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Item
Title
A670-1
Date(s)
- 1925 (Creation)
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Scope and content
ca. 1925. When the grand Tacoma Theater was built in 1889, it had the largest stage on the Pacific Coast, measuring 67 feet by 42 feet and 55 feet to the loft. The sheer size and elegance of the stage can be seen in this circa 1925 photograph with a large Baptist choir in attendance. The orchestra is seated and waiting to perform in the orchestra pit below the stage. The building at 9th & Broadway was built by the Tacoma Opera House Company to seat 1,300 (later enlarged to 1,800) and opened in January of 1890. The boards of the Tacoma Theater were trod by such greats as Sarah Bernhardt, Al Jolson and Harry Houdini. When the theater sold in December of 1925, it was the largest single realty transaction in the city's history. The theater closed down for a remodel and reopened in 1927 as the Broadway Theater. In 1933, under new management, it became the Music Box. It was destroyed by fire in April of 1963. (WSHS)
Theaters--Tacoma; Tacoma Theater (Tacoma); Broadway Theater (Tacoma); Choirs (Music)--1920-1930; Orchestras--Tacoma--1920-1930;