The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-09
9ahedu@
IS
LAID FOR new
POLL THEATER
Crowd Watches Event Banquet
and Fluctuations Follow
at The Stratfield

at The Stratfield
Amid the admiring plaudits, of a
throng so large. that it blocked Con-
gress street, little Miss Lillian Poll,
nine year old daughter of Mr.. and
Mrs. s. z. Poll yesterday afternoon
laid the cornerstone of her fathers
new $250,O00 theatre at the corner
of Main and Congress streets.
Although the first spadeful of earth
for the new theatre was turned by
Mr.. Poll but a few weeks ago, the
Torrington Construction company,
which holds the contract. by record
breaking work advanced the construc-
ton yesterday afternoon to the point
where the corner stone could be laid.
All building records probably will be
completed, for the contract calls for
its opening next September, and the
construction of such a huge build
ing in that time is task calling for
every resource of modern and ,scien-'
tific building methods.
The ceremony of laying the corner
stone was witnessed by large crowd
of invited guests, including many city
officials of both New Haven and
Bridgeport, and personal friends Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Poll. This was the first
occa sion that a member of the Foil
family officiated at such an event,
and the date was selected in honor
of the 9Th birthday of little Lillian
the baby of the family"
John j. Splain of New Haven, one
of Mr.. Polls staff, made a few in
troductory remarks after which little
Miss Lillian took the solid silver spade
and stepped forward to spread the
mortar for the corner stone. She
said:
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Is my happiest birthday. To
have been chosen from among my
sisters and brother to lay the corner
stone makes me very, very happy;
more, indeed, than can tell
cit is one. more kindness from papa
and mamma to their baby girl. This
is papa's baby theatre. and he says it
will be his biggest and best-that's
why am glad to be the biggest
one here today Everybody says the
one who lays the cornerstone is big
gest one here, except, OF course, papa,
who owns the stone.
II hope every body in Bridgeport
will like the theatre when it is built;
1t is going to be awfully nice. and il
is going to hold 50 many people, papa
says, there will be room for every
body in Bridgeport. ~
Papa says the shows, too. will be
the best ever; so all the little boys
and girls and their papas and mann.
mas and their sisters and brothers
will be sure to have fun when they
come to the theatre. And when the
little boys and girls grow up to. be
men and women and Bridgeport is as
big as New York I hope the theatre
Will De as pretty as papa says it will
be when 1t is built.
ST hope, too, this cornerstone that
papa and mamma let me lay, and this
pretty silver trowel I am using will
md
everybody here.
'Gainst time and ruin forever stay,
This stone I lay on my ninth birth
day.
'I name thee Polls Theatre!'
In a Theoretically sealed box to be
put copies Of the local newspapers con-
tanning accounts Of the new theatre
project, a copy of the municipal reg
lister and the city's booklet containing
the names of the city officials: num-
Der OF coins in value from cent to
q dollar, and few other appropriate
mementoes
Then the party adjourned to the
Stratf1eld and sat down to an excellent
banquet. the health Of Mr.. Poll, his
family, and his many big enterprises
being toasted by the guests
At the express wish of Mr.. Poll, Mr..
Splain stated at the beginning of the
banquet that there would be no
speech making, but when the various
| courses had been discussed, the
speech making was not to be stopped
and was all the more enjoyable in
there were no set speeches on tho pro-
gram.
Friendly rivalry between New Ha-
ven and Bridgeport was expressed by
the various speakers from the respec-
tive cities, and much wit was unlim-
the speakers Joined In paying trib-
l-utes to the host and hostess of the
occasion, to Mr.. Polls business acu-
men which had melted him such splen-
did success In hi chosen venture, and
to the help and assistance and good
advice given him by 'fhis better
half
l. NJ Sagal acted as POSTMASTER of
| the occasion and made a witty and
entertaining presiding officer. Final
ly the guests Joined in an insistent
demand for a few words from Mr..
Poll himself, and although he seldom
| makes speeches. he consented this
time to say a few words, thanking
the guests for their many expressions
Of good will toward himself and his
family, and ending by calling on the
assemblage to sing that classic ball.
lad, Were Here Because We're
Here"
It was we'll toward evening when
the assemblage finally dispersed, and
| the corner stone exercises were over.
The silver trowel will become the
property OF Miss Lillian Poll, and will
be suitably engraved.
Among the guests at yesterdays af-
fair were: Mr.. and Mrs. s. z. Poll,
Mayor and Mrs. Franz Rice of New
Haven, Mr.. and Mrs. e. T. Bucking-
ham, M. j. Jordan, Mr. and Mrs.
James E. McGann Of New Haven; J.
H. Smith. P. Alonzo, Miss Rose Verdi,
Miss Loretta Verdi. Mrs. Rose Russo
of New Haven; Edward Poll, Univer-
sity OF Pennsylvania; Mr.. Thos. Kirby,
L. NJ Sagal, Edward Renton, general
representative Of Mr.. Poll; T. j. Pardee,
F. A. Doolitt,e, Mrs. H P. Taylor,
Miss Juliet Poll, Mrs. Rose Cowles,
J. Taylor. Oliver H. D: Cowles. Cap
| tain J. H. Redgate, Thomas H. Sui
! Ivan, Mr.. and Mrs Richard Howell,
Mr. and Mrs Frank Miller, Mr.. and
Mrs F. C. Mullins. Mr.. and Mrs. John
]. Sexton, Miss Lucy. Miss Adeleine,
Miss Lillian Poll, Mr.. and Mrs. j. E.
Elliott, Chief Of Police Cowles of New
Haven; F. p. Devine, Bert Barnes,
w. c. p. Beers, 0. H. Lindsay and