St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-28
ONE THEATER MORE.
The Pabst Brewing Company
Will Build a Handsome
Structure
To Replace the McClung
Block on Bridge Square
Corner.
A Half Million Dollars Will Be
Invested in the New
Building,
And a Special German The
alter Will Be One Of It's
Features.

For many years Bridge square was
looked upon as the business center of
ST. Paul, and around that location cluS-
tered the majority of the large business
houses. Gradually they moved away,
one by one, and when the large dry
goods house OF Field. Mailer 4 Co. took
its departure it made considerable diff
ference in the amount of travel, as well
as business, around this erstwhlle busy
business corner. During the last few
years, and ever since the street railway
was built across the Wabasha street
bridge, it has picked UP some, but the
progress of putting new life into the
defunct corner was necessarily slow,
and up to the present time it has been
tried with varying success.
But this is all TO be changed in the
near future.
IS 1t Is learned on unQuestioned author
ity that a block of mammoth proper
tons is soon to be erected on the south
west corner of this famous locality, and
that it is to be built by the PabSt Brew
ing company. This company is now the
owner of what has been Familiarity
known as the McClung block-bOrdering
on the WabaSha street bridge. AS it
stands at present it is an unsightly
building. and the Pabst Brewing COM
pany have decided 10 replace it with
block that will cost many hundreds of
thousands of dollars The exact details
Of the enterprise have notyet been made
public, but enough has been learned to
warrant the statement that it will be Is
fine block as any in the city, and the
purposes TO which it will be devoted will
make its erection of considerable interest
to a large portion of the citizens of ST.
Paul. 1t is the intention of those en-
gagged in the enterprise TO construct the
building so that it will be available for
an opera house, and if the present plans
are carried out il will ultimately result
in large German theater similar to
that OF the Schiller theateT in Chicago
or that of the Stadt in Milwaukee.
Other portions of the building are to be
used for office purposes, and the ground
floor will be arranged for huge sum-
mer garden after the style of the
Schlitz gardens in Milwaukee. The
rear end of the building will be
constructed III the nature of
platform extending out over
the railroad tracks. and will be
built with a stage, so that in summer
time it can be utilized for summer
operas, and otherwise make it a pleasure
resort for all classes of people. st. Paul
is certainly in need of something of this
nature, and the erection of German
theater would be an enterprise that
would be pleasing to the citizens of that
nationality and profitable to those who
are engaged in the deal. The members
of the Bollman company, who are at
present engaged in giving German
theatricalS in this city at stated inter
walls. all unite in the statement that it
would be a grand thing for the city.
and think St. Paul should certainly
be as far advanced in this respect
as Milwaukee. In the Cream City
they have standing theatricalS for the
Germans, and they claim that if an eX-
elusive theater were erected here it
would arouse interest among the Ger
man people, and at different times dur
ing the year would afford occasion for
large state and national meetings to be
held in the city. such as turnfests.
s5engerfests, musical gatherings and
other meetings of a similar nature that
now 90 to other cities, and would be the
means OF bringing many people to st.
Paul who would otherwise never come
here.
As stated above, the details of the
plan are not yet fully developed, and it
is not given out just how the building
will be built, but its erection is GER
tainty, and those who claim to be posted
say that its construction will compare
favOrably with any building i'll the city
and that the decision to utilize it as an
opera house has been definitely settled,
and further. that the hall will be one of
the largest IN the city.