New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-21
DESCRIPTION or THE NEW HoOSh
THE LARGEST AUDIENCE-ROoM IN liz
WORLD-THE DECORATIONS

In MCtrOpOlltan
thrown omen to its chief use tomorrow, 'heio 10
-, Co.. discourse for all manner OF critics
IT. obi+ectural wiseaCres can nave their say
- tLo exterior the material, the disposition OF
tbo lines in the audience-room ana the 'houSahu
"a one things which lie within Their Ken Inc
,,eicaI critics can speak knowingly Oh the l""s VI
.1n+ioo of sound-waves, tonal nodes, resonators,
oo,rd retlectOrs, and pretend to throw OH the ven
,hosa outcruost ends have only been toucheo 10y
Cblsdni and Hemholz and Tyndall. The ART crit
I'm these aesthetic days great Committee OF the
Ubole-can dsscct the color scheme of the interior
decoration and pronounce emphatically and at OIL
hand on the myriad of details on the tier-tronts,
nroscenium and ceiling. In fact, great deal OF
wisdom on all these points has been expended al
ready and within fifteen minutes after the orchestra
starts the hum of conversation next Monday II may
be accepted that they will have been settled IN TWO
OF three thousand minds at least
Meanwhile few will refrain from sitting IN Judg-
ment until there is meeting OF tho conditions
which make sound judgment possible; untll the
pile is finished, the corridors are cleared ana the
facade stands out complete and free OF scaiiolds;
nnt,I within the walls the whole scheme of Orna-
mentation is carried out until the audience-room
stested by performance in the presence of gayly
dressed audience who will unconsciously play an
extremely important part In the determination OF
the theatres acoustic properties; until tho gaS)ets
are fairly abazo and the flood of yellow light mas
mellowed the ground tint into rich ivory color
and called out a roseate blush on the draperes OF
the boxes For the present, description TO be talr
ought only to be general; the settlement OF details
can bde the time when familiarity Will have proved
whether or not it will be restfu and gratifying to
the eve to 90 frequently to the new temple OF music
whether or not the will receive It's delights there
without wearsome straining, and whether there Is
~ ctru+ ha
and the correctness of style which lend reposc and
abiding beauty.
Several things make the new opera house an OBJ
iect of unusual interest. True to national tend
ency this has n bigger audienCC-rOOm than any
other opera house in the world, exceeding III dlmen-
sions the famous structures of Milan Naples, Paris
London and Vienna. 1t covers little over city
block and quarter, filling to the edge OF the side
walks the plot of ground bounded by Broadway,
Seventh-ave. and Thirty-ninth and tOrtieth-sts.
About OnC-QuaTeT of this vast surface area is oc-
cupied by the audience-room; another quarter Is
devoted TO the stage and barring small portion of
the upper stories in the Broadway end OF the struct
ure all the rest of the space from cellar to roof IL
given up to the accessories to vestibules, cor
rdors starcases, assembly -rOoms, parloTs. foyer,
rigging loft artists dressing -rOOms sceneroonls,
areen-roOms band-rOOms, property-rooms, ORA
per rooms, rehearsal rooms, carpenter shop,
and offices for the management. few bach
elors' apartments will be put III the upper
floors of the unfinished Broadway portion after all
the requirements Of the operate season have been
met 1t is hoped that this portion of the building
will be finished by New Years Day. The audience
on Monday will find incompleteness only outside
the audience-reom. Vestibules and corridors will
be complete and the last touch will have been given
to the theatre. but the foyer will not be finished,
and brick walls will bar the way to the suite of as
sembly-roons which will occupy the corner build
.ngs.
SAFEGUARDS AGAINST FIRE
After its size the Metropolitan Opera House is
most interesting because of its freproof character
Here the demonstration Is already complete, and
with the horrors of the Brooklyn Theatre fire and
the holocaust Of the Vienna Ring Theatre yet IN
lively remembrance, there will be no lack OF appre
citation of the surprising excellence Of this feature
For long time it has been the crying shame OF
theatre builders that occurrences like those OF
Brooklyn and Vienna have been possible. Inc IN
difference of the architects and the stubbornness
with which they have chung to antquated notions
Of construction in spite of the advance in science is
nothing less than cause for wonder and amaze
ment. This was brought to publioattention in Ger
many five years ago by the publication of book on
theatre fires written by one who deserves to have
his name chrOnicled-August FOlsch In his re-
markable little book Herr FOsch has catalOgued
GIG fires that ended with the entire destruction OF
theatres and opera houses; and 400 OF them hap
pened within the last 100 years. In London alone
thirty theatres were destroyed between 1913 and
1873 But more interesting than Herr FOsCIs fig
ures was his discussion Of building methods, from
which it appeared that for $50 years there was
practically no advance in the choice of material
used in thcatro-building. Wooden walls were
Al. ,t,,,, lcnsa
tnry after series Of destructive conlagrations, but
the use of light timber canvas and equally iniam-
mablc material in proscenum and stage continued
without interruption down TO the present time
The Introduction Of gas illumination with its re-
sultant heat which bakes and chars tho walls and
balcony fronts until they become like finder only
waiting the touch Of spark to leap into flame,
might have been expected TO bring about an nnpor-
tant modification in respect TO this, but 1t did not
and MelpOmenc and ITALIA continue to lure theH
deyOtees into the arms Of terrible Moloch Inc
recent catastrophe in Vienna caused a great com
motion in Germany and Austria, and many scleh-
tifc men applied themselves to a solution OF inc
problem how 10 make theatre freproof hut-
ter of excitement caused here TOO, by the DIh-
ing of Mr. Abbey's Park Theatre, and the building
law defeated by a committee of thu last Legislature
contained several wise provisions on this important
subject
There can be no doubt that the best teachings OF
the recent agitation are realized in the Metropolitan
Opera House. J. Cleaveland Cady, the architect
has said that his plans insure greater safety thah
the regulations of the Imperial Opera House In Der
lin, which were sent TO him for study He has Duiit
his house frcprOof to all intents aud purposes from
: The bottom up There is not stud partition IN III
the floors all of iron beams and brick arches, inc
masonry being finished and exposed in the corrl-
doris, passages and vestbules, but, for comfort, nav
ing a covering of wood in the audience-room. Inc
roof is of iron and masonry the outer covering OF
slate being secured to the masonry blocks that
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