The Lima Democratic Times from Lima, Ohio • 9

THE DEMOCRATIC TIMES STJLElVnEISrT I tit I OPERA HOUSE BLOCK LIMA DESCRIPTION OF mm OPERA HOUSE TO BE OPENED 4 5 and 6 BY THE Emma Abbott Opera Co on the walls and Mr A Hickey theatrical gas illuminator is a sufficient guarantee for the completeness in every detail of this beautiful temple of the muses Another feature of this building is a beautiful music hall with a seating capacity of about 1200 having an entrance direct from Main street with auxilliary rooms for ladies and gentlemen Court rooms cloak rooms retiring rooms dining room and club room This hall will be used for festivals dances and other general assemblies this being a model in itself having a gallery suspended on two sides and one end and a platform on the other The floor is of hard maple oiled and waxed always inviting the light fantastic toe The ceiling and walls have been handsomely decorated by Signor Pedretto of Cincinnati Music Hall of itself were there no other features connected with this enterprise would certainly be a commendable undertaking by a citizen and is as well adapted for theatrical entertainments as three-fourths of the opera houses throughout the State The entire first floor except entrances to the hall and theatre is devoted to stores of various sizes in proportion to the location and to meet the demands of business The bank room located on the corner is provided with ample safety vaults and furnished in an elaborate and expensive manner The counters and figures are of solid mahogany The floor of encaustic tile the dado of marble Lincustra-Walton and the finish of solid cherry The decoration of this room has been an especial feature this being the bank room The second story is subdivided into beautiful offices all amply lighted and well ventilated The third story in front of opera house on High street has been arranged for a large printing office nuking on the whole one of the most thoroughly complete buildings that labor genius and money can produce The fronts of this building pn High and Main streets are of the medevial and the French Renaissance style of architecture Americanized and slightly intermixed with Queen Anne The grand entrance is a special feature over which is placed the grand balcony surmounted with statuettes each carrying a calendabra light and over the center on a pedestal is placed statue of the Goddess of Music supported on the right and left with cupids assisting in the accompaniment with musical instruments giving it at once the pleasing appearance of art and refinement and making it all in all the chef oeuvre of architecture The street is highly illuminated with ornamental iron posts set on a solid cut-stone sidewalk lighting up the whole block and making a concern trated dazzling effect The entire block is heated with steam and it is the intention of the proprietor of putting in a system of electric lights just as soon as the improvements are so far advanced as to give him confidence that it has arrived at a state of perfection The ceiling is a beautiful display of decorative art fresh from that invincible artist Atwood which to describe with the pen can but convey a meagre idea ot the unfolding of those beautiful gems of color forms of outline and perfection of artistic display Mr Atwood has reached the zenith of his ambition in former works but never before equalled or excelled the gorgeous splendor of this undertaking The carpets of the finest tapestry The drapery and hangings of the most costly texture Inviting seats of the most luxurious patterns The stage with its complete sets of scenery unfolding events past and present with its traps and trimmings will mount a play with all the scenic effects of a metropolitan theatre The lights burning from innumerable jets surmounted from the center by a sun reflector impresses the auditor that he has left the outer world and escaped into visions communicative with the muses of the greatest splendor which can only be painted by the highest imagination of the poet To see and to be seen only com pletes the realization of this beautifu picture which to describe in detail and do this work justice as it truty deserves is beyond the power of de scription in a brief article like this But to name Harvey as a scenic artist from whom originates these beautiful scenes painted on canvas Mr Harry Carter under whose supervision the lines and curves and beautiful developments of proportion were wrought out Mr Fred Atwood whose beautiful paintings are tend the construction Mr Cobb at once put himself to work and determined that no city should boast of a finer opera house than the little city of Lima That here in the northwest of the Buckeye State should be the site of one of the prettiest opera houses in America Mr Cobb found his counterpart in Mr Faurot in that whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well Before a step could be taken it was necessary to purchase additional ground the lot already owned by Mr Faurot being 75x200 on the northwest corner of Main and High streets It was desired to cover this with business rooms so sufficient ground was secured to place the opera house in the rear on the ground floor with an entrance on High street From a diagram on paper there has arisen a building of massive proportions The elevations are models of architectural beauty Built of pressed brick with highly ornamental stone trimmings and surmounted with tow ers pediments and' other projecting reliefs giving the same a bold massive and pleasing effect While the stranger views this massive structure with awe and wonder we invite him to enter the innermost sanctum of this the most beautiful and cozily-arranged bijou opera house to be found east of tlenver or west of Boston While we walk over the tusselatec floor the heel clicks to the tune of a merry combination of cheery mosaics even the cold dull tile is alive with variagated beauty We give above a wood-print of Opera Block Lima Ohio Mr Faurot some two years ago contemplated erecting in this city a business block which should not only mark his former industry and energy "tut which should stand as a model for others to pattern after and help improve the style of business buildings io be erected in our city Nor was i' his all He believed that a la-or is lost unless we can do something or others as well as for ourselves As a financial investment Mr Faurot well knew that an opera house would not pay but his public spiritedness drove him into it Having determined to add the opera house to his block he displayed the same tern per that has characterized some of our iading citizens when they are after One new enterprize they go in to 'win With the shrewd insight that has arked his former enterprises Mr Fauroj made his initial move by selecting Mr Oscar Cobb theatrical architect i draw the plans and superin.