The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-01-31
BROADWAY GLACIER.
AFAMoUs OLD HOTEL AND THEATeR
SUCCUMB TO 1T.


Old Metropolitan and NibIo's Garden.
"Reminiscences That Will Interest Others
Besides New Workers.
Thirty years ago the Metropolitan hotel
was tho focus of the town. The gilded
youth went there for late suppers. The
most noted politicians of the Tweed ring
poured out champagne there. It's birds
were always well cooked, its steaks wero
narrowed to a turn, its oysters had the
CALL and its whisky was famous.
1t was the plaza for the actors until long
after the war. They stood in clusters all
round its steps and held council in its
vestibule, for all the noted chophouscs
were in the neighborhood.
Round the corner, in Houston street
were the House of Lords and Clifton's,
and up on the other end Of the block was
the Revere House. From that corner down
you could meet on pleasant day all tho
famous actors in tOwu--E. j.. Davenport
Tom Plncidc, Burton, Dion Boucicault
james w. Wallnck, Charles Fisher, John
Brougham, Rufus Blake and a double
score of others. If any of them got up as
far as the Metropolitan Opera House, it
was behind a fast team, and they found
themselves in the country.
When the Metropolitan was opened IN
1852 it was the town talk. Il was inau.
gurated with % stupcndous banquet. Ste
phcn A. Douglas and Tom Benton and
Sam Houston were there. NOlumInOus
descriptions Of the hotel appeared in the
newspapers Of that dato People stood in
crowds and looked up at it from the other
side of the street. 1t was thought by con.
sCryutivc people TO be amost unwarrantcd
piece Of extravaganza. But the MctropOli-
tan became at once one of the most pupu-
lar hotels in the city. And its complement
of 900 guests did not fall off while the
Lclands had charge Of It.
Before and during the war It was Gus
, tomnry for the reporters to go to the Met
ropolitan every night to get tho WIS II
was iammcd with people on the night of
the cable celebration and on the day that
Sumter was fired on. There was, in fact,
no such center above II on Broadway, and
| its walls must have rung with the voices
of many great captains and celebrated
| beauties.
There are people in New York whoHcan
| remember when Niblo had n garden there.
| There are many more who can remember
the first thCatcr which went by tho name
| of the garden, and how the American in.
sttute was won't to hold its fairs there,
and the original Christy miustrcls, before
| they got into Mechanics hall, really
| caught the small town there, and how for
| several seasons the concert hall was the re-
sort of our small musical population.
ThCnlatCr the thcatCr spread out into a
| great auditorium, and Mr.. \. T. Stewart
| bought the property and had a private box
| connected with = parlor, and finally came
| Jarrett and Palmer to tako tie manage
| ment, and then blOOmCd upon the world
| the BLACK Crook" and the "WhitC
| Fawn," SpcctaClCs whose like had ncvel
been seen, and which rolled up fortunes
for everybody connected with them.
But at this time the thcater was In the
| full swing Of popular success. The enOr
nous success Of the Black Crook" hal
secured all the commercial visitors IL
| town. 1t was denounced by the pulpit
| but mover wanCd in nttractivCness fo
years. Agents were kept in Europe t,
| snap up every specially they could find
and such was the pliability and capacity
of the performance that it swallowed ul
| everything from Il performing goat TO
| prima ballCrina assoluta
| Bonfanti was then in her prime and be
came the rage Of the town. Pauline Mark
han, vos in mn r,irth of ,.Iorv and Ind tb,
Amo1ons
| II soro oro will Inv hold or tbo still vir
ile brord M the ySnnrahIn Cornmodnr
| Tool.or Lo viii ro,,,i,,isoo ror an how -,
tLo rol,,,, d,ys,f TiIIois An fLoListori
Tbosnians or Tho D,voyyiII toll of rho day
% ViIrinn, VVhootIo,, and rho nroJrcti ~,
NJ tbo"DuI-o,s Notto - n ,,Jay yrhjrh rSod
tbc most rTtraordinnrv Kind Of a hin an,
how aftcr tLot TorrC.t cn,,,o ryitL III,
,,pro,lyor nf Rn,ot, y, o,,o ~ tho host o,,io
iroI Anoricon dramas of ifs ora
WLnn tarrott o,,I Ip,I,,,nr tonl. h,ld n
Nih,o,s Gnrdnn - ,.h,n,,n emma o,or n,
ho,,so Tbcn nnnre5 tt" or, ,C ,rerrsichoro
ard for ynars tbo 1I,,r,, was oi,c,i n,,or .
,,oI,,,t,,,,,,, ,,,,r,,e ,,f ,occI,,',rg s,,,r
tocIe Thcro yyerc Iona. rn,,s' of rho hard
S",,,os+ ,un,,,o,, ~, ti,o ,,orIL IN tho oor,,i
dors on Tmas,ioy r,orminc,s to draw, thei
saIary
Aftcr tba :, EIocl, CrooI,,, ,vore itseIr on
tbore yrorc sDasn,n,Iic cfTorts to caII Locr
the old dramatic nrcstion of the bomsc
| CLor,os EonI,to,. ID lie A,,,orioor dah,,
failir,, ~, r,Io,,,o tI,o ,,LIin T. ,,a, tI',,r
|