St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-04
LIT TAKES The LEAD
And Gets Out the First Build
ing Permit for a New
Theater.
He Has Leased the Ground
and Bought the Panorama
Building,
Which he Will Convert Into
a Theater at an Expense
Of $1Go,Oo0.
Details of His Enterprise,
Which Gontemplates a
Fine Building.

Peter streets on the site now covered by
the Panorama building. Mr.. Lift has
been, together with his agents, working
for the past three months on the plans
and estimates. He has purchased the
panorama building outright, and secured
lease for ninety years on the ground.
The dimensions of the lot are $50 feet
square, and those of the new theater
will be 74Xl20. The plans for the
structure and the permit for its erection
was issued yesterday. The architect is
Oscar Cobb, Of Chicago, the best known
theater architect in America, and who
has built more theaters than any
other architect in the country.
The new theater will stand
diagonally on the lot. and the main en-
trance will be upon the same corner as
it is now. Entering the building at the
main entrance there will be traversed a
grand entrance dome, with the ticket
office at the right and doors of ingress
at the left. The convenience of this ar
rangement is that all tickets, either for
the gallery or lower house, will be OBJ
tainable at the same office.
THE STORES NOW STANDING
will all be extended, according 70 the re-
quirementS by the change in the build
ing, and will be left i'll about the same
position as at present, with the eXcep-
ton of cutting away an alley at each
extreme corner, communicating with
an open court. passing along each
side Of the auditorium and stage
with connecting stairs from the
balcony and gallery, and direct exits
from the lower house to the court. Be-
yond the grand entrance is a lobby. with
standing room for $50. and again beyond
the lobby comes the foyer proper, with.
standing room for 400. At each side of
the foyer are grand and roomy steel
StaircaseS leading to the balcony, and
also a perfectly appointed ladies' dress
ing room on the left, and similar accom-
modationS for gentlemen Oh the right.
In connection with the gentlemen'S
dressing room will be an extensive
smoking room. The lower auditorium
lnclineS down from the streetabOutfour
feet and six inches, and is divided into
the parquet and parquet circle, with
combined seating capacity of 700. From
the lower portion of the house there
will be fourteen exits, in which total
the stage exits are included This gives
in all about eighty feet of exit space. In
word, it may he said that every aisle
and paSsageway leads directly to an
exit. The lower house will be seated
with
vELvET-CUsFIoNED OPERA CHAIRS.
ana carpeted with bouquet carpet of a
bright maroon color. J1ambrequins,
portieres and valances will adorn every
available niche. Specially magnificent
hangings have been selected for the
spaces between the grand entrance and
hn nrEi
door openings and all embraSureS in
view OF the house. The backs of the
lower boxes are to be tufted with velvet
and silk in colors forming pleasing
contrast to the hangings. A flight of
stairs i'll front next to the proscenium
will lead to the balcony, which has four
| flights Of steel staircaseS on the inside
of the auditorium and two double
flights on the outside. The seating ca
pacity Of the balcony will be 500, and
its fittings will DC in plush, great care
having been taken on this, as in the
other floors. to provide for perfect line
ing capacity of LOCO, thus making the
total capacity of the auditorium 1920.
In this instance also large
double flight OF steel stairs will
lead up from the grand en-
trance, with double safety exits at the
sides leading into the court. For light,
ventilation, and perfect facilities for
egress and ingreSS. the architect places
this theater at the head of 40 theaters
| he has built in this country. The fact
| that the building is isolated makes pos
| sibie a provision for ventilation which
| would, under other circumstances, be
impossible. The fullest advantage has
| been taken of the possibilities pre-
| sented. The total cut space Of the
| building is 164 feet, which is an equal
| area to one entire side of the house.
| The theater will be lighted entirely by
| electricity, and in the illumination 500
| SiXteen-candle power incandescent
| lamps will be used. These will be dis
| tributed III Sucha manner as to build up
| and assist in the ornamental and deco
| rative features. All steam for heating
| the building will be generated in a
| structure built for the purpose apart
| from the main building, thereby obyiat-
| ing, in great measure,
| DANGER FROM FIRE.
| The auditorium will be heated by the
| under-curret circulation! Large radi-
| ators will be placed beneath the floors,
the air passing through small registers
and thence through the ventilating
| dome. The architect estimates that a
complete change of air will be effected
every eight minutes. In the decOra-
| tions, carpeting and upholstering, the
| principal color will be q rich orange
buff. The carvings and decorative work
generally will be after the medieval
model, With here and there RomanesQue
| features. This work will be of special
| beauty as regards the proScenium under
| the balcony, the grand entrance and
foyer. The design is to make the entire
| interior OF the house rich in ornamental
relief and brilliant in effective coloring.
| All the decorative work will be built
| and supported with ornamental work in
Stucco and paper mache, thus lending
to the whole a bas-relief effect. The
principal gliding will he in bronze, gold
and silver. The depth of the stage
from the rear to the footlights is 44x74
feet. Star and Vanpsire traps are
set in front, the center trap opposite
the second opening, with a Hamlet
and Macbeth trap in the center of the
third opening, supported with scene
slips and bridge traps in the rear. The
largest size of scenery, likes, will be
used, and there will be twenty
| SETS OF SCENES,
with all the necessary set pieces. A fire.
proof abestos curtain will be ready for
| lowering at all times, to entirely sepa-
rate the auditorium from the stage.
| twenty dressing rooms are PROVIDED
for, and the best arrangements gencr-
ally made for the accommodation of the
"perfesh." There is space of seventy
four feet in the clear from the stage to
the gridiron. The panorama building
as 1t now stands will be known no more
forever. The walls will be allowed 10
remain standing to afford protection to
the men working on excavations and
foundations, which will be begun imne-
diately, after which they will be torn
down. The theater will be ready for
opening by June 1. 1t will have the ap-
pearance of four-story building from
the exterior. Stone will be used in the
construction OF the first twenty feetan
the remainder will be. of brick The
house will be run in connection with the
Lift Big Four circuit. which it COM
pletes, viz: Milwaukee. Chicago. st.
Paul and Minneapolis. The total: cost
will be 100000.