Dates
in Use: 1828
to 1936
Location: Sixth and Arch streets
Major Renovations: 1863 (new facade)
Architect(s): William Strickland (1828)
Alternate Names:
The Arch Street Theater was first built following a dispute between the two managers of the Chestnut Street Theater, William Warren and William Wood. It was not terribly successful in its early years, but once Mrs. John Drew made her home there in 1861, the theater earned a reputation for high-quality spoken drama that drew many of the late nineteenth century's finest actors to perform on its stage.