The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-17
OLD CORK ROOM
 TBENG RAzED
New York Hostelry En- tertained Many Fam
 ous Visitors

Tn, Twenty third street, just west of Sixth avenue, they are tearing down the structure which hpuaed one of the most famous places of spusement of it's kind in New York. flts@ the old Kos ter & Biais Music hall. says the, New York World,
 Built in 1869 as the Twenty third street opera house, 1t was leased to the grandaddy of all ninstrels, Dan Bryant, who opened it with elaborate / ceremonies November g, 1870. AIin- strels were among the principal forms of entertainment at that time, their popularity having gradually increased since the close of the Civil war.
 In 1875 Cotton & Reeds minstrels, were featured at the theatres reopen ing as Darling's opera house. After few months the name was changed back again to the Twenty third Street and John Hart assumed the manage ment. He opened with the Tracy Titus Opera company, with which Catherine Lewis made her New York debut. In 1876 William Pastor, brother of Tony, took the theatre over with the Califor- mia niinstrels as the attraction, in the course of which q young man, N. o. Goodwin, Jr., appeared in a speciality turn and attracted favorable comment.
 Start Of Its Fame
 Not till 1879 did John Roster and Albert Bial. as partners, take the lease and begin the reign of fifteen years which made the name of stheir estab- lishnnent known througboat the world as synonym for entertainment which might not always be refined. but was sure to be spiced with seductive wick edness. Both were sons of immigrants from Germany,
 Combining business--the liquor busi- nese--witA pleasure. they quickly achieved popularity. Most noted of all their attractions was the cork room," under the sidewalk. There patrons and artists f0regatheted between act and young women in tights or short skirts bestowed their smiles on gallant young men who reciprocated by opening bot ties. The corks were carefully saved and the small room ten feet wide, twenty feet long and eight feet high was dadoed and frescoed with them. The final count was forty thousand champagne corks.
 The haunt started about c8S when, according to the legend, Roster, Bial and the representatives of three differ ent wine firms, testing samples, opened twents-six bottles of champagne in three hours. The corks, U chance ar ranged along the top of the wainscoting, appealed simultaneously to the part ners as a novel decoration.
 More eorks were added as more bot ties were opened. Some tables and chairs were moved in and the women performers and men patrons got into the habit of meeting in the Invit- Ing stories of 'sorsies' spread abroad ;; out-of-town visitors begged to be led to it. Europe heard of 1t. Tn San Fran cisco the impression prevailed you couldn't get in till an attendant looked you over through trap door.
 The stage of the original Roster and Bial's was one of the smallest in the city but on it appeared some of the chief celebrities and greatest favorites of the variety stage of their day. Car nneneita, the Spanish dancer, made her big American hit there She had been discovered in Spain dancing for $20 q
 week. At first she was receiyed in only akewafin fashion by the audience Suddenly she became the rage. Crowds