STANDARD THEATER

In the 1870s, the variety show – forerunner of vaudeville – emerged in the theaters of Washington Avenue.  According to a 1928 paper by Randolph Edgar, the first theater to play variety was the Standard, which was built in 1878 at 124 Washington Ave. North.  It was managed by the “notorious” Captain W.W. Brown, and lasted for only three years, closing in 1881.