Academy of Music—A meeting was held on March 22, 1870, at the Mount Vernon Hotel, for the purpose of forming a company to erect an Academy of Music. Dr. J. Hanson Thomas was called to the chair, and Israel Cohen was appointed secretary. A charter was read and adopted, fixing the stock at $1300,000, and the shares at $50 each, with the privilege to every holder of twenty shares of a free seat to all dramatic representations, so long as the twenty shares should be held in one block. The following gentlemen were then chosen directors: Israel Cohen, William T. Walters, Thomas H. Morris, S. T. Wallis, A. Schumacker, A. J. Albert, William F. Frick, W. P. Smith, Werner Dressel, Dr. J. Hanson Thomas, J. Hall Pleasants, and John Curlett. In October the company purchased the lot occupied by the armory of the Fifth Regiment Maryland National Guard, on the west side of Howard Street, north of Franklin, having a front of one hundred and twenty feet with a depth of two hundred and forty-four feet, three inches to a sixteen-foot alley. The contract for erecting the building was awarded to Benjamin F. Bennett, builder, the architect being J. Crawford Neilson. The Academy Of Music was formally opened by a grand ball on the 5th of January, 1875, preceded by an opening address from Hon. S. Teaekle Wallis. The Academy of Music is one of the finest theatres in America. In the beauty of its design, the completeness of its arrangements, the taste and richness of its ornamentation, and the elegance of all its appointments, it is in every respect a model theatrical structure, and will bear comparison with any other building of the same character in the United States. Its facade is in the Romanesque style, and is one hundred feet high. The entrance on North Howard Street is through an elegant hall paved with marble tiling, on each side of which are elegant cafes. Over these, on the second floor, is a concert and lecture-room capable of accommodating twelve hundred persons, containing spacious galleries, dressing-rooms, and other conveniences suitable for large entertainments. The entrance to the concert-room is from the hall by two grand marble stairways. At the end of the hall and in the rear of the building is the grand saloon for dramatic or operatic entertainments, which is so arranged that the entire stage is visible from any part of the house. The stage is eighty by seventy-five feet, with a height of eighty feet, and is unsurpassed in its appointments by any in the United States. The house is heated by steam and lighted by electricity, with a magnificent chandelier depending from the centre. The Academy, with its furniture and the ground upon which it is built, cost over four hundred thousand dollars. The establishment having cost more than the amount of stock subscribed (two hundred and sixty thousand dollars), the Academy was mortgaged to a number of bondholders for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to enable the company to pay off the floating indebtedness. In November, 1876, the bonded indebtedness, with interest, and the floating debt amounted to about one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. The company failed to pay the semi-annual installments of interest on the bonds, and a decree of foreclosure of mortgage was approved by the Circuit Court on Nov. 30, 1876, appointing Henry James, J. Hall Pleasants, and Joseph H. Rieman trustees to sell the property. On December 14th of that year the Academy and appurtenances were sold at the Exchange at public auction to Messrs. Samuel G. Wyman, James A. Gary, and Otho H. Williams (acting for the bondholders) for one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars. B. F. Bennett, the builder, who was a large stockholder, filed objections to the ratification of the sale, contending that the act of Assembly under which the bonds were issued was unconstitutional, as allowing usurious interest (seven per cent.); that the sale itself was void, as being to directors of the company, and that the trustees were interested in the purchase. The objections were overruled, and the sale ratified on June 6, 1877. The property was assigned to the three purchasers on Feb. 1, 1878. A new company was immediately formed, and the certificate of incorporation placed upon record on April 4th. The capital stock of the new company is $200,000, in 200 shares of $1000 each, divisible into thirds of shares at $333.33. One share and a third of a share entitles the holder to two seats at all operatic and dramatic performances; and two shares entitle him to a similar ticket, transferable; six shares entitle the holder to a stall, and five shares to a loge, each for four persons, while the holder of twelve shares may contract with the directors for the use of a proscenium box for eight persons in lieu of other free-seat privileges. The first board of directors were Samuel G. Wyman, F. C. Latrobe, James A. Gary, William F. Lucas, William F. Frick, Samuel H. Tagart, Robert Garrett, J. Hall Pleasants, and Joseph H. Rieman. The incorporators other than the directors were Henry E. Johnson, D. C. Howell, William T. Walters, J. D. Logan, S. P. Thompson, John Uhrig, T. Harrison Garrett, William Sinclair, Decatur H. Miller, Frederick Raine, George S. Brown, Otho H. Williams, Thomas Wilson, T. Robert Jenkins, M. B. Sellers, A. J. Albert, and William M. Boone. The new organization having been effected, on May 30th Messrs. Wyman, Gary, and Williams executed a deed transferring the Academy property to the new stock company. Its first manager was T. B. Furguson, who was followed by Nicholas Hill. It is at present under the management of Samuel W. Fort. Tunis F.Dean was the Academys Manager and J. Fred Zimmerman Sr and Samuel F. Nixon were the owners of the Academy Of Music. The end came for the Academy Of Music in 1926 when Henry Crandall decided to purchase the Academy of Music and build a large magnificent new 4,000 seat theatre on the site called the Stanley Theatre. The construction of the Stanley required deep foundations that were sturdy enough to support it and it was decided that the sidewalls of the Academy should be incorporated into the Stanleys foundation sinfe they were deep enough. The Stanley opened on the evening of September 23rd 1927 to a full house with the showing of Billie Dove in The Stolen Bride and a musical interlude performed on the Kimball 3 manual 31 rank concert grand organ by house organist Ernie Cooper and a musical performance by the Stanley Orchestra conducted by Robert Paul Iula and Felice Iula. The Stanley was ranked by many as the most popular and most prettiest theatre in Baltimore alongside the Century and Valencia and The Hippodrome Theatre. But none had the same feeling or surroundings as the Stanley did, walking in the Stanleys lobby was like walking in the white house or a gilded palace. Imported brass inlaid marble on the floor elegant chandeliers hung from the 100 ft ceiling above the ground and beautiful paintings of Baltimores history adorned the Stanleys lobby with marble stairways leading to the mezzanine level and lounge with richly furnished chairs and tables. The 4,000 seat auditorium was like a medieval Romanesque symphony hall surrounded by every comfort and style ever thought possible, the feeling of walking in the auditorium was absolutely breathtaking seeing the hugh dome and the tiffany cut chandelier hang high above the balcony and three organ chambers on each side of the seating area and the best of all the hugh proscenium and stage with the orchestra pit in front and the plush seats. Sadly the end came for the Stanley in February of 1958 when Morris Mechanic took ownership of the Stanley and changed the name to the Stanton Theatre. Used primarily for acts and some movies the Stanton was barely holding on while Baltimore already lost the Century and Valencia theaters and Fords Theater in 1964. On the night of April 17th 1965 after the final play of Oliver with Jules Munshin and Joan Eastman the Stanley/Stanton went dark and silent forever. Morris Mechanic decided that the Stanley should not compete with his new theater that bored his name and in turn ordered the SCRAP Corporation Of America Wrecking to tear down the Stanley and that nothing of it should remain. Mechanic died two years after the opening of his theater. Today the site of the Academy Of Music 1875-1926 and The Stanley/Stanton 1927-1965 is a parking lot for the Chesapeake Commons Apartments which occupies the former Western High School building, and adjacent to the parking lot is the old deteriorated Mayfair Theatre which was originally known as the Auditorium Theatre from 1903-1941. Its roof collapsed in 1998 and it suffered a fire just recently in September and its marquee was removed due to its deteriorated condition. Looking at the hugh gap between the Mayfair and Chesapeake Commons Apartment building some will never know that the gap was once the site of Baltimores Largest and most elegant theatre the magnificent Academy of Music and Stanley Theatre. Photos Courtesy of the Following: Me Theatre Historical Society Of America Western High School Yearbook class of 1966 Baltimore Sun Image Fortress Baltimore Sun Image Fortress Baltimore Sun Image Fortress Baltimore Sun Image Fortress Baltimore Sun Image Fortress Baltimore Sun Image Fortress Me Jerry Jackson Unknown Photographer Baltimore Museum Of Industry BG&E Achieves Motion Picture Exhibition In Baltimore by Robert K.Headley Motion Picture Exhibition In Baltimore by Robert K.Headley Motion Picture Exhibition In Baltimore by Robert K.Headley Motion Picture Exhibition In Baltimore by Robert K.Headley Motion Picture Exhibition In Baltimore by Robert K.Headley EXIT A History Of Baltimore Theatres by Robert K Headley EXIT A History Of Baltimore Theatres by Robert K Headley Motion Picture Exhibition In Baltimore by Robert K.Headley EXIT A History Of Baltimore Theatres by Robert K Headley Me William La Force Unknown Photographer Information about the history of the Academy Of Music provided by The Book History Of Baltimore City And County From The Earliest Period To The Present Day by John Thomas Scharf (1843-1898) Information on the Stanley and Mayfair by Cinema Treasures Robert Headley and kilduffs Theatre webpage.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 00:42:22 +0000
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