New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-15
A NEW CHANCE FOR OPERA
THE SALE OF THE METROPOLITAN
JAMES A. ROOSEVELT BUYS IT FOR a. %, M.
POSSIBILITIES OF ITS FUTURE.

POSSIBILITIES OF ITS FUTURE.
Again there Is hope for opera I'm Ncw.y.rk.
| little brighter hope that Is TO say than before
for 1t was never quite extinct. "The darkest hop,
Is Just before dawn so. as the darkest prospect
for opera since the Metropolitan Opera House w,s
burned seemed to be that OF Monday night yesterd.,
may have been the beginning Of a coming dawn
The Metropolitan was sid yesterday under fo,.
closure. and in accordance with the often nnnouucsa
programme II bought for ~ .4a5 900 by Linn.
A. Roosevelt the president Of the Metropolitan Omar.
House Company, representing ton of the stockhoder.
| Of the company. The deposition of the pr1pey,
Is not yet settled. but there Is TO all appearance .
good chance that 1t may. by arrangement or nm.
other, be again devoted to grand opera.
The sale took Place ut noon nj the NewYo,t
Real Estate salcsroom, No. III broadway. By ord,
| Of David Thompson. referee Tile auctioncer Va.
George r. Read. II occurred in consequence Of IA.
| foreclosure OF n mortgage for s812 900 held BY n.
| Bouery Savings Bank The property disposed OF a.
cludcd not only the pnrt of the building hitherto usA
for the opera, but also the corners OF the broadway
| 'front.' at Thirty-ninth and F0i;ieih sts. owned nv
| the Metropolitan improvement Company, and occupied
as APARTMENTS. This company permitted the sale NJ
its property with that OF the Opera House Comnsnv
| I'm order that the value OF the whole to pnv
| purchaser might be increased and bitter price
| realized When tho two corners were scla to tho
| Improvement Company SOM years Ego It Was with
the condition that they might be bought hack A.
any time for a certain fixed price, AID this price n
| now TO be paid 10 the Improvement Company out
of the proceeds Of the auction sale, in consideration
Of the Improvement Ccmpary's permission for the
sale Of the property. This constituted lirn second
to that Of the mortgage held 10y the Bowery savings
/ Bank, OF 4jo51o9 40. There was third lien OF
$2lS1 80 due TO Adrian Is,lin. ir Is trustee for
the benefit Of certain stockholders and there we're
| other smaller claims against the company
There was large crowd around the auc,onscrt
| stand in tho Real Estate sacsroom when the beu
announced noon and the reading of the order for The
sale was instantly begun. The terms Of SALE which
were read set forth that the properly to pass under
the hammer includcd all the real estate OF the block
bounded by Broadway Seyen'h-aye, Thrty-ninh.
| st. and For;etll.st. hut no personal property. and
! that il WIS SUBJECT to all existing leases Of apart
| ments In the broadway corners and OF other parl
| of those corners. The purchaser would lie required
70 pay per celt + the amount bid ut once and
the res. at noon On March H. at the once vi DavA
| Thompson. the referee.
All this being duly set forth the aucJnecr asht
| for bids Oscar Hanmcrscin the proprietor OF tie
| Manhattan Opera House, the Harlem Opera House
! and tho Columbus Theatre. offered %I1oOoo. but BE-
fore his bid could De announced by Tn auctioneef
James A. Roosevelt offered $l.423,O0o TIE aac
onccr asked for more bids. but there was silence er
| cept for the clamor that came ir0m othes sucuon
stands. llp repeated T''i"'Ni ""'' ""s "'ss
were made. and after few moments delay "
| property was declared TO b. sold. Il was knocia
down TO Mr. Roosevelt within ist minutes after tis
reodinc OF the order for the sale began Mr.. Ham,
mcrsiein said aitorward that he Lad been prepares
to pay slOOOOOo for the opera Rouse. VT. hoose-
Welt soon after the sale aulh0hfed inc ioho"lns
official statement In regard TO II:
"The purchase made by MeSTs. Roosevelt
Isc,n and Haven for themselves ana associates con-
Elbridgc 4. Gerry A. ID. Juillard La'"f fVun']e' ~
Iierpont Morgan and ". C. whitney
~ T. nos,ille that the house viii bc offered 10 an
oucra company, provided satisfactory one can %
msdo nm either at cost or on lcase. o'ierSse u's
urorer,y Will be disposed OF as the purchasers may
decide TIL.
MIR Rooscvelts son. W. Emlcn Roosevelt eAplainsd
that the action OF the purchasers was lawn
moasurc of protection for themselves and ohers' "
WINS only last Friday, h. said TINT the men rs"H =.
the Official statement had decided to buy the p,'p's
{, n sbould be necessary. In order TO Keep u io' IN
s.oclshoIdeis What would be done with IL ne o'us
not say and no decision would propaoV w ie''
in several days. II any company "isnl"e " Wv
opera I'm TIE house. such rs that wh'ch f'hr' Wv.
had tried TO form. cared TO buy or lease tHe p''pv'
the men who had bought 1t would be eiao 10 'h'..
a proposition. Though the future uses OF u" 49,
vonld NOT 10 settled Immediately. he unousht nv
.ano.x uould have tn be paid for IN flll on Mafoe
"A and the purchasers would want to Know WIS. Wa.
t,ov wore TO do With IL By that time' VT. h''''
was not sure whether the sum paid woula co'.' -.
tho floating debt OF tile opera House No"p"''
n would cover all other liens. and the perso'', p'
ery would be enough TO satisfy the hoSuis ueo,.
In regard 10 the result OF Oh" sale Henry eeSS
49, nos hco, hard nj work for the last two weeD
finding subscribers among tie stockholders "r
comnonv 70 buy the property for operate purr"..
,od rssterisy afternoon: 81 do not see WIN" ~
stocrno,as-s, committee can do. TIE nsh'S "
stockholders are wiped out entirety. wv ,'aa,s
precented the success OF our Plan We ~e,. 80
eight subscribers. A number of OLD st"cnoN' IVA
IN Europe or travelling elsewhere peyona reao" .u
the time was too short to get 'hcm' i"'" - N.
hcrs " tho syndicate which to-day pure"a'e -,
80. houso refusod 70 come In as subscribers 70 ou'
, ric,t ~ them were directors Of the ope
i,ouse Company and most enthusiastic for ope'"
their refusal TO join was most unaceoui''aO'e oouM
Now I see Why they kept out. WIN uen "sor..
have completed the number ana nla"u nr,hsr I
success do not know what shall 90 iu'.'. -s.,
must see Mr.. Morgan and Mr. Lanie'' ""a ,ho,,ty q
t,ev t,lnk. but It seems to me that our au,.'
row ot an end We don't represent any '0'',
a., wor,ad hard TO get the number reqH a..
u.,rv Willard and OK Judge Hilton came III -
last minnie and left only eight ha"e'
With n little Zine l could have se'" o,nine
wont to Mr. Isclin and MIR. Roosevelt w" ~ hit
and tried TO get them to postpone "'e '.,son
,bev refused Then | appealed to MI ILL., " tst
the referee but he decided against me- W., IA IN
many people had doubtless come co" Wv" tn-, tho
,,,, rron,r,v and postponement might nun .1.
sale So they sold It and only one ou hsvs
| should be glad to turn over tne h'."es cour
secured 10 the syndicate and let ui'i i0' =, ,hem.
pany. II they so desire. by going INFO ..".cdSsu
selves cannot guarantee that all the
could he held TO the changed plan ,,a
MIR. Clcws was ASKED what he Thought oi -, IA
nation OF Mr. Roosevelt that the house s a,. 4.
turned over to an opera company, either by ss' 80.
cost or on lease, and whether or not ne WIZ sa mo
to form company Of his subscribers 10 ,aass II
house. lie said they certainly would not Ia any
and he did not know whether they Womb s' =, tho
.tens IN complete an organization In view " s,rs,