Dixon Opera House
Above:
Butler County Lumber Company truck, driven by Herman Sanders, at the rear of Robinson-Schwenn’s (Dry Goods, Millinery and Rugs), southeast corner of High Street and Journal Square, Hamilton, Ohio, ca. 1916. Butler County Lumber Company was located at 961 to 967 Main Street. From the George C. Cummins “Remember When” Photograph Collection. Donated by the family of George C. Cummins. Photo used courtesy of the George C. Cummins "Remember When" Collection at the Hamilton Lane Library, Hamilton, Ohio.
Butler County Lumber Company truck, driven by Herman Sanders, at the rear of Robinson-Schwenn’s (Dry Goods, Millinery and Rugs), southeast corner of High Street and Journal Square, Hamilton, Ohio, ca. 1916. Butler County Lumber Company was located at 961 to 967 Main Street. From the George C. Cummins “Remember When” Photograph Collection. Donated by the family of George C. Cummins. Photo used courtesy of the George C. Cummins "Remember When" Collection at the Hamilton Lane Library, Hamilton, Ohio.
Above: Advertisement for a concert with John Philip Sousa. Performing with Sousa’s Peerless Band on Friday Afternoon, April 5, 1895 at the Globe Opera House, south side of High Street between Second and Third Streets, Hamilton, Ohio. Only 50-cents for a Gallery Seat. John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor. Among his best-known marches are "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (National March of the United States of America) and "Semper Fidelis" (official march of the United States Marine Corps). Advertisement from the Hamilton Daily Republican, Hamilton, Ohio, April 3, 1895.
380. Nov. 15, 1995 - Opera house was show business center:
Journal-News, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 1995
Globe Opera House Hamilton’s show business center for 38 years
By Jim Blount
The building at the southeast corner of High Street and Journal Square exemplifies the adage, often attributed to Aesop, that "appearances often are deceiving." It looks like a store, but it began in 1866 as Dixon’s Opera House.
It was named for Walter Dixon of Cincinnati. Its original owner and probable builder. Through much of its 38 show business years it was known as the Globe Opera House.
Later -- thanks to a theater disaster elsewhere -- it became a department store. For 57 years it was the popular Robinson-Schwenn Store. For much shorter periods it was Mabley and Carew , and the Dollar General Store.
"The theater was on the third floor and had a seating capacity, with the gallery, of approximately 1,200," said a writer in 1911 in recalling the Globe Theater. Various first floor occupants included stores, a saloon and a drug store.
"At the time this building was erected," said the 1911 report, "it was considered one of the most commodious theaters in the state, and was the pride of Hamilton. It practically equaled any thing then in Cincinnati."
The same writer said "for several years Hamilton enjoyed a distinction of being one of the best show towns in the Middle West," and the downtown opera house was a favorite stop for touring entertainers and theatrical companies.
Productions ranged from traveling singers, comedians, jugglers, acrobats, dancers and magicians to noted speakers, dramatic readings, band and orchestra concerts, operas and plays.
Important meetings, conventions and political rallies also were held there. For example, in a public meeting in June 1890, civic leaders outlined the incentives that enticed Mosler to move its safe and lock factories from the Cincinnati riverfront to the eastern edge of Hamilton.
In June 1889, Dixon sold the theater to William C. Frechtling, a Hamilton retailer. Frechtling in turn leased the theater, starting July 1, 1889, to a series of operators.
By 1900, the Globe was considered "inadequate to the demands of the traveling companies" with their "elaborate stage settings." City leaders -- seeking to keep Hamilton on the schedules of the road companies and top entertainers -- launched a campaign for a modern theater. It climaxed with the opening of the Jefferson Theater on South Second Street in March 1903.
But the Jefferson wasn’t the death knell for the opera house. The end came early in January 1904 because of a tragedy a few days earlier in Chicago.
The 1,600-seat Iroquois Theater in Chicago was advertised as "absolutely fireproof" when about 2,000 people squeezed into the five-week-old building to see a matinee performance of "Mr. Bluebeard," starring Eddie Foy.
During the show, a spark from a backstage map ignited canvas scenery. With a sprinkler system still incomplete, the flames spread out of control within minutes. Other safety features failed and some exits were locked when the audience and performers tried to escape.
Estimates of the Iroquois death toll ran as high as 600, causing a public outcry across the nation for stricter fire codes for public buildings, especially theaters and meeting halls.
In response, city officials inspected the Globe Theater the afternoon of Jan. 6, 1904, and immediately ordered it closed. A newspaper report said inspectors found it "insecure in case of a panic from fire, and that the exits from the theater would not near accommodate the audiences it had been accustomed to contain."
The owner quickly complied with the closing order, noting "that the public has been worked to a high fever of excitement over the terrible Chicago disaster."
# # #
381. Nov. 22, 1995 - Robinson-Schwenn Store was downtown fixture:
Journal-News, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 1995
Robinson-Schwenn Store fixture in downtown for nearly 60 years
By Jim Blount
The Robinson-Schwenn Store was a fixture in retailing in downtown Hamilton for almost six decades. The store's founders, 42-year-old Philip J. Robinson and 37-year-old Ferdinand Schwenn, were veteran local retailers when the Hamilton natives incorporated the business at the southeast corner of High Street and Journal Square in March 1907.
Robinson went to work as a 13-year-old at the T. V. Howell Store, located at the southeast corner of Third and High streets and later at 232-234 High Street. He had worked his way up to general manager of the company when it was sold to the Mathes-Sohngen Company March 9, 1907.
Schwenn was secretary and treasurer of the Howell Company at the time. His work career also had started in his youth when he handled special deliveries at the Hamilton post office. He was employed at the Hamilton Autographic Register Company before joining the Howell staff. He soon became office manager of the dry goods store.
After David Howell's death, Robinson, Schwenn and other employees were unsuccessful in trying to buy the store. Within a few days, they formed the Robinson-Schwenn Company with Robinson as president and Schwenn as secretary.
They opened the store Sept. 1, 1907, in a portion of the former Globe Opera House, which had been closed since 1904 for safety reasons. A skating rink, offices and other businesses also were located in the building, which had been erected in 1866 as Dixon's Opera House. It has 72-foot frontage on High Street and extends 112 feet on Journal Square.
In 1913, Robinson-Schwenn expanded from two floors to four floors as it became a popular downtown shopping destination, specializing in clothing, millinery and rugs.
Downtown competitors in the dry goods business that year were the W. C. Frechtling Co., 202 High Street; Holbrock Brothers, 224 High Street; and the Mathes-Sohngen Company, 232 High Street; all on the north side of the street between Second and Third streets.
Robinson, a workaholic, headed the successful store until his death Oct. 22, 1922, at age 57. Schwenn, who sold his interest in 1927, died at age 88 Jan. 6, 1959. Its later owners included E. C. Denton Inc. and Allied Stores.
A major expansion, remodeling and modernization was completed in 1948. The $200,000 project had been delayed several years because building materials had been restricted by defense demands during World War II (1941-1945), and by housing priorities in the immediate post-war years. The 1948 expansion included installation of air conditioning and a new elevator.
A two-year improvement was completed in November 1954. It included a new street face for the 88-year-old structure. The makeover involved placement of aluminum louvers over the original exterior, and erection of a new marquee and new display windows.
In its final years, the operation covered 30,000 square feet of display and storage space and employed 100 people.
After nearly 57 years, Robinson-Schwenn closed at the end of February 1964 as new owners prepared to assume control of the downtown landmark.
Effective March 2, 1964, it became the Hamilton store of the Cincinnati-based Mabley and Carew Company, whose main store was then in the Carew Tower, facing Fountain Square. The company had been founded in 1877 by two friends, C. R. Mabley and Joseph Carew, who had stopped in Cincinnati while on a trip to Memphis, Tenn.
Mabley and Carew closed the High Street store in 1977. At about the same time, Harry Wilks acquired the building from the Frechtling family. In 1980, a portion of the property reopened as the Dollar General Store, part of a 23-state chain. That store closed in May 1992.
Journal-News, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 1995
Globe Opera House Hamilton’s show business center for 38 years
By Jim Blount
The building at the southeast corner of High Street and Journal Square exemplifies the adage, often attributed to Aesop, that "appearances often are deceiving." It looks like a store, but it began in 1866 as Dixon’s Opera House.
It was named for Walter Dixon of Cincinnati. Its original owner and probable builder. Through much of its 38 show business years it was known as the Globe Opera House.
Later -- thanks to a theater disaster elsewhere -- it became a department store. For 57 years it was the popular Robinson-Schwenn Store. For much shorter periods it was Mabley and Carew , and the Dollar General Store.
"The theater was on the third floor and had a seating capacity, with the gallery, of approximately 1,200," said a writer in 1911 in recalling the Globe Theater. Various first floor occupants included stores, a saloon and a drug store.
"At the time this building was erected," said the 1911 report, "it was considered one of the most commodious theaters in the state, and was the pride of Hamilton. It practically equaled any thing then in Cincinnati."
The same writer said "for several years Hamilton enjoyed a distinction of being one of the best show towns in the Middle West," and the downtown opera house was a favorite stop for touring entertainers and theatrical companies.
Productions ranged from traveling singers, comedians, jugglers, acrobats, dancers and magicians to noted speakers, dramatic readings, band and orchestra concerts, operas and plays.
Important meetings, conventions and political rallies also were held there. For example, in a public meeting in June 1890, civic leaders outlined the incentives that enticed Mosler to move its safe and lock factories from the Cincinnati riverfront to the eastern edge of Hamilton.
In June 1889, Dixon sold the theater to William C. Frechtling, a Hamilton retailer. Frechtling in turn leased the theater, starting July 1, 1889, to a series of operators.
By 1900, the Globe was considered "inadequate to the demands of the traveling companies" with their "elaborate stage settings." City leaders -- seeking to keep Hamilton on the schedules of the road companies and top entertainers -- launched a campaign for a modern theater. It climaxed with the opening of the Jefferson Theater on South Second Street in March 1903.
But the Jefferson wasn’t the death knell for the opera house. The end came early in January 1904 because of a tragedy a few days earlier in Chicago.
The 1,600-seat Iroquois Theater in Chicago was advertised as "absolutely fireproof" when about 2,000 people squeezed into the five-week-old building to see a matinee performance of "Mr. Bluebeard," starring Eddie Foy.
During the show, a spark from a backstage map ignited canvas scenery. With a sprinkler system still incomplete, the flames spread out of control within minutes. Other safety features failed and some exits were locked when the audience and performers tried to escape.
Estimates of the Iroquois death toll ran as high as 600, causing a public outcry across the nation for stricter fire codes for public buildings, especially theaters and meeting halls.
In response, city officials inspected the Globe Theater the afternoon of Jan. 6, 1904, and immediately ordered it closed. A newspaper report said inspectors found it "insecure in case of a panic from fire, and that the exits from the theater would not near accommodate the audiences it had been accustomed to contain."
The owner quickly complied with the closing order, noting "that the public has been worked to a high fever of excitement over the terrible Chicago disaster."
# # #
381. Nov. 22, 1995 - Robinson-Schwenn Store was downtown fixture:
Journal-News, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 1995
Robinson-Schwenn Store fixture in downtown for nearly 60 years
By Jim Blount
The Robinson-Schwenn Store was a fixture in retailing in downtown Hamilton for almost six decades. The store's founders, 42-year-old Philip J. Robinson and 37-year-old Ferdinand Schwenn, were veteran local retailers when the Hamilton natives incorporated the business at the southeast corner of High Street and Journal Square in March 1907.
Robinson went to work as a 13-year-old at the T. V. Howell Store, located at the southeast corner of Third and High streets and later at 232-234 High Street. He had worked his way up to general manager of the company when it was sold to the Mathes-Sohngen Company March 9, 1907.
Schwenn was secretary and treasurer of the Howell Company at the time. His work career also had started in his youth when he handled special deliveries at the Hamilton post office. He was employed at the Hamilton Autographic Register Company before joining the Howell staff. He soon became office manager of the dry goods store.
After David Howell's death, Robinson, Schwenn and other employees were unsuccessful in trying to buy the store. Within a few days, they formed the Robinson-Schwenn Company with Robinson as president and Schwenn as secretary.
They opened the store Sept. 1, 1907, in a portion of the former Globe Opera House, which had been closed since 1904 for safety reasons. A skating rink, offices and other businesses also were located in the building, which had been erected in 1866 as Dixon's Opera House. It has 72-foot frontage on High Street and extends 112 feet on Journal Square.
In 1913, Robinson-Schwenn expanded from two floors to four floors as it became a popular downtown shopping destination, specializing in clothing, millinery and rugs.
Downtown competitors in the dry goods business that year were the W. C. Frechtling Co., 202 High Street; Holbrock Brothers, 224 High Street; and the Mathes-Sohngen Company, 232 High Street; all on the north side of the street between Second and Third streets.
Robinson, a workaholic, headed the successful store until his death Oct. 22, 1922, at age 57. Schwenn, who sold his interest in 1927, died at age 88 Jan. 6, 1959. Its later owners included E. C. Denton Inc. and Allied Stores.
A major expansion, remodeling and modernization was completed in 1948. The $200,000 project had been delayed several years because building materials had been restricted by defense demands during World War II (1941-1945), and by housing priorities in the immediate post-war years. The 1948 expansion included installation of air conditioning and a new elevator.
A two-year improvement was completed in November 1954. It included a new street face for the 88-year-old structure. The makeover involved placement of aluminum louvers over the original exterior, and erection of a new marquee and new display windows.
In its final years, the operation covered 30,000 square feet of display and storage space and employed 100 people.
After nearly 57 years, Robinson-Schwenn closed at the end of February 1964 as new owners prepared to assume control of the downtown landmark.
Effective March 2, 1964, it became the Hamilton store of the Cincinnati-based Mabley and Carew Company, whose main store was then in the Carew Tower, facing Fountain Square. The company had been founded in 1877 by two friends, C. R. Mabley and Joseph Carew, who had stopped in Cincinnati while on a trip to Memphis, Tenn.
Mabley and Carew closed the High Street store in 1977. At about the same time, Harry Wilks acquired the building from the Frechtling family. In 1980, a portion of the property reopened as the Dollar General Store, part of a 23-state chain. That store closed in May 1992.