Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1977 - 12

to light the stage and auditorium.! 5 Because they designed the auditorium to be completely enclosed within
the shell of the exposition building, they could state,
"the flicker of the gas will be obviated by this arrangement, as no gusts of wind can penetrate the closely
built walls."j 6
Although the sightl ines and illumination of the theatre were highly praised, most of the critical attention
was given to the acoustics. Adler was considered an expert in acoustical matters, developing the science as an
art, according to Sullivan. 1 7 In his address to the American Institute of Architects, Adler made the following
comments on the treatment of acoustics:
In the construction of the banks of the seats, Scott
Russell's isacoustic curve should be adhered to as far
as practicable. That wherever possible resonant materials should be used in the construction and facing;
that the use of large, hard, smooth surfaces should
be avoided; that walls and ceili~gs should be well
broken; that the width and height of the house
should be smallest at the stage, and that these dimensions should be increased with the distance
from the stage, and that all our measures should
tend toward the reduction to a minimum of the
volume of air to be set in motion by the voices
of speakers and singers, also to such arrangements of
surface as will tend to direct the sound waves toward the audience and such control of the air currents as will prevent the dissipation of sound waves
in space. l 8
The major acoustical factor in the opera house design
was the use of the sounding boards placed around the
proscenium. These had been used earlier in the Exposition Building with great success. Inland Architect of
June, 1884 contains an article describing the acoustics
of the music festival in which sounding boards swept
waves of sound over the immense audience and even the
hushed words of the director to his chorus carried out
to the audience. The article concluded, "This wonderful
triumph in acoustic science was noticed in the Republican convention which also used this hall, showing that
in the hands of experts a building can be made perfect
in this respect.,,19 These sounding boards were a basic
part of the design, once again illustrating the concept
"form follows function."
In the design of the decorations of the auditorium,
the principal feature is the transition from the proscen ium to the auditorium. The walls of the proscenium open out fan-like, and spread forward into
the parquet a distance of 60', thus forming an immense sounding board. The monotony of these diagonal surfaces is broken by the private boxes,
which, as will be seen in our illustration (figure 2)
will be quite unique in design. The vast sounding
board will be richly ornamented by color decoration and plastic forms? 0
Another element which contributed to the good
acoustics in this auditorium was the design of the various
sections of the seating, based on the theory of the isacoustic curve. The parquet seats were stepped so that those
at the rear were 5 feet above the level of the front of the
12

FALL. 1977

house, and boxes were elevated behind them. The main
balcony rose 30 feet. With this design the sound was
directed from the proscenium-sounding board down
toward the house.
In addition to the concern for good sight and sound,
there were the considerations of safety and comfort for
the enormous aud ience. Both of these factors are reflected
in the design. New entries into the building were effected
by removing windows and replacing them with double
doors, and building vestibules on the outside. Inland
Architect described this concern for safety, saying,
In pursuance of this end the architects have paid
special attention to the means of ingress and egress.
Twenty pairs of doors, with a total width of 100
feet, have been provided as main entrances and
exits, and so connected by corridors, aisles, and
staircases with the various parts of the auditorium
as to bring the audience quickly and promptly to
their seats, and to prevent crowding and jostling
at the exits . . . The main staircase will be thirty
feet wide. In addition to these stairways there
will be auxiliary stairs for use as emergency exits.
The unusually great width of these staircases has
made it necessary to divide each flight by hand-rails,
put up close enough to each other to secure convenience of ascent and safety of descent, which will
be still further insured by the easy rise with which
all the stairs are to be constructed. 2 1
Once inside the building the crowds found extensive
space set aside for lobbies and lounges, and separate
entries from the lobbies to each of the sections of the
house. The steam heating for the auditorium constructed
for this brief venture was also carefully planned and
directed,
most particularly to the proper warming of all
lobbies, vestibules, promenades, and other spaces
surrounding the auditorium, and also the stage and
its dressing rooms with a view to the prevention of
disagreeable draughts in the auditorium. 2 2
Construction was begun in February 1885, with
"armies of men employed to shovel away huge banks
of snow and to team in great quantities of lumber."23
The work was completed on April 1. The idea of building
this immense opera house for a two week season seems
bizarre, and the ticket sale was also unconventional. The
tickets for the best seats were sold at an auction, for
which cards of admission were required, thus preventing
"raids of speculators. ,,2 4 The rest of the seats were put
up for sale when the auction was completed, and the balcony seats were sold for $1.00, a lower price for a program of this qual ity than had ever been available before? 5
On April 6, 1888 the opera season opened. Carriages
were able to drive right up the main entrance and allow
passengers to "alight at the grand promenade ... beautifully adorned with evergreens, plants, pictures, statuary,
mirrors, etc. ,,26 As Adler and Sull ivan and the backers
hoped, the crowds were composed of the socially prominent and wealthy as well as people only able to afford
the $1.00 admission. The reaction to the opera house was

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1977