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1736
The first building in America built only for theatre stood here
On February 12, 1736 the original Dock Street Theatre opened with a performance of George Farquhar's play The Recruiting Officer. It was the first building in America built exclusively for theatrical performances. Flora, the first opera performance in America, took place there.
The hotel
The Great Fire of 1740 probably ended the first theatre, and a hotel replaced it
The original theatre was probably destroyed by the Great Fire of 1740. In 1809 the current building was built on the site as the Planter's Hotel. In 1835 the wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns of the Church Street facade were added.
Guests
Robert Smalls was a waiter in the hotel before the war
The Planter's Hotel counted the actor Junius Brutus Booth among its patrons. Robert Smalls, who stole a steamboat in the harbor and turned it over to the Union fleet, served as a waiter in the dining room before the war. Planter's Punch was first introduced here.
1935
In 1935 a WPA project built a theatre inside the hotel shell
In 1935, in the Great Depression, the hotel became a Works Progress Administration project. The present theatre was built within its shell, modeled on 18th century London playhouses by Albert Simons, with native black cypress for the wooden interior.
Today
The theatre reopened in 2010 and is home to Spoleto Festival USA
The theatre reopened for the third time on March 18, 2010, after a three-year renovation by the City of Charleston. It is home to many of the city's cultural institutions, including Spoleto Festival USA. Charleston Stage has been the resident professional theatre since 1978.
Day 2, evening
It comes after St. Philip’s Church.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Dock Street Theatre, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.