The vestibule
had a ticket booth on one side and at the other side was the stairway
to the balcony and stairs continuing up to the top floor to the
Masonic Lodge Rooms. Upon entering the auditorium from the vestibule
you were in a horizontal aisle across the back blocked off by
a screen from the seating. In front of the screen was the "Dress
Circle" in a horseshoe shape. The seats were on platforms
giving each adequate view of the stage. In front of the "Dress
Circle" the floor had an incline of 1 inch to 1 ft. At the
front of this was the orchestra pit. The balcony above was also
horseshoe shaped and again the seats were on platforms, each 12
inches above the one in front of it. The row of seating behind
this was the Gallery. The Masonic Opera House could seat 400 to
500 people. By removing the seats on the first floor and placing
movable sections with braces, they could provide a flat floor
for dancing and roller skating. Mr. E. B. Hough, a scenic artist
from Syracuse, N.Y., was hired to decorate the interior. The main
ceiling was handsomely frescoed and above the stage in the center
was an allegorical representation of music. In each corner were
representations of each of the seasons. The wall was painted gray.
On the bottom level of the addition was 6 dressing rooms complete
with mirrors and makeup lamps. A hall also provides a convenient
entrance to and from the hotel next door and back stage. Upon
completion in December 1876 it was announced that the Masonic
Opera House was one of the finest Theatres in the state. After
the remodeling and with the completion of the Clough Opera House
across town, theatre offerings were tremendous and varied drama,
comedy, farce, minstrel shows and operas were presented.
In 1904 A. R. Wolf bought the Masonic Opera House
from the Masons as they were building a new Temple on Main Street.
Mr. Wolf remodeled the theatre and enlarged the stage. He replaced
all the windows in the front of the building with beautiful stained
glass windows. The Masonic Opera House continued under Wolf's
excellent managerial abilities until he sold it to the Meyers
Brothers in 1915. They again made some improvements and repairs
and installed a movie screen and equipment. The Meyers Brothers
changed the name to the Majestic Theatre. They occasionally had
live theatre productions on the stage but finally went to motion
pictures exclusively.
In July 1971, Harley and Evelyn Bennett became the
new owners of the Majestic Theatre. They did careful restoration
with reference to the original wall painting. New seating was
installed as was new front doors. The restrooms were remodeled
and the lobby redone. The brick wall on the alley side was sand
blasted and the old broken plastic squares on the front of the
building were removed and a brick facing was installed. A new
coat of paint and the refurbishing of the marquee, new roof and
spouting all helped to preserve the old Masonic Opera House.
Three Chillicothe businessmen, Robert Althoff, Robert
Evans, and David Uhrig, bought the theatre as a non-profit organization
in 1990. All new wiring throughout the theatre, fire safety, and
security systems were installed.
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