New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-06
THE ACADEMY OF MUSlC.
PROPOSED SALE OF THE PLAYHOUSE
MANY NOTABLE AssEMBLAGEs AND PEHfo"'N
,vcrs TuERE-ITs INTIMATE CONNECTION
WITH PROOKLYN'S ARTISTIC. SOCIAL
AND DRAMATIC HISTORY.

O
:. one that has given distinct shock TO many re-
dents Of the city. The memories Of many hp'' u
entertainments dramatic performances. eloquent
tures important political ass-mcciins' ana "'''
notable affairs cluster about Oh" vel kno"h "'"
and II would be at the cost Of many n phng ln"'
thousands Of Brooklynes woud part with the flili'
structure There Patti and Kellogg have sung i'o0"
and Jefferson have played. Beecher. Storrs' lam,
Io,eph Parker, Dr. John Hall. DR.. McGlynn' fA'n'r
rc,atius and Colonel Ingersol have pr'%ich'd OF
ccurcd Stanley and Pcsry hay, told of their 'raN'''
Matthew Arnold and Sir Edwin Arnold have p''"
heard Miss Amelia l.. Edwards has tea vi Wv
Egyptian exploration, Blaine and ConIling' i"H'''
and Carlisle have spoken Presidents ana oi'"'i
have had receptions great fairs have been h'iu '"
balls have taken place and In the assembly rum,
which form part Of the structure. the most no'a"'
public dinners ever given In the city have been eaten
For a third Of century the bnildng has p"cI'
the centre OF much Of the social and political He
Of the CITY, The Philharmonic and Sedl concerts nave
drawn great audiences there, grand opera hls o''
sung under the Mapeson management an" Nv -"
American Opera Company, comic opera mas o''"
given by the companies managed by DoVN '"i''
Colonel McCaull and others, with DE Woll ii"pl"r
Francis Wilson. Miss Lillian Russell, DlRpy h'H''
Miss Catharine Lewis and Miss Marion Manoa n
bright particular stars while Bcruhardt and savin'
Ristor and Nelson, Elcanora Duse and Miss Ma
Rchan have in turn trocden It's boards Many SnhuN
services have been held within It's walls ana cours
OF lectures have filled II scores OF times NO "''r
building in the city has been put to such h'ui-
ttf,rlous us.s Its convenient Site which is easily
reached from all parts Of the city: IFS great sHe' H.
admirable acoustic properties, and the fact that III"
stage can be seen equally we'll from all parts Of the
great audit orum combine make the building nsci"I
I'm all WAYS and It's loss would be- seriously felt.
While more modern structure might be erected III
some other part Of the city. II would be impossible
TO replace the Academy Of Music.
SOME PECULIAR FEATURES
The building IS unique In its Site ana construction.
Instead Of having It's front one street and extend
Ing through the block 10 another its side Is presented
TO Montague-st, and it extend, go feet along the
middle Of the block between Court ana clinton a'"'
AT one end Is the Art Association Building and at tn"
other a business structure. The width OF the BULL
ing is ninety-tw feet and the inner Side abnt' the
hack wards Of houses in Rcmscnst. The fact that The
majority OF people who were expected to 90 10 u'
Academy when IT was built lived on the Heights Is
shown by the fact that the main entrlnc" Is al inc
end nearest Clnton-st.. and The stage nearest Court
st. Were the binding TO be erected to day TINS ar
ranccment wvud doubtless be reversed. To enter
the auditorium ono passes from the street into th'
lobby and then turns al a rgAt angle TO 20 toward
the stage. over the lobby the assembly rooms
in which refreshments served AT balls IN in'
Academy Ey means of folding doors the assembly
rooms can be opened into the art gallery adjoining
md the two are used together when public dinners
are given.
The need Of building to serve for concerts am
public meetings. which were before that tne h'd III
clnrch es-whence the name city OF Churchcs-had BE-
come so pressing in the days just before Oh" war that
Tho plans which resulted IN the structure still In use
were formulated ard put into effect. \ stock com
many with n capital OF 100000. divided Into 4oo'
shares 81 $50 each. was formed by A n Low
Henry f. I1errepont. A. NJ. White. Edward "hi''
house s. T. Chittcnden, Luther i. Wyman. +. H.
1lympton !. Carson IrevOprt ana others mo pui''
ing was erected upon approved plans. With deep
stage md dres sing In the rear three boxes on
either side Of the stage paruc balcony. dress circle"
family circle and nmphlthcatre seats. The parqn"'
s.o,s numbered 35e: the balcony parquet circle
40 the dress circle or first balcony 4e2, and the top
Gallery $685. making total scaling capacity oi --lo
The stage seats 500 more and hundreds can crown
In the aislcs and behind The seats, so mat az gr"di
rolifical meetings fully 1000 persons s1u"'L" into tn
lnilding Tho boxes viii hold over 100 In r..
modelling the building few years m extra b"N
was put I'm on either side. so That Their" are eight
boxes and there Is a small box ut either
end Of the horseshoe Of the hrst gallery.
TIE STRUCTURE OPENED.
Tho luildlng was opened on the night Of January
II 1861 with n performance Of the opera ." II
with Mime. Coson. soprano: Adelaide
phillips contrato; Irrnoh, tenor; Forrf laryt"n".
and susini hasso. IN the cast 1t WAS decided az
first that dramas should not De given IN Tie
,ouso lut the first season showed that there would
he no dividends 81 only opera and concerts were
tycn. The subject was fully considered by Il com
uI,toc Of siockhodcrs who succeeded IN ovcrcom
inc the scruplcs Of the majority and on December
B. 1-GI. r. /. Davenport appeared In Hamlet.
IN Fobrnary 1862 Edwin Forrest opened wc"lF
engagement in King Lear" Many other dramatic
oorformanccs followed. and opera and concerts were
ntcrmincled with them every season. in l'o' III"
-reat Sanitary Fair was held there for month, and
he workcrh included all the leading men and
women Of tho city. newspaper was published
,ndcr the title ~ "The Drum Beat" which
bro,,bcd with patriotism. 1t was edited by Or
,torrs over 800 900 was raised hy IN" far
md turned over to the Sanitary and Christian
COMMISSIONS There celebration Of III"
.OOh anniversary Of Shakespeare birth In Ia"
Academy on April %. 1864 under the direction %
Gabriel Harrison, and "Twclfth Night was played
md a series Of Shakcspcarcan tahl'aus were gwen
When the Church Of the Pilgrims being
extensively repaired and rcdccorated about scor"
~ voars ago Dr. Siorrs conducted the services for
,icbt months I'm the Academy for his congregation
-unday afternoon services were conducted for 'r""
-oors I'm the Academy by DR.. George +. Pcntocost
he we'll known revivallst, when he was pastor al
he Tompkins Avenue Congregational Church. After
lie Brooklyn Tabernacle In ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Was
burned fonr wears ago, DIR. Tamages congregation
ied services in The Academy. ana after DR.. Talmag'
.cturned from the Holy Land he preached FOR
oar I'm the building, until the new Tabernacle was
finished.
One Of the most noteworthy AFFAIRS which ever
ook place In the building thc womens rec"p
ion to Mr.. Blaine near the close OF the memorable
,ampa,cn OF 1884. The building was crowded with
he social leaders OF tho city and others. and Mr.
% rffb hn NJ hand hrr
.bcfs rs he appeared and spoke. lie aftcrward
presented 10 many Of those present. In the evening
ne spoke I'm the place TO men and later received
, great procession in front Of the building
President Arthur and Governor Cleveland had n
reception in the building on May "a 1888, after the
bridge had been formally opened. great Methodist
reception was given 10 Bishop simpson in the Acad-
any q dozen wears ago. The Moslodst General Con-
ference met here I'm 1879 and the PRESBYTERIAN Cen
raj Assembly in 1916 General Grant addressed ne