Sacramento Union, July 16, 1913, page 2:

TELEPHONE  FIRM  TO  LEASE  DIEPENBROCK
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Novel  Amusement  Co.  Plans  to  Take  Over  J-Street  Theater.
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    That the Theater Diepenbrock has been leased for four years to President S. H. Whisner and Secretary F. M. Bresee of the Central California Telephone Herald for the purpose of supplying vaudeville entertainment to telephone subscribers by wire, is the announcement made public yesterday by M. H. Diepenbrock, owner of the local playhouse.
    The new promoters will have their apparatus entirely installed by the 1st of December, at which time they are to take formal charge of the place. It is the desire of the company to organize a twenty-three piece Sacramento symphony orchestra which will be a feature of the attractions to be given at the theater. Accommodations for a regular audience will be afforded as in any regular theater, but the new management intends to provide amusement for those who do not care to attend.
    In addition to the vaudeville which is being arranged for, several musicians and singers are applying for dates. It is said that the Central California Telephone Herald has already something more than 4000 subscribers and that arrangements have already been made with the telephone authorities to supply the entertainment to subscribers over special wires.
Sacramento Bee, August 25, 1913, page 5:

THEATER  BLAZE  MAY  RESULT  IN  NEW  FIRE  LAW
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Damage  at  Diepenbrock  Heavy  Because  Asbestos  Curtain  Not  Down,  Says  Chief
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    As a result of the fire that destroyed the interior decorations, properties and furnishings of the Theater Diepenbrock, Twelfth and J Streets, early Sunday morning, causing a loss estimated at from $30,000 to $40,000, Fire Chief C. W. Anderson is going to ask for the passage of an ordinance requiring the proprietors of all show houses to keep the asbestos curtains down when the houses are not in use.
    The fire started either in the basement or in the fly wings, and, according to Chief Anderson, would not have spread beyond the stage had the asbestos curtain been down.
Interior  Is  Ruined.
    The interior of the pretty theater was ruined by the smoke, heat and water. M. H. Diepenbrock, proprietor of the building. says that but few of the chairs can be used again. The walls were hardly damaged.
    Fire Chief Anderson is of the belief that spontaneous combustion is responsible for the fire by igniting some rags. As an inspection of the electrical wiring in the place was made Saturday, defective wiring is not believed to have been the cause.
    The Fire Department was handicapped in arriving at the scene early, says Fire Chief Anderson, because the fire alarm system registered "95," when "85" was the right number.
Repair  Work  to  Start.
    Diepenbrock declares he will repair the damage at once and the theater will be opened December 21st for the Telephone Herald circuit. Plans for a prize-fight September 8th and for several lectures to be given by Stitt Wilson a few days later have been canceled.
Heard  Explosion.
    Charles Johnson, living in the Del Paso apartments, across the street from the theater, says he was awakened about 2 a. m. yesterday by an explosion. When he looked out of his window he found the theater in flames. Others living in the neighborhood also heard the explosion.
    The theater was opened to the public on March 8, 1911. Building and furniture cost, says Diepenbrock, $145,000. He had the place insured for $50,000.
Sacramento Bee, November 11, 1913, page 5:

Diepenbrock  Theater  Opens  December  6th

    The Diepenbrock Theater will re-open on Saturday, December 6th. Texas, known as the flexible strong man, and a musical comedy company is the opening attraction which has been booked.
    Texas, whose right name is A. B. Ritchie, was in Sacramento to-day, making arrangements to bring his organization here. He is reputed to do more sensational feats than any other strong man giving exhibitions to-day. Among these is the drawing of fifteen heavy trucks through the streets by a rope looped about his neck.
    Later the telephone-herald pictures and W. S. V. A. acts will be given a portion of the week and some of the larger road attractions will be booked.
Sacramento Bee, November 19, 1913, page 15:

Big  Free  Concert  to  Open  Diepenbrock

    M. H. Diepenbrock, proprietor of the Theater Diepenbrock, and Manager Brezee of the Telephone-Herald Company are negotiating arrangements with the various musical organizations of the city for the purpose of reopening the theater with a big free concert for which members of the organizations will arrange the program.
    The Telephone-Herald people will take the management of the playhouse under lease on December 1st, and the concert is planned to occur within a few days thereafter. Following the concert, A. B. Ritchie, known as "Texao the Iron Man," will have a week's engagement, the bill including a number of vaudeville acts and tabloid musical comedy.
Sacramento Union, January 27, 1914, page 8:

JIM  POST  COMING  BACK;  HICKMAN  TO  BE  MANAGER
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    Eddie Mitchell, business manager at the Grand theater, will go to the Diepenbrock with Ed Redmond March 1, and will turn over the management of the Seventh street playhouse to Art Hickman, who was here several months as manager at the Diepenbrock for the Bert Levey circuit.
    James Post, who is now playing in San Francisco with his company, will the occupy the Grand for sixteen weeks, beginning March 1, and Redmond has leased the Diepenbrock from the Telephone Herald company for three years. He will produce high class stock plays there, with practically the company that is now playing at the Grand.
    Hickman, who will handle Post's business at the Grand, has had many years' experience as a showman and is well known in the amusement world.