New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-27

n,a,e and n. execution artistic. The house lie lighted
By ,upeib git ard glass chandelier 10 feet IN crcum
ference depending from the center of the dome, with
go gss-burners, and by numerous beautiful brackets
agsip,. the wall Of each tier. These fxtures-ss al
tbose Of the house-are the designs and work Of the
celebrated firm Of Cornelius & Baker.
THE STAGE DEPARTMENT.
Whatever Communications / have deemed = just
10 bestow upon the parts Of the Philadelphia Academy
Of Mutic, already described, mus. award equal, II
Lot gr> a.er praise TO the Stage Department. Meas
ured from the front of the stage this occupies an area
Of 90 feet in delh by 80 in width. The opening of
the curtain is 20 feet and the hight OF the opening at
the apex Of the proscenum arch is 30 feet The hight
above the stage feet allowing the to be
lifted clear Of the ies The stage floor is in numerous
transverse sections for the purpose of dropping scenes
ALEC below IT, aDd Of elevating by machinery portions
of t. 90 as to form bridges, terraces, Platforms ETC.,
without the necessity of building them up. The ex'
csyatop under the stage is nearly 80 feet deep, with
an intermediate cub stsge, II may 20 term II, having
traps corresponding with those Of the upper'hoor, to
admit Of the dropping Of scenery. On each side ofthe
stage are sarcase of easy ascent and neatly finished,
and sundry apartments. Among them is the Green
Room. 20 by ~ feet--spacious and Handsome TIE
Stage Managers Room, ample, also, Tor chorus re-
heaIssls; the Property Mans Rooms, and seveTa!
dressing rooms Under the Green Room is the Super
numeraries' Room and near the orchestra the Muai-
clans Room. The upper stories on the stage sides
are devote TO dressngrooms, all nicely and
completely furnshed; TO wardrobes, carpenters ana
scene-painttrs rooms, etc., OF the most ample Oh
mensions. Three painters-as is now the iact-caa
work at once each ful-sized drop scenes The ma
cbnery Of the stage Of the most approved and per
feet descrpton equal to all the acquisitions OF opera,
mtlo.drama. ballet, etc. The scenery has been Tor
several months in progress the chief artists being Mr..
Bsltin of Berlin and Rvere Of Brussels IN the achi-
tec;urel, and Russell Smith of Philadelphia IN the
Landscape depsr ment The stock OF scenery a; pres
eut finished is sufficient or fifteen operas Ihs notthe
place to detail the merits of this scenery which doubt
less will have justice done it as soon as II i' used IN
operas and dramas. The stage furniture, properties
and Appointments are more comprehensive ana sub
stantal than those of any dramatic house 10 America
CONSTRUCTION, WARMING, vESTILATING.
am rot aware that earthquakes are very frequent
in Philadelphia, but the Directors Board seem to
have looked for such visitation as monthly proba
Lility Seriously, the thickness of the walls is in
honest contrast with the hunied-up egg-shel-hke
mural portions Of the great mass OF American build
ipcs public and private The walls IN question are
massive and solid throughout The foundation walls
are four feet thck-the inner as well as the outer
wals--and some Of them the auditorium for instance,
three feet at the top Of the house.
The TIMBER match the walls in strength, and all the
wood. work is of the most substantial material and
pre- portions. The ornamentation, by the way, oil the
box-fronts the proscenum the saloons, ETC., Is all
ceryed out of solid wood the ordinary material of such
decorations (paper mach6 and stucco being wholly
omitted | have stated that the entire ROOT, as well
as the frame OF the dome Of mon. The timbers sus'
tanning the floors of the box-ers are boted together
with intermediate plates of boiler iron to stiffen
th,m In wold the structure is honestly reared for
posterity -builded long, but builded strong.
The heating OF the house is effected entirely by
steam-no less than six miles of pipes being used within
il for the purpose. Two large boilers are placed outside
tie basement of the building. The warming OF the
house hes been tested for several weeks, and during
the recent severe weather with the thermomeer DOT
of doors nearly at zero, the stage and suderun and
every room pertaining to beth have been kept perfectly
com foitable. This is an achievement woth mention
ipg. The ventilation is effected by numerous iues,
with registers in the VALE, all Conducted to central
81 aft over the DOME Fresh air may be also ardciiy
propelled, in warm weather, by fan, worked by
stcam.engne in the basement, which also throws
water into reservoirs on the top of the house.
On every floor are fre.plugs with hose attached.
All the retiring rooms of the audience department ana
all the department floors have water Introduced
into them. Bathrooms also pntain TO the stage
dreespg-rooms. The windows all round the bulldog
afford ample light by day in every part. Skylights
are over the stage. Gasght is Of course everywhere
for night use.
The architects Of this fine building are Messrs. Le
Brun & Rupge, the former native of Phladelphia,
the latter German long resident there.
We have thus described the Philadelphia Academy
of Music because in the essential requirements OF
great lyrical and dramatic edifce it is the first in the
United States TO answer the demands of those art';
and its erection therefore, is Grain their csAtan-
tic history Not that in all particulars we approve of
the internal aspect of the building The devices on
the box.froDts, for instance, might have been much
more definite and varied. The paper-dark crimson
on the auditorium wallis damask pattern with no
freshness of design and the color has nothing akin to
the delicate tnts-almost white--of the projecting
boIters their barriers, columns modilons, etc but,
as correspondence with the covering OF the seats,
and as background for the relief OF the light toettes
Of ladies in the audience ii may be udicously chosen
The pIoscenum, however is very elegant, and could
not venture suggestion Of Improvement. The same OF
the painting Of the DOME On the whole, the effect Of
our own Academy of Music in Fourteenth street-of
its auditorium--is much striking and gorgeous
than that of the Philadelphia house, though unforu
nately all our decorations of form-the caryatdes and
what not-sre unsubstantial pspiermache or compost
ti0n instead of the sohd, durable sculpture of the
other In poiu Of extent, too, the latter has greatly
the advantage.
The following figures compare the two: