A LOOK BACK: KAPPA HISTORY
Dunbar Theatre 1927. Courtesy of Philadelphia Department of Records.
tomers as human beings. Gibson closely watched the methods of successful businessmen and studied their tech- niques. From these observations and his discernment of the theater business, Gibson modified the practices of his predecessors to create a winning busi- ness strategy. The New Gibson Standard Theatre featured a wide variety of per- formances and introduced his audience to Black entertainers that had previously faced challenges in booking engage- ments. He pioneered providing a venue for many Black artists to showcase their craft. Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith were among the early performers who played at the New Gibson Standard Theatre before they found widespread fame. Prior to his ownership, the theater enforced Jim Crow regulations. Gibson made his venue a multiethnic playhouse – available to all artists and customers.
Gibson employed over 100 people at his theater and gave them all the same pay their White counterparts received. The Gibson Standard Theatre anchored the Black Philadelphia entertainment district. It siphoned the major jazz acts that would have played at Whites-only clubs and assisted in the popularity of the “Black and Tan” clubs, which Black and White clientele frequented. Ac- cording to a June 13, 1925, Baltimore Afro-American article, “It is said [the en- tertainers] were so impressed by Gibson, they would break a contract on receipt of a special delivery letter from him, urging their presence in Philadelphia to perform in the New Standard.” By 1917, his theatre had been giving two shows a day, every week since the theater had opened. Customers found it difficult to get a seat. His theater broke all records by not missing a single performance. That year, the Philadelphia
Tribune stated, “[his] Standard Theatre is considered the largest of its kind in the country, and it goes without saying that it is the best.” The following year, the theater increased the daily perfor- mances to three throughout the year. It had only briefly closed due to the 1918 influenza epidemic. A public testimonial was held at his Standard Theatre on January 23, 1920, to celebrate the 6th anniversary of his ownership. His business garnered Gibson much critical acclaim and eventually made him one of the first Black millionaires. With his wealth, Gibson purchased an elegant brownstone building at 15th & Lombard streets. He used it as an office building for fellow Black professionals. As his fortune flourished, Gibson purchased a 47-acre, twenty-two-room estate nicknamed “Elmira” in Meadow- brook, Pennsylvania. The mansion had seven servants and a fleet of nine cars
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PUBLISHING ACHIEVEMENT IN EVERY FIELD OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR
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