Cremorne Gardens, New York City

Former pleasure garden in New York City

Nixon's Cremorne Gardens

Former names| Nixon's Cremorne Gardens[1]
Cremorne Gardens and Equestrian School
Address| New York City
United States
Location| New York
Coordinates| 40°44′13″N 73°59′51″W﻿ / ﻿40.73694°N 73.99750°W﻿ / 40.73694; -73.99750
Owner| James M. Nixon
Construction
Built| 1860s
Opened| June 9, 1862 (1862-06-09)

Nixon's Cremorne Gardens was a pleasure garden and music hall in New York City, New York, located on Fourteenth Street, featuring a Palace of Music, an equestrian school, and a hall of floral.

## History

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American circus proprietor James M. Nixon opened New York City's Cremorne Gardens on June 9, 1862.[2] It was located at the corner of Fourteenth Street and Sixth Avenue.[3] Nixon took a lease on Palace Gardens and converted it into a larger property that resembled Cremorne Gardens in London.[4][5] Three new features were developed on the property: an equestrian performance area, a floral hall displaying trees, flowers, and shrubbery, and a music hall dubbed the Palace of Music.[6] The admission fee was 25 cents for each visitor.[7] The first show at the music hall took place on September 1, 1862. The season at the Cremorne failed to meet expectations set by extensive advertising, as high refreshment costs and poor weather impacted attendance. The initial crowd of nearly 3,000 dwindled after the first week, and efforts were not renewed for another year.[8]

## See also

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* Cremorne Gardens, London

## References

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1. ^ Brown, T. A. (1964). A History of the New York Stage, from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901. United States: B. Blom.
2. ^ Broadway Below the Sidewalk: Concert Saloons of Old New York. (1994). United States: Borgo Press.
3. ^ The New York Times. (July 11, 1862). Cremorne Gardens, mr. Jas. M. Nixon, of... The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1862/07/11/archives/cremorne-gardens-mr-jas-m-nixon-of.html
4. ^ Slout, W. L. (1998). Olympians of the Sawdust Circle: A Biographical Dictionary of the Nineteenth Century American Circus. United States: Borgo Press.
5. ^ Pleasure Gardens. (1998). United States: Theatre Library Association.
6. ^ Thayer, S., Slout, W. L. (2009). Grand Entree: The Birth of the Greatest Show on Earth, 1870-1875. United States: Borgo Press.
7. ^ New York Weekly Review. (1862). United States: (n.p.).
8. ^ Slout, W. L. (2012). From Rags to Ricketts and Other Essays on Circus History. United States: Wildside Press LLC.