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. (1) A theater, the ATHENAEUM, constructed in 1840 by James Marshall EMERSON and James Crider, was located on the second floor. (2) Shields and Emerson used the first floor as a store. The theater 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. (3) In 1846 the building was renovated, enlarged, and called the CITY HOTEL by Richard Plumbe. In 1856 the proprietor was C. C. Hewitt. (4)

In 1859, the City Hotel was redecorated and renamed the Peosta House. (5) 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. (6)

In 1864 the Athenaeum Theater was reopened. Although it hosted some of America's finest legitimate theater talent, it ceased to attract star performers when the GRAND OPERA HOUSE was built. (7)

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. (8) 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. (9)

In 1886 DUBUQUE HIGH SCHOOL commencement was held in the building. (10) In 1891 the building was the scene of a boxing match. (11) The Opera House was a thriving operation until 1893, when it became the Main Street Opera House. (12) 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. When Bartell's closed around 1893, the building sat empty. In 1904 A. Siegfried, who owned theaters in other cities including La Crosse, bought the building with plans of creating "The Crystal." (13) Nothing came of this.

The building sat empty for until 1904 when Jake Rosenthal secured the lease for the building from its owners Coates, Spensley, Eignmey and Woodward and began the process of constructing a 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. (14)

In 1908 the DUBUQUE OPERA HOUSE COMPANY was incorporated. It purchased the building and after the close of the vaudeville season the entire interior was removed. The theater was lowered from the second floor to the first floor, two balconies were installed, and four boxes were put in on each side. Everything was done to modernize the theater which opened for business on November 22, 1908. (15)

The fifty-year old structure was destroyed on the morning of April 7, 1910. (16)

See: MAJESTIC THEATRE

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Source:

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

2. Oldt, Franklin T. and Patrick J. Quigley, History of Dubuque County, Iowa Chicago: Goodspeed Historical Association, . p. 51

3. "Memories..."

4. "Inns of Yesteryear," Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal, April 30, 1933, p. 5

5. Memories

6. "Dubuque Before 1880," Telegraph Herald, November 2, 1933. p. 7. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BABCAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U6oMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1340,4189885&dq=lumber+yard+fires+dubuque&hl=en

7. "Theater At Fourth and Main: A Rich and Vivid Tradition," Online: http://fiveflagscenter.com/AboutUs/History.aspx

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

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

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

12. Ibid.

13. "Municipal Molecules," Dubuque Daily Herald, November 11, 1891, p. 4

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

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

16. Ibid.