The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-06-12
ROSWELL HAS CHANCE
FOR A REAL OPERA HOUSE

A real, metropolitan opera mouse Tor
Roswell. That is what is coming, and
very little stands in the way accord
ing TO the plans that have been pro-
NOTED successfully by Charles V. Ea1-
es, who is now completing his second
visit in the city and has everything G
in readiness to get down to a specific
basis, even to having the rough
sketches for the building itself. The
site for the house has been secured
and upon a basis of $4,000 in bonus,
nearly all of which has been promised
a loan has been negotiated for the bal
ance necessary over and above the
sale of tickets on the opening night to
insure the construction of a $4,000
play house. And Mr.. Fades says that
the deal will go through, there being
too little in che way to stop it, and
that the house will lbe built.
DIR. Julius Garst has given the
grounr1 for the opera house, just
south of the Home Bakery on South
Main Street and across the street from
the Wells Building. A dozen Roswell
men have promised donations enough
to raise large portion Of the $4,000
bonus. The popular subscription that
will come in the sale of seats on the
opening night will raise several thou
sand dollars. Thirty thousand dollars
can be secured by the sale of bonds,
for two different parties have offered
| to take them up, one in Chicago and
another in Roswell. The only thing G
| lacking is the completion of the re-
quired donation or bonus and the sale
of the opening night tickets. These
| things out of the way and Roswell will
have as fine an opera house as can be
| found in cities many times Roswelfs s
| size. 1t will he managed for a time
at least, by Mr.. Eades, Or some other
good man that can be secured. But
the play house will be here, and can
not tbe taken away And one great
difficulty in providing amusement for
the people of the city and their visi-
| tors will have been removed.
To believe that an opera house will
be a suitable one for RoswelPs future
a person need only to look over the
drawings which Mr.. Fades has made
and now has at his room at The Gilbe
son. They show a structure modern
| in every respect, almost fire-proOf, alb
solutely safe for the people who would
|
| the latest and most complete ideas
that are expressed in the play houses
of larger cities and meeting the lega
requirements imposed in states where
such laws have been passed, meeting
the requirements of scenery chat is
carried by the Standard attractions
and seating comfortably about 1,31(
people.
The lot offered by DR.. Garst is I;
feet wide and 10 feet deep, at the al
ley end of the half block fronting or
Main, and a strip twenty feet wide
leading to it and running down tn
center of the rs foot lot. The plan i
to build the house on the west 10 fee
OF the rs foot lot and while it is goin!
up, DR.. Garst will improve the from
end of the lot on either side of tn
twenty-foot entrance, giving the Who'll
a uniform and attractive appearance
This plan of building a theatre on tn
dead end of a lot is the usual on
followed in later years in all the eli
les 1t meets every requirement, an
often as in this case, gives the groun
at no cost.
Excluding the entrance, 20 by 8
in its ground dimensions. An alley c
II feet will be left on one side an
three feet on the other. 1t is the hop
of Mr. Fades to have this three foe
: alley on the south side increased [
eight feet through the donation of
: five foot strip on this side. The pla
shows the seating capacity as follow
main floor, 610, balcony, 334, CALLER
366 These figures include the seat
in the boxes and lodges. There wi
Il be two boxes and one lodge On eac
n side of the main and balcony floor
2 The boxes accupy the entire widch {
r the sounding board
The lower floor is absolutely fir
proof except the wooden top owe
the concrete floor. There will be sal
ty exits from all floors, and they wi
be built outside the building, eac
with a separate stairway extending I