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Biography | Scope and Content | Provenance |
Series Descriptions | Processing
Gene A.Chesley (1935-1981) was a highly regarded scenic designer, theatre historian, and teacher. Chesley taught in the Dramatic Art Department at the University of California Davis from 1963 until his death at age 46 in 1981. As a UCD faculty member, Chesley began an eleven-year project to identify and document extant historic theatres, opera houses, and performance halls in all fifty states. He became a renowned authority on American theatres built between 1800 and 1914, and a strong advocate for the renovation and preservation of theatres.
Gene Chesley's interest in documenting America's historic theatres began in 1964 when he noticed a dilapidated local opera house. "When I first came to the Davis campus, I lived in Woodland for six months. I realized the Woodland Opera House was there and the scenery was there too. Later on, some colleagues and myself made an effort to save the scenery and create some interest." The Woodland Opera House renovation inspired Chesley’s search for other California Theatres, and then nationwide.
Chesley's efforts led to the National List of Historic Theatre Buildings, which was initiated in 1970 to provide a "body of written and graphic materials describing the location and condition of buildings still standing in the United States built between 1800 and 1900, designed specifically for theatrical performances."
In 1976, Gene Chesley, Robert D. Stoddard, director of development of the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware, and Michael P. Price, executive director of the Goodspeed, an 1871 opera house in Connecticut, formed The League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT). Chesley served as the organization’s first vice president, and was president at the time of his death. Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and use of historic American theatres, the League continued Chesley’s efforts to identify performance halls in all fifty states. It also published a directory containing information on the architecture, history, and current use of existing theatres.
The bulk of the Chesley Collection concerns research conducted for the National List of Historic Theatre Buildings, as well as Chesley's involvement in restoration projects undertaken during the 1970s. The collection dates from the early 1800s to 1984, with most of the collection dating from 1969 to 1982. The depth of information concerning individual theatres varies considerably, depending on the thoroughness of the person(s) who responded to Chesley's letter of inquiry. Chesley's questionnaire was often returned with very little information, although in other cases, respondents carefully documented both the history and the architecture of the site. Some files contain only a newspaper account of the renovation of a particular theatre while other files hold a broad range of materials including the original correspondence; reports and forms; playbills and programs; newspaper articles; photographs, slides, postcards; blueprints and drawings; historical files; and project files.
After Gene Chesley’s death in 1981, Mrs. Marie Chesley donated the collection to the League of Historic American Theatres. The materials were then deposited at Princeton University where library professionals inventoried Chesley's files. The Princeton Library also featured the Chesley Collection in an exhibit. In December 1996, the Chesley Collection was deeded to the National Trust Library located in the University of Maryland Libraries, College Park, and processed through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Design Arts Program. The current organization of the collection maintains the integrity of Chesley’s original files. State, city, and then theatre name organize the materials. "General Files" by State contain miscellaneous information about specific theatres, state rehabilitation records, newspaper and journal articles, and articles on state and regional trends. An exhibit, "Encore! Remembering America’s Historic Theatres," was designed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library to feature the Chesley collection.
The Chesley Collection has been divided into the following series:
Series I: State Theatre Files
Series II: Personal and Project Files
Series III: Blueprints
Series IV: Photographs and SlidesSeries I: State Theatre Files
In 1970, Chesley gathered information for the theatre files through an extensive questionnaire. His original questionnaire requested information on architectural detail and style as well as usage and current condition. He amassed slides, photographs, correspondence, restoration projects reports and updates, programs, playbills, and statistical data related to America’s historic performance halls.
Chesley also collected materials on theatre restoration including grant forms, National Register of Historic Places Inventory forms, nomination forms and materials filed with state historical commissions, blueprints, and correspondence related to renovation. California and New York are the two states most comprehensively documented in the theatre files. The Nevada Theatre (Nevada City, California), the Old Eagle Theatre (Sacramento, California), and the Woodland Opera House (Woodland, California) files provide the most extensive records for individual theatres.
Series I documents historic theatres across the United States through materials gathered by Gene Chesley and his assistants in the creation of the National List of Historic Theatres. The files are arranged by state, then by city, then by theatre name. A theatre's original historic name is considered authoritative for filing purposes; however, later names are included when known. For a complete list of theatres for which information was collected, consult our online theater list.
Correspondence (1970-1986):
Chesley’s correspondence includes valuable information on specific theatres and restoration activities, and provides considerable detail regarding the creation of the National List of Historic Theatre Buildings. Each theatre file contains information detailing the discovery, identification, and description of a particular theatre. Many files also include updates sent to Chesley by those involved in renovation projects across the country. Correspondence concerning John W. Frick and Carlton Ward's efforts to continue Chesley's work after his death is also included.Reports and Forms:
The files contain the original questionnaires used by Chesley to compose the "National List of Historic Theatre Buildings." Many of the theatres underwent renovation, or sought historic site status, and there are both national and state forms (often undated) reflecting this process.Questionnaire: Historical American Theatres. Chesley's survey requested detailed information on each theatre including date established, architectural style, theatre type, current condition (e.g., restored, needing restoration), current use, stage dimensions, seating capacity, types of entertainment, appearances by major stars. See Appendix 2 for sample form.Theatre Information Form: A later version of Chesley's questionnaire.Theatre Assessment Form: The form used by Jack Neeson, a theatre consultant and enthusiast, who traveled to a number of theatres in the eastern United States between 1977 and 1979. Neeson completed detailed technical forms on the theatres and took numerous photographs. These forms differ from the questionnaires in that someone with knowledge of theatre history and design completed the form.National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Submitted to state historic preservation offices and to the National Park Service to apply for National Register status.State Site Inventory Form: State agency reports assessing the importance of individual historic buildings.Playbills and Programs:
Photocopies of original programs and playbills from performances at the theatres dating to the 1800s. Most document the 1970s era performances in newly renovated theatres.Newspaper Clippings (mostly 1970s):
Many files include newspaper articles concerning the activities of the theatres, renovation efforts, and stories that spotlight the historical significance of a particular theatre. Local restoration trends and building styles also are covered.Series II: Personal and Project Files
Gene Chesley's personal files document his involvement in the National List and his activities in promoting theatre preservation in general. His files concern the administration of the historic theatre survey, as well as the contributions of Jack Neeson, Iain Mackintosh, and John Russell who assisted Chesley. Neeson, a professor at Chatham College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, visited and documented many eastern United States theatres in the late 1970s. Iain Mackintosh of the London-based Theatre Projects Consultants Limited consulted with Chesley through the "Curtains!" project which focussed on the restoration of British theatres. Photographer John Russell was associated with the Mabel Tainter Theatre in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The personal files also include sample survey and questionnaire forms, bibliographic sources used by Chesley in locating theatres, copies of the "National List" (1975-1979), Chesley's contact address files, and materials on the organization and administration of the League of Historic American Theatres. The project files include a number of activities tangentially related to the performance halls including Circus and Vaudeville, the Opera Trunk Project, Circuits, the Theatre Museum, Showboats, and the Smithsonian Touring Project, and miscellaneous materials on theatre preservation including management policy statements and funding sources.Chesley's collection focussed on extant theatres, but his research also chronicled the destruction of old performance halls. These general files (labeled "Assorted Theatres/Demolished") contain historical materials that identify and describe, when possible, the theatre as it stood before demolition. The general files also include bibliographic materials used initially by Chesley to identify sites and other projects.
Series III: Blueprints (26 pieces)
The blueprint files include both blueprints of original structures and others relating to theatre renovation and restoration. Also included are architectural drawings.Series IV: Photographs and Slides
Chesley amassed a large number of photographs and slides in his research. Chesley took some of the pictures in his travels, while other photographs accompanied the returned questionnaires. Jack Neeson who identified and photographed numerous theatres in the eastern United States assisted Chesley. The photographs and slides were used for teaching purposes and to accompany articles on theatre preservation. The images serve as a lasting permanent record of theatres and performance halls that were rapidly disappearing.Prints and Slides constitute the largest part of the collection. Many of the photographs were sent to Chesley as a part of the research for the "National List." Chesley himself documented many of the extant theatres in his travels. Some theatre files also contain picture postcards that were purchased by Chesley from the Landmarks Associates Postcard series (HABS Postcard Folio 1978).
Throughout processing at both Princeton University and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection, the staff respected the integrity of Chesley's original organization. Processing the Chesley Collection involved the transfer of materials to acid-free folders and boxes, the removal of all metal (paper clips, staples, and binders), and the separation of photographs, slides, blueprints and oversized materials from the original files. Replacement sheets indicate location of materials. The slides were organized alphabetically by State, City, then Theatre and then numbered consecutively. Non-acidic photocopies of newspaper articles replace the original clippings.
