129 W. 1st Street

Description

Real estate appraisal card. 129 W. 1st Street, lots 5-7, block 21, in Salida, Colorado. Salida's original Craig Opera House was destroyed by fire in January 1888. Concerned with the loss to the community, in June 1888 a group of local businessmen organized the Salida Opera House Association with $30,000 in authorized capital stock. The directors of the group were: E.W. Corbin, G.W. McGovern, M.J. Collins, Peter Mulvany, J.W. O'Connor, J.W. Wood, and W.W. Roller. Edward W. Corbin, a wholesale grocer and mayor, was the leader of the opera house effort. This building was constructed on a 75'X150' parcel purchased from Kate Bender. Construction took place during the latter half of 1888 and the building was dedicated on January 1, 1889. The opening evening featured twenty­ four musical numbers by the Leadville string band, dancing, and a catered supper. The Salida News opined that the drop curtain was "a beautiful piece of work of art" and boasted that the $30,000 Salida Opera House was "in every way superior to any in Colorado except the Tabor Grand in Denver." The Masonic Hall was located on the second floor of the building. W.W.Roller, an active and prominent Salida businessman, was shown as the manager of the theater In the 1903-04 and 1905-06 city directories. In 1909, the facility was renamed the Osos Grand. The new lessees (N.J. Brewer, manager, and Frank R. Powell, business manager) had operated the Osos picture show for the previous year. They rewired the building, redecorated, and improved the picture show quality. The theater featured nightly picture shows with an orchestra except when pre-empted by special attractions; each show was ten cents. At the end of 1909, the Salida Mail applauded the advance of the theater: "As a place of amusement, instruction and innocent pastime, the Osos Grand furnishes entertainment beyond question. Its value to the community as a place of entertainment can scarcely be estimated." Over the years, the facility was used for traveling road shows, lectures, musical performances, parties, and dances. John Cunningham was the proprietor of the Osos Grand in 1911-12. By 1922-23, the Empress and Photo Play theaters were listed in the building (at 121 and 131 W. 1st Street, respectively). F.R. Kelly was the proprietor of both. Only the Empress Theater was listed in the 1930-31 city directory, with Orrin H. Goodenough, manager. The facility was known as the Salida Theatre by January 1942, when a fire struck the building: "The flames swept through the theater floor, destroyed the sound screen and gutted all the rear of the building. Heat and smoke severely damaged the rest of the interior." The building was then owned by Frank Kelley ( a former state senator) and was operated by the Atlas Theater corporation of Denver. The 1951 and 1961 city directories listed the Salida Theatre here. with James Sweeney, manager. The facility was known as the Unique Theater at the time of the 1981 historic buildings survey. In addition to the Masonic Hall on the second floor of the building, offices and shops were also located on the first floor flanking the entrance to the theater. The 1890 Sanborn fire 1nsurance map showed a tailor, an office, and two stores flanking the entrance to the Opera House on the first floor of the building. William W. Roller, who managed the theater, also operated a real estate, loan, and insurance company from the building and was president of the Salida Board of Trade (also located here) in the 1903-06 period. Roller, identified as a conveyancer, was still listed in the building in 1909. In 1905-06, Samuel J. Spray, a civil engineer and the U.S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor, had an office here. The 1904 and 1909 Sanborn maps showed a "mineral exhibit hall" west of the entrance and offices to the east. The building encompassed numbers 125 through 133 W. 1st Street on 1904 through 1945 Sanborns. The 1930-31 city directory showed the following businesses on the first floor: George Gaul shoe repair, Charles and Lester Zingone, tailors, and the Singer Sewing Machine Co. (Bernard B. Bellwood, manager). In 1951 and 1961, occupants included Cookie's Place (Leo Cook, owner), Helen's Beauty Shop (Helen Mazzuca, owner), and the Marchesa Accordian Sclwol (Mickey Marchesa, owner). History Colorado's Architectural Inventory Forms have more information and are available at the Salida Library.