Exterior view of Robert Fox's theater built in 1870 on the former Chestnut Street site of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. A lightbulb sign spelling "Family Resort" hangs over the arched entranceway, which is flanked by ground floor shops. Two men stand on the roof, one story above the street, next to a sculpture adorned by an eagle, a clock and two light standards. The theater rises several stories in the rear., Title from inscription on mount., Inscribed on mount: No. 104., Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 19., Arcadia caption text: Robert Fox built his American Theatre in 1870 at 1021-1029 Chestnut Street, the former site of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In this view, dated c. 1870, the faces of Comedy and Tragedy rest atop the cornice, while a large clock topped with an eagle ornaments the forward-projected entryway, flanked by playbills advertising “The Brigands.” The interior featured seats for 1,656 people and box seats designed in a fishbowl shape. The Chestnut Street Opera House began operating out of the theater in 1880 and became a leading venue in the city. The building was demolished in 1940., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Date
ca. 1870
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - unidentified - Theaters [P.9058.174]
