Horticultural Hall / The Winter Garden

305-307 Stockton St.  | map |


 Opened: November 24, 1871. The drawing of the Stockton St. facade comes from "Rehearsal of Past Glories,"an article in the November 22, 1891 San Francisco Call about a National Guard Company that had once used the venue as a drill hall. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the article via the California Digital Newspaper Collection website. There's also a clipped view.

This wood frame building was a replacement for an earlier circus building/skating rink that had been on the site, in the block just north of Union Square. The location was on the west side of Stockton with the new building a bit farther north of Post than the original had been. This new building was again, like the earlier structure, an operation of the Pavilion Skating Club and called the Occidental Skating Rink. One newspaper article referred to it as the New Pavilion Skating Rink. See information lower on the page about the earlier building.

The Horticultural Society acquired the building in 1872 and sometime after June began a remodel and expansion. The reopening as Horticultural Hall, a combination garden and concert venue, was on August 21. 

It was renamed the Grand Grotto Temple when Yankee Robinson turned the space into a circus arena with an October 7, 1872 opening. The circus didn't do well at this location and on November 12 it became a skating rink again under the management of L.M. Henry. The 1873 city directory listed the building as Horticultural Hall, 305 Stockton. 
 

An ad appearing in the May 1, 1874 issue of the theatrical handbill newspaper Figaro. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting the issue on eBay.

In 1875 the address was listed as the west side of Stockton between Sutter and Post. In 1880 Horticultural Hall was listed with Sander & Kraft as proprietors and an address of 305 and 307 Stockton. Thanks to Peter Field for the research. It remained a skating rink until 1881 when F.F. Morse and J.A. Meade gave it a remodel "on the style of the Tivoli" and reopened as the Winter Garden on March 14.

Capacity: 2,500 is a number used by the San Francisco Post in 1881. They noted that the management would typically sell 3,000 tickets. 

The remodeled venue specialized in light opera and beer. Your 25 cent admission also included a refreshment ticket. On April 18, 1881 the management was taken over by Edward Stahl and Ernst Maack. The theatre is mentioned in the 1881 book "Doxey's Guide to San Francisco and Vicinity." It's on Google Books. Peter notes that in the 1881 directory Stahl and Mack [sic] are listed as the proprietors with the book still calling the venue Horticultural Hall. 

In the 1882 directory the venue is listed as the Winter Garden. The alphabetical section has the street address while the "Places of Amusement" list has it on the west side of Stockton between Post and Sutter. See the chapter about the theatre in Edmond McAdoo Gagey's "Famous Playhouses" for many details about specific productions. Thanks to Art Siegel for finding it on Internet Archive. It's also reproduced lower on this page.

 

 
A flyer for "The Black Crook," a show that opened December 22, 1881. Thanks to Art Siegel for finding this on the auction site Worthpoint. Art found a mention in the December 18, 1881 issue of The Daily Alta California about the opening of the show and the fact that the star, Miss Arline Stanley, had just returned from New York. The page with the story is on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection
 

An ad from an 1882 "Guide Book and Street Manual." Thanks to Bob Ristelhueber for locating it. The venue is listed as Winter Gardens (plural) with 305-307 as an address in the book's Amusements list.  
 
Closing: The building was destroyed by fire on August 4, 1883. A Chronicle article about the blaze that was located by Art Siegel is at the bottom of the page. 
 
The fire was also covered in "Full Particulars of the Fire," an article in the August 5, 1883 Los Angeles Herald. That article is on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection. They note that two-thirds of the block was burned. Peter Field notes that there weren't any city directory listings for anything on the site at least through 1885. 
 

The earlier building on the site: A building used by a circus was constructed sometime between December 1868 and February 1869 on the northwest corner of Stockton and Post. Thanks to Peter Field for sharing his research. He notes that in 1868 and 1869 there were newspaper mentions of the location as the home of Wilson and Cooke’s Circus. See several 1871 photos below for views. On the building at the time of one of the photos it was just "Wilson's Circus," no mention of Mr. Cooke. 

In August 1871 the building became the Occidental Skating Rink. It was an operation of the Pavilion Skating Club that had been a tenant across the street in the Mechanics' Pavilion on the northeast corner of Union Square. They had to move when that building was expanded and scheduled for an Industrial Fair and, following that, demolition. The skating rink wasn't in their new home in the circus building very long -- it burned in early October 1871.

 
 
A c.1869 view at Stockton and Geary. On the right, up on Post St. behind the windmill, is the first building on the Winter Garden site, the circus building, which burned in 1871. Thanks to Peter Field for locating the photo in the Open SF History Project collection. It's an image by an unknown photographer that's in the Martin Behrman Negative Collection / Courtesy of the Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives. 
 
There's an 1858 view from Nob Hill on the site showing the the area around Union Square in the lower right. This was before the circus building or much of anything else was constructed in the area. There's also a slightly different version of the same photo.
 
 
 
An 1871 photo looking north on Stockton toward Post St. with a better view of the Wilson's Circus building on the corner. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the Eadweard Muybridge photo on the Open SF History Project website. It's from the Martin Behrman Negative Collection / Courtesy of the Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives. The site notes that in the distance we see the Third Baptist Church on Powell and Nob Hill in the distance. Behind the circus building is Temple Emanu-el on Sutter St.
 
Peter Field notes that the Mechanics' Pavilion, seen on the left, had hosted several industrial fairs from 1864 onward but by 1870 or so was being rented out for various other purposes. The Pavilion Skating Club leased the hall and in October 1870 began building a new floor for skating, opening in January 1871. The club used the space until May but had to vacate as the building as was then being expanded and readied to hold the 8th (and last) Industrial Fair at this location. That opened in August and closed in early September. When the building was demolished beginning in October 1871 it was, as Peter notes ,"to the great relief of its neighbors." For years they had been pressuring the Board of Supervisors to order its demolition, even though they now had to contend with a new rink building across the street, which was even uglier. A new Mechanics' Pavilion was built at Mission and Eighth streets.  
 
The Wilson's Circus building seen on the right must have burned just a few months after the photo was taken. Peter Field comments: "I notice the Wilson half of the sign looks as though it was painted over a previous sign. If that’s the case, I wonder if the previous sign said Wilson and Cooke?" Forced to leave the Mechanics' building, the Pavilion Skating Club moved across the street to the circus building, opening in August 1871 as the Occidental Skating Rink. The rink burned in early October. The later building that became the Winter Garden was a bit farther north with a string of stores along Post and a tavern right on the corner. The later building also didn't have a roof quite as steep as this one. 
 

 
A c.1875 photo by Isaiah West Taber from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it on the Opens SF History Project website. We're looking northwest across Union Square toward the 300 block of Post. Powell is off to the left and if we could look a bit farther to the right and up around the corner we'd see the building that became the Winter Garden. There is a bit of its roofline behind the store buildings on the right.
 

 
A very similar 70s view, except no bicyclist. We see less of the retail buildings to the right but we get a slightly better look at the roofline of the Horticultural Hall / Winter Garden building. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting the photo by an unknown photographer on the Open SF History Project website. It's from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection. 
 
 
 
A c.1880 view with, again, a partial view of the Horticultural Hall / Winter Garden on the far right. Thanks to Peter Field for locating this one on the Open SF History Project site. 
 
 
 
A c.1882 photo with a glimpse of part of the Winter Garden on the far right edge. Note we have quite a different roofline here showing the effects of a remodel to add fly space. Thanks to Peter Field for locating the photo in the Open SF History Project collection. It's a photo taken from the Phelan Building by Lewis Dowe that's from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection. There's also a cropped version of this in the collection.  
 
The four buildings on the west (left) end of the block didn't burn in the 1883 fire: the Trinity Episcopal Church, the castle-like National Guard Armory, the Verein Eintracht Building / Pacific Business College and the United Order of Red Men Hall. The latter two received some damage.
 
 
 
A c.1886 look at the later building on the site, the Walkerley Building / Union Club. It's a photo by N.W. Jones from the Marilyn Blaisdell collection on the Open SF History Project site. Thanks to Peter Field. for locating it. 
 
 
 
A fine c.1890 view north across Union Square from the Open SF History Project site. It's a photo by I.W. Taber from the Martin Behrman Negative Collection / Courtesy of the Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives.
 
 
"Famous Playhouses": Chapter Four of Edmond McAdoo Gagey's "Famous Playhouses of San Francisco" deals with the Winter Garden. Thanks to Art Siegel for locating it on Internet Archive and correcting the OCR text. The 1940 publication, in the collection of the San Francisco Public Library, was a project of the Federal Writer's Program of the WPA.

"THE WINTER GARDEN (1872-1883)

'Some time ago several Gentlemen, leading members of the Horticultural Society of California, purchased the large skating pavilion on Stockton near Post, and have since then been reconstructing and enlarging it so that It will afford room for six or seven thousand people. The new building will be known as the Horticultural Pavilion, and here will be given the fruit and flower exhibition of the Society. The interior is being modeled after the style of the Winter Gardens in Berlin, Hanover, and Paris. Thirty-two pillars finished with rustic work support the gallery around which are to be arranged 300 gas burners with colored globes. The stage represents a castle resting on a rock work and in one of which will be a prismatic water-fall. The floor of the hall will be laid out as a model garden, showing the German, French and English style of arranging pleasure gardens. This beautiful Winter Garden, which, it is intended, shall surpass anything in the United States, will be opened to the public on or about August 22.'

"Figaro, on July 27, 1872, thus heralded the establishment of Horticultural Hall, later known as the Winter Garden. Its distinguishing feature, as the guests discovered on August 21, 1872, when the doors were thrown open for a preview of the interior, was the dazzling array of more than 3,000 gas jets, many of them clustered in a huge, central chandelier shaped like a palm tree. Also colorfully displayed were several thousand plants and flowers, whose donors were competing for an aggregate of $2,000 in prizes offered by the Horticultural society. The public opening occurred the next day, when Schmidt's and Schlott's orchestras combined to give a band concert. For the next nine years Horticultural Hall served the utilitarian purpose of a garden, concert hall, skating rink, and circus arena. Showman Yankee Robinson was responsible for its latter function when he installed his own circus, October 7, 1872, advertising the 3,000 gas jets and renaming the place Grand Grotto Temple. Two days later Figaro remarked:

'The Horticultural Hall on Stockton Street, near Post, now turned into a circus temple, presented a brilliant appearance last night, lighted with thousands of variegated lamps and every seat filled. In fact there were hardly seats enough to accommodate the crowd. Tonight two-hundred additional chairs will be placed in the dollar portion of the house.'

"Robinson's circus was popular for a time, but people soon grew nostalgic for the old circus lot on Jackson Street, where animals performed in the traditional environment of the 'big top' with sod and sawdust underfoot and canvas billowing above. Robinson abandoned the pavilion to L. M. Henry, who on November 12 converted it into a skating rink, A rink it remained, with interludes of light-infantry drills, socials, dances, lectures, concerts, and periods of idleness, until 1881. On March 14, 1881, the hall, remodeled on the style of the Tivoli, opened as the Winter Garden under F. F. Morse and J. A. Meade, who made of it a light-opera house and beer garden whose modest admission price of 25 cents included a refreshment ticket. According to the Examiner of March 15, 1881: 

'This new place of amusement opened its doors last night under most favorable auspices. The house was good and the performance, "The Chimes of Normandy," achieved a success. The hall has been newly painted and the stage altered so as to accommodate the large company.' 

"In the cast for the Chimes of Normandy were Fannie Marston, Louise Lester, James A. Meade, Louis Nathal, Frank Roraback, and George Harris. Although the opening was auspicious, later performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance' and Offenbach's 'La Fille du Tambour Major' were disappointing to the management. On April 18, Stahl and Maack acquired the Winter Garden, went to much expense installing a new stage, new scenery, new frescoes and a new coat of paint throughout; the new proprietors named M.A. Kennedy their stage-manager, and began an uninterrupted series of light and comic operas that ran well into 1883. For their opening, Stahl and Maack offered the nautical opera 'Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue,' with Harry Gates playing the title part and Hallie Moore the role of Phoebe, This opera packed the house for three weeks, 'Billee Taylor is all the rage' said the Post on May 23. 'It is a worse furore than "Pinafore" if such a thing can be imagined.'

"STANDING ROOM ONLY - Tom Casselli, a first-rate comedian and singer, came to the boards in June in the extravagant La Mascotte, which had an even longer run than its predecessor, continuing to draw large audiences until July 10, On the eve of the final performance the Post reported: 

'Today and tomorrow will be the last opportunity lovers, brothers, mothers, and others will have of seeing "La Mascotte," as on Monday "Boccaccio" will be produced in grand style. Under clever management of that artist and gentleman, M. A. Kennedy, the place has prospered far beyond the most sanguine hopes of the proprietors, and it will continue to do so as long as they have such a good company together as the one engaged at present, an excellent orchestra, and a man who understands the business so well as Mr. Kennedy. The chorus will be enlarged, also the orchestra, and Bell has painted new scenery, and altogether we are promised a pleasant surprise in the care and attention bestowed on a proper representation of "Boccaccio" which will positively be produced on Monday, the 11th.'

"Manager M. A. Kennedy, on July 18, during the run of Boccaccio, advertised in the Post: 'Sunday night. A scene unprecedented! At 7 o'clock people turned away. Seating capacity of house 2,500! Number of tickets sold 3,000!' Such methods seldom left any standing room at the Winter Garden after 7:30 p.m. Mounted cheaply, played with a dash of slapstick recklessness, 'Jonah in the Whale' (the work of a local musician named Hoffman), 'La Fille du Tambour Major,' 'La Grande Duchesse,' and a curious operatic adaptation of the' Black Crook,' following one after another at the Winter Garden, continued to fill the place 'to its rafters,' and finally, on October 22, 1881, called forth this bit of mild criticism from the Post: 

'The management have very wisely placed entirely new scenery on the stage, and it is time they did so, for one gets tired seeing the black and white carpet and jaded parlor scene, which has been used so many times before. The chorus has been considerably augmented, but they sadly need training, as they stand on the stage like wooden figures.'

"Just before this was written, an excavation of 14 feet had been made under the stage for the installation of 'machinery,' the stage had been rebuilt, and the popular comedian Edward Barret had been made stage-manager. Doubtless the proprietors considered themselves extravagant, spending so much money on improvements — since the house would hold no more than its original 3,000 capacity — and six weeks were spent in rehearsing and preparing 'The Black Crook,' while an opera which had outlasted its popularity was retained on the bills, nevertheless there was no falling off in attendance, even though the gallery gods were heard more than once to groan.

"SECOND - RATE TIVOLI - The programs improved in 1882, with 'Pinafore,' Donizetti's 'The Love Potion,' 'The Bohemian Girl,' and 'Fra Diavolo' making bright spots in an otherwise tarnished repertory of musical junk — much of it contrived on the premises. But the Winter Garden remained a second-rate imitation of the Tivoli during its entire career. It never once rose to first rank, even with its production of 'Iolanthe,' then Gilbert and Sullivan's latest work. On January 27, the occasion of 'Iolanthe's San Francisco premiere, the Post came out with a direct criticism:

'The Winter Garden — Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic aesthetic opera "Iolanthe," their latest composition, was produced at this house last Monday night for the first time in San Francisco, with one or two exceptions the opera was very poorly cast, and in some instances equally poorly rendered. The work throughout showed lack of sufficient rehearsal and want of proper management; and the chorus, especially the female portion, was almost wretched at times. Mr. Urban as Lord Chancellor does his best with the character, which does not at all suit him. Arthur Sullivan has never been very partial to tenors, as he considers them "sticks" on the stage, and that accounts for the tame music given to the character of Earl Tolleller, impersonated by Mr. Horaback, of which character he has not the slightest conception ...'

"The critic went on to point out other glaring inconsistencies, then summarized with a laconic statement which neatly damned the entire performance: 'The orchestra is very good.'

"LAST SCENE — A FIRE - 'Iolanthe,' which should have made the fortunes of Stahl and Mack, proved to be their downfall. Attendances fell off night by night and ultimately forced the theatre to close, since there was no money with which to pay the actors' salaries. On February 10, attempting to remedy this situation, the company reopened under its own management in the burlesque or play 'Musketeers.' 'It is devoutly to be hoped,' said the Post that same day, 'that the public will remember the past efforts of this clever company to amuse, and will reciprocate accordingly.' But the public either did not remember, or remembered too well; the venture was only a mild success. A month or so later the Winter Garden's legal owners managed to get enough money together to reopen the house on its former basis, offering instead of opera a succession of dramatic outbursts such as 'Rip Van Winkle,' 'Saratoga,' 'The Victims,' 'The Persecuted Dutchman,' 'Sweetheart,' 'Toodles,' 'The Chimney Corner,' and 'A Kiss in the Dark.' They threw in with these a few musical numbers and specialty acts. The Winter Garden was well on the way to becoming a melodeon when it caught fire on August 4, 1883, and burned to the ground. The last notice concerning it appeared in the Call on the following day: 

'Winter Garden — nothing additional has been learned as to the cause of yesterday morning's fire, in which a large number of buildings, including the Winter Garden, Red Men's Hall, Druid's Hall and the Verein Eintract building were entirely burned. The blaze shooting up in the rear of the Winter Garden was discovered by police officers Corrigan, Flynn and Merrlfield.' 
 
"A general alarm was turned in and the whole department was engaged in fighting the hottest fire San Francisco has seen for years. The Winter Garden building was a large barn-like structure and owing to the material used in its construction it soon succumbed. It required 200 policemen to keep back the enormous crowd that had congregated on every side." 
 
 
The Chronicle's account of the fire from their August 4, 1883 issue: 
 
 
Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the article. 

 
More information: Some references from Peter Field's research: 
 
"Wilson & Cooke's Circus," Alta California, 12/19/1868, page 1
"Amusements," Alta California, 3/2/1869, page 4
"Amusements," San Francisco Chronicle, 8/19/1871, page 3
"The Skating Rink," San Francisco Chronicle, 11/16/1871 
"The Bicycle," San Francisco Chronicle, 11/24/1871
"Jottings About Town," San Francisco Chronicle, 10/19/1870, page 3
"Amusements," San Francisco Chronicle, 5/12/1871, page 4
"Another Destructive Fire," 10/6/1871, page 1 - the circus building / rink fire 
"By State Telegraph," Sacramento Daily Republic Union, 10/7/1871, page 1 - the rink fire
 "Amusements," Alta, 1/25/1872, page 2 - news of the new building 
"The Rink," San Francisco Chronicle, 2/1/1872, page 3
 "Amusements," Alta, 5/4/1872, page 4 - forming the Horticultural Society
"Incorporation," Sacramento Daily Republic Union , 5/22/1872, page 5
California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences, 7/11/1872, page 5

Thanks, Peter!

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