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COL. J. M. WOOD ACCEPTED AS ARCHITECT. The Contract Signed—The Plans Submitted—The Money Raised— To Cost 840,000 Exclusives of the Ground. ‘The opera house is aseared. Col. J. M. Wood will build it. It will coat $40,000. It will be out of sight. Col. J. M. Wood of the United States, prince of opera house architects, came in from Chicago yesterday morning. Hoe is boasiness and came loaded. Col. Wood doesn't consider that he is fulfilling the dosting unless he have a half dozen opera houses under way at once. He brought a new set of plans, made especially for Quincy, and it was no time at all before they were spread out on a table in W. B. Bell's office, and surrounded by an admir ing sed enthusiastic company. Then they went out and looked at the site. Col. Wood had the whole situation in a glance. He knew it before and his plans fitted the elite like the paper on the wall. At 8 o’clock in the afternoon the build ing committee met Col. Wood and he gave them his ideas. Then the colonel re tired and the committee talked. The re port was that a contract was drawn up and signed, and Col. Wood went to Chicago on the 7:45 train with the contract in his in side pocket. It called for the building of the house by Architect Wood, according to the plans submitted. It would cost $40,000 exrplosive of the ground. Col. Wood, however, gave the committee the right to secure bids from any other source, and if any reputable bidder would offer to do it for less, he would make the same figure or withdraw the plans and it would not cost a cent. Meanowhile it was stated that there was lacking still $2,500 to make up the $40,000 stock. That did not seem to faze the gentlemen. They were all so thor oughly enthused with the prospect of se curing the ideal gem of an opera house juet the prettiest and most attractive in the state—that they went down to their pockets once more and in short time $2,200 of the required amount was pledged in suma ranging from $100 to $500. The other $800, will be taken be fore noon to day,one or two gentlemen pledging themselves to raise it. As the matter now stands, the ground has cost $14,500 and the building will cost $40,000—a total of $54,500. But the property on Maine Street, which is not pnceded, it is fugored can be sold for at least $8,000. Mr. Binkert has offered $6,000 just as it stands. It is estimated that that by having a gallery exit into the private alley on the south, so that the Maine street buildings can be entered from the rear, at least $2,000 would be added to the value of the two stores for saloon and restaurant purposes. This then would make the net cost of the opera house and ground $46,500, only $6,500 above the stock subscribed. This would be a mere bogatelle, and it would be no burden at all to borrow that small amount. Moreover, it is possible that ip the construction of the house that can be shaded down several thousand dollars in unimportant details. Col. Wood's plans, which have now been practically adopted, call for a quite plain front of brick and terra cotta, with an arched entrance somewhat after the style of the Masselman building. It will be 72 feet front and 120 feet deep. The stage will probably be ten or twelve feet wider —say 82 feet including the dressing rooms—or about 70 feet wide in the clear and 386 feet from footlights to the back. The house proper will cost € 20,000 and the interior $20,000. This includes seats, carpete, draperies, cortaina, electric light ing, which will probably be their own plant, steam heating and everything. In front there are to be 4 separate entrance for the gallery and another for the balcony. One good feature of the plane is the partitioning off of the front seata in the gallery so they can be sold as re served, thus giving opportunity for those who canot afford the higher prices of the lower floora to enjoy the play at a moder ate expense without being required to crowd in with the gallery “gode.” The house will seat 1,200. There will be seven exita from the lower floor and eight or ten from the balcony and gallery. There will be a fine large foyer, ladies and genta retiring rooms, where cloake and hate may be left, a smoking room, in fact all the modern and metropolitan con veniences and appointments. There is no doubt thut that in every re gard the new Thespian temple will be an exquisite and beautiful structure, artistic and attractive, credit and ornament to the city. Mr. Wood's long experience and talente to which he brings new ideas with each new house, double the assurance and anticipations that he will give Quincy something for her people to be proud of and the profession to lavishly praise. There are still sixteen feet on the Eighth street front, which will not be need at present. That will undoubtedly come in handy to future. Mr. Binkert’s idea would be to put a building come day on there that could be rented for a saloon perhaps and so built that iron steps might lead from the gallery exit to the roof and thence down to the street. Mr. Wood will be ready to go on with this plana as promptly as the committee ‘demre, and the stockholders and public ‘are just as impatient as he, to see the building, under course of construction. There ‘should ie no unnecessary delay ROWs. ‘The new opera house ought to be open’ by November. It means big money to have it running with first-class attrac ions early. in'the' winter. The articles of incorporation, were ii sued by: the secretary ‘of'atate yesterday to the: Quincy..Opera. Honee company of
Newspaper Details
Quincy Daily Herald
Quincy, Illinois, US
Sat, Apr 29, 1893
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Doug P.
USA 08 Jun 2026
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