81:. He led an eccentric life from 1796–1878 as one of New York’s favorite socialites. As a great lawyer he became a member of the New York Bar Association. He was also a land developer and speculator. In 1822, Charles Sanford started buying up parcels of land on Canal and Laurens St. to create a new business center on the northern edge of the city. His plan was that if the block of buildings could be successfully rented out as offices, stores and residences, he could turn a handsome profit as their value increased. The added luxury of a circus would make the surrounding land even more valuable and increase the number of visitors to the district. The newly erected theatre became the main attraction of a newly developed neighborhood. On February 27, 1825 the first ever Hippodramatic show on American soil premiered at the Lafayette when the last two acts of
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described the building as "the largest and most splendid ever erected for theatrical purposes in the United States. The stage with its scenery and machinery exceed all former attempts in this country". Nearly 100 feet wide and 120 feet deep, the stage was greater than anything existing in the United
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of the mid-1820s" took place at
Lafayette Circus. There were eleven recorded theatre riots in New York from 1825–30, four of which occurred at the Lafayette. Notable public disturbances and gang fights were recorded in December 1825 and in July 1826, when a watchman attempting to expel a
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was described as "more natural"; a new lighting layout eliminated stage lamp ladders and allowed opening the whole width of the stage to the spectators.
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Horse drama and other para-theatrical shows failed at this theatre. in 1826 the circus was sold and became the
Lafayette Theatre, redesigned by
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and quickly spread to the United States. Lafayette Circus was the first
American theatre specifically designed for hippodrama, followed by the
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The shows attracted lower classes, laborers and seamen, "ready to riot at the slightest provocations"; "in fact, much of recorded
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a section of the city which has sprung into existence, and arrived at maturity in so short a period...
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The man who was Rip van Winkle: Joseph
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arena; in 1826–1827 it was rebuilt into a conventional theatre hall with an
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The road to mobocracy: popular disorder in New York City, 1763-1834
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Bank, p. 52, noted that
Lafayette Circus shared its block with
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441:UNC Press
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156:See also
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