Evening star., 1931-12-20

ing OF the National Theater on March 5, 1845,
Its accommodation limited to between
three and four hundred persons. Before the
building was used as theater it was used for
a variety of other purposes and one of the
masonic lodges held early meetings there
A MOTHER of the old theater buildings which
" is still standing and will probably re-
main SO for quite long while Is the Ford
Theater building, on Tenth street, where Pres
ldent Lincoln was assassinated on April "a
1865 This building erected in 1853 and
opened to the public in August of that year.
Originally this was tie site of the First Baptist
Church, the corner stone of which laid in
1888 and here Rev. Obediah B. Brown, cele-
brated clergyman of his day, was for many
years the pastor.
In 1861, the church property was sold to
David w. Heath and by him 1t was transferred
to John T. Ford, the first theatrical perform
ances being given there November 10 and
81. 1861, by the Carlotta Patti Concert Troupe
The building was completely destroyed by fire
on December 80, 1852 being known ut the time
as Ford's -AtheReum After the assassination of
Mr.. Lincoln 1t was never used for theatrical
purposes again, and it Is now TO be used by the
Federal Government as a museum for the LIN
coin relics.
streets, which was razed within the past
six months, Was at one time, when under Mr.
Fords management, one of the best theaters
In the city, and shared with the National and
Albangh's Grand Opera House in the best
shows that came to the city In 1846 its site
was covered by a large coach factory con-
Quoted by Haslup q Weeden. It appears to
have been first used as theater in 1853 under
the name Varieties Concert Saloon In 1865,
the name had been changed to the oxford Hall
OF Music, with Fox Curran & Norris as the
proprietors and managers The next year
George Lea was running the place Canter-
bury Hall. In 1867 it became Wallis Opera
House, with Berry &, Wall as proprietors. H. B.
Phillips was later lessee as was j. G. Seville
1t was completely destroyed by fire December
6, 1871, and rebuilt and reopened by John T.
Ford February 81, 1873.
In 1883 theater known as Risey's Varieties
was opened in the second story of the Iron
Building Iron Hall. on the north side of
Pennsylvania Avenue between Ninth and Tenth
Streets Here for a long while was Metgerott's
Music Store and here also the "Featherduster
Legislature" had its inglorious ending Mrs
Charles Howard, afterward Mrs. Harry Watkins
was the first attraction to open here, on No
vember 81 and the place continued as theater
for several seasons
Many will recall Odd Fellows Hall as place
OF amusement for such plays Uncle Toms
N"oiAi diu AOI Slue-SIlOW atuaCClOnS. "A CON-
cert hall, probably now known to but few was
the Columbia Garden, located in 1867 at
Twelfth Street and Ohio Avenue John l.. Da-
Wis was the proprietor and there was ''varf-
ETY. concert every evening"
Ph1lharmonic Hail. Metropolitan Hall or the
Globe Theatre, which stood midway of the
block between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets,
on the south side of fste of the Post Office
Department and adjoining the old Star offce).
VIII not be remembered as such by many but
as the Dfme Museum ever so many will re-
call it.
The old Willard Hall, (which once stood near
the southwest corner Of r and Fourteenth
streets-siee now covered by the Willard Hotel
-~was IN Its latter day popular place for
concerts and lectures, and notable as the first
place Tor motion picture 10 be shown In
1897 i+.'.'*'7' ~ = NV -"