The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-29
JOHN C0RTS HOUSE.
Famous Old Standard Theater
Being Transformed.
TO Be A BUSINESS BLOCK
Lively Times There the Year After the
Fire, when seattle Was the Best
Town I'm the West"

viii neTtCeEoFk4 Dc = ptas>G &ttSE@ sSset~
ehandise All .be sold.
The Iaea OF the Standard theater losing
SIS identity will recall a host OF recoIiee-
tons 20 the memory OF a host OF people
who lived in this city WGen money was
plenty and wine flowed Ike water
without exagReratlon. hundreds OF
thousands OF dollars we're spent ~ TIE
Standard tbeater when John Cort ruled
its destlnies and women with picturesque
costumes solicited patrons 10 purchase
beer at 81 a bottle and pint bottles %
champagne at the allurtHg price OF y
each Such sights as the old theater
could tell % and the many prominent peo-
pie who have taken part III the gaysftes
IN a closed book the fast set know all
about but do not care 10 mention except
in general way
The history OF the Standard theater Is
connected in a great measure with the
life % John cort IN this section. AT one
time he was the greatest variety show
man in the Pacific Northwest, and bad a
circuit including Butte. Spokane. Port
land and this city. COrt vas compara-
lively young man when ne came here
along in 1877 and went into the variety
show business. He bought out Denver
1d Smith. the weIl-known pugiiist. and
wrestler nam RI Connors. They had
show In n two-sfory frame building on
South Second street, between Washing
ton and siain. AZ vas ia 1879. however.
that the real interest IN the Standard
theateF and its peculiar life commences.
Then john CoTt opened his theater IN a
tvo-story frame building on the site Of
the brick building that is now being
robbed Of all It's mementos and converted
into a commercial institution. where deal
ers will buy and sell ordinary goods.
In those days the corner Of South Sec
ora and Washington streets was one Of
the best locations IN the city. and certain
j. one of the busiest. Opposite from the
Standard, occupying the location where
Chosen & kelly's drug store il now iocat-
ed. was Hanm a Schmitz's coffee house.
IL Is not much OF an exaggeration TO say
that about half the town took lunch there
every day. ON South Second street. be-
tween Washington and YeEier avenue,
was Jimmy Smiths Bljou variety the
ater, the one grand rival John Cor had.
AS time advanced and the city. feeling
the impetus OF trade grew more cosmo-
polttan every dag. the theater business
became corresponding4y prosperous one
thing vas certain. John cort knew how
10 give good variety show. and Jimmy
Smith would not be left in the race. The
competition between the two theaters was
something intouseA and they used 10 have
street parades every Monday. Each the
ater had a band. and II there WAS any
one IN the city who did not know that
there was a parade II was due 10 deaf
ness. Cort WAS 80 progressive that he
. would bring out all the women be had
employed IN the house as performers and
''hox rustiers'' IN carriages and have them
parade the streets. Sometimes they rode
horseback and Il was not an eYtraordl-
nary thing 10 have the women appear Ia
iow-necked dresses The police finally
had 70 stop Cort's parades of women.
Every night before the rival shows
opened the respeeti tive bands would appear
before the theaters and indulge IN an open
air concert. Sometimes the bands played
side by side Ia Pioneer place. II was us
u5ily more OF contest as 70 which could
make enough noise 10 drown out the 9th
err. What a business the Standard lheater
DID do. and Cort was coming money.
When the big fire Of June 6 1SS9 swept
the business portion Of Seattle from the
face Of the earth the Standard theater
went too. Cort. however. was remarkably
energetic. and IN a short time had a tent
up on Front street. near Madison The
location. however. was not as good as
down on tho sawdust pile. so he cot a To-
cation on South Third street. Just below
the site Of the Clancy building AZ the
southeast corner Of south Third and
Washington streets. lie put up a large
tent with "A wooden floor had boxes ar
ranged along Tho aide of the tent and
opened FOR business This q viii he re-
when Fasteners we're comiu, into tho
town NJ prcdleious rate The streets
were al IN bad condition and where the
large hFlek buildings now stand There
were 10 tents ruainesz came - Cor.
again. and me ola tent was place %
revelrv ~ night Chauparfie bottles Ia
ground much mare promiscuously than
f'eer bottles have for the mast three wears.
u would 90 "A bard matter 20 give any
estimate ~ the money Cort made IN che
c'd tent hut ~ NAV be exarcssed hv chat
old saving. "a barrel fun" While the
golden dcrats We're pouring into his lap
on South Third street ~ was figuring on
rebuilding on che ola site az the corner Z
Washlngton ara South Second streets.
There VAS nothing moan about Car, lie
wanted e hrtck theafar anh 30 rat II
fah0r WAS high and hrirk hrourht eev
Trsl MORE dollars "a thouasud tfen than
fhey DO now Without te1Av thr iheater
vas pnshr7 IN completion. r. cost ahnRf
SO ~ and was considered something
pretty hn" az course g was not arranged
fke Hn Eastern plav house The object
go view was different. The show was an
nff~a ~tio0 Nuf Wine snd Woncnt stood
r. the forevrount Roth on the eroun
nu3 gallery HNor boxes connected wfth
fhe MAR hr electric bells sam second
gallery eonl3 Pa found whore thn boxes
were smaller. huf Stitt large enough for
drinking parties The erand or,nIns, took
rlarr November IS 1S24 aut in rs vav
was ne event ~ ere season Admission
was 81 according 20 ths recollection a.,
some Who we're there That ait uot make
any iiNererce in thoSr DAYS. \ dollar 80
not amount 20 more than q ut kfl nova
DAYS TIE theater WAS crowded rr'fn tor
- bottom. she women Nere clad Ga say
ans abbreviated costumes tire men were
there for = hiEh tjue AND they BAD g.
Wiue fatflN slowed ana FOR q week or so