The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-04
9ISMANTLINe THE THEATER.
LIFT ny THE END OF THE
WEEK.

The Original Plans for HemodeIinG
thc building Very Little Changed.
some Interesting History of the
OLD Thcater brought 60 IiEht-Its
Exact Cost to Half "a Cent-BufIf
by WeII-Known Builder Of
Thrce-QuartcrS of a Century AGO.
Tae work OF demollshing the old savan-
nan thcater began ~ earnest yesterday.
ar. George Kessler. superintendent Of con-
strae;ion. was on the ground with force
OF Gftcea hands. and the orchestra chairs
ana oil benches in The balcony and gale
-.eS were torn out IN short order.
Air. Kesslor said that ne expects TO COM
plete the work Of tearing down so far as
81 is 10 be done by next Saturday night at
latest and perhaps before. so that the
work Of remodeling and reconstructing the
building will begin Monday morning.
Architect Frank Cox Is expected here Sat
urday or Sunday. and will he on hand TO
watch the starting of the new building.
There will be few material changes in the
plans as described in the Morning News at
the time Messrs. Greenwall and Weis were
here to complete the purchase Of the prop
the entrance to the Hull street corner as
was contemplated at the time. it will re-
main in front on Bull street, and will be
so constructed that carriages can 40 right
UP to the door. The plans have been 80 ar
ranged. however, that the seating capacity
will be increased TO about 1850. 1t is ex-
pected that the old orchestra chairs will be
used In the balcony or gallery. while down
stairs will be equipped with plush opera
There will be an entrance to the gal
lery to the night and left Of the main
lobby, while the entrance TO the gallery
viii be on the Hun street side. There
i've on each side. The roof over the
stage VIII be raised so that there viii be
sixty feet between the gridiron and the
stage. 1t Is likely that a new stage will
be built altogether and one which will
be perfectly level instead Of sloping as
at present the sloping style Of stage hav-
ms been done away with In more modern
theaterE.
The bulk of the work on the new build
M Will be done by the purchasers them
Nives, though minor portions Of it may
be let out by contract. Supt kessler
brought three men with him from Atlanta
where he has been working on the new
theater there. The other men. however,
will be employed in Savannah, and he ex-
poets within few days to have a force
Of thirty hands on the building. The
work, he says, will be completed by Sept.
! as he will have good weather to work
N besides which a great deal of the
work will be done under the roof which
s not to be torn Off. This will allow the
men to work during rainy weather.
Messrs. Greenwall & Weis also started
iome improvements on the Grand Opera
House In New Orleans yesterday and
they expect to expend about $4,000 on
that work, in order TO increase the seat
ing capacity of the theater, This house,
II Is said, has already cost about $350O0O
With the closing of the old theater
some interesting facts in its history have
% Hnhf Lore fs.sa
little Of its early history has been known
Thc story of how the site was obtained by
popular subscription and by the city's
News.
The foundation of the old STRUCTURE was
laid in the spring of 1917. The building
was erected by Amos Scudder, who came
here from New Jersey, bringing his car
penters tools by OK cart.
Mr.. Scudder built many OF the impor-
Iant pubic buildings and private resi-
dences in Savannah of the early part of
the century, most of which stand as monu-
men ments OF his work. among, them
on the site Of the De Soto, and which was
torn down in 1888 10 make way for the
present handsome structures the old Hab-
ersham residence on Orleans square,
and numbers OF others He built
part Of the Independent Presbyterian
church which was burned in 1889. and also
part OF the Pulaski house and the Greene
p1onument in Johnson square Mr. Scud-
der also built several Of the old Habersham
ice mills, ana several OF the buildings on
lhe river side Of Bay street The rice mill
buildings erected by him were destroyed
Ry IRE way back in the forties and fifties,
For many years he lived in the houses on
the west side of Orleans square between
Hull and McDonough streets. -Four OF his
grandchildren now live in Savannah
Mr.. Scudder left Westfield, N j. in
1el7, soon after New Years day, and was
three months on the way here. Travelling
IN those days by OK cart was not what III
now Is with fast flyers making the
trip between Savannah and New York
in twenty-three hours.
The first work was done April g. The
corner stone was laid in the early summer
and was placed in its bed of mortar by
Ephraim Woodruff a nephew of tho
builder. Mr.. Woodruff died in Westfeld
IN 1871. Before his death he told many
incidents connected with the building OF
the theater.
The exact cost of the building, as shown
by an old account book found a day or
two ago by one of Mr.. Scudder's grand
children, was SIG, on. 69iR. The memoran-
dun In the book shows that the money
was furnished by Thomas Patrick Well
man OF Wales.
Many men whose names are familiar to
Savannahiaas Of to-day were engaged in
the building. The plaster work was done
by Clark e LufTDnFroW, for which firm
Isaac Drummer was foreman. The wages
paid at that time for labor averaged about
G50 . day.
RING TALENT HERE.