1909

Manhattan: Irving Place - 14th Street (East)

Irving Place, east side, from 14th to 15th streets, showing the Academy of Music, with the Consolidated Gas offices at 4 Irving Place, on the SE corner of 15th street. 2 Irving Place used to be (around 1880) the home of the Lotus Club. The Academy of Music, originally intended as a permanent home for Italian Opera, was opened on this site in October 1854, with a production of "Norma" One of the notable performances in the old building was a concert at which Jenny Lind sang. On October 12th, 1860, a grand ball was given here for Edward (the future Edward VII) Prince of Wales, on the occasion of his visit to New York during his tour of North America. The original Academy of Music, on this site, was burned May 22nd, 1866 and the building pictured here was opened the following February. In 1887 the Academy Company decided not to compete further with the new and fashionable Metropolitan Opera House, and accordingly sold this building, after which it became a dramatic house. As a legitimate theatre it was famous, among other things for the phenomenal run of "The Old Homestead" from August 30th 1888 to May 1891. The elder Sothern and others also played for long runs. On the afternoon of November 16th, 1919 the Prince of Wales, grandson of Edward VII, will pay the Academy a visit. By that time it will have become a motion picture house. Finally in 1926, it will be demolished and the ground under the building will become part of the site of the new Consolidated Gas Building. March 1909 Brown Brothers.

Photo from the New York Public Library - Milstein Collection