The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-06-03
ONCE A CHURCH.
Now Asbury Park Opera
House--Strange Stories
In It's History.
Especial to eThe Jersey city News..')

tAopCCldf " lic 3JCisEy lily ANt"S- y
ASBURY PARK, June g. 1902,-At last
Asbury Park is to have a new theatre,
which it has really needed since the de-
struction BY fire of the Asbury Park
Opera House two years ago. The West
minister Church (situated on Sewall near
Grand avenue) has been bought by Mr..
Steinmuller of New York City. Mr.. Stein
muller will run first class vaudeville
house and will make extensive alteration
in the building.
He viii renovate it both inside and out
side The interior is to be finely finished
in blue and white, something on the order
of Weber & Fields Theatre, New York.
The boxes on either side of the stage are
to be removed 80 az TO make it wider;
also the stage is to be made ten feet
excellent and comfortable theatre seats,
and the seating capacity will be over
twelve hundred. 1t Is fortunate circum-
stance for the new owner that the two
signs around the dress circle, Gentle
men win please not spit on the floor, =
win not have to be painted on again, hav-
ing been left through all these fifteen
years 1t has been a church. Nor viii they
have to build dressing room for the
leading lady, as the study built for Mr..
Young will furnish excellent accommoda-
ton. Even the thunder and lightning is
Still in the basement, the last theatrical
company left it, the different ciergymen
having furnished all the thunder neces-
sary for church.
The building was originally erected as
an opera house by Francis Paterson ana
was the first theatre Asbury Park owned.
About fifteen years ago there was a split
in the First Presbyterian Church. The
pastor. Rev. Mr. Moran objected to an
entertainment given by the ladies Of the
church, in which it was claimed the
women (about for years old) showed too
much of their lower limbs. In conse-
quence so it is claimed, all sorts of
charges were made against Mr. Moran.
He then resigned and this caused split
Of about half the congregation which
formed a new church called the West
minister. Finding the sewall Opera House
| unused they rented it for small sum and
/ later bought it.
Mr.. Moran at the end of a year received
! call to Ivonton, Ohio. and Rev. s Ed
ward Young. then a student at Princeton,
was called 70 fill the pulpit. until year
later ne was ordained a minister. He was
only twenty-one years old when ordained
and became famous a. the Boy Minis
ter He received call TO Newark about
nine years ago and since to Pittsburg,
where he is at present. Since then the
church has had several ministers. but
has not succeeded successfully and for
some lime there has not been any church.
Through Rev. s. Edward Young the late
Dr. Talmage, the Rev Madison C. Peters
and other prominent dignitaries became
interested in Asbury Park and were heard
in the Westminster Church. Also the
| famous Casino, from where the baby
parade starts each year and where the
summer services were held was built as
a summer branch of this church. Now
| that the congregation have gone back to
the mother church. Asbury Park can af-
| ford to give church for good opera
| hollss