Washington sentinel., 1898-03-26
Pleasure Resorts in Old New York
Nea' York TonyNak.

Speaking of the disappearance OF old
names in New York, how does il happen
that so many places OF amusement have
been called gardens2 Doubtless because
the first pleasure resorts Of the people
were gardens, where there was at first
stand for music, then a concert hall and
finally a theatre, which came to be shut
in by having the rest ofthe garden ground
covered with other structures. Tea
gardens they used to be called in the
last century, though the beverages
served were not confined to 1.-THE cups
that cheer, but not inebriate."
One of the earliest of those was the
Chatham Garden, on what is now Park
Row, from Pearl to Duane street. It
was a social resort in the old colony
times, with shaded walks and cozy
hooks, but it's concert pavilion was
finally displaced by the Chatham Garden
Theatre. There was a Spring Garden,
where the Astor House is, in which
there was a house of entertainment that
became the "Drovers' Inn" In those
days OF loyalty to the British Crown
there was much sping OF London IN our
nomenclature, and there was a Vauxhall
at Warren and Greenwich streets and a
Ranelagh j'.et above Duane, west of
the Vauxhall Garden, which had reg.
ular theatre, was a later institution.
The original garden extended from
Broadway to the Bowery, between
Fourth street and Astor place, and in
cluded the ground where the Astor
Library stands. 1t was badly cut up
when Lafayette place was opened
through it in 1876. Originally II was
real garden resort, with music pavilion,
and was kept by a Frenchman named
Delacroix; but itcame to have popular
Summer theatre OF some note. It was
there that David Poe, father of Edgar
A., made his first appearance as an actor
in New York.
William NIblo established one OF these
gardens where the attraction was music
and tea or other refreshments, and the
freedom of social converse in the open
air. Its fate is still remembered. The
garden disappeared under one Of tie
finest OF modern theatres and big
hotel, and YET until late period the
theatre was known as Niblo's Garden,
though the last vestige Of garden was a
bit of courtj ard deep'down between the
theatre and the Metropolitan Hotel, A
big twelve story "store" building has
obliteTated the name, and threatens 10
wipe out the memory Of NiblO's, where
some oil the great dramatic perform
ances Of the last generation took place.
We have seen the transforming of a
garden into a music hall and theatre
without losing its name go on under our
eyes at Terrace Garden. Doubtless
this kind OF development has led to
calling places gardens or garden theatres
which never were anything OF the kind,
as the Winter Garden and Madison
Square Garden, The gardens were the
places at which musical entertainments
developed especially, and were the
pTogenitors of opera houses
That reminds me of another relic that
has disappeared in the last few years in
the Astor Place Opera House. Before
the present Clinton building was put up
IN Astor Place the old home ofthe Mer-
camille Library showed the distinct lin
eaments OF the first New York structure
that was specially built tor an opera
house. They are only fading memory
now, but we ought to have some visible
memorial of the first regular home oI
Italian opera in that city. Perhaps the
tradition which is most lively about this
first real opera house is the fierce riot in
Is49, when the English MacreadS ap
peared there as Macbeth in direct rivalry
with the American Forrest. 1t seems
strange now that there should be a riot
over that.