The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-21
THEIR GLORY GONE
AFAMOUS OLD HOTEL AND THEATER
SUCCUM6 TO IT.

SOSSOWo ~
Memories Of the Glorious Career OF the
Old metropolitan and Niblo's Garden.
"reminiscences That VIII Interest Others
Besides New Workers.
Thirty years ago the Metropolitan hotel
was the 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 were
narrowed to 4 turn, its oysters had the
.aIl, 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
vestibuie for all the noted chophouses
were in the neighborhood.
Round the corner, in Houston street,
wers 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 a pleasant day all the
famous actors IN town.. l.. Davenport,
( Tom Placide, Burton. Dion Boueicault,
James ". Wallack, 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 ineu-
gurated with stupendous banquet. Ste
phen 4. Douglas and Tom Benton and
Sam Houston were there. Noluminous
descriptions of the hotel appeared in the
newspapers of that date. People stood in
crowds and looked up at il from the other
side of the street. 1t was thought by con-
sentative people to be Almost unwarranted
piece Of extravaganza. But the Metropoli-
tan became at once one of the most popu-
lar hotels ia the city. And its complement
of 1000 guests did not fall OFF while the
Lelands had charge OF it.
Before and during the war it was Gus
tomaIy for the reporters 70 go to the Met
ropolitan every night TO set the news. 1t
was jammed with people on the night of
the cable celebration and on the day that
Sumter was fired on. There was, in fact,
10 such center above it OH Broadway, and
its walls must have rung with the voices
of many great captains and celebrated
beauties
There are people in New York who can
remem Der when Niblo had q garden there.
There are many more who can remem Der
tine first theater which went by the name
OF the garden, and how the American in
stitute was won't to hold its fairs there,
and the original Christy MINISTRIES, 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.
Then later the theater spread out into a
great auditorium, and Mr.. A. Il. Stewart
bought the property and had private box
connected with parlor, and finally came
Jarrett and Palmer To- take the manage
nent, and then bioomed upon the world
the "Black Crook and the white
Fawn," spectacies whose like had never
been seen. and which rolled up fortunes
for everybody connected with them.
But at this time ne theater was IN the
full swing of popular success The enor-
nous success of the Black Crook" had
secured all the commercial visitors in
town. It was denounced by the pulpit.
but never waned in attractiveneSs for
years Agents were kept in Europe 70
snap up every speciality they could find,
and such was the pliability and capacity
OF the performance that it swallowed up
everything, from a performing goat to a
prima ballerina assoluta-
Bonfanti was then in her prime and be-
came the rage of the town. Pauline Mark
ham was in full girth OF glory and led the
AmaZons.
Ii some one will lay hold of the still vir-
lie beard of the venerable Commodore
Tooker, he will reminisoe for an hour on
the palmy days of Niblo's- All the historic
Thespians OF the pave will tell OF the days
of William Wheatley and the production
of the - Dukes Motto" play which made
the most extraordinary kind of hit, and
how after that Forrest came with the
Broker of Bogota, one of the best orig
inal American dramas of its era
When Jarrett and Palmer took hold of
Niblo's Garden, q change came over the
house. Then opened the era Of Terpsichore,
and for years the place was given over TO
a voluptuous orgie of bacchantes and spec
tacle There were long rows of the hand
soonest women in the world in the corri-
doris on Tuesday mornings TO draw their
salary.
After the BLACK Crook" wore itself out
there We're spasmodic efforts TO call back
the old dramatic prestige OF the house.
Charles Fechter made his American debut
there, playing Hamlet IN p4Ohu WIZ anu
failing 10 please the public. lt was there
that Boucicault brought his 'Formosa"
from London after declaring that he was
going TO open "a new path for the drama
through the sewers" and the play was
damned on the first night.
The Metropolitan has succumbed 70 the
inevitable. Broadway is glacier, not
rock It moves slowly north with all its
gayety, It's groups, It's oentcrs. Everything
historic Inelts and vanishes. Every old
stager has marked tie shifting Of the CEN
ters. Thirty years ago the focus Of Vanity
Fair was there between Houston and
Prince streets. When Rachel came 10 this
country, she got no higher than Houston
street And when the war was over the
II meeting place Of all the lions the swelis,
the faneurs, was between the - Nicholas
and the Metropolitan.
Those blocks thundeTed and palpitated
with the life that has gone up 70 Thirty
ninth street First the crowd jumped 70
Union square. then 1t went 70 the Fifth
Avenue hotel. then 70 TIE Hoffman House,
then 70 the Coleman, then 20 the Grand,
then to-well, you viii have 70 take ca
be car 70 find IL now.-Nym Crickle IN
New York World.