Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16
NEAR THE CITY HALL
Louisiana Avenue Early During
the Last Century.
SITE OF AMERICAN THEATER
Wandering Paths Within Lines Of
Judiciary Square.
RESORT OF PROFESSIONALS
Value Of Ground-Erection of Build
ings-Names Of Some of the
Early Residents.

1t was not until Louisiana avenue re-
ceived that name about 1920 and the site
for the city hall was selected that the garb
of nature was relieved by primitive foot
way of gravel and sand Meandering paths
had been worn within their lines, for In
what is now the park some squatters were
residing. The corner of 9Th street was for
many years an open lot. but in the fifties
John T. Towers 4: Bro. erected there
printing Office on the site Of the Barbour
law building. East on part of lot IL was
erected about 1915. three-story brick
building which few years later became
the Shakespeare Hotel owned by Ernst
Guttsulich, resort of the professionals
of that day. The house was valued in the
twent:es at $500 and later at $500. A
large portion of the original walls are in
the building now on the site 1t is said
that il in the third story of the build
ing that one of the first Know Nothing or
Native American lodges in the District was
formed, about 1853 and that prominent
New England senator was initiated Mrs.
Guttsiich conducted boarding house there
for many years after the hotel business was
closed.
Adjoining. on the east. is the fenced-in
space on which the names of American
Theater, Cops Saloon or Assembly Rooms
and Canterbury were prominent in early
days. The site. parts of lots Il ard IA.
was in 1877 included in the holdings of
Dunlap or Carlton. passing into the hands
Of David Peter in 1903 and through the
Washington Tontine, Joseph Forrest. agent.
to William Warren ar William B. Wood
of Philadelphia in 1890 Those persons.
each well-known in the theatrical profess
sion, conceived the project of building
theater there and September Of that year
made an agreement to purchase gill
square feet at fifteen cents per foot. Hav-
ing secured the control September 10 a.
fyrrfh nr 9oDf VIZ dn hV
and Wood with Samuel N Smallwood. then
mayor of the city: w w. Seaton of the
Intelligencer, and Roger c. WHghtman, who
afterward served in the mayoralty. John
fund and erect a theater Shares were 500
each and the holders Of stock were entitled
to free admission, except to benefit per-
formances, and Messrs. Warren and Wood
bound themselves to establish a theater
and that the sea sons were not to be less
than twenty-four nights. In less than
year the building, which seated 700 In
Guiding separate accommodations for the
colored race, was opened August 3, 1871,
being the initial performance. The COM
pany in which were Warrens, Woods JET
Persons, Wallack and others, gave '.She
Stops to Conquer" with farce and dance.
Appearance of the Elder Booth.
Here. in August. 1892. appeared the elder
Booth as Richard III and in other charac-
ters and on March %, 1924. John Howard
Payne presented his opera of Clara, or the
| Maid of Milan." in which his song of
Home, Sweet Home" was sung by Mrs.
Warning 1t need not be told how the song
affected the audiences. other than to say
| that it caught the public ear, and in a little
time could be heard almost everywhere.
! and in few months the old home song of
AT home there are sweets not met with
| elsewhere was well-nigh forgotten.
| Hackett Madam Celeste and Edwin For
rest appeared at the theater in that decade.
| and Lafayette in 1924 attended the per-
| Torrance there of The Soldiers Daugh-
| ter" comedy. and THE Review" a farce
| Miss Clara Fisher. who was heard by some
persons now living who not very old,
| sang some of the old ditties there about
| 1890.
About 1929, at the suggestion of Mr.. War
! rem, the stockholders appointed a commit
| tee to enlarge the building to accommodate
], 600 people. which was accomplished by the
| close of 1881. In December of that year the
| theater was reopened under the manage
ment of Joseph Jefferson the second. Dur
| ing his regime Kean. Forrest. Mrs. Drake
| Madam Feron and other notables appeared,
but possibly the greatest event was that of
| Daddy" or Jim Crow" Rice Ct. d.,
with his negro songs and dances. "CTar de
Kitchen. Jump. Jim Crow. etc. It was
! there that the late Joe Jefferson. then only
| four years Of age was introduced to the
| public. He was carried in a bag to the
stage by Rice. and, while singing Jim
| Crow was tumbled out before the audi
|
| in few years the building was entirely re-
| modelled, and was again opened in Septem-
| Der. 1895. but month or two later was
again closed.
| It Is related that during the thirties the
| theatrical profession was not lucrative
one at times. and that some who afterward
reached high rank often found necessary
| to live in the green room of the establish
ment. The late Joseph harden was an as
sistant property man at the theater in ques-
| ton. and he was wont to relate how he
| aided some Of the actors o. that day by
| taking them a basket Of fried frog legs.
Several boys employed there went with him
| to the country one morning. and over the
| river captured dozen or two "blood-
| nouns" These he stripped of their hind
| legs which he got his mother to cook. and
carried to the green room. The company
| was about sitting down to a table very
| meagerly supplied. and he passed one fried
| leg to each, saying it was chicken but
| when ne replenished their plates with more
| legs the absence of other portions of fowl
| was noticed and he was asked to explain.
| That he did While some of the diners said
| they would not have been able to eat the
! delicacies had they known what they were.
| they had acquired such taste for frog legs
| that for some weeks he was kept busy in
| hunting the greenbacks.
American Theater Again Opened.
In the spring of 1898 the American The
alter was again opened, but closed after a
| short season, to be opened once more in the
| faa, but, as before. the doors were closed
| in a few weeks. In March, 1910, it was
opened by Messrs Hardy and Jackson of
Baltimore for a short season. In 1S41 the
building was converted into two large as
| senbly rooms, in which was held the inau-
| guration ball of President Harrison Grip.
| pecanoe), March 4, 1871. In 1915 1t became
! Waro's Olympic stloon, but for want OF
| patronage it remained such only a short
time. Then it became Cops bowling sa-
| loon in the lower ground story, in which
| were half dozen or more aHeys. and the
| upper floor was used as assembly rooms. in
which balls. parties. meetings, etc, were
| held It was also in the ffties used as a
drill hall by the National Grays, of which
| the late Gen. Peter F. Bacon was for long
time the commander.
| In the days of the civil war the building
J was a famous place of amusement for the
| many thousands of soldiers and others
| drawn to the capital A variety or vaude-
| vile show for men was given, and the per-
| formances on and off the stage were often
| Of the uproar character and then again
were of high order. A band Of six or eight
| instruments was employed to drum up the
| audiences daily. and in the evening would
| start from the front of the Treasury headed
/ by transparency, and the lively tunes
| would in little time attract many as
| would fill the place twice over. The au-
diences would be regaied by song. dances
| SHEET o naad trtcAs e., stage
| while soft drinks and cigars were Served