{{Short description|Former theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US}} {{distinguish|Arch Street Opera House}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} thumb|The Arch Street Theatre, {{Circa|1850}} '''The Arch Street Theatre''', popularly referred to as '''The Arch''', was one of three Philadelphia-based theaters for plays during the 19th century; the other two were the Walnut Street Theatre (still standing in 2024), and the Chestnut Street Theatre.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hornblow, Arthur|title=A History of the Theatre in America|pages=308–310|volume=2|year=1919|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thA9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA308|location=Philadelphia; London|publisher=J. B. Lippincott Company}}</ref> The Arch Street Theatre opened on October 1, 1828, under the management of prominent early 19th-century actor William B. Wood (1779–1861). The building's architect was John Haviland (1792–1852).<ref name=FreeLibrary>[https://libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/item/39189 Arch Street Theatre, Free Library of Philadelphia]</ref>
==History== ===19th century=== thumb|The second Arch Street Theatre in 1888 The building which housed the Arch Street Theatre was located at 819 Arch Street, between 6th and 7th Streets in Center City, Philadelphia Performers at the longtime venue over its 108 years of history included Fanny Lily Gipsey Davenport, Joseph Jefferson, and Charlotte Cushman, others.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Pawlak, Debra Ann|title=The Lady in Charge|journal=Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine|volume=XL|number=3|date=Summer 2014|url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/pa-heritage/louisa-lane-drew-lady-in-charge.html}}</ref> John Wilkes Booth (1838–1865) joined the theatre's stock company in 1857 and played for a full season. He appeared occasionally at the Arch during the 1850s and early 1860s.<ref>[http://digitallibrary.hsp.org/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/5117 Arch Street Theatre, Historical Society of Pennsylvania]</ref>
During the 1830s, prominent Shakespearean actor Edwin Forrest (1806–1872), played many successful roles at "The Arch", and several original plays written at his request debuted there.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hornblow, Arthur|title=A History of the Theatre in America|page=309|volume=2|year=1919|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=thA9AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA309}}</ref>
In 1832, the Arch Street Theatre of Philadelphia had an entire resident company of American actors, which was a first for American theater companies.<ref name=MrsJohnDrewp40>{{cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b113925;view=1up;seq=60|title=Autobiographical sketch of Mrs. John Drew|year=1900 |page=40|publisher=Chapman and Hall }}</ref> The managers were William Forrest, William Duffy, and William Jones.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ludlow, Noah Miller|title=Dramatic life as I found it|publisher=G.I. Jones and Company|year=1880|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dramaticlifeasif00ludl/page/314 314]–315|url=https://archive.org/details/dramaticlifeasif00ludl}}</ref> The company also included James E. Murdoch (1811–1893).<ref name=MrsJohnDrewp40/>
In 1860, the stockholders of the Arch suggested that Louisa Lane Drew (1820–1897), (and wife of her third husband, actor John Drew Sr (1827–1862), should assume the Arch Street management, and in 1861 the theatre was opened under the name "Mrs. John Drew's Arch Street Theatre", at the beginning of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Louisa Lane Drew was the grandmother of ryLionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore, and matriarch / ancestor of the famous Barrymore-Drew acting family, which extended across several generations from the 18th, 19th, 20th, and now even to the 21st centuries.<ref>The House of Barrymores, Margot Peters</ref> During the third season under Drew's management at Arch Street, Lester Wallack (1820–1888), E. L. Davenport (1816–1877), and Edwin Booth (1833–1893), all appeared and acted at "The Arch".<ref name=MrsJohnDrewp110>{{cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b113925;view=1up;seq=128|title=Autobiographical sketch of Mrs. John Drew|year=1900 |page=110|publisher=Chapman and Hall }}</ref>
In the summer of 1863, the theatre was partially pulled down and rebuilt / renovated with much more luxurious furnishings such as red plush seats and crystal chandeliers from the stage to the original stone front façade;<ref name=MrsJohnDrewp110/> the seating capacity was one thousand, nine-hundred eleven (1,911).<ref>[https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/16554 Arch Street Theatre, philadelphiabuildings.org]</ref>
By 1875, the theatre became the venue for the first American performance of a work by British musical composers and playwrights partnership team Gilbert and Sullivan (W.S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), when another actress and theatre manager / producer Alice Oates (1849–1887), staged an unauthorized and approximate performance of their work ''Trial by Jury'' here.<ref>Gänzl, Kurt. ''The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre'', Schirmer Books; 2nd edition (May 2001)</ref>
After Mrs. Drew's departure from management after over three decades in 1892, the stature of Philadelphia's Arch Street Theatre unfortunately slowly declined.<ref name=FreeLibrary/> By 1898, Moishe ("Morris") Finkel (c.1850–1904), rented the building and presented Yiddish language (German / Hebrew) theater for Jewish patrons for several months, including one week of performances by Keni Liptzin (1856–1918). The prolific Yiddish theatre composer Joseph Brody (c.1876/77-1937), recently arrived from the Russian Empire (Russia), got his American start there as well.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=Sholem |title=Yidishe dramaṭurgn un ṭeaṭer ḳompoziṭors |date=1952 |publisher=Ikuf |location=New York |page=350 |url=https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/collections/yiddish-books/spb-nybc209311 |language=yi}}</ref> However, Finkel soon abandoned the project and the Arch returned to vaudeville and burlesque.
===20th century=== In 1909, Mordechai ("Mike") Thomashefsky took over the Arch and presented both vaudeville of music and comedy along with Yiddish theatre until his death a quarter-century later in 1932.<ref>[http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/jqp-archstreet.htm The Arch Street Theatre, The Jewish Quarter of Philadelphia, The Museum of Family History]</ref><ref>[http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/yt/lex/T/thomashefsky-mike.htm Mike (Mordechai) Thomashefsky, Lives in the Yiddish Theatre, Museum of Family History]</ref>
The Arch Street Theater was rented out in 1921 as a hall for Jewish High Holiday services.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 29, 1914|title=Yom Hapiiurim, Day of Atonement, Begins at Sundown |work=The Evening Ledger|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|page=3}}</ref>
The historic Arch Street Theatre was unfortunately demolished after 108 years in 1936.<ref name="Walnut">{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Andrew |title=America's Longest Run: A History of the Walnut Street Theatre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tkBULCOvieQC |year=2010 |publisher=Penn State Press |isbn=9780271030531 |access-date=July 7, 2023 |page=3}}</ref> Prior to its demolition, it was the second-oldest theatre in the country, next to the nearby Walnut Street Theatre, still standing in 2024.<ref name="Walnut"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/fasearch/findingAid.cfm?eadID=01076 Charles N. Mann Manuscript for History of the Arch Street Theatre] at the Harry Ransom Center * {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H9oLuF8JXCMC&pg=PA106 |page=106 |title=Old Philadelphia in Early Photographs 1839–1914: 215 Prints from the Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia | isbn=978-0-486-23345-1 | last=Looney | first=Robert F. | date=January 1976 | publisher=Courier Corporation }} (1860 photograph of Arch Street Theatre)
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{{Philadelphia Theaters}}
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Category:1828 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:19th-century theatre Category:Arch Street Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1936 Category:Commercial buildings completed in 1828 Category:Demolished theatres in Philadelphia Category:History of Philadelphia Category:History of theatre