Butler Standard Theater (Folly Theater)

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Louis Curtiss, burlesque, “Jolly Grass Widow,” live theater

 

 

Photo by David Remley www.davidremley.com
Photo by David Remley
www.davidremley.com

 

The Folly Theater was designed and built in 1900 by architect Louis S. Curtiss.  Curtiss wanted the theater to be a “spectacle of lights,” and as theatrical on the outside as the inside. With most of the city homes still powered by gas, a building lined with electric lights on the exterior became quite the spectacle. When the theater was in use, a giant illuminated globe would descend a poll on the exterior of the building. The theater opened on September 23, 1900 with “The Jolly Grass Widow,” a burlesque event starring Madame Diks.