The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-01-14

I an0 concerts In the CITY
Artistic Movem. nss, Sc.
To sill be memorable night In the fgsfi Of our
neighbos the The dissolut Of the Union
and The prospect civil pale in interes. before the
excitement q 'io eat local event which to come off,
Tomorrow tie GIookly nes naugurata iher new Opera
iioHsc, which was the only thing waiting in their eyes
to Glye them metropolitan rank. Henccl1r.h Brooklyn
considers herself in position to ptri paSsu with
| New York We not susceptible, and therefore give
our trr~ryc.aa friends tie full beneat OF our aid
on this 70 them All important occasion.
HISTORY a. u,E InnDlyc
Tho dependence of the people of Iso0slyn on New
| York Tor their anusements and the increasing in
conycn'rn occasoned to them By The up town move
ment--drawing in its wake, il did, al the the
a,rcal cstablishInens--suggestod TO few individuals
in The sister city thc desirabeness Of erecting some
building which would render them entirely independent
of us In order TO test the pablo feeling The subec
they put their uames at tho head OF a subscription
list fof Opera House, and on taking 1t
round met with such cordial response that
they at once felt that al thai was necessary
TO render the project successful was TO interest in II tho
directors Of the Phharnonc Society Dr. Hur It's able
and lic spirited Treasure. spoken on the ID
jrci aud IL is mainly to h% excrons aud those of Mr.
wyman, its Pres lent, that the project has been
worked out 70 a success III result
Early in October, 1853, committee, consisting os
Messrs Luther b. Wyman r.. r. Raymond and Dr. A
Cooke HUI, appointed by the Philharmonic Society
TO Lake the proposition into consideration and in tbs
same month meeting Of the citizens he'd in the
polyechno Institute, Ito devise measures to erect
large and suitable han brooklyn for musical and oos
purposes. large and highly respectable audience
was present and Notwithstanding strong opposition to
the movement anticipated from the clerFg tho
warmes, sympathy oas expressed BY lsese gentlemen,
&c rxa II.
ment and substantial aid 70 those who have had it ii
charge
Such wac the pec,edy met with, and 20
unanimously did the citizens forward assist il
the work that in short time after the first general
ing hundred thou-,ld dollars subscribed
and paid in
On The 10th Of March, 1859 act passed ncorrr.
rating 'the Brooklyn Acadcmy Of Music for the purpose
OF encouraging and cryating taste for music litora
ture and the arts wherein i provided that the
ptai stock should $4,000 with liberty to in
creaseAe same TO $500 coo The said stock divided
into shares o. $50 oach and made transferable in the
dina manner. Every original subscriber of $500 and
upwards is entitled under such regulations the drec
tors may establish to free admission for every ten
shares Of stock so subscrbeda provision calculated to
secure at all times a nucleus for an audience.
Recently effort was made in the Board Of Direction
10 give the additional privilege Of reserved seat to
every original subscriber Of ten shares the claims OF the
smaller stockholders being completely ignored To the
credit Of the directors the proposition voted down
by large majority. Had been adopted it would have
involved tie enterprise in the same difficulties which
have rendered the Now York Academy failure, both in
artistic and pccuniary point OF view.
The site selected for the Academy il the most
vcnent and eligible in the city Of Brooklyn being the
south side OF Montague street, between Court and Clinton
streets, which converge all the railroads that
through Brooklyn, Williamsburg and the adjoining dis
trcts Tho COS. Of the ground forty five thousand
| dollars.
The frs, estimate For tie building fixed its entire cost
at $3.50 000 This has been exceeded by about $40 000
a credtably small sum, when take into the
changes tina. have been made in the original plan and
the accident that took place in the fall Of last year,
when the roof blown down and increased expense
Of 81 GOO incurred The entire amount has been raised
by subscriptions and additional assessments the
shareholder The building opens without shil ing OF
debt upon circurstanc that cannot fail 10 contr
butte greatly to its success.
In regard the dividend pa, ng aspects Of tie
PRISE the directors stated in their original circular
| the public that
"Ihe design is TO make the proposed edlcc the
men and pride Of Brooklyn, and 70 place beyond the
probable reach OF competition for long time to
Moreover IL built at all II is also 10 DO paid for This is
absolute gpc In programme. Now, when
Is remembered that there is not and is not likely 10 be-
any other place where entertainments q high order
either literary artistic find remunerative ROOM
and that all the interests have mentioned and many
others must 60 there for accommodation, we over
sangune the expectation that such property
bercd by debt, and commanding the liberal rents which
would enable its essees afford would yield
| able profit TO its owners
AEcuEcrrRE Drcoa,rroSs
The style OF the building is strictly Gothic in constyuc
ton well in decoration The applicability OF this 70
theatre might well be doubted but for the popularity Of
the views Of Of the gentlemen who had charge Of the
enterprise ard the preudces it necessary conci
ate. Its appropriateness may be best Illustrated by
ncdon, which occurred in the Senate chamber Albany,
when the charter OF incorporation under discussion
Some Of the rural members firmly opposed 10 any
grant for theatre the ground that such instii
tons promoted RIGHTEOUSNESS. et IT pass said senator
Spnola. "it viii make good church for Beechcr" And
\ pass n did under this nducement.
The exterior OF the building In divided four
parmcnts vzthe great entrance containing the porch
| and assembly room, q OF some forty-Gyc feet in
width with three openings; the auditorium nanked by
stsirways; The stage aud the green most com
mendabc csgh has been exhibited the provisions
made for ingress and cgress 10 the various parts o the
building There are, for instance no less Than seven dis
tnct entrances to the psrquete while large exit between
the stage and auditorium directly 10 tho street from the
rarquette and gallery and another the west end,
opening into the space at the end OF tho building anord
TO the audience ample OF escape in any emergency
that may arise. The starways feet wide and
AFRO built up between brick walls; and there is add
ional exit stairway in the OF the stage Mon
tsgue street behind the private boxes
The principal Hobbies twenty one feet wide, and
the great vestibue below and the assembly room above
IL forty two feet in width and eighty-siS fect in
depth, making the whole building including walls, Sc.
hundred and thirtytwo feet long and nnety-two
feet WIDE with addition q eighteen by twenty feet,
containing private stairway and bu,ler's acccmmoda
toms connecting spacious kitchen IN the basement
with the assembly hall, in the second sory, which Is 70
he used a supper for balls and other similar
casons.
Besides this there accommodations 10 the b1semeni
for jantor with his family dressing rooms for the