The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-27
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The workmen are very busily engaged upon this new
and splendid opera house 1t ia announced to open on
the 18th Of May next It s externally huge struc
ture nearly 100 feet high BY 1872 feet broad and no less
theatre and about the same size as the celebrated La
Scala Of Milan hitherto the largest in the world The
four oter walls of the building constructed on the
cellular principle, which Is in different ways getting
much Into vogue In works of great strength Each
wall Il apparently about twenty -four feet thick though IL
is In reality composed Of two wal the outer Of three feet
thickness and the inner two feet, with walls
also two feet thick Mt intervals OF twenty feet apart and
running up between them from top to bottom. These
with wroughron te-rods holding both inner and outer
wallis together, give immense strength and lghtness to
the whole The root is composed Of nine great lattice
gers Of wrought on each Of which is ninety feet long
by eighteen inches broad and nine feet six inches deep
These each Of them weighing eighteen TONS and equal
to dead strain Of 500 placed at intervals of twenty
feet apart and oored between at the bottom while on
them rests ridge and frrow roof Of glass and iron
Thus between each pair Of girders spacious
ninety feet loags1 @enty wide, and about fourteen
high, Witt Ne 70 be used carpenters workshops,
stczs.Eed& &c. To these girden will be hung tie orna.
shaped ceiling, which viii be covered with
&hd mouldings in white and gold of the most
-eerxtc design. The whole dome a beautiful feature
in italian architecture apparently rests four
Three forming the front and side galleries. aud one over
~ prosccnium The latter has been CONSTRUCTED with
al reference to its acoustic properties ana will be
Hsed with network of gold Facery on white ground
corresponding with the style Of the ceiling The paint
ing room will be the largest in the world and win be
supplied with machinery to roll the largest panorama
canvas up or down, right or left
The shape Of the old building like horseshoe
The present approaches nearly the shape of
old Greek thntreA perfect semi circle with the sides
prolonged There to be only three tiers of boxes
the pt ground, and upper tier, with thirty boxes in
each, nine feet six inches high They are to be hung
with coored silk and the architectural features of
the house will he enriched With the most massive decoa
tons In white and gold The Queen box will be on the
rghthaud sle Of the house. and will have private en-
trance and staircase fom Hart street. and beautifully
decorated anteroom attached to It. The Duke Of Bed
ford has similar accommodations more limited scale
The grand entrance is TO be in Bow street where Of
course there Is "a colonnade where tender beauty wait
ing for her couch protdes her gloveess hand and feels
the shower This entrance forms kind Of basement
STORY 10 the grand porco which rses over It, and from
which the entrance porch is separated by roof
The Corinthian portco viii be the finest ever built for
any modern theatre Rs extreme width will be 81 feet
by "a feet high All its columns will be Of solid stone
81 feet high by feet inches in diameter Flaxman's
exqsSfts sculptures fortunately saved almost unn-
jured from the ruins Of the old theatre and these have
been Incorporated by Mr. Barry into the details Of the
pofco The figures Of Tragedy and Comedy will be
placed N inches ehcr dde whilc the baa-recfs rep
YeSentng ancient and modern dramatic art Will be over
the crush room Window
Partly In ccnnexion with the open house is hereafter
to be built grand floral arcade so feet wide by so feet
MA and 24e long running along the entire length Of
the building ffom Bow street TO Covent Garden This
buldisg win be Of glass and IRON light and elegant In
FORM appearance and decoration a. suits the purpose
for which II Viii he used where only nowers win Be sold
On the greak nights Of the operatc season this Will We
lighted up, and remain open promenade for the
dtce Two OF three entrances being provided which win
admit at once from the theatre to the arcade.