The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-15

of the ornamental buildings of San Fran
cisco. The projectors of the enterprise,
who are also members of the company, are
Emil Kehrlein, II. B. Russ, Val Kehrlein,
o. Bozio, w. Wegener, P. Barbieri and j..
P. Heilbronn. The building will have q
frontage of 100 feet and depth of 100 feet,
going back to Natoma street. In front the
plans of the architects, Laist & Schwerdt,
show a handsome composition In the
French renaissance, five stories in height,
with colorado of Ionic columns or pill
asters relieving the surface. The chief
feature is the grand entrances generous
arched doorway running up through two
stories and twenty feet wide, with two
Ionic columns supporting curved balcony
overhead. The whole is to be finished in
pressed red brick and terra Gotta.
Special precautions in construction will
be given the stage and all its belongings,
as in this as we'll as in every other feature
of the theater all appliances of modern
architecture are to be adopted. The actors
apartments will be commodious and COM
fortably furnished. In depth the stage
will be fifty-three feet from the curtain
line and the space across will be ninety
six feet, with clean width of ffty-four
feet between the Orders. All scenes will
be dropped from above. The interior of
the theater will be beautifully fitted up.
There will be six proscenium boxes Of ele-
CANT design, fourteen loge boxes and par
quette, dress circle, family circle and triple
galleries.
The seating capacity will be 1880, and
with the addition of portable floor on
level with the stage, to be used for conven-
tons or very large gatherings there will be
ample accommodation for 1000 persons.
In all, the exits will aggregate Ito feet in
width, which 1t has been estimated will
offer sufficient clear way to enable the
house to empty in ~ minutes. These
streets and also ON the sides.
Looking to the comfort of patrons, the
owners have determined to have only the
finest quality of upholstered chairs. cleo
trio lighting only, in all parts of the build
ing, and there will be smoking-rooms,
cafes, ladies' parlors and withdrawing
rooms. The meZzanine floor will be de-
rooms where refreshments are to be
served between the acts. One side of the
floor will be reserved for ladies, while the
men will have their cafe and clubrooms in
the other half. The galleries, too, will
have their smoking-rooms and cafes.
Considerable attention will be given to
ventilation, for which new system has
been chosen. Fresh air will be drawn into
cisterns in the basement, within which are
all parts of the theatre by fans. In warm
weather the air will we passed over cold
pipes, and in that way be cooled before
flooding the interior. Foul-air ducts will
be provided with exhaust fans of the same
size and speed as the fresh-air fans, and by
this method the air will be changed in all
rooms every twenty minutes without hav-
ing drafts.
The front part of the house will be shut
off from the rear by fire wall extending
to the roof. 1t will be divided off into
lodge rooms and offices, with the exception
of the mezzanine floor and half the top
floor which will be reserved for theater
ante-rooms. The main hall and staircase
will be finished in marble.
All the materials in the building shall
be Californian, and this the owners have
caused to be inserted in the specifications
for contractors.
The theater will be devoted to such per-
formances as are demanded by the public.
Even the largest troupes and special at
fractions from the East will be accommo-
dated and meanwhile the stock company
can be sent out for few weeks into the
country. Samuel D. Simmons Jr., who
has built many stages in San Francisco,
has been engaged to superintend the con-
struction of the stage. 1t will not be long
before the public will receive notice of the
grand opening.