Arizona republican., 1908-01-19
SOUTH SIDE NEWS
MESA

The Vance opera house, or Vance Amusement hall. winch it is called un- til another name is given it, is fast nearing completion, and within two weeks the wiring will have all been finished. and the carpenters will have driven the last nail in the largest opera house. auditorium or amusement building place in either Arizona or New Mexico. As soon as the floors have been placed. a dance never be- fore equaIed in this section will be given something on the order of house warming. so that the residents of Mesa and vicinity may show their appreciation Of such building. which is the pride of the entire south side.
 For a long time it has been general ly understood among stock companies and opera troupes generally that Mesa is 9 good show town, It has been noted on various occasions that the old Mesa opera house could be filled to overfIowing on five hours notice with most any kind of a iim-crow at traction. and Mesa is not particularly fond of jim-croW attractions. either. Less than two weeks ago a special
 
 of the Chas F. Hanford performances at Phoenix. and Mesa folk were in evi- dence from the boxes to the front row in the balcony. These facts. coupled with the desire to show his apprecia- tion of the twenty-seven years that he has lived in Mesa and prospered, led John T. Vance. a successful farm CT. living south of Mesa. to put up building for amusement purposes which would remain a monument to his thrift and business success long after he had crossed the great divide. While the building is beautiful struc- Iure in architectural design and equip ment, it has required considerable nerve on the part of Mir. Vance to keep things moving along. for. with any undertaking along such a line. there are always those who could have done a whole lot better or those who could have invested the money in grander cause. But farmer Vance is made of the stuff that overconles ob- stacles. He has more backbone than the men who have stood by and said that he would not succeed. At times he has kept going when many men would have given up, but he is man who can see that Mesa is a town com ing to the front: he can see that it will only be a year or two until such a building will not only be handy, but it will be a necessity.
 The building is located on West Main street, two blocks west of the post office and immediately west of the Mesa hotel. The tract on which the building is located comprises five acres. This entire plot is to be beau Jified with ornamental trees and will be used for park purposes. A nata- Jorium or swimming pool will be con- structed in the near future and will be supplied with fresh water from a deep-bored well on the tract. A sev- eral thousand gallon tank thirty-five feet high, supplied with water raised from the well by a gasoline engiae. will furnish fire protection for the building. Pipes connecting with fire plugs will be maintained in all parts of the building, and a complete fire department will be kept in working order.
 The building proper is 130X100 feet. with a stage 3Ox6O feet Immediately off the stage are splendidly arranged dressing room, with wardrobes. clos ! cts, lounging rooms and baggage apartments. Under the stage is a ce- 5nent basement which can either be used for drop stage effects or for re- 1reshment purposes while an enter 1ainment or dance is being given in the main hall The basement is BOX 100 feet The floor, which is made of hard maple, will be one of the best for dancing purposes in the west. i Every board is groved and notched i for one place. It is fit in there and will be as tight as one solid board l The balcony. which runs over two thirds of the way around the main i hall, will be permanently seated and ! will have a capacity of over thou | sand people. There are two stairways l leading to the gallery. The ceiling is l of a beautifully designed metal com 1 position which adds in making the l acoustic properties excellent oyer l 150 electric lights will be placed at | regular intervals along the ceiling and | side walls to add beaut-- and grandeur | to the structure at night or for mati- ! nee entertainments There will be l twelve exists on the main floor. each ! TxS, through which it will be possi- | ble for several thousand people to pass ] in three minutes The ventilation is 1 one of the things which has been care l fully looked after. Aside from the ! twelve large exits there will be upper 1 windows in the gallery or balcony 10 l insure the most pleasant conditions l during the heated season. The build | ing is constructed of cement over metal | lath, making it substantial as well as | beautiful.