COATES OPERA HOUSE

COATES OPERA HOUSE. Located on Fourth and Main STREETS, the Coates Opera House was located in a building constructed in 1833 by John G. SHIELDS and J. Hannibal EMERSON, father and uncle of James H. SHIELDS. The building was originally known as the CITY HOTEL. (A) A theater, the ATHENAEUM, was located on the second floor. (1) The theater was located on the second floor and had a single balcony and only two box seats located so close to the stage to make it impossible to see well from either. The seating arrangement was unique. The rows of seats followed around the parquet rail so that a person sitting on the extreme ends of the rows faced a side wall instead of the stage. (2)

rIn 1846 the building was renovated, enlarged, and called the CITY HOTEL by Richard Plumbe. In 1856 the proprietor was C. C. Hewitt. (B)

In 1859, the City Hotel was redecorated and renamed the Peosta House. (3) The name was changed twice within the next three years - Peosta Hall and Our New Hall. William G. STEWART purchased the building and began converting the Hall into Dubuque's fifth major theater in 1863. (C)

In 1864 the Athenaeum Theater was reopened. In its heyday, the Athenaeum hosted some of America's finest legitimate theater talent, but ceased to attract star performers when the GRAND OPERA HOUSE was built. (D)

Charles H. EIGHMEY and John R. Waller purchased, refurbished, and reopened the Athenaeum as the Duncan-Waller Opera House in late 1877. An appeal was made to the public for its support leading to $5,000 in tickets being sold for the first performance. (E) The interior was lighted by fifty gas jets and an equal number under a calcium reflector in the dome. There was seating for 1,200. (F)

In 1886 DUBUQUE HIGH SCHOOL commencement was held in the building. (4) In 1891 the building was the scene of a boxing match. (G) The Opera House was a thriving operation until 1893, when it became the Main Street Opera House. (H) In 1901 the Democratic County Convention and business meetings of the Iowa State Dairy Association used the facilities. (5)

Charles Bartell leased the building in 1896 and renamed it BARTELL'S DRAMATIC AND VAUDEVILLE THEATRE. The building was sold in 1903 and renamed the building the Coates Opera House. (I) In 1904 A. Siegfried, who owned theaters in other cities including La Crosse, bought the building with plans of creating "The Crystal." (4)

The building sat empty for t until Jake Rosenthal secured the lease for the building and began the process of constructing a better vaudeville business. Rosenthal, known nationally for his business success, introduced talking movies to Dubuque, with a movie starring Al Jolson. He was on a first name basis with such international stars as Joe FRISCO and escape artist Harry Houdini who credited Rosenthal with their success. (5)

Rosenthal opened former opera house as the BIJOU THEATER. A few months later, the theater was leased to the Western Vaudeville Association of Chicago. (6)

In 1908 the Dubuque Opera House Company led by Rosenthal was incorporated. Immediately after the close of the vaudeville season the entire interior was removed and the theater was lowered from the second floor to the first floor, two balconies were installed, four boxes were put in on each side, and everything to modernize the theater was done. It was named the New Bijou and opened for business on November 22, 1908. (7)

The fifty-year old structure was destroyed on the morning of April 7, 1910. Less than an hour after the audience had left, fire broke out and within fifty minutes had done $60,000 in damage. (8)

See: MAJESTIC THEATRE

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Source:

1. "Memories of the Fourth St. Theatre," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, April 10, 1910, p. 6

2. Ibid.

4. "It is Now Riverside Park," Dubuque Daily Herald, June 7, 1900, p. 3

5. "Commencement Exercises," Dubuque Daily Herald, June 25, 1886, p. 4

3. "Democratic County Convention," Dubuque Daily Telegraph, Sept. 20, 1901, p. 3

4. "Many Are Coming," Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Nov. 10, 1901, p. 14

5. "Suffers Fatal Heart Attack in Hotel Room," Telegraph Herald, Sept. 22, 1926, p. 1

6. "Coates Theater Will Be New House," Telegraph Herald, Oct. 25, 1904, p. 3

7. "New Bijou Theatre Building Which Was Destroyed by Fire at Early Hour Thursday Morning," The Telegraph Herald, April 8, 1910, p. 1

8. "Bijou Theatre Lies a Heap of Smoking Ashes," Telegraph Herald, Apr. 8, 1910, p. 1