Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19

any kind Such condition has never been
repeated.
To list the theaters that have strutted their
heyday in Washington a century and q
quarter is not the function of such article
this. Such task must be reflected be-
tween book covers, and widely spaced covers
surely. The Mudd collection of Washington
lore Interestingly covers the Washington the
ater up to 1850, but whether any one has at
tempted later symposium the writer knows
not.
Contemporary with the National Theater in
its earliest days were the American Theater,
near Sixth street and Louisiana avenue, known
also the Washington Assembly and Wards
New Olympic Saloon; the Odeon, whose address
Is lost in obscurity, and the Adelphi at. PENN
sylvania avenue and Four and-one-hah street.
The National, then as now, was the premier
stand of the city Its boards felt the tread OF
the stage elite and of congenital vagabonds.
tracing gamut beginning with the Booths,
Davenports and Ellslers and ending with
troops of wild Arabs and dog and pony shows.
OF Fanny EllSler, it IS Said her first appear
arce in Washington drove woman auditors
into such ecstatic frenzies that they tore on
their rings and necklaces and hurled them to-
ward her on the stage.
The Garrick, Kernan's (now the President),
the Bijou (also the Empire) the Strand, (then
the Academy and the Columbia, are theaters
operating % years ago as inspired fountains Of
the spoken word which have passed beyond
range of the calcium light. The Columbia Of
course, is now a picture house, reeking of q
prosperity it never could know in the old days.
The Garrick was cradle for Sunken hopes
from its beginning. It was built at Seventh
and F streets 81 years ago by an idealistic
group. The land alone cost $50 900, and before
the theater reared its first timbers the buyers
were offered $3.50 900 for the site by gentle
man who wanted to block possible expansion
Of the Hecht Co. through to street. These
very monumental gentlemen declined the
offer and went through with their plans. The
theater never made money and some years
later was bought in at foreclosure by julius
Peyser for $4,000, who in turn sold the house
to the Shuberts, who changed its original
name of Casino to the Shubert-Garrick.
The Garrck's palmiest days were during
war time. though for several years after it con-
tinued to play stellar attractions, and through
the articles of L. Stoddard Taylor, then man
ager, was made a coy refuge for those who
liked their amusement in intimate and at
tractive surroundings.
1t may be said here in passing that wherever
Mr. Taylor has tarried he has left an indi-
vidual impression. An artist at heart and In
practice, he has never been content to inhabit
merely an office" or q theater His ffair for
the personal and unusual touch has made his
second-fioor Office in the BelaSco Theater q
subject for comment and admiration through
out the theatrical world His desks, his FIRE.
place, are made to order from his own designs:
the walls refiectors Of the great stage figures
OF the past ha1 century. The atmosphere as q
whole conduces to reflection and q quiet, easy
tempo in getting things done.
TN the last several years OF uneasily resting
beneath its mortal coil the Garrick
housed stock successfully under George Mar
shall and unsuccessfully under the late Garry
McGarry. The structure was RACED in 1924 to
accommodate the overwhelming walls of the
Hecht Co.
The Bijou. also known as the Empire. down
on Wholesale Row, near Center Market, was o
rendezvous for youngsters and oldsters.
Offer o vaudeville performer the opening or
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