Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1919-08-30

l
the ashes of the old Town Hall fine
Opera House, not only outwardly hand.
some in appearance but inwardly adorn.
ed and furnished with every comfort
and convenience to be found in any
modern up-to. date playhouse scien-
tifically constructed For this credit
able addition to the towns buildings
the public spirited enterprise of Mr..
j. E, Lewis IS to be thanked. The
building is well and strongly made in
every particular the best materials used
without any stint, and in every detail
represents the best that could be placed
; in any such 8 ructure. To give but one
illustration, the large silver screen fire.
proof curtain upon which the pictures
are thrown cost $500 and is so scien-
tifcally made as to give the highest
possible illumination visible at every
angle in any part Of the house, and
moreover with the least fatigue to the
eve. A $25 muslin curtain would ordl-
! narily answer all purposes.
! The main auditorium is As by liz feet
in size, with as foot ceiling and has
418 seats placed in rows 81 inches apart
and on a flooring sloping one and a
quarter inches to the foot which gives
to every seats clear view of the stage,
both on the main floor and in the bal
! cony where there are 400 seats.
The stage IS 25 by 45 feet, and is said
; to be one of the largest in the state.
In the stage rear is an annex II by 45
, feet for dressing rooms furnished with
toilet and other conveniences. The fly
is "a feet 10 inches high in the clear
above the stage floor. The seats are
marked with metal letters and numbers,
thus giving a seating capacity, in
roomy, comfortable seats of alb ut 800
which on necessity can be raised to 1000
by utilizing the three broad aisles.
The auditorium is handsome room
its sides and ceiling formed from orna
mental pressed steel painted white with
green and gold on borders and panels.
The ornamentation on the sides is
small trefoil figures, while the ceiling is
composed of small. and large lacunar
square spaces with egg and dart edges
touched with gilt, the panels pea green.
Nine of the ceiling lacunars are exact
squares with diagonally inclosed smaller
squares, from the center of each are
suspended by chains as many large gilt
domes with eiectrics inside giving an
upward illumination of agreeably diff
fused light. On the walls are II twin
candel 4bras in smoked silver sconces,
and these, together with other lights,
triplets and porcelain drops. ETC., give
altogether from lobby to stage a total
illumina zion of over 1000 candle power
certainly fine lighting.
Below the ceiling proper is curved
green colored moulding, then narrow
! gilt bo der followed by broader bor-
der of pink roses and small conven-
| tional flower figures with green bands
above and below. This green tinted
moulding meeting the ornamental cell
ing above forms very beautiful COM
bination. The dado below IS grained in
imitation of colored marble.
On the wall on either side OF the
casino or stage, are two large paneled,
painted rural scenes; on the left, man
fishing from rustic bridge-houses in
the background; on the right. female
figure is standing on a platform and
feeding tn. swans in the lake at her
! foot. That country jake shows poor
taste in wasting his time on fish that
don't bite instead of siding. up to that
sunset-haired sweet creature on the
other side She might be willing to
exchange her swan for swain.
The main exit is in front, broad and
easy of access, and without steps
! simply up an inclined plane and down
another with a soft spill onto the side.
walk, if such thing as panic should
ever occur. Two stairways fairly wide