The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-04
ONE OF The BEST.
Grand Opera House Being Made
Like New.
Interior Entirely RemOdeled
and Up to Date.
OPEN IN SEPTEMBER.
Will Have Smoking Rooms and
Comfort Places.
First Floor Steps Have Been
Entirely Eliminated.
OPEN IN SEPTEMBER.

A surprise awaits the local theater-
going public when the season opens. /
which event will in all probability +
take place during the latter part of /
this month. or by the first week Of /
September at the latest.
The Grand theater. which was re-
opened last season. and which IS now /
in process of being remodeled, re-
vamped and one might say almost en-
tirely reconstructed, will afford accom-
modations in every respect far superior
to what it has been heretofore
L. NJ. Crawford who is at the head /
of the Crawford circuit of theaters |
with headquarters at St, Louis, IS IN
Topeka personally experimenting the /
improvements going on at the JACK
son street amusement place. Mr.. Craw-
ford is usually the busiest man about
the theater and he is enthusiastic
about the improvement work under
way. He declares that when the
Grand is opened this season it will be
one of the best and most cOm1ortabIe
houses under his control.
If you are one of the persons which
will make up the audience at the first
performance upon the opening Of the
house. you will enter through one of
three wide doors on the street level
If you haven't provided yourself with
tickets you will pass behind rail and
before the ticket window on the ex-
IRENE south end of the entrance hail
| where the box office is located. It was
formerly on the north side.
You will pass forward through the
| entrance hall which is of sufficient size
! the tickets of admission are collected
/ as the crowd files through one of three
i wide doors leading into the main floor
auditorium.
lighted by electricity, the globes
being studded in the ceiling which
is less than ten feet above the floor.
Entering the main floor auditorium
you will find three. sections of seats
4 instead of two as heretofore. There
| will be no aisle down the center of the
house. but the center section will be
/ section Of seats probably fourteen seats
| in width. An aisle will extend from
| front to back of this floor on each side
of this central section of seats. outside
of which will be another section on
i either side of the house.
The main floor will be fully 20 feet
longer than it has been heretofore,
thereby allowing of a greater seating
i capacity, There will be p rows Of
i seats instead Of II as form erly----
Formerly sitewas necessary to mount
several steps on the7 outside of the the
alter Stey- gain eiatrR nce no the house
From this elevations the floor of the
Il houses siopeds & from 1tFos rear of the
auditorium down tos the stage at a
decided grade.
The woodwork of the entire first
floor was removed and rebuilt so that
in entering the theater from the street
level you walk directly into the in
terror of the house without mount
/ ing a single steps The floor was low
cred in the rear. of the room fully six
feet, and it still leaves the grade suf1-
Gent to give each row of seats an
f1I{ "a rnx IN hfcr1
enough to make 1t satisfactory to an
audience
New chairs have been bought and
will be placed on the first floor, and
terial similar to that used in the
library in the state house, being a
cork base covered with a composition
made of rubber and other materials,
It will be practically noiseIess.
The mezzanine floor will be the
novelty feature of the house. On ae-
count of the lowering of the main
floor it was possible to build a bal
cony between the old balcony and
| the main floor. This will be called
the mezzanine floor and will contain
! but five or six rows of seats.
Directly in the rear of the mezza-
nine balcony and on the same leve
will be the promenade, nicely car
peted and containing comfortable
chairs and divans. Retiring rooms FOL
! side of the promenade and smoking
! room will adjoin on the north.
) One set of stairways will reach ths
5 balcony, the seating capacity of which
t is increased by four or five additiona
rows of seats.
A separate stairway leads to tn
: gallery. It enters the gallery in th'
. center OF the building and the aisle
a and Railways Of the top floor are ais
remodeIed-
: The boxes have been entirely re
: constructed Heretofore those seate'
t in the boxes at the Grand were IN
9 able to get a satisfactory view Of
= performance. This defect has beel
g resnedied, and where there used to b
y bur six boxes there are now twelve.
Waste space in the rear of the boxe
2 has been utilized for dressing room
y for the principals In the various com
: pa,nes which will visit the house.
Decorators will soon begin work o
= the walls and ceilings OF the house
: and when it is opened Il will present
: totally different aspect.
= As q home for frst-class attraction
e the Grand will be far in advance OF an
:, thaater Topeka has ever had The FAC
= that the entrance is from the stree
level instead Of the stairway leading [
. the second floor for the main floor Q
Il the theater is a feature which viii b
e thoroughly appreciated.
K Mr. Crawford gives assurance tina
o ample facilities will be installed TO CIV
t Deafness Cannot Be Cured