Article on Old Stadt Theater

“The Old Stadt Theatre—as it was last called, but which has been made to do duty for almost every species of amusement,--is being ‘reconstructed,’ and the old place in which the German element has been made happy by the brilliant acting of German artists, in which lovely damsels of sweet sixteen and upwards have vocalized, and poured song after song into your willing ears, and lager after lager into your open mouths, and where Mr. Merryman and his sawdust coadjutors have delighted you with jokes and made you wonder at their marvelous feats of agility—is now being gutted for the purpose of being transformed into a large armory for three German regiments. The Old Stadt is situated in the Bowery, above Bayard street, and during its existence, many parts have been played therein. Since the erection of the New Stadt, and the abdication of the Germans from the old place, the latter has met with nothing but bad luck, and nearly every manager who invested in the house has sunk money. It is to be hoped that the soldiers will be more successful in its management than the player folks have been of late.”