New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-05-23
THE NEW OPERA HOUSE.

1909.
THE NEW OPERA HOUSE.
The building Of the opera house At the corner OF
Bourbon and Toulouse streets is going ahead brskly
The foundations have been laid, and the front walls
have almost reached hight OF one story. The great
area of the theater attracts the attention Of every
body; and as all our opera going population feel
more or less interest in it, we think some account Of
the shape, plan, and style of the building will be
acceptable.
1t will be handsome structure of the Italian order
Of architecture, with front of one hundred and
sixty.six feet on Bourbon street, one hundred and
eghtyseven on Toulouse street, and hight Of about
eighty feet in ts highest part. Whilst the external
walls will be some distance back of the usual line,
thus widening the banquettes OF the two streets
the Bourbon street front will project over and rest
upon an arcade the pillars OF which will be at the
curb stone. gallery six feet wide and sixty feet
long will project from this arcade over the street. as
shelter to ladies entering and leaving carriages in
bad weather. The upper side of the building will be
divided from the adjoining buildings by tagged pas
cage seventeen feet wide. The ediice will rise like
Colossus over every thing in that vicinity.
10 the basement there will be seven elegant stores;
two on Toulouse street. two at each Of the front corn
ers and one the side passage. 1t is supposed that
Mr. Bellanger the conectioner, will lease the whole
Of the for his use and for subeasug to others.
Two broad and high flights Of steps constitute the
front entrance to the theater, rather to the first
and second dress circles parquette and boxes. Be
tween these flights Of steps the pit entrance going
in from the level Of the street. Going up the main
entrance, you enter very broad lobby, extending all
round the dress circle. Leaving the lobby, you enter
corridor almost broad and in the auditorium,
by far the largest and finest proportioned ever de-
signed in this city.
It is eliptica n shape, and fully large as that
Of the Tacon at Havana. The hight from pit to
ceiling is ffty-sx feet, the width ninety feet. The
stage projects in curve, and the parquette seats
ranged in curve to correspond there being a
broad enclosure for the orchestra between along the
whole front of the stage. There are five latticed
boxes on each side Of the parquette and open boxes,
or bagnores, all round the pit There are four tiers.
The first dress circle is very capacious contain.
ing two rows of stalls, of four seats each fifty two
stalls in all, with broad passages between the rows,
and twenty attced boxes. The second tier or dress
circle, contains front row of sixty chairs with
range of eight open stalls and twenty atticed boxes
All the atticed boxes in the two dress circles have
parlors behind each box its parlor. The third tier
is plainly furnished with seats without boxes or diy
sons. 1t is for the cheap admission Of white people
and is equal to the pit The fourth and highest ter
is similarly arranged, and is intended for colored
people. Some idea of the roomness of this audto
rum and its arrangements may be derived from the
fact that with all its Seats stalls and boxes it will
seat only one thousand six hundred people. Great
numbers, however, stand in the corridors and en-.
frances and it is expected that when thoroughly
| crowded the auditorium will hold about two thous-
| and or two thousand five hundred.
| The stage is IS feet wide and 60 feet deep. The
| proscenium is large and very handsome. Four
futed Corinthan columns, 80 feet high, on square
pedestals 10 feet high, will support the arch, two on
| each side. Between the columns, on each side, will
be three tiers OF elegant proscenium boxes, two in
each tier making u stage boxes in all each with
its paror in The OF the style of the furnishings
paintings, ETC., of the auditorium, we cannot now
speak, though we assured that everything vii
be on the first scale of taste beauty, and convent
ence.
| On each side of the stage are ranges of larg,
property rooms, whilst at the is very large un
obsructed space containing racks for sceneres not
use. The dressing,rooms rather remote from the
stage being the two sides of the building in the
second story, their windows overlooking Toulouse
street and the upper side passage. Convenient
enough to the stage, however, is the green-room as
well as large retiring room for the orchestra.
| The ventations and escapes of the building are
abundant and well arranged. On each side of the
auditorium, but still enclosed within the building, are
two open yards, each as long as the auditorium
which has numerous windows opening on them. On
the far sides Of these yards the rears of the stores
fronting on the street and the passage; and above
the back windows of the dressing. rooms. The actors
| entrance is Toulouse street. Besides the broad
front entrances to the parquette and first circle and
the winding stairways to the second CIRCLE all three
! are connected on each side, near the proscenium
with other broad stairways, and hall leading out at
each side, one on Toulouse street and the other on
the passage. The proscenium boxes also join the
connections here. This is an admirable arrangement
In case of accident panic the house could be
emptied in very short time without harm to any
body.
| We now come to what will render this theater i'm
measulably more comfortable and luxurious than any
we have yet had in this city series of arrange
ments more like those of hotel than an operahouse
The whole secondstory front Of the building is sci
apart to relaxation conversation and the other means
employed to relieve the time between the acts Owe,
the main entrance, and fronting the street, is saloon
or cruslroom," finished in the most beautiful style
60 feet long, &c feet wide, and % feet high. Con
Meeting with this saloon at its lower end at the Tou
louise street corner, the cubrooms for the stock
holders of the theater general meeting room,
paror and all kinds of conyenences including range
of watercose There private entrance by which
the stockholders gain these rooms from Toulouse. Al
the upper end of the grand saloon, and correspond
ing in number and situation with those of the clut
quarter is q series of rooms for the retirement o.
ladies visiting the theatre large paror connecting
with coakroom, and boudoir or toilet.room, will
all the other convenences that ladies can require
The central saloon opens ont on the gallery which We
have already mentioned projecting the street
Over the above central saloon, and fully as capa
cious, is small theater place prepared exclusively
| for rehearsas.
To describe all the minor arrangements of the thea
ter such the different Offices business rooms etc.
would take up more room than we can at present
spare.
The cost of the building and ground will be abou
100000 the furnishings will come to S50,OOO more
It will be truly magnificent theater, and one which
will add much to the fe of its already famous arch
tects and builders, Caller & Esterbrook.