Wainwright Panel

The dominant feature of the 1888 etching of the Union Square Theatre is the array of ornately carved panels over the proscenium. While these panels may have been removed during Albee and Keith’s renovation of the theatre in 1893, the written descriptions of the theatre after the renovation give no indication of what may have replaced the panels. An article about the renovation published in the New York Herald (18 Sept., 1893) reports only that “the entire proscenium arch and frame is richly finished in cream and gold and the carving is more elaborate than in any theatre in New York.” Hence our reconstruction retains the panels. The precise ornamentation is impossible to discern from the etchings, but it is clear that the style is very close to that of Louis Sullivan, one of the most influential American architects of the day, especially renowned for his architectural ornamentation. Hence, we took our panels directly from Sullivan’s most famous and influential building, the Wainwright Building in St. Louis (1890-91).