre, December 1, 1883.

4)The Manhattan (or Eagle) Theatre

The Manhattan (or Eagle) Theatre stood on the west side of Broadway between Thirty-second and Thirty-third streets. It was opened with a variety show October 18, 1875; later, it became the Standard Theatre, becoming the Manhattan again August 30, 1897. It was the first house in New York to present Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore which became so popular that it was played at over half a dozen theatres at the same time; that was before the days of international copyright. Towards the end of its career, it was about the only theatre of prominence the city outside of the theatrical trust. At the last it became a moving-picture house, and was torn down in 1909 to make way for Gimbel Brothers' big department store.

5)The Herald Square Theatre

At the northwest corner of Thirty-fifth Street a building called the Coliseum was opened with a panorama in 1873 and was run until the following year, when it was taken down and removed to Philadelphia during the Centennial Exposition. October 11, 1876, the New York Aquarium took its place with a theatre, and later, a circus attached. The place was very popular until 1883, when it was torn down and the New Park Theatre was erected, opening on October fifteenth. Harrigan took possession and opened on August 31, 1885, after the destruction of his New Theatre Comique. It was called Harrigan's Theatre and was successful, but the rent ate up the profits and Harrigan was obliged to give it up. It then became the Herald Square Theatre on September 17, 1895, and has retained that name until the present.

6) The Knickerbocker

After the destruction of his Park Theatre at Twenty-second Street, Henry E. Abbey had no house that he could call his own until 1893, when he opened the theatre at the northeast corner of Thirty-eighth Street, where he introduced Irving, Bernhardt, and other foreign actors of high rank, opening with the first named on November 8, 1893. On September 14, 1897, the house
was opened as the Knickerbocker, a name that it still retains.

7) The Casino

The Casino, at the southeast corner of Thirty-ninth Street, was opened October 21, 1882, with "The Queen's Lace Hankerchief." The building is in the Moorish style, and has been, more than any other theatre in New York, the home of comic opera. Among its greatest successes were Erminie and Florodora, the latter of which seems to have been unfortunate for many of its participants, as several murders and numerous scandals in which Florodora girls were concerned filled the columns of the daily papers and set the town by the ears for some time during and after the run of the play.

The Rialto Section

A quarter of a century ago, the south side of Union Square was the lounging place of many actors seeking employment at the theatrical offices in that neighborhood; and the section was called the "Rialto". With the upward trend of the theatres and theatrical offices, the "Rialto" has moved to this section of Broadway; and in the "off" season, the sidewalks are crowded with actors and actresses seeking engagements.

The Metropolitan Opera House

Between Thirty-ninth and Fortieth streets on the west side, taking up the entire block to Seventh Avenue, is the Metropolitan Opera House, which opened October 22, 1883, with Henry E. Abbey as manager. The house has been devoted almost exclusively to grand opera, as it is too great in size to be an ordinary theatre. It has also been the scene of many great gatherings on patriotic occasions, of many public balls, and of concerts, as well as of several fairs. The history of the operas produced and of the great artists and singers who have appeared here would fill a book larger than this. Its interior was destroyed by fire in September, 1892, but was rebuilt in the following year.

The Empire Theatre

Opposite to it on the south side of Fortieth Street is the Empire Theatre, whose entrance is from Broadway. It was opened January 25, 1893, under the management of Charles Frohman, and has been famous, not only for its early stock company, but as the New York home of such actors as John Drew, Maude Adams, and similar stars.

The Metropolitan Casino

The Metropolitan Casino, at the southwest corner of Forty-first Street, was dedicated on May 27, 1880, and opened as a concert hall by Rudolph Aronson on October 10, 1881; to be followed later by Rudolph Bial and his orchestra with concerts and comic operas. On October 20, 1884, owing to bad business, the house became the Cosmopolitan Skating Rink. As early as 1887, a firm of which Bailey the circus man was an original member was started for the purpose of securing the property and opening it as a regular theatre. The house was rebuilt and opened March 3, 1888, as the Broadway Theatre. One of its greatest successes was the spectacular play of Ben Hur, founded on General Lew Wallace's famous story of the same name.

New York Theatres-Miscellaneous

New York has about 40 theatres, in addition to almost as many more variety houses and concert halls. The largest is the Metropolitan Opera House, opened in 1883, which occupies the block bounded by Broadway, Seventh Avenue, Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Streets. It seats 3200 persons. Among the largest and most luxurious of the theatres, most of which are on or near Broadway, are the Broadway, at Forty-first Street; the Casino, at Thirty-ninth Street; the Criterion, at Fourty-fourth Street, Daly's at Thirtieth Street; the Knickerbocker, at Thirty-eighth Street ; the Empire, at Fortieth Street : the Herald Square, at Thirty-fifth Street; the Garrick, in Thirty-fifth Street ; the Manhattan, at Thirty-third Street; Wallack's, at Thirtieth Street; the Savoy, in Thirty-fourth Street; the Victoria and Belasco's, at Forty-second Street : the New York, at Forty-fifth Street ; and the Majestic, at Fifty-ninth Street. In other parts of the town should be mentioned the American Theatre, at Eighth Avenue and Forty-second Street; the Garden Theatre at Madison Avenue and Twenty-seventh Street; and the Irving Place Theatre, a German high-class theatre, at Fifteenth Street and Irving Place.

Among the newest theatres are the Lyceum, in forty-fifth Street, and the Hudson, in Fourty-fourth Street. The most important music hall of the city is that built by Andrew Carnegie at Fifty-seventh Street and Seventh Avenue, which is known by its founder's name. It was opened in May, 1891. It is one of the finest concert halls in the world, and cost more than $1,000,000. The main hall seats 3000 people, and there are two smaller concert rooms. The most important concerts of the season, such as those of the Philharmonic Society, the Boston Orchestra, and the Oratorio Society, are given here. Mendelssohn Hall, a beautiful music room occupied by the Mendelssohn Glee Club, in West Fortieth Street, is used for many of the smaller concerts, recitals, etc. The total seating capacity of New York's places of amusement has been estimated at over 80,000. The Harlem section also has several fine theatres, among which are the Harlem Opera House, near Seventh Avenue on 125th Street, and the West End Theatre, on 125th Street west of Manhattan Avenue. The Star Theatre, at Lexington Avenue and 107th Street, is also a large house.