The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-23
NEWTHEATERNOW
One to Be Built at Corner
Eighth and Quincy.
Twelve Thousand Dollars Paid
for Harrison Lots.
AN EXPENSIVE HOUSE
Plans Call for Expenditure OF
Forty Thousand Dollars.
Novelty Theater to Be Closed
for Good July /.
AN EXPENSIVE HOUSE

thrown open to the people of this city
the doors of new and modern thea
ter, which will be magnificent in all of
its details-a theater that will cost in
the neighborhood of $4,000 to con-
struct and one of which many a city,
considerably larger than Topeka,
would be proud to boast of.
This new playhouse will be erected
on the property at the northwest cor
ner of Quincy street and East Eighth
avenue, which is now occupied by
row of one story flats and which COW
ers an area of fifty feet front on
Eighth avenue and one hundred and
thirty feet on Quincy street. 1t would
be hard to scour the city, over and find
a more desirable location for theater.
A deal was closed yesterday after
noon whebeby the Peoples Amusement
company, the syndicate that owns the
Novelty theater obtained possession
of this property from its. owner, Colo
mel T. w. Harrison. Mr.. Harrison was
paid $4,000 in cash for the property
and as soon as the papers transferring
the property can be made out the
work of tearing down the present
buildings will be started and the work
of constructing the new theater VIII
be begun.
Some months ago an announcement
was made to the effect that the Peo-
pies Amusement company intended to
known that Mr.. S. r. Wells, the man
ager of the Novelty and who is deeply
financially interested in the syndicate,
was. looking around for site for the
house This was no easy task and
some information was obtained and
published a few days ago that the
Peoples Amusement company mad
given up its plan to put a new theater
here. Mr. Wells was not over COM
municative one way or the other
when asked about this story to the
effect that a new house would not be
built here. Fortunately for the people
of the city the Information turned out
to be incorrect and a new and up-to-
date theater is to be built.
There is not much to say about the
new house we are going to put UP,
said Mr. Wells this morning when he
confirmed the fact that the property at
Eighth avenue and Quincy street had
been purchased yesterday afternoon
from Colonel Harrison for $4,000.
"I don't believe in talking lot about
what is going to be done by myself or
anybody else. It's the actions and re
suits that count. But 1 will say that
we intend to erect as fine a theater
on the site just acquired as there is in
this part of the country, and we plan
to open the theater up on Septem-
Der 30
Prominent Men.
Associated with Mr.. Wells in the
Peoples Amusement company are
Henry MehI, w. w. Hooper and John
H Atwood of Leavenworth, all we'll
known Kansans and men of substance
and their connection with almost any
enterprise is a guarantee of its being
brought to a successful conclusion.
The new theater will be called The
Novelty, taking the same name that the
popular little vaudeville house on Kansas
avenue now has. 1t is the intention of
the PEOPLES Amusement company to
close up this theater that has held such
real warm spot in the hearts of To-
pekans time it was opened here couple
of years ago and which has been run
with such unqualified success by Mr..
Wells during the past eight months.
The old Novelty will be closed on July
l and Mr. Wells will then devote his
personal attention to the supervision OF
the construction of the new theater.
Plans have already been made by the
Peoples Amusement company to make
the new Novelty the home OF high class
vaudeville, a class of vaudeville that
has never been seen in Topeka. 1t is
also likely that when any good theatri-
cal production which is not controlled
bv the trust that controls the legitimate
theatrical situation in this city, comes
this way-some of the independent pro-
ductions that have been under the di-
rection of the Shuberts of 1ate-that
they will be booked for say a night each
week at the new theater. If such an
arrangement can be made it will be
hailed with glee by the people of this
city. And a new and a higher class of
vaudeville will be just as welcome.
The new theater will be modern
and fireproof as it will be possible to con-
struct it. Having a corner location with
a rear on an alley there will be many
commodious exits. The house will be
built in a a way after the plans of the
new and handsome Orpheum theater at
Leavenworth which is owned by the
Orpheum Amusement company and in
which the Peoples Amusement company
has a controlling interest. This theater
at Ieavenworth has a seating capacity
of 236 exclusive of the box seats and
the new Topeka theater will be just as
large. perhaps larger. 1t is proposed to
charge fifteen and twenty cents admis-
sion to the parquet, all of which seats
will be reserved and a ten cent adnis-
sion to the balcony. The box seats will
be twenty-five cents each. These prices,
of course are for the vaudeville shows.
Vaudeville bookings will be made in
conjunction with the Sullivan and Con-
sidine vaudeville circuit which has
Jumped to such a prominent place in
the vaudeville world during the past
two or three years. The new Novelty
will be on that section of the circuit
which will run from Denver to Chicago
and among some of the other places on
it are Wichita, Leavenworth, Kansas
City Mo, Omaha and Lincoln in Ne
braska: Des Moines and Davenport, in
Iowa; Minneapolis and Milwaukee and
several other cities. The size of these
cities is one of tn bst indications of
cities is one of the best indications of
the class of vaudeville shows that will
prices The Sullivan - Concidine concern
is to erect a theater of its own in Kan
sas City, Mo-, for a place in this circuit
and has already leased property near
the corner of Twelfth and MCGEE streets
In