Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-08-06
THE FINEST THING IN KANSAS.
A General Description OF the New Opera
House.

General Description OF the New Opera
| House.
| The building will be sixty feet wide by AS
feet deep and three stories high, containing a
main or ground floor with 5o5 seats. balcony
AS seats, gallery $50 seats.
! In entering from the street we pass
through the outer vestibuie, 14x2i feet, into
the lobby, 21x24 feet. At the further end of
the lobby an archway thirteen feet wide
| opens into the foyer back of the audience
room. At each side of this archway starts a
broad stairway to the balcony and gallery.
The foyer extends across the entire building
and the partition between it and the audi
ence room is filed with large openings which
are covered with rich portieres.
The lobby and vestibule will have marble
floor, heavy wainscotting and be richly
frescOed
The main or ground floor will have good
incline, making good lines Of sight, and it
will be filed with the most approved opera
chairs upholstered in plush.
The general shape of the audience room is
laid out with regard to the best acoustic
effects, having large sounding board over
the stage opening and gradually expanding
out toward the rear. There will be two boxes
at each side Of the opening and the archi-
tectural treatment will combine the frescoing
with detail to produce beauty of form and
attractiveDess in coloring to satisfy and
please the eye. Every part viii blend to-
.gether in the most approved manner possible,
r. r;.b
ence rooms in the country.
The stage opening will be thirty-two feet
wide by thirty feet high and will be treated
in rich, ornate manner, which combining
with the boxes at each side, will make
one of the handsomest prosciniums in the
country.
The stage will be 80 feet deep by 81 feet
wide, and 40 feet to gridlon, giving space for
any play 1t will be fitted up with traps,
scenery, drops and other paraphernalia nee
essary to allow the best plays to be produced.
In fact nothing is intended to be left off of
this most necessary part of the house which
may be required to give the public the best
spectacular and any play which can be pro-
duced in the large cities.
The balcony will be laid out with good lines
of sight be filled with chairs upholstered in
leather: it will have broad stairways indie
pendant from gallery, making it as desirable
as the main floor.
The gallery will be independent from the
rest of the house and the occupants viii not
mingle with those in balcony and main floor.
The starways are broad, and convenient TO
all parts Of the gallery and balcony, with
outside iron fire-escapes on alleys. In the
front part of the building on both sides of
lain entrance will be small store, over
these will be located the theatre Office, par
Tor, ladies' retiring room. smoking room etc. |
and above these a hall 81 feet by % feet |
These are SO arranged that they can be used
for small dances, parties, concerts, and |
church festivals The parlor, retiring rooms
etc, are also used in connection with the the
atre The entire building will be heated with
steam, lighted by gas and incandesent cleo
trio light, frescoed in handsome style, and
will have the best lines of sight, acoustic and
ventilation, of any theatre in the country.
The outside will show three-story front,
resigned WitD IL view u presenting Ill
and attractive appearance and will be com
posed Of iron, stone, terracotta and brick
The windows will be filled with plate and
colored glass, and the whole appearance will
be such that it will at once be one of our
landsomest buildings and great addition to
our city.
The work of planning this opera house is
lnder the control of G. A. Masters, theatrical
lrchitect, vino has planned most of the lead
ng theatres OF the west.
Fifty thousand dollars is the estimated cost
# this fine building, which vii not only
prove an attractive center in and OF itself
,ut enhancing in a wonderful manner all
l1joining properties and proving chief or
lament 10 the city, of so conspicuous as to
Ne statewide celebrity and fame In short,
will prove just the attraction which will
Ne of great Importance to Wichita as com
nercial point in that it would afford place
f amusement equal to anything in the west.
hat part of the city which secures this mag
iflcent building will be in luck.