South Carolina: A Guide to the Palmetto State, 1941 -- pg. 203-204 (
visit link)
"The PLANTERS HOTEL and the DOCK STREET THEATER, SW. corner of Church and Queen Sts., are Federal Emergency Relief Administration restorations of two famous buildings of the past. The Dock Street Theater, first building in America designed solely for theatrical purposes {see Drama) opened in 1736 with The Recruiting Officer by George Farquhar. The Planters Hotel, built around the ruins of the theater soon after 1809, was for over 50 years a social center famous for its food, and Planter's Punch is said to have originated here. The carefully reconstructed building, though not intended for use as a hotel, recalls much of the spirit of the old hostelry. Reproduced here is the small courtyard, the favorite rendezvous of the rice planters and plantation owners while their wives watched the Charleston street scene from the little wrought-iron balcony, reconstructed on the second floor; here also are the small auditoriums and studios, with the courtyard providing an entrance to the theater. Its restoration recaptures the charm of the original, duplicating the gallery, the 13 boxes, each accommodating eight persons, and the pit, with the backs and arm rests added to make the old-style benches comfortable. The walls are paneled in natural-finish cypress and the electric candle fixtures imitate the lighting in theaters of the days of Charles II. The old playhouse was reopened November 26, 1937, repeating the initial play. Leased by the city to the Carolina Art Association, associated with the Charleston Footlight Players, it is used for the performances of the latter and rented to other organizations."
From the Dock Street Theater website:
(
visit link)
"On February 12, 1736 the Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of The Recruiting Officer. Built on the corner of Church Street and Dock Street (now known as Queen Street), the Historic Dock Street Theatre was the first building in America built exclusively to be used for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place at the Historic Dock Street Theatre.
The original Dock Street Theatre was probably destroyed by the Great Fire of 1740 which destroyed many of the buildings in Charleston's French Quarter. In 1809, the Planter's Hotel was built on this site and in 1835 the wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns of the Church Street facade were added. A number of notable persons worked and patronized the Planter's Hotel including the noted 19th Century actor Junius Brutus Booth (father of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth). Robert Smalls, an African-American Civil War hero, who stole a steamboat in the harbor and sailed it out past the Confederate held Ft. Sumter and turned it over to the blockading Union Fleet, served as a waiter in the hotel's dining room prior to the war. Charleston's famed Planter's Punch was first introduced here.
After the Civil War, the Planter's Hotel fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition. But in 1935, after Milton Pearlstine made the property available to the City of Charleston and at the urging of Mayor Burnet Maybank and other notable citizens, the original building became a Depression Era WPA (Works Progress Administration) project. At that time, the present theatre was constructed within the shell of the Planter's Hotel. The hotel's grand foyer became the grand foyer of the theatre and the hotel's dining room now serves as the box office lobby. The beautiful woodwork and mantels of the second floor drawing room were salvaged from the Radcliffe-King Mansion (circa 1799) which stood at the corner of George and Meeting Streets and was razed to build the College of Charleston gymnasium, another WPA project. Modeled on eighteenth century London playhouses by Charleston architect Albert Simons, the present Dock Street Theatre's new stage house and auditorium were built in the hotel's courtyard. The local carpenters who were put to work as a part of this Depression era relief effort utilized locally grown and milled native black cypress for the beautiful warm wooden interior. Following this $350,000 renovation, The Historic Dock Street Theatre's second grand opening took place on November 26, 1937. Notables in the audience included author DuBose Heyward (Porgy) who was named writer-in-residence.
The Historic Dock Street Theatre reopened for the third time on March 18, 2010 after a three year, $19 million dollar renovation by the City of Charleston. This extensive full-scale renovation brought the historic theatre into the 21st century with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, modern heating and air conditioning, and new restrooms and seating. In addition the theatre was made seismically secure and fully handicapped accessible. Extensive sound-proofing was added to ensure that outside noises no longer intruded on performances inside.
Now owned and managed by the City of Charleston, The Historic Dock Street Theatre (soon to enter its fourth century as the heart of Charleston's artistic life) is home to many of the City's finest cultural institutions including Spoleto Festival USA. Charleston Stage, which became the resident professional theatre at the Dock Street Theatre in 1978, produces over 120 performances each season and plays to more than 40,000 patrons annually. In addition more than 15,000 South Carolina students enjoy special school day performances offered by Charleston Stage each year at the Historic Dock Street Theatre."
My commentary...
The Dock Street Theater is on Church Street, which is a quiet back street of Charleston. The Theater, according to a Ghost Tour I took, is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Junius Brutus Booth. The Theater is in good repair. The Planter's Hotel is no longer in existence.