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Some buildings were here long ago,
but there's nothing left now to show;
As time has now flown
that history's not known,
If int'rested?, read on below
but there's nothing left now to show;
As time has now flown
that history's not known,
If int'rested?, read on below
Melbourne Opera House
Part 1 1849-1899
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All photos courtesy of the State Library of Victoria & All Newspaper clipping from 'Trove' (NLA)
Early Beginnings- Punch
Melbourne's Old Opera House
It Started & ended with a 'Rickard'. Originally on the land at 90 Bourke Street East (before the numbers were changed), was Rickard Punch's Timber yard, which ran through from Little Collins street. Punch came to Victoria in the 1840's & had done quite well for himself, owning quite a bit of property. He was only 39 years of age when he died in 1859 & his wife gave birth to a baby, only weeks after his death.
It Started & ended with a 'Rickard'. Originally on the land at 90 Bourke Street East (before the numbers were changed), was Rickard Punch's Timber yard, which ran through from Little Collins street. Punch came to Victoria in the 1840's & had done quite well for himself, owning quite a bit of property. He was only 39 years of age when he died in 1859 & his wife gave birth to a baby, only weeks after his death.
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Monday 2 April 1849
Death- On The 21st inst. at Johnston Street Collingwood, Mr. Rickard Punch, aged 39 years
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Friday 22 July 1859 Birth- On the 13th August, at her residence,
Johnston Street Collingwood, the relict of the late Rickard Punch, Esq., of a son. Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Monday 15 August 1859 |
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Monday 23 June 1856
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Thursday 28 July 1859
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Henry Hoyt
Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Friday 21 October 1859
After Punch died in December of the same year, there was a fire in the Livery Stables on the corner of Stephen street (now Exhibition street) & Little Collins street, run by Mr. Swanston. A few of the surrounding properties were damaged, but there is no evidence that Punch's Timber yard was affected.
(Argus 17 March 1860)
F.J. Rogers became the proprietor of The NEW YORK LIVERY and LETTING STABLES, around Feb. of 1860
where Punch's Timber yard was. Rogers was formerly connected with the Victorian Stage Company & within the first 6 months of him being there, he faced trouble, over an incident only a few weeks after he commenced business. By August that year, he was selling things off 11 Aug. 1860 The Argus
The Age 5 Oct.1860
A Petition- Tydeman against New York Stables
The Age 18 Sept. 1860
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Later known as the New York Stables the following year in 1861, Henry Hoyt is the proprietor. Henry Hoyt, an American, had previously operated coaches in country Victoria, also New Zealand, as well as parcel deliveries. 90 Bourke Street East, was now to be the Head Office/Central Depot of his business. He was proprietor of Cobb & Co., The Livery Stables & also had a partnership with several others, in 'The Australian Stage Company', which was dissolved in May of that year (1861). Holt operated omnibuses and later was involved in introducing cable trams, to Melbourne.
Age 23 March 1861
In 1866 Hoyt built a hall over the top of the Livery Stables, to store & display his carriages and on the Bourke Street frontage, an upstairs hall for entertainment. Hoyt probably saw the opportunity to make extra money & so this upper floor was named 'The Australian Hall', being used for meetings, exhibitions, even a skating rink.
16 June 1866 The Telegraph
19 June 1866 Bendigo Advertiser
18 July 1866 Bendigo Advertiser
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The Hall
Bourke Street looking West from Russell Street. The property is on the left.
Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle (Melbourne, Vic.) Sat 1 Sep 1866
The Australian hall, only a few months after opening, was to be known as 'The Varieties' from Dec. 1866, and become a place of entertainment.
Geelong Advertiser 18 Dec. 1866
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Wed 19 December 1866
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Bell's Life in Victoria and Sporting Chronicle (Melbourne, Vic.) 22 Sep 1866
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Within a year of the 'Australian Hall' opening in Sept. 1866, then renamed 'The Varieties' in Dec. 1866, still more changes were to take place. There was a lot of rivalry between theatres in Melbourne at that time, another new theatre was to emerge, with the transformation of the 'Polytechnic Hall' also in Bourke Street.
18 May 1867 The Australasian
22 June 1867 The Australasian
29 June 1867 The Leader
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Not long after the opening, it became obvious that the Polytechnic was not large enough.
15 June 1867 The Leader
The 'Varieties' was to have a new identity as well-
'The New Royalty' 27 June 1867 The Age
It seems like the young performer- J.L.Hall, changed his mind about taking 'The Varieties' and making it the 'New Royalty', possibly because of a breech of contract case in the county court, that was going on at that time?
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ILLUMINATIONS OF MELBOURNE- On the Arrival of the Duke of Edinburgh Dec. 1867
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?l-state=Victoria
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?l-state=Victoria
Yet Another Change
The Argus 2 September 1867
Melburnians didn't warm too well to the new dance 'Le Can Can', but the Police loved it!
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12 Oct. 1867 The Leader
Meanwhile Henry Hoyt, had passed his Livery Stables over to George Wright & was off to Japan & his Varieties Hall had a new French twist to it.
Australasian (Melbourne, Vic.), Saturday 6 June 1868
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19 Oct. 1868 The Age
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Mr Hoyt, whose name is so well known in connexion with coaching in Victoria, has just left for Japan, of all other places, where he is intending to establish lines of like fast conveyances that have proved such a great public convenience here.
The Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas.) Wed 29 Apr 1868 |
Wanting to find a way to close down the Varieties & stop the Bawdy behaviour, information was requested from the Police, as to current licensing of places of entertainment
The Zeplin Family of Musicians
6 Feb.1869 the Argus
31 Dec.1869 The Leader
24 Feb.1870 The Argus
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Zeplin took over with a two year lease on the Varieties, bringing a bit of 'class' back to the venue.
The theatre closed for a while during 1869, to undergo yet more alterations and it was re-opened with the new and short lived name of 'Theatre Comique'
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Saturday 25 Dec.1869
Frederick Zeplin's wife gave birth to a stillborn daughter in February of 1870, then to add to the sadness, the unthinkable happened less than 5 months later.
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The Fire
"Burnt to the very walls, and that in the destruction which occurred, there had been in
the surrounding premises much loss of animal, if not of human life. With regard to the latter, however, the general feeling of anxiety was early set at rest by a statement being put authoritatively about to the effect that the unfortunate woman, Mary Tucker, who was rescued from the flames in a half-dying state, was the only person who had suffered in a bodily sense from the fire.
As yet it is almost impossible to get at the utmost extent of the damage done, or to say what originated the fire; although it is very evident that it first broke out in the Shilling Store, 96 Bourke-street, occupied by Mr. Frank Marten. This man stated that he locked his shop up at half-past 2 a.m. on the 5th., having securely turned off the gas. When he left the place his boy was sleeping at the back of the shop. He had hardly reached his residence in Russell-street, when, hearing cries of fire, he rushed back and found his shop enveloped in flames, which soon communicated with the Varieties, and, in a very short time, from the inflammable nature of the materials used in the construction of the place, the building was completely destroyed. The boy who was sleeping at the back of the shop, having been aroused by the flames, made his escape by the rear into the stables"........
Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers (Melbourne, Vic.) Sat 16 Jul 1870
the surrounding premises much loss of animal, if not of human life. With regard to the latter, however, the general feeling of anxiety was early set at rest by a statement being put authoritatively about to the effect that the unfortunate woman, Mary Tucker, who was rescued from the flames in a half-dying state, was the only person who had suffered in a bodily sense from the fire.
As yet it is almost impossible to get at the utmost extent of the damage done, or to say what originated the fire; although it is very evident that it first broke out in the Shilling Store, 96 Bourke-street, occupied by Mr. Frank Marten. This man stated that he locked his shop up at half-past 2 a.m. on the 5th., having securely turned off the gas. When he left the place his boy was sleeping at the back of the shop. He had hardly reached his residence in Russell-street, when, hearing cries of fire, he rushed back and found his shop enveloped in flames, which soon communicated with the Varieties, and, in a very short time, from the inflammable nature of the materials used in the construction of the place, the building was completely destroyed. The boy who was sleeping at the back of the shop, having been aroused by the flames, made his escape by the rear into the stables"........
Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers (Melbourne, Vic.) Sat 16 Jul 1870
6 July 1870 Geelong Advertiser
Mary (Holly) Tucker, was almost trapped inside the
burning building 6 July 1870 Geelong Advertiser
9 July 1870
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The Argus 8 July 1870
9 July 1870 The Australasian
When Mary tried to escape and saw the stairs ablaze on the level where she found herself, the windows were 7 feet above the floor, so there was no chance of her reaching to that height.
9 July 1870 The Weekly Times
The fire brigade only had four 7 foot ladders which had to be
tied together, to reach. 9 July 1870 The Weekly Times
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30 Jul. 1870 The Weekly Times
Hoyt Didn't Waste
Any Time
Any Time
Within six weeks after the fire, Henry Hoyt, still in Japan, is looking at what can be done with the site.
The burning of the Varieties, in Bourke Street is of course, within the rememberance of many of our readers, and since that occurrence it has been left as it was. The owner of the property is a resident (unreadable) but the lesee, Mr. Hoyt (of coach notoriety) is in Japan, and in the meantime nothing can legally be done to the property. However, yesterday steps were taken to pulldown the walls left standing, and in a few days, no doubt, the debris of one of the late fires that has been seen in Melbourne for some time past, will be removed. Whether it will be re-constructed as a place of amusement remains to be seen, but (unreadable) per week has already been offered for the front (unreadable) with suitable buildings erected thereon.
18 Aug. 1870 The Ballarat Star 24 Mar. 1871 The Age
Nine months after the fire,
Henry Hoyt has built a new Hotel & four shops on the site already. But why give him permission to build a Hotel, then
refuse a licence? |
The site of the Varieties is to be built upon by the lesee, Mr. Hoyt. It is his intention to erect a building, three storeys in height, comprising four shops, having a frontage of Bourke Street. In the rear, will be a capacious horse bazaar and carriage repository.
21 Sept. 1870 The Hamilton Spectator 12 Jan 1871 the Argus
21 Mar 1871 The Argus
8 April 1871 The Leader
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Up She Goes!
29 April 1872 The Argus
The place for Entertainment was in Bourke Street East. Other theatres had burned down at the time the Opera House was built, so it was a great asset to the city.
THEATRES OF OLD MELBOURNE
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11636507? |
30 April 1872 The Argus
How much is it worth?
This is simple program for calculating historical money rates for Australia. It is intended to be a basic approach to calculating the relative value of money in Australia from 1850 to the present. http://www.thomblake.com.au/secondary/hisdata/ Hoyt's Opera House was to be superior to any other building that existed in Melbourne at that time,
at a cost of 20,000 pounds |
The Melbourne Prince of Wales Opera House went up, the same year (1872) that, the Sydney Prince of Wales
Opera House burnt down (in the January)
Opera House burnt down (in the January)
Weekly Times (Melb, Vic.), Saturday 8 June 1872
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Weekly Times (Melb, Vic.), Saturday 8 June 1872
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Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers Melbourne, Vic. Tuesday 13 August 1872
The Opera House, c.1888 (Date photos by the detail- Bohemian Girl & Fenner's Prince of Wales Hotel)
Quite an array of performers graced the stage of the Opera House, including an English comedian by the name of Harry Rickards, who would later have a special connection with the venue.
'Faust'
Excitement at the 'Opera House'
The Opera House c.1899 (Date photos by the detail- Rickards at the Bijou & Murdock's Prince of Wales Hotel)
DECEMBER 1875
Weekly Times (Melb. Vic.), Saturday 11 December 1875
FEBRUARY 1880
Evening News Sydney, NSW. 2 February 1880
JULY 28 1880
The Shooting Affair in the Melbourne Opera House. FURTHER PARTICULARS.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/136700317? Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate NSW Wednesday 28 July 1880 JULY 30 1880
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate NSW : Friday 30 July 1880
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JULY 1879
Bendigo Advertiser Tuesday 22 July 1879
JULY 27 1880
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate NSW : Tue 27 July 1880
JULY 31 1880
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate NSW Sat 31 July 1880
JULY 31 1880
Launceston Examiner Saturday 31 July 1880
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Sketches with Pen- TRAGEDY AT THE OPERA-HOUSE. ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE.
The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil (Melbourne, Vic. : 1873 - 1889) Saturday 31 July 1880
The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil (Melbourne, Vic. : 1873 - 1889) Saturday 31 July 1880
The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil (Melbourne, Vic. : 1873 - 1889) Saturday 31 July 1880
AUGUST 6 1880
AUGUST 4 1888
Evening News (Syd, NSW), Saturday 4 August 1888
JUNE 30 1891
30 June 1891 The Hamilton Spectator
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FEBRUARY 17 1885
Evening News (Sydney, NSW ) Tue 17 Feb 1885
MARCH 2 1889
Freeman's Journal (Syd, NSW) Sat 2 March 1889
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In 1887, Melbourne City Council ordered the renumbering of properties across the city to make houses and businesses easier to find.
Up until this time, streets that ran east-west were divided at Elizabeth Street so that street numbers began at 1 on either side heading east to Spring Street and west to Spencer Street
So, the Opera House which was originally 90 Bourke Street East,
now became- 249 Bourke Street
http://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/such-was-life/the-streets-of-melbourne-by-numbers/
now became- 249 Bourke Street
http://blogs.slv.vic.gov.au/such-was-life/the-streets-of-melbourne-by-numbers/
Almost Had its Day
First Moving
Pictures Shown
Pictures Shown
FEBRUARY 24 1895
Truth (Sydney, NSW), Sunday 24 February 1895
Above- Edison's Kinetoscope
The Kinetoscope was designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window at the top of the device. The Cinematographe was an early version of cinema-tography with a projected image onto a screen.
Age, Melbourne, Vic., Monday 24 August 1896
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Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Wednesday 19 August 1896
First projected moving images
shown at the Melbourne Opera House, on Saturday 22nd August 1896. The illusionist Carl Hertz, gave a demonstration of the 'Cinematographe', to those who paid to stay back & see it, after the Saturday night performances The following is a lovely article in the Weekly Times (Melb, Vic.) Sat 22 Aug 1896, describing the atmosphere on the night.
AFTER THE OPERA.
It was after the opera was over. The occupants of the galleries had clattered noisily downstairs, the pit and stalls had cleared, demurely, and the crutch and toothpick dress circle had quitted, talking of oysters at Madame's. The last person in the Opera House had left. And then, as if by magic as wonderful as any of Mr Carl Hertz's clever illusions, stalls and dress circle filled up again. Laughing faces were seen on all sides and merry laughter rang out in ripples and waves of fun, until the Opera House echoes, reverberated the cheerful noise into a chorus. The audience, there by special invitation to witness the ...(unreadable)... illusion of the Cinematographic, was a highly critical one. It consisted of all the members of Mr Rickards' Melbourne company, and of many other clever artists now in this city. The merritness was called forth by the fact that the people who are always under fire of criticism were there to criticise. And they did not spare either Mr Richards, who chaffed them back again happily, Mr Carl Hertz, or the leader of the orchestra, or stern-visaged but kindhearted Mr Aydon. They "barracked" the musicians until they struck up a merry tune, and then broke off into a subdued chorus. The ringing up of the curtain, however, showed that actors can teach a useful lesson to certain classes of theatre goers. The audience became quite silent & attentive, breaking out into loud applause as Mr. Hertz brought out pretty & laughable & wonderfully interesting scenes. In principle, it is the kinetoscope of Mr Edison. In practice, it is a marvellous improvement upon it. Life-size figures & pictures true to nature are shown upon the canvas.
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23 Years Old &
Run Down
Run Down
The Opera House was still running, despite its condition.
Rickards leased other theatres as well, he was booming.
Rickards leased other theatres as well, he was booming.
JANUARY 29 1897
29 Jan 1897 Table Talk Melb.
NOVEMBER 20 1897
20 Nov. 1897 The Argus
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JANUARY 31 1897
31 Jan 1897 Sunday Times
NOVEMBER 23 1897
23 Nov 1897 The Argus
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Biograph, invented by Herman Casler
Condemned
MAY 7 1898
7 May 1898 Critic (SA)
MAY 7 1898
12 Nov. 1898 The Age
DECEMBER 3 1898
3 Dec 1898 Critic (SA)
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JUNE 15 1898
DECEMBER 31 1898
31 Dec 1898 The Australasian
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OCTOBER 21 1899
21 Oct 1899 the Ballarat Star
NOVEMBER 10 1899
10 Nov 1899 Syd. Morning Herald
DECEMBER 16 1899
16 Dec. 1899 Ovens & Murray Advertiser
DECEMBER 19 1899
19 Dec 1899 Adelaide Advertiser
DECEMBER 23 1899
23 Dec 1899 Bendigo Advertiser
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NOVEMBER 30 1899
30 Nov 1899 Quiz & the Lantern (SA)
DECEMBER 19 1899
Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Tuesday 19 December 1899
DECEMBER 22 1899
22 Dec 1899 The Express & Telegraph (SA)
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