The New Theater on Holliday Street was founded by two business partners in 1794 and was opened to the public on September 25, 1795. The theater showcased a variety of acts, including comedy, dance, music ensembles, and opera. It also hosted a production of
John Howard Payne's opera
Clari in the early 1800s. As the theater's popularity grew, management decided to demolish the existing wooden building (which was now known as Old Holliday Theater), and replace it with a new brick one. The new venue opened in May 1813 as The Baltimore, though eventually it retained its name as the Holliday Street Theater. Over time, it came to be known informally as Old Drury. The song would be adopted as the
United States national anthem a century later. The theater was shuttered in the late 1840s, and in 1854 was purchased by
John T. Ford, the theater manager who would go on to operate
Ford's Theatre and
Ford's Grand Opera House. The Holliday Street Theater was damaged by fire in 1873; Ford rebuilt it and eventually sold it back to those from whom he had bought it. The building again fell into disrepair and was finally converted into a
motion picture theater. It was demolished in 1917 to make room for the
War Memorial Plaza. The site is located between the
War Memorial Building and
Baltimore City Hall. ==References==