The Murphy Theatre's History
Two days before the United States officially entered World War I, Charles Webb Murphy concluded the final deal for purchasing the Schofield property on West Main Street in Wilmington, Ohio. The purpose was clear - he needed more space to build "the best small theater in this section of the country". Although he had relocated and was the successful owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, the town where he had grown up and where his mother still lived held a special place in his heart.
Intending to prove that luck had not played
any part in his business life, Murphy chose Friday, October 13, to let the contract
for the new theatre building. A. P. Eveland of Miamisville was awarded the bid
and plans pushed forward for the construction of a modern concrete, steel,
brick, and terra cotta building that would be as nearly fireproof as possible.
Not a foot of timber, with the exception of a small part of the stage, was to be
used in its framework.
175 railroad cars of material went into the construction, and Italian and English craftsmen worked for weeks on the interior. J. L. Dillon, the top decorator of the Mandel Brothers' Chicago interior design firm, came to Wilmington to decorate the theatre and left town much enthused. He proclaimed it "the prettiest thing he had ever seen."
The editor of Wilmington's local newspaper, The Wilmington Daily News, agreed with him. After making a final inspection tour with Murphy's brother Jim, he wrote that it was the "prettiest and most perfect theatre in the country" in an article describing each section of the newly completed building. Among the observations he noted were the following:
Three large boilers stood in the boiler room and a large fan
on the roof sent heat to all parts of the building in winter months. In
summer months the fan was kept going to circulate air and keep ventilation
up to the 100 percent mark. The roof was made of multiple layers of
"non-combustible, non-leakable" material.
The projection booth was built entirely separate and
distinct from the rest of the building. Its walls were a foot thick and made
of fireproof material. Two big Simplex motion picture machines and a modern
spotlight were housed in the 18'x8' room. A telephone in the booth, one in
the ticket office, and one on stage made communication an easy matter.
More than 15 miles of wire was needed for the lighting and
total electrical mechanism of the theatre. A switchboard back of the screen
on stage allowed an electrician control of every single light in the
building. Two other boards like it were located in the operator's booth and
ticket office.
Two rows of office rooms were divided by a hallway with the
"largest array of plate glass in the city, and the best battleship
linoleum" lay on the floor.
The lobby was decorated with a sunburst chandelier, marble
floors and polished oak doors. Ornamental plaster with a continuous row of
cupid heads was especially carved by Italian artisans. Three men worked on a
half-barrel foyer ceiling for three weeks until help was called in, and four
more men came to work for four more weeks.
Hiding the stage from the view of the audience was an
asbestos curtain painted by a rare artist, who came to Wilmington from New
York especially for the task. It was a patriotic curtain with pictures
of Patrick Henry and Nathan Hale. The next curtain showed Betsy Ross.
Another was a street scene of Wilmington showing the courthouse.
1,500 lights were on stage. Beneath it were eleven dressing rooms and a larger room designed for the convenience of semi-rehearsals.
After a final tour of inspection though the building, the state fire marshal issued the following statement: "Until now the Colonial of Dayton was the finest theatre in Ohio, but it now must take a second place to this fine amusement palace. It is a revelation to me. Why there is not enough here to start a grate fire."
Two years and $250,000 after it was begun, the Murphy Theatre officially opened on July 24, 1918, to capacity crowds for three performances in the afternoon and evening. 2,000 15-cent tickets and 1,000 10-cent tickets were sold and almost as many people were turned away. All money collected was given to the Clinton County Red Cross. Speeches, singing, and music by the Wilmington Band and the regular theatre orchestra preceded the movies, which starred Douglas Fairbanks and Fatty Arbuckle.
On the following day Murphy declared that his mother had been "so overcome with emotion that she could not go to the opening." His wife, however, was present, and she bubbled with delight over the theatre, calling it "the Chicago of Southern Ohio." In speaking to the architects at the opening, she said, "You must now tell your friends at home that the reason Cincinnati does not grow faster is that it is too close to Wilmington."
C. W. Murphy himself was well pleased with the day and said that it was worth the entire investment to hear the kids scream with delight. Today, kids of all ages still delight to the entertainment served up on stage of the historic Murphy Theatre.
