St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-10
The HENNEPIN is SOLD.
Another Turn to the Theatrical Merry
Go-Round.
THIS TIME IT PERMEATES,
But There Is Going to Be a Fuss
Over 1t Just the
Same.

The Hennepin avenue theater is sold
again. A rumor to that effect yesterday
was the latest to agitate the already
troubled sea in which several theatrical
ventures in Minneapolis have been
tossed about for few weeks past. The
purchaser is James A. McGeagh, mall
ager of the Minnesota Coal and Timber
Supply company. and the price paid is
said to be Sl50,000 cash. Earnest money
in a good round sum has been
paid down, and the deal is to
be closed within thirty days. The
building is to be finished throughout
Immediately, and some Improvements
made. A companion theater, to be one
of the two new opera houses to be built
at st. Paul during the year, has been
secured. This includes in brief the
main details of the transaction which is
believed to have been conSummated.
Messrs. Phelps and Merrill, who have
bought up the claims of the lienholders
some time ago, signed a contract
with c. A. Hunt. the attorney
with acquired an equity in the
property giving him an option
fer its sale at certain amount up TO
July |, and Mr.. Hunt signed papers to
the same effect, giving Merrill and
Phelps the power to dispose of the
property, including his equity. Then
came the sale to the Grand syndicate
for Sl25,000, negotiated by Merrill and
Phelps, which finally fell through.
Since then Mr.. Hunt negotiated the
sale which was made public yesterday.
That there is to be something of fuss
over the deal, however, is probable from
a report that came yesterday from Chi
ff,t I'm hot I Dllni,
terday leased the theater to 2. IL. Har-
riS, the theatrical manager with whom
negotiations have been under way for
some time. Notice of the sale to Nc
Geagh under the contract to Hunt was,
however, served on Mr.. Phelps before
ne left for Chicago. so it is not plain as
to how he could subsequently lease to
Harris. Merrill and Phelps either
desire to hold the property for
leasing themselves, OF else the option to
Hunt will leave that gentleman good
margin of profit which they desire to
make themselves. The figure at which
the option was placed was reported at
the time of the deal with the Grand
syndicate to be $4,000, which was con-
sidered to be good round figure, eSpe-
cially in view Of the fact that the prop
erty could have been purchased few
months before for 100000.
1t is thought Mr.. Hunts contract will
hold all right, in which event he will
take the management, it is understood,
which will be guarantee of the sue
cess of the Hennepin, as he has shown
good managerial ability, and it is GER
tainly due to his pluck and energy that
the pretty little theater was opened to
the public after standing idle over a
year, and given a chance to show its
real value.
Another question which came up is as
to what st. Paul theater it will be run
in connection with. 1t is certain that it
will not be the opera house in the con-
struction of which the Grand syndicate
is interested, and it is therefore proba-
BILE that the opera house to
be erected by the Twin City
Opera House company will be
the one. In that event the negotiations
by that company for the leasing of the
Peoples theater will. of course, be
dropped. 1t looks as though the deal
with Kohl 81 Middleton, which has Gre
ated such a racket, may have been got
ten up as something of blind. Either
that, or there is still another scheme on
faot to build an opera house in St. Paul.