Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-15
THE NEW OPERA HOUSE.
The Public Waiting Apxiously for it's
Completion-What it viii
Be Like.

Be Like.
The new opera house, whose walls
arc now reared at the corner of Broad.
way and Seventh streets, will go far
towards meeting a long felt want here,
as for years this city has been without
any suitable amusement place. The
new building has a frontage of 60 feet
and a depth of loo feet and 1t is
arranged to seat 1000 persons.
Generally the seating capacity
of public buildings lie over.
stated and overestimated, but the
| figure stated is avowed to be close to
| tho accurate fact. There are to be
two galleries extending clear around
The stage Is to be 38860 feet, which
will be indeed a roomy one, and In di.
mensions will compare well with the
best theaters In the country. The
proscenium Ia to be 81 feet. The cur.
tains and scenes are to run by weights,
and will have all the latest and beat
appliances for quick and easy hand.
ling.
There are four direct exits, one on
the west side, one on the east and two
from the stage, the main n In front
being fourteen feet In width. For the
dress circle and first gallery there Is to
be q stair way Ct twenty feet, and for
the second gallery n Of fifteen feet,
giving three chances for exit. The
offices and stores In the front are to be
disconnected by iron doors, and every
~precaution possible taken to prevent
fire.
The main auditorium Is to be finish
cd with q dome about eight feet In
diameter. The whole building IL to
DO heated by steam, and
special attention has been paid
to the plans : to having the
building we'll ventilated. There Is to
be a separate entrance on Seventh
street leading to the stage, and to the
dressing rooms and closets for the
actors. There are also four star Dress
ing rooms back of the prosceniums.
For the better accommodation of the
public there is to be a parlor, cloak
room and toilet conveniencies, and off
from the first gallery q smoking room.
1t Is expected that the building will
be finished early In the season, az all
the needed material Is ordered al.
ready, and work will be pushed right
along.
The estimated cost of the building
when finished Is about $40, 900. 1t
seems that at this figure there must
be some neglect in furnishing it As at.
~tractively and comfortably as the
amusement public will demand. 1t is
hoped that there will be no such parsi.
mony shown In finishing the new
building that has been shown in the
management CT the old one, but with
the opening CT the new place there
will be q resurrection OF enterprise in
management, aud some care for the
comfort of the people.
The present opera house, or hall as
1t Is more properly called, has been
and is almost worse than none. Its
situation over a stable, on q side
street, its inconvenience and lack of
comforts and accommodations, keep
many from attending entertainments
there, and there Is no first class com.
pany which can do itself %justics in
appearing upon what Is called Its
stage, there being no room for seem
cry, and no ,conveniences for prop.
erly presenting q play. Council
Bluffs has on this account been
given the go.by by many companies,
and those of our citizens who wanted
first.class entertainments have had to
60 to Omaha.
1t is with some impatience, there.
fore, that many walt for the COM
pletion Of the new opera house, and
some curiosity as to whether in its
inishings and furnishings 1t will be
suah a place as Council Bluffs needs.
If so, it will be hailed with delight,
and literally p~atronized. If not, the
city will wag on In the old way, catch.
ing a fsw of the cheaper sort of
shows, and occasionally giving a
good company chance to
do discredit to themselves and
destroy all e~njoyability of q play by
presenting 1t IN q bare and stinted
stags to an audience wriggling about
on uncomfortable seats in a daintily
decorated auditorium. Council Bluffs
has long felt the need of q good opera
house, and 1t is hoped that the prom
ise Of ono now held out will BE- speed.
ly fulfilled and made salts aotory in
all respects.
Iu the meantime there 10 little use
Ct expecting anything really enjoyable
in the amusement line. The best
companies shrink from coming here,
and even II they do come, neither they
nor the public can be accommodated
so as to do credit to tho former or give
much satis faction to the latter.
Ladies' and children's wool hoods at
Hardness, circuit q Co. q.