The Little Orchestra Society is an American orchestra based at 630 9th Avenue, Suite 807 in New York City. It was founded in 1947 by Thomas Scherman , who served as its conductor until his death in 1979. From 1979 to 2011 the Orchestra was led by Dino Anagnost. Its membership has ranged between 45 and 60 musicians. The orchestra's name is borrowed from The Little Orchestra of London , which was formed by Felix Mendelssohn during the Bach Revival . In 2019, the Orchestra named David Alan Miller its new Artistic Advisor.
152-460: Its first concert took place at Town Hall in Manhattan on October 27, 1947. In 1959 the orchestra toured to eight Asian countries including Vietnam , Hong Kong, India, and Japan, performing the music of Henry Cowell . Pierre Monteux guest conducted the orchestra on April 2, 1957, in a concert that included Johannes Brahms ' Serenade No. 2 in A Major . Monteux had recorded the serenade in
304-598: A fireplace mantel with denticulation ; pilasters in the Ionic order ; and paneled ceiling beams. An alcove on the second floor was rededicated in 1947 as a memorial to Lambs members who had died during World Wars I and II. The third floor included a library and a main assembly room. The third and fourth stories also contained the Edwin Burke Memorial Theatre. This theater was variously cited as containing 330, 360, 400, or 500 seats, and it had
456-406: A frieze with foliate designs, runs above the entirety of the second floor. There are brick round arches on the third story. Double-hung windows are recessed behind the archways. The arches are topped by terracotta keystones , and the sides of each arch contain impost blocks. The spandrels diagonally above each arch contain depictions of lambs' heads. Between the third and fourth stories
608-537: A loge and a stage with ornate paneling . Bedrooms for members, as well as club offices, were provided on the upper floors of the original building; the annex also contained bedrooms and a handball court on its upper stories. There were either 50, 55, or 65 bedrooms for members. According to Cosmopolitan, the rooms were "always filled" with long-term residents, actors who were starring in Broadway plays, and actors experiencing financial instability. The building
760-434: A loge , or theatrical box. The front of the balcony contains a wrought-iron balustrade. The auditorium retains most of its original wicker seat designs, except for the loge, where modern theatrical seats have been installed. The original seats were capable of unusually high levels of acoustic absorption; they were replaced in the 1980s by seats with similar acoustic qualities. The writer Harold C. Schonberg wrote that only
912-400: A $ 281,000 grant in 1992 to fund the restoration of Town Hall's marquee. The architect Bonnie Roche was also hired to replace the doors, add information kiosks, and make the venue wheelchair-accessible. Town Hall had become profitable by the late 1990s, with an attendance of 400,000 in 1996. The Town Hall Foundation was raising money for a roof replacement, seat refurbishment, and repainting of
1064-529: A banquet room, which could accommodate at least 140 diners simultaneously. The banquet room's walls were decorated with portraits of the Lambs' leaders, who were known as "shepherds". On the same level was a library, which was reportedly a popular place for composing music because very few club members ever used that room. The second-story rooms were illuminated by the French windows and contained details such as
1216-480: A centennial gala in early December 1974 to raise money for the headquarters, raising $ 131,250. In addition, the club planned to open a new restaurant and host commercially produced plays. That month, the club successfully petitioned the court to extend the mortgage's due date yet again. The clubhouse was sold at auction the next month to the Tremont Savings and Loan Association for $ 350,000, even though
1368-520: A ceremony where Sanders's grand-niece Eleanor Butler Roosevelt would have laid the cornerstone. E. B. Roosevelt could not attend because she was sick, so her husband Theodore Roosevelt Jr. laid the cornerstone for Town Hall on January 24, 1920. At a June 1920 dinner of the Economic Club, real-estate operator Joseph P. Day raised $ 7,500 in subscriptions for Town Hall, then tried to compel its attendees to give $ 100 each by locking them inside
1520-424: A cost of $ 1.4 million or $ 1.5 million. The club considered relocating to Upper Manhattan and selling its 44th Street building, which was appraised at up to $ 1 million. At the time, the club had 1,700 members, many of whom approved of the proposed relocation; furthermore, real-estate prices near Times Square were increasing. The club wanted to build a standalone theater next to its proposed clubhouse, since, at
1672-589: A dining room. Town Hall was dedicated on January 12, 1921, with 1,600 audience members listing to speeches by John J. Pershing and Henry Waters Taft . At its opening, Town Hall hosted lectures during the morning, receptions during the afternoon, and mass meetings in the evening. A magazine from the building's completion wrote that McKim, Mead & White "are responsible for a very beautiful building, lovely in its graceful lines and simplicity". The New-York Tribune wrote: "The need of wise citizenship in New York
SECTION 10
#17327974291041824-456: A floor of terrazzo tiles, as well as classically styled pilasters and a paneled ceiling. The northern wall of the lobby has a screen divided into three portions. The central section of the screen has a set of double doors, flanked by Ionic -style engaged columns . The outer sections of the screen are made of marble with window openings, and they contain Doric -style pilasters. On either side of
1976-651: A grant from the Foundation Center of Manhattan to pay for upgrades to the church's facilities. With the redevelopment of Times Square in the late 1990s, the Lamb's Theatre began to stage more family-friendly productions at the clubhouse, and the third-floor theater was also used for live radio broadcasts. By the late 1990s, the Church of the Nazarene did not have enough money for both the building's maintenance and
2128-480: A library, as well as communal spaces such as a bar, lounge, and dining area. The fourth story, which corresponded to the penthouse, had a kitchen and space for employees and food storage. Many of the original decorations, including plaster walls, paneled piers, and neoclassical moldings, still exist. The second story was intended to contain offices for the League for Political Education, as well as its subsidiaries,
2280-542: A live album in 1966, Bill Evans at Town Hall . The Chatwal New York The Chatwal New York , originally the Lambs Club Building , is a hotel and a former clubhouse at 130 West 44th Street, near Times Square , in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . The building was originally six stories high and was developed in two phases as the headquarters of the Lambs ,
2432-401: A metal-product manufacturer, received no salary from the foundation; Lawrence Zucker was hired as the director. NYU also provided a $ 70,000 subsidy, giving financial support to Town Hall for two years. The foundation did not raise any money for two years after acquiring the venue. Instead, the foundation operated Town Hall exclusively as a rental venue, charging $ 1,200 to host an event outside
2584-586: A new clubhouse at 113 West 43rd Street. The plans for Town Hall were announced in April 1919. McKim, Mead & White had prepared plans for the building, which was expected to cost $ 500,000 and be completed by the next year. The structure was to house the League for Political Education, the Civic Forum, and the Economic Club. That July, Russell B. Smith began to raze the existing row houses. Work on Town Hall began on October 10, 1919. The League then scheduled
2736-649: A new theater on the roof. The 1978 preservation effort led the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to consider the venue for city landmark status. The LPC designated the facade and auditorium as city landmarks in November 1978. Following the landmark designation, the electronic organ was removed. Hudson Guild then asked the LPC for permission to convert Town Hall into two auditoriums, but its application
2888-438: A pediment atop the central section, and contain carved swags and garlands . The organs themselves were donated in 1922 but saw little use and were removed in 1960. The organ pipes remain in place, but paintings were placed within the screens in a 1983 renovation. The elevators on the western side of the ground floor, lead to the second through fourth stories. The second and third stories were designed with club offices and
3040-481: A performance of her humorous analysis of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen , which was recorded. Duke Ellington performed for The Fresh Air Fund in 1957, and Carlos Montoya gave a guitar recital. The events in 1958 included Betty Allen 's first New York City performance; the American Opera Society 's presentation of The Coronation of Poppea ; and the 25th Year Retrospective Concert of
3192-504: A screening of amateur films in 1929. Town Hall sponsored the first season of the Town Hall Endowment Series in 1930. The series featured such figures as Mischa Elman , Margaret Matzenauer , John McCormack , Rosa Ponselle , and Sergei Rachmaninoff , who all appeared in the 1931–1932 season, as well as Feodor Chaliapin for the 1932–1933 season. The series originally had five performances per season, but this
SECTION 20
#17327974291043344-407: A series of concerts and speeches. At the time, the lobby and marquee were being renovated; an electronic organ was installed during this time. A task force also recommended that NYU sell off Town Hall to save money. Ross resigned as director in 1974 and was replaced by Jesse Reese. By March 1975, the venue was in danger of closing permanently unless $ 365,000 was pledged by that August to support
3496-470: A single balcony, with a small stage behind the proscenium arch. The auditorium has a seating capacity of 1,495. Every effort was taken to ensure that no seats had obstructed views, which led to the Town Hall's long-standing mantra "Not a bad seat in the house". The balcony is cantilevered from the structural framework, which obviated the need for columns that blocked audience views. The balcony has
3648-471: A spiral staircase leading to a roof terrace that overlooks the Belasco Theatre. The rooms have 24-hour butler service, and each floor is served by its own butler. The hotel also has a "pet wardrobe supervisor" who creates wardrobes for guests' pets. The hotel's other amenities include two plunge pools, a Jacuzzi, and a spa with three treatment rooms, as well as a saltwater lap pool . There
3800-474: A stereo system, flat-screen TVs, and DVD players. Some of the rooms have private terraces that overlook the street. In addition, each room has a large writing desk, wardrobe, and nightstand . The guest bathrooms have marble paneling and heated toilet seats, as well as illuminated mirrors that double as televisions. The penthouse unit, named for the Barrymore family , comprises two suites, one of which has
3952-533: A theatrical social club. The original wing at 128–130 West 44th Street was designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White between 1904 and 1905; the annex at 132 West 44th Street was designed in 1915 by George Freeman. The current design dates to a renovation between 2007 and 2010, designed by Thierry Despont . The building is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The Lambs Club Building
4104-439: A third attempt to dispose of the air rights, the church announced that it would use 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m ) of air rights to construct 150 hotel rooms. The church had wanted to build a nine-story hotel, but the LPC mandated that the proposed hotel be reduced to seven stories so the new annex would not be visible from street level. The agreement with Hampshire Hotels was finalized in late 1999. Hampshire Hotels leased
4256-480: A thousand members. The club, which accepted both men and women, aimed to promote "a finer public spirit and a better social order". Town Hall acquired a property at 125 West 43rd Street in May 1930, and architect Louis Jallade filed plans to expand the original structure by five stories, as well as develop a twelve-story wing at number 125. This addition was never completed, and Town Hall instead expanded its offices into
4408-443: A venue, Town Hall was compared with the ideal of a New England town hall, with one book likening the venue to "an idea with a roof over it". This imagery was reinforced by reporters such as Hildegarde Hawthorne , who noted that "America was born in her town halls", as well as another writer, who said "New York's small town longings rise in the concrete". Architectural writer Robert A. M. Stern wrote that Town Hall, along with
4560-551: A way to gain revenue. The first musical event held at the venue was a recital by Spanish violinist Juan Manén on February 12, 1921. That December, German composer Richard Strauss gave three concerts, an event the Town Hall Foundation described as giving "the hall it's [ sic ] christening as an ideal space for musical performances". Cellist Pablo Casals made his debut in January 1923, followed
4712-410: Is set back from the curb. The northern elevation is not visible from the street since it faces another building. The first-story facade contains a blind arcade with seven arches containing double doors. The westernmost door leads to the upper story, the five center doors lead to the theater, and the easternmost door leads to the box office. The arches are accessed by either one or two steps, since
The Little Orchestra Society - Misplaced Pages Continue
4864-788: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . The Town Hall (New York City) The Town Hall (also Town Hall ) is a performance space at 123 West 43rd Street, between Broadway and Sixth Avenue near Times Square , in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . It was built from 1919 to 1921 and designed by architects McKim, Mead & White for the League for Political Education . The auditorium has 1,500 seats across two levels and has historically been used for various events, such as speeches, musical recitals, concerts, and film screenings. Both
5016-433: Is a 60-seat bar on its second floor, covering 2,500 sq ft (230 m ). The corridors leading to the guestrooms on the upper stories were redecorated in red, blue, or brown when the building was converted into a hotel. The guestrooms generally contain travel-themed decorations, inspired by suitcase and luggage manufacturer Malletier . The rooms contain suede walls and leather-paneled closets; each unit also had
5168-406: Is a large terracotta plaque, atop which is a cartouche with lambs on either side. The fourth story contains flat-arched terracotta lintels , and the keystones of each flat arch are topped by lambs' heads. There is a string course above the fourth story, as well as six plainly-designed windows on the fifth story. Above the fifth story is a projecting cornice with modillions . The sixth floor
5320-539: Is a small 24-hour fitness center next to the spa. The hotel has two meeting spaces: a 1,500 sq ft (140 m ) meeting room called the Stage Room, which could accommodate 120 people, and a 600 sq ft (56 m ) meeting suite called the Stanford White Studio, which could fit 40 people. The meeting rooms contain wooden finishes, as well as elliptical wine cellars that complement
5472-399: Is a splayed brick lintel and a wood-framed sash window. Five of the arched openings have steel-and-glass canopies above them. The canopies are cantilevered from steel rods that extend diagonally from the facade. There are three such canopies: one above each outermost arch and one above the center three doorways. Underneath each canopy are spherical lamps, with glass shades at the edges of
5624-480: Is designed as a classical-style attic, above which is a balustrade . The clubhouse's interior was designed in the Federal style and contained a variety of theatrical memorabilia. The basement contained a barber shop. The first floor originally contained a lobby, a grill room, and a billiards room. The building's bar, designed by White, was decorated with red walls; Cosmopolitan magazine wrote in 1958 that
5776-400: Is divided vertically into six bays ; the eastern three bays form the original clubhouse, while the western three bays comprise the annex. On the ground level, there are two entrances. Both of the entrances are flanked by engaged columns in the Doric order , which support a entablature . A band course with a meander motif stretches horizontally above the first floor. When the building
5928-504: Is on 123 West 43rd Street, between Broadway and Sixth Avenue near Times Square , in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City . The land lot covers 12,563 square feet (1,167.1 m ), with a frontage of 125 feet (38 m) on 45th Street and a depth of 100.42 feet (31 m). Nearby buildings include the Millennium Times Square New York , Hudson Theatre , Hotel Gerard , and
6080-469: Is variously cited as being designed in the Colonial , Neo-Georgian , or neoclassical styles. The ground floor of the facade is clad with smooth marble, while the upper stories are clad with red Flemish-bond brick, terracotta trim, and stone quoins at each end. The clubhouse's interior was originally designed in the Federal style , with club rooms on the lower stories and bedrooms for club members on
6232-508: The America's Town Meeting of the Air radio program, broadcast from Town Hall between 1935 and 1956. New York University (NYU) leased Town Hall afterward, but the venue began to decline in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s. NYU closed the auditorium in 1978 due to financial shortfalls, and Town Hall was then renovated and reopened as a performance venue by the Town Hall Foundation. Town Hall
The Little Orchestra Society - Misplaced Pages Continue
6384-508: The Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts radio program from 1944 to 1945. One such concert by Dizzy Gillespie , Charlie Parker , Don Byas , Al Haig , Curley Russell , Max Roach , and Sid Catlett on June 22, 1945, was the first public performance of the jazz style that came to be known as bebop . Another jazz concert in 1946, featuring Billie Holiday 's first solo appearance, sold out rapidly. Town Hall's musical popularity peaked in
6536-568: The Church of the Nazarene bought the clubhouse. The church used the building as a mission, while the theaters were leased to an off-Broadway venue called the Lamb's Theatre . The church announced plans to convert the building into a hotel in 1999 and sold the building in 2006 to Hampshire Hotels, operated by the family of Vikram Chatwal . The hotel and the Lambs Club restaurant opened in 2010, and
6688-624: The Durst Organization , developer of the neighboring building at 1133 Avenue of the Americas , for $ 25,000 a year. By the end of that decade, Lincoln Center had completed its new Alice Tully Hall , and Town Hall was largely supplanted in stature. This was evidenced by the number of bookings at both venues in 1969: while Tully Hall was nearly completely booked, less than half of available dates at Town Hall were booked. In 1971, Jerrold Ross became director of Town Hall, and he scheduled
6840-569: The Hudson Guild acquired the lease to Town Hall at $ 1 per year. He created the Town Hall Theater Foundation and announced that the auditorium would be split into two smaller theaters. The Town Hall Foundation was to take title to the venue while the Town Hall Theater Foundation would operate it. Amid opposition to the plan, Anderson then said he would consider retaining the original 1,500-seat auditorium and erecting
6992-686: The New York University (NYU)'s alumni club signed a five-year lease with Town Hall Inc. to use the upper floors formerly occupied by the Town Hall Club. NYU then renovated the two top floors. The NYU alumni clubhouse opened on September 12, 1956. Concurrently, the university booked Town Hall for all evenings for the following several months, eliminating Town Hall's mounting debt load. NYU and Town Hall Inc. also signed an agreement in which NYU would take over Town Hall's programming, and NYU president Alvin C. Eurich became chairman of
7144-608: The Shubert family 's Shubert Foundation contributed $ 15,000. The church intended to use the building for "the enrichment and development of Christian artistic, dramatic, and musical ministries in New York City". The Manhattan Church of the Nazarene was obligated to raise another $ 30,000 by July 14, 1975, and the national church provided a $ 50,000 grant six hours before the July 21, 1975, deadline. The church finalized its purchase
7296-516: The Tammany Hall Building at 44 Union Square , were two "unofficial civic monuments" built between the first and second world wars. Within the first year of Town Hall's opening, it had seen 200,000 guests. Some of Town Hall's popularity came from a variety of speeches and programs regarding social issues, but the musical productions were also major attractions. Over a million people used Town Hall within its first three years. At
7448-544: The 1970s, the Lambs' membership largely consisted of men who were at least 50 years old. The Tremont Savings and Loan Association placed a $ 360,000 first mortgage loan on the Lambs Club Building in July 1972. The Lambs filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October 1973, after years of declining revenues. The clubhouse was at risk of being foreclosed unless the club raised $ 1 million. By July 1974,
7600-512: The 1977–1978 season, the announcement of Town Hall's closure had resulted in the loss of over $ 165,000 of potential revenue for 1978–1979. After Town Hall's closure was announced, the Committee to Save Town Hall organized a campaign to preserve the venue. Despite the advocacy in favor of Town Hall, NYU's trustees closed the venue and planned to turn over the operation to the nonprofit Town Hall Foundation. In September 1978, Craig Anderson of
7752-648: The Chatwal New York hotel to the north; the Belasco Theatre to the northeast; the Bank of America Tower and Stephen Sondheim Theatre to the south; 4 Times Square to the southwest; and 1500 Broadway to the west. Town Hall was designed by McKim, Mead & White in the Georgian Revival style and constructed from 1919 to 1921 as a lecture venue. Teunis (Dennis) J. van der Bent of
SECTION 50
#17327974291047904-468: The Chatwal New York's "cosy 1920s interiors hark back to a more glamorous era", while Condé Nast Traveller wrote that the hotel "toasts the 'golden age of travel'". A reviewer for the Toronto Star characterized the hotel as an "intimate 76-room property that seamlessly blends the charm of the past and the creature comforts of the present". Another reviewer, writing for The Independent , said
8056-515: The Civic Forum and the Economic Club . In addition, there was to be an adjoining political science library. The third story and the roof were to be arranged with space for a social club. While the League's offices were occupied from the building's completion, the two upper stories were not furnished until the end of 1924. As ultimately completed, the third floor was equipped with two main dining rooms and four private dining rooms. In addition,
8208-557: The Georgian facade of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre immediately across the street. The western elevation abuts an adjacent four-story building, which was formerly an annex of Town Hall and retains a connection at a single story. The eastern elevation is clad with common brick and originally was not visible from the street, but the site immediately to the east was redeveloped in the 1970s with an office building, which
8360-504: The Lambs owed $ 450,000 to the Tremont Savings and Loan Association and had not made any mortgage payments for 13 months. To avert foreclosure, the club proposed admitting non-theatrical professionals and women as members, in addition to renting out its theater. Bankruptcy judge Edward J. Ryan gave the Lambs Club a one-month reprieve in August 1974. The same month, the Lambs admitted its first female member, Carolyn Newhouse , whose family
8512-554: The Lambs raised over $ 60,000 for the construction of a new clubhouse. The club's "shepherd", or president, DeWolf Hopper announced in March 1902 that the club had decided to build its own clubhouse with a dedicated theater for gambols. The Lambs had performed their gambols at the Garrick Theatre , but they had just been evicted following a disagreement with Charles Frohman . Club members had already subscribed $ 160,000 for
8664-490: The Lambs received permission to mortgage their clubhouse for $ 450,000; in addition to the first mortgage, the club raised $ 150,000 through a bond issue. The annex's cornerstone was laid on September 16, 1915, and the annex was completed in time for the Lambs' gambols in 1916. The club received a $ 200,000 mortgage loan in 1922, and this mortgage was paid off by 1925. The club continued to grow, prompting its members to consider developing yet another clubhouse in March 1927 at
8816-614: The Lambs to host gambols to raise money for the addition. The club finally announced in February 1915 that it would build a six-story annex at 132–134 West 44th Street for $ 250,000, having obtained a $ 300,000 first mortgage loan from the Dime Savings Bank of New York . The architects filed plans with the Manhattan Bureau of Buildings in April 1915, and work on the annex proceeded during World War I . That June,
8968-406: The League had no dedicated clubhouse. The Economic Club and Civic Forum were both founded in 1907 as offshoots of the League for Political Education. In 1912, Anna Blakslee Bliss gave money to fund the construction of a dedicated clubhouse; her initial donation of $ 1,000 was followed the next year by a larger donation. Plans for a dedicated clubhouse for the League were first announced in 1914;
9120-436: The League's director. The League formally reorganized as Town Hall Inc. in January 1938, with Denny as the new organization's president. The move reflected the fact that political education was no longer the League's priority, especially with Town Hall hosting Town Meeting over the last several years. Town Meeting was being broadcast on 78 stations by 1939; the show's own popularity was largely fueled by its setting within
9272-457: The Town Hall board in 1957. NYU fully acquired Town Hall in March 1958, and the venue became known as The Town Hall of New York University, an educational and cultural center directed by Ormand Drake. The annex at 125 West 43rd Street, which had been used for offices for Town Meeting , was sold in early 1959. The Town Hall of NYU held its first performances in October 1958. Within a few months, The New York Times had written that "Town Hall
SECTION 60
#17327974291049424-411: The Town Hall building. The Town Hall 50th Anniversary Committee, under Denny's leadership, started raising funds for a five-story expansion to Town Hall in 1940, though this was also not built. Town Hall also started a fundraiser in 1946 to pay off the $ 200,000 mortgage on the building. The venue was musically successful between 1946 and 1948, immediately after World War II. During October 1947 alone,
9576-477: The Town Hall in early 1935, and contralto Marian Anderson made her Town Hall debut that December after facing discrimination against African-Americans at other venues. Alice Tully sang at Town Hall in 1936, and young violinist Isaac Stern debuted at Town Hall the next year. Other performers of the decade included Lily Pons in 1938 and the Von Trapp family the same year. The Kolisch Quartet gave
9728-519: The Town Hall was initially intended as a speaking hall, it quickly became known for musical performances and recitals, leading one New York Times writer to call it an "accidental concert hall". McKim, Mead & White had written in 1921 that the venue could be adapted to "concerts, moving picture exhibitions, and similar entertainment". Throughout its history, the Town Hall has hosted performances by hundreds of musicians and composers. Town Hall hosted musical performances and other recitals initially as
9880-578: The Truth and / the Truth Shall Make You Free'". On either side are two empty niches surrounded by limestone frames. The niches are topped by round arches and contain similar keystones to the openings below them. There are light fixtures at the bases of the niches, as well as on the sills of the round arches. Above the niches and plaque is a set of sash windows with brick and limestone frames. A Greek key band course runs above
10032-459: The architectural firm McKim, Mead & White . The building was one of several clubhouses that White designed for his firm. The western half of the building was designed in 1915 by George A. Freeman in an identical style to the original building. The modern-day design dates to a 2000s renovation by Thierry Despont . White, a member of the Lambs, had intentionally designed the facade with both Federal -style and neo-Georgian details, as he
10184-421: The area. The Lambs Club Building, designed for the Lambs social club, is cited as being designed in the Colonial , Neo-Georgian , or neoclassical styles. The building was originally six stories tall, with two basements, although the rear of the site only rose four stories. The original clubhouse, built between 1904 and 1905, occupies the eastern half of the lot and was designed by Stanford White of
10336-468: The auditorium is two stories tall, it has been described in contemporary publications as a four-story space. The lobby is accessed from the five center doorways on 43rd Street. It has a largely rectangular plan, except for the north wall, which corresponds to the auditorium's rear wall. A contemporary publication called the lobby "a memorial to public-spirited citizens not now living who were leaders of their day in public usefulness". The lobby contains
10488-518: The auditorium within six months. The NYU Club and Alvin Ailey Dance Company would continue to use the upper stories, and NYU planned to hand over operation to "a responsible group" rather than demolish it. By then, the venue was mostly vacant during prime-time evenings and weekends, and the neighborhood had become dilapidated. The high crime rates of Times Square also discouraged potential events. Although 355 events had been hosted in
10640-401: The auditorium's 1,500 seats. James Speyer donated an organ to the auditorium in 1922. Anna Blakeley Bliss donated money to cover the estimated $ 500,000 cost of completing the interior in either 1922 or 1923. In April 1924, Ely announced that Town Hall needed to raise another $ 600,000 to pay off its debts. Two donors had pledged $ 400,000 on the condition that the remaining funds be raised by
10792-410: The building for sale, although the bank was not scheduled to take title until February 20. The Manhattan Church of the Nazarene signed a contract in May 1975 to buy the Lambs Club Building. The building was to cost $ 475,000, although the Tremont Savings and Loan Association required the church to pay $ 122,500 before the contract could be closed. The church made a $ 47,500 down payment , of which
10944-449: The building had been appraised at $ 1.2 million just the previous year. The bank won a bidding war against Giovanna Ceccarelli of the St. Genesius Society, who had bid $ 301,000 and had wanted to host a repertory theater group at the building. Even after the Lambs Club Building had been sold, the club still owed its suppliers $ 100,000. To satisfy a deficit of $ 473,112, the bank immediately placed
11096-399: The building named after them; anyone who gave $ 1.5 million would get the entire auditorium named in their honor. Some $ 250,000 had been raised toward the proposed cost by April 1982. The work was to be performed over a five-year period in three phases. In 1983, the federal government allocated funds to Town Hall's renovation. Leffler also obtained grants from private foundations to fund
11248-493: The building on September 1, 1905, and the club held its first gambol in the 44th Street building that November. The Sun reported that the Lambs' clubhouse signified the relocation of Manhattan's "Theatrical Rialto". The auditorium hosted private gambols for club members each month; the best of these gambols were then publicly presented once a year. In keeping with club rules, the clubhouse never closed at night. Except for maids and housekeepers, women were not allowed to access
11400-506: The building wheelchair-accessible and relocate some of the rooms. The renovated hall officially reopened on October 14, 1984. The NYU Club continued to occupy Town Hall's upper-story clubhouse space until 1989 when it filed for bankruptcy. The clubhouse space was leased the following to the New Yorker Club, a majority-minority social club, which raised $ 800,000 to renovate the clubhouse space. The Town Hall Foundation received
11552-611: The building; the National Endowment for the Arts would provide a $ 400,000 grant if the remainder was raised privately. The federal government would provide another $ 300,000 to fund the proposed $ 1.5 million cost of the renovation. By 1981, Town Hall was finally profitable and was raising $ 2 million for operation and restoration. The foundation planned to install plaques on the auditorium's seats to honor donors who gave over $ 1,000. Larger donors would also get different parts of
11704-456: The canopy. The centers of the canopies' undersides have large spherical lamps, which are surrounded by smaller spheres. A Greek key band course runs above the mezzanine. The middle stories generally lack window openings and are faced in brick. The center of the facade has a limestone plaque that contains the words "The Town Hall / Founded by / the League for Political Education / 1894–1920 / 'Ye Shall Know
11856-426: The ceiling. The lighting was intended to be indirect, with 2,500 bulbs in total. The proscenium arch consists of a band with a Greek key molding, supported on either side by ornamented pilasters with Composite-style capitals. Above the center of the arch is a keystone with foliate decorations. The proscenium measures 25 feet (7.6 m) tall and 49.5 feet (15.1 m) wide. The stage curves slightly outward from
12008-423: The church's congregation. The Church of the Nazarene used the building for outreach programs, such as a soup kitchen and a health clinic. The clubhouse also hosted activities and events such as advertising campaigns and Thanksgiving dinners for low-income New Yorkers. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1982. The same year, nutritionist Glenna McCollum applied for
12160-532: The church's social-service programs. This prompted the church's pastor, the Rev. John Calhoun, to announce in early 1999 that he was negotiating with Hampshire Hotels and Resorts to turn the building into a 108-room hotel. The plans necessitated the demolition of the Lamb's Theatre, although the facade and other parts of the interior would be preserved. The church attempted to sell the site's unused air rights , which totaled 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m ), but there
12312-550: The church's soup kitchen relocated to Brooklyn in 2001. According to pastor John Bowen, the building was physically deteriorating, and the partnership with Hampshire Hotels would allow the church to offer a wider range of programs. The church continued to host services in the third-floor theater through 2006, while the Lamb's Theatre company staged plays in both of the building's theaters. The building also contained five apartments and 22 single-person rooms at that point. In 2006, Hampshire Hotels had exercised its option to develop
12464-536: The club formed a committee to develop a new clubhouse; the committee considered leasing the Berkeley Lyceum at 21–25 West 44th Street. The club decided in December 1909 to lease a three-story dwelling at 126 West 44th Street. By 1911, the club had hired Freeman and Hasselman to design a 12-story structure at 134–138 West 44th Street, with a miniature theater. The club had 1,400 members by 1914, prompting
12616-584: The clubhouse in 1930. The club received a five-year, $ 315,000 mortgage loan in March 1930 from the American Museum of Natural History . That June, the New York Supreme Court approved a $ 100,000 second mortgage on the clubhouse. By 1931, the clubhouse was valued at $ 800,000; this amount represented 80 percent of the Lambs' total assets. When the Lambs began adapting their private gambols for film in 1932, actresses were invited to
12768-442: The clubhouse would have been at 108–120 West 49th Street. The 49th Street clubhouse, which would likely have been designed by James E. Ware , was never built. The League's real estate committee then researched alternate sites before recommending the plots at 113–123 West 43rd Street, near Times Square. The committee recommended the site because of its proximity to transit. The plots were then purchased in 1917 for $ 425,000. At
12920-478: The construction of a new clubhouse, and Hopper had received an offer of $ 62,500 for the 36th Street clubhouse. Maurice Campbell offered to lease the new theater. The club agreed to acquire a site at 128–130 West 44th Street in June 1902, although Minnie Lespinasse, the previous owner of the two plots, was expected to remain at that site for a year. The Lambs took title to the site in April 1903 and hired White
13072-459: The dining room in 1956, although women were still prohibited from becoming members or from entering the building alone. The clubhouse hosted private performances of plays during this time, and it also hosted events in honor of various theatrical figures. Concurrently, the club's membership declined in the 20th century, in part because of younger generations' indifference toward joining clubs, as well as increasing crime rates near Times Square. By
13224-473: The doors in each room. The building was developed for the Lambs , a theatrical club founded in 1874 and officially incorporated in 1877. The Lambs' first shepherd, Henry James Montague , named the club after a group founded in London; the London club was named in honor of essayist Charles Lamb , who had frequently invited actors to his home. The Lambs relocated its headquarters, or "Fold", multiple times in
13376-487: The eastern section of the site is higher than the western section. Fluted limestone pilasters flank the doors. Each double door has wooden frames and glass panes, above which are multi-pane transom windows. Each doorway has a limestone tympanum above it, as well as a lunette window with a keystone . The extreme ends of the facade, on either side of the blind arcade, contain metal double doors that lead to The Town Hall's backstage hallways. Above each of these end doors
13528-639: The edifice into a 101-room hotel. If the church was unable to relocate, Chatwal had to provide space within the building for the church. Chatwal, who initially planned to rebrand the hotel as a boutique hotel called the Lambs Hotel, ultimately renamed it the Chatwal New York. Chatwal signed a franchise agreement with hotel management company Starwood , and the Chatwal New York joined Starwood's Luxury Collection brand. The renovation ultimately cost more than $ 100 million. The Chatwal New York opened in August 2010 with 83 rooms. The Lambs Club restaurant at
13680-424: The end of that June. Ultimately, more than three thousand people donated to fund Town Hall's development. The upper stories were completed by the end of December 1924. To celebrate the venue's debts being paid off, Town Hall's management ceremonially burned the mortgage documents on the fourth anniversary of the venue's opening. The Town Hall Club was established within the two top stories in January 1925, with
13832-452: The existing four-story building at 125 West 43rd Street. Eventually, Town Hall, alongside Carnegie Hall and the old Metropolitan Opera House at 39th Street , became one of New York City's top musical venues in its 20th-century heyday. The neighboring Aeolian Hall closed not long after Town Hall opened. Ely hired George V. Denny Jr. as an associate director of the league in 1930. Denny thought "an honest system of political education"
13984-447: The exterior and interior of the building are New York City landmarks , and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark . Town Hall was designed in the Georgian Revival style and has a brick facade with limestone trim. The base contains seven arched doorways that serve as the venue's entrance. The facade of the upper stories contains a large limestone plaque, niches, and windows. Inside
14136-434: The firm was in charge of the overall design, and Russell B. Smith was the supervising engineer. The interior work was completed by Louis Jallade after the building opened. Wallace Clement Sabine has been popularly cited as a consultant in the design of Town Hall's auditorium, but he died before the building was completed. Town Hall was originally built for the League for Political Education . The Georgian Revival style
14288-876: The fourth floor contained a library decorated with American pine from floor to ceiling. The room, measuring 77 by 42 feet (23 by 13 m), was described in the New York Herald Tribune as "probably the largest pine room in the country", containing three large pine columns and alcoves with space for 9,000 books. Eleanor Butler Sanders and five other prominent suffragists established the League for Political Education in 1894 to advocate for women's suffrage . The group held popular "town meetings" about social issues and had 600 members by 1899. The initial meetings were held in Sanders's house and attracted mainly women. Subsequent meetings attracted more men and were hosted in various venues around New York City, since
14440-461: The ground story, a rectangular lobby leads to the auditorium. The upper stories originally housed offices for the League for Political Education the Civic Forum, the Economic Club , and the Town Hall Club. Town Hall's auditorium opened on January 12, 1921, and was originally intended as a place for speeches, but Town Hall subsequently became one of New York City's top musical venues in its 20th-century heyday. The first public-affairs media programming,
14592-402: The hall hosted 52 concerts. Town Hall was still used for many solo musical performances during the 1950s. The mid-1950s coincided with a general decrease in the number of performance events. While similar venues like Carnegie Hall saw similar decreases in recitals, Town Hall was particularly affected because it was smaller than other venues such as Carnegie Hall . Furthermore, Times Square
14744-524: The hotel "aspires to make up for [this] in amenities—closets inspired by leather Vuitton-like travel trunks; Frette linens, duvets and pillows; and a 'minibar curated by Geoffrey Zakarian'." Elizabeth Arden, Inc. , opened its Red Door Spa at the hotel in 2012. The Chatwal New York also sold personalized marriage proposal packages to attract guests. The hotel closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . A single worker remained on site to maintain
14896-439: The hotel became part of Starwood 's Luxury Collection. The building is on 128–132 West 44th Street, on the south sidewalk between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue , near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The rectangular land lot covers 7,656 sq ft (711.3 m ), with a frontage of 76 ft (23 m) on 44th Street and a depth of 100.42 ft (31 m). On
15048-406: The hotel during its extended closure, turning on all the showers and sinks twice a month and flushing the toilets once a week. The hotel reopened in October 2021, but its restaurant remained closed to the general public, serving only hotel guests. The Lambs Club restaurant reopened in April 2022. when Michael White replaced Zakarian as the executive chef. The Reuben brothers moved to take over
15200-484: The hotel in December 2023 after the Chatwal's operators defaulted on a mezzanine loan . According to White's grandson Samuel, the building's facade presented "a strictly businesslike character, as if to emphasize the orderly nature of the membership rather than its artistic and presumably extremely entertaining qualities". After the clubhouse was converted into a hotel, Emirati newspaper The National wrote that
15352-507: The hotel's main draw was "enjoying the peaceful luxury of the hotel while knowing the excitement of Manhattan is right on your doorstep", despite its relatively high room rates, and that the hotel was suitable mainly for "romantic weekends, luxury city getaways and work with perks". A reporter for the British newspaper The Observer praised the hotel as having "the kind of elegance and luxury any self-respecting flapper girl would expect", but
15504-484: The hotel, and Manhattan Initiative evicted the Lamb's Theatre. At the time, real-estate values in New York City had recovered after having declined sharply following the September 11 attacks ; and several other off-Broadway theaters across the city had been displaced by new development during the past two years. Vikram Chatwal , whose family operated Hampshire Hotels, had hired architect Thierry Despont to renovate
15656-512: The hotel, which had been announced in 2008, ultimately opened in September 2010 with Geoffrey Zakarian as executive chef. The restaurant, operated by Chatwal, was named in homage to the building's original tenant; it quickly became popular among women who worked in fashion, publishing, and hospitality. Although the Chatwal New York was much smaller than other buildings in the area, Ralph Gardner Jr. of The Wall Street Journal wrote that
15808-554: The interior. The foundation also wanted to produce its own events, so it started raising funds for a sound system, and it also sought to create a chamber orchestra and host a festival of foreign films. In March 2012, the United States Department of the Interior designated Town Hall as a National Historic Landmark . The Rockwell Group proposed replacing the lighting on the facade and marquee in 2019. While
15960-419: The late 1940s and early 1950s. During June 1947, Town Hall hosted a Louis Armstrong concert, which led to the formation of Louis Armstrong and His All Stars . In 1949, Burl Ives gave a folk-song concert, which was popular enough that the audience requested seven encore performances. Lotte Lenya gave a concert in 1951 in memory of her late husband, composer Kurt Weill . In April 1953, Anna Russell gave
16112-409: The late 1950s. Cosmopolitan magazine described the Lambs' "stately brick clubhouse" as a "hallowed stronghold of Broadway actors and song-and-dance men of the old school". The club's members included Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe of songwriting team Lerner and Loewe , who reportedly composed the musical Brigadoon in the third-floor theater. The club began allowing women to eat dinner in
16264-425: The late 19th century, renting space at several buildings around Union Square, Manhattan . The Lambs became known for their theatrical revues, known as "gambols", starting in 1888. The Lambs began using these gambols to raise money for a new clubhouse in the late 1890s. Although the club had moved to 70 West 36th Street in 1897, the Lambs soon outgrew this location. During a weeklong gambol at eight cities in 1898,
16416-467: The middle stories. The attic contains seven double-hung sash windows, which are larger than those in the midsection. Each window has an iron grille below it, as well as a limestone lintel with a keystone above. There are recessed brick panels between each of the attic windows, each of which contains a limestone lozenge. Both of the outermost bays contain recessed panels with an ocular window inside. The attic contains an Adamesque limestone frieze above
16568-450: The morning hours. Within a year of taking over Town Hall, the foundation had started restoring parts of the auditorium. Town Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in April 1980, which the foundation celebrated later that year with a concert and a plaque. To avoid running a deficit, the foundation planned performances only if there was funding for them. The Town Hall Foundation needed to raise $ 1.2 million to restore
16720-688: The music of John Cage . Igor Stravinsky gave the U.S. premiere of his composition Threni in 1959. Nina Simone performed in September 1959, and the concert was released as Nina Simone at Town Hall , her first live album. Shows in the 1960s included a benefit for the Morningside Mental Hygiene Clinic in 1960, Bob Dylan 's large-concert debut in 1963, and a Coretta Scott King Freedom Concert in 1964. Jazz composer and bandleader Charles Mingus held two concerts there, resulting in his live albums from October 1962 and April 1964 . Bill Evans and his trio recorded
16872-407: The next month by a dance recital by Ruth St. Denis . Singer and actor Paul Robeson first performed Black spiritual songs at the Town Hall in 1927, guitarist Andrés Segovia first gave a recital in 1929, and Richard Tauber made his American premiere there in 1931. In its first decade, the Town Hall's other events included Edna St. Vincent Millay 's public poetry reading debut in 1928 and
17024-465: The next month. The Lambs relocated to the Women's National Republican Club building at 3 West 51st Street , adjacent to Rockefeller Center . The third-floor theater became an off-Broadway venue called the Lamb's Theatre , which was operated by Carolyn Rossi Copeland 's Lamb's Theater Company until 1996. The group operated the first-floor theater by itself and shared the third-floor theater with
17176-410: The preceding year, but this performance too was recorded. The orchestra commissions new works and has given 65 world premieres (by composers including Franz Schubert , Douglas Moore , and David Diamond ), and more than 175 U.S. and New York premieres by such composers as Antonio Vivaldi , John Corigliano , and Christopher Rouse . This article about a United States classical music orchestra
17328-624: The programming over the next three years. The Shubert Organization granted $ 125,000 for Town Hall that May, and enough money was raised by August to sustain the venue for two years. A fundraiser was held that November to raise the remaining money. Still, NYU president John C. Sawhill warned in mid-1977 that there was not enough money to keep Town Hall open past 1978. Town Hall had $ 5 in its bank account by 1978, and there were concerns that Town Hall could be demolished. With Town Hall's annual operating costs ranging from $ 50,000 to $ 100,000, NYU's board of trustees voted in February 1978 to close
17480-478: The proscenium arch. The gilded cornice just beneath the ceiling contains acanthus leaves , under which are dentil blocks. The cornice is supplemented by a band with Greek key fretwork and guilloche moldings. The plaster ceiling is split into coffers , with Greek key and guilloche moldings between each coffer. The center of the ceiling has an Adamesque ornamental medallion with a large chandelier hanging from it. Smaller chandeliers hang from various other parts of
17632-427: The proscenium, measuring 20.5 feet (6.2 m) deep at its center and 16.5 feet (5.0 m) deep at its sides. The back of the stage area was designed with a tapestry. On either side of the stage are round-arched screens, which formerly framed the auditorium's organs. Each arch has a sill that contains foliate decorations and is supported by scrolled brackets. The screens themselves are divided into three parts, with
17784-425: The renovation, but nineteen banks rejected the foundation's request for a mortgage. The mortgage ultimately came from Apple Bank chairman Jerome McDougal, who, as a child, had performed in a brass band at Town Hall. By mid-1984, the Town Hall Foundation received an Urban Development Action Grant of $ 428,000, and The Kresge Foundation had donated another $ 100,000, enough to pay for a full renovation. Town Hall
17936-399: The reporter criticized the high prices of the spa and pool. When the Lambs Club restaurant opened in 2010, Sam Sifton of The New York Times wrote that the restaurant was reminiscent of the nearby Sardi's and that "the Lambs Club dinner menu offers food to fortify the hearty as well as to charm those who eat only appetizers and head to the gym". Times reporter Frank Bruni wrote that
18088-457: The restaurant's bar "claims that decorative sweet spot between homage and spoof"; another Times reporter described the space itself as "a sophisticated, high-ceilinged room in a Stanford White building with a rich history" as the Lambs' headquarters. After the restaurant reopened in 2022, Elise Taylor of Vogue described its ambiance as "new-old New York" and said that, while the restaurant retained many of its original design features, its menu
18240-564: The same block, the Town Hall is to the south, and 1500 Broadway is to the west. Other nearby buildings include 1530 Broadway to the northwest; Millennium Times Square New York , the Hudson Theatre , and the Hotel Gerard to the north; the Belasco Theatre to the northeast; and 4 Times Square and the Bank of America Tower to the south. The building occupies its entire site of 76 by 100 ft (23 by 30 m). When it
18392-446: The same year to design the building. Plans for the new clubhouse were filed with the Manhattan Bureau of Buildings on March 1, 1904, at which point the structure was to cost $ 100,000. That month, True and McKeefrey received the general contract for the building's construction. The Lambs laid the cornerstone for the clubhouse at a ceremony on August 24, 1904, and they sold their old building in early 1905. The Lambs moved into
18544-416: The screen are staircases that lead up to the first mezzanine level of the auditorium. These stairs have balustrades with iron balusters and walnut wooden railings. Underneath the stairs are additional doorways that lead into the auditorium's orchestra level. Double doors with multiple glass panes lead east to the box office and west to the elevator banks. The auditorium has a parterre -level orchestra and
18696-464: The seating on the balcony had good acoustics, as the balcony's presence muffled the sounds at orchestra level. The lower sections of the side walls contain marble paneling, which is topped by a molding with a torus motif. Above that, the walls are made of artificial stone , carved in rusticated blocks. Each of the corners contains a fluted pilaster with a Composite -style capital . The side walls contain two niches, which are designed similarly to
18848-521: The second-floor memorial alcove and some of the decorative details. There is a cocktail bar in the modern-day hotel's lobby. The first and second stories contain a two-level restaurant called the Lambs Club, which is owned separately from the hotel. The restaurant space retains many of the original design elements, such as a large fireplace, red banquettes, and portraits of the Lambs' shepherds; it also has modern design elements, including red benches that are patterned after Broadway theaters' seats. There
19000-415: The site, and the company received an option to convert the building into a hotel at a later date. Manhattan Initiative was also hired as the property manager, while William Q. Brothers III Architect was hired to draw up plans for the hotel-conversion project. The church was allowed to continue holding services and hosting events within a portion of the clubhouse. The hotel plans were controversial among
19152-485: The spaces "have the warm and friendly look of an Elizabethan tavern". According to a 1974 Variety article, comedian Joe Laurie Jr. had bequeathed $ 1,000 in his will to pay for indigent members' drinks; although Laurie's bequest had been exhausted by then, the club's bartenders continued to cover the cost of a member's drink if he could not afford it. The annex contained a theater on its ground floor, which contained 140 seats when it closed in 2006. The second floor had
19304-425: The theatrical community, which had unsuccessfully fought for the preservation of several theaters on the site of the nearby New York Marriott Marquis hotel. Performers such as Lionel Hampton and Rosemary Harris advocated for designating the interior of the Lambs Club as a landmark, and Hampshire Hotels was devising plans for a new theater in the Lambs Club building. The church and theater continued to operate, but
19456-483: The third-floor auditorium for the first time ever. Women were still banned from other events at the clubhouse, including art exhibits. During World War II, the clubhouse hosted weekly dinners for members of the United States Armed Forces . The club unveiled a memorial alcove at the clubhouse in 1947, dedicated to club members who had died in the two world wars. The Lambs had 1,300 members in
19608-507: The time of Town Hall's opening, its interior, aside from the lobby and auditorium, remained incomplete because there was not enough money. Town Hall sought extra donations to complete the work. In late 1921, the Societies Realty Corporation obtained a $ 500,000 loan from William A. White & Sons. Ely announced the following year that he would form a 100-person Town Hall Council and seek $ 1,000 pledges for each of
19760-473: The time, Manhattan's theater district was in the process of shifting from Union Square and Madison Square to the vicinity of Times Square, with forty-three Broadway theaters being erected there from 1901 to 1920. The Societies Realty Corporation, which had been formed to construct the building, received a $ 300,000 loan for the site in 1918. That February, the League announced it would organize "a new club for men and women interested in civic problems", with
19912-585: The time, city building codes prohibited clubhouses from containing theaters with more than 300 seats. The Lambs canceled their plans for the new clubhouse in February 1928 after a committee deemed the project "inadvisable", citing the fact that the planned clubhouse would be unprofitable. During the late 1920s, the Lambs faced financial troubles because of competition from talking pictures . Some members could not afford to pay dues because they were unemployed, while others had been cast in film roles and had gone to Hollywood. The club took out two mortgage loans on
20064-588: The upper floors or become Lambs members. Nonetheless, some women did reportedly visit the clubhouse, including Ethel Barrymore and Luisa Tetrazzini . Theatrical figures such as Bobby Clark , John Drew Jr. , Edgar Selwyn , and Douglas Fairbanks stayed in the clubhouse's bedrooms. The Hartford Courant reported in June 1909 that the Lambs acquired a site from the Medcef Eden Realty Company at 120–126 West 44th Street, with plans to develop an 18-story clubhouse there. Two months later,
20216-441: The upper stories. The club rooms included auditoriums on the first and third floors; a dining room on the second floor; and a library and banquet room on the third floor. When the building was converted into a hotel, the first and second floors were converted into a bar and restaurant called the Lambs Club, while the upper floors were converted into 83 guestrooms. The Lambs were founded in 1874 and relocated to multiple buildings over
20368-415: The windows. Above this is a set of dentils and a balustrade . The Town Hall's lobby and auditorium are on the lower levels, and the offices are on the upper levels. The auditorium is semicircular in plan and is surrounded by the backstage and front of house areas. Two passageways, one each on the extreme west and east ends of the ground story, provide access from the street to backstage areas. While
20520-417: The world premiere performance of Béla Bartók 's String Quartet No. 6 at Town Hall in 1941. Especially popular at Town Hall were performances of jazz music. Guitarist Eddie Condon began holding a series of jazz concerts at Town Hall in February 1942, and he began hosting a biweekly series of jazz concerts that November. By 1944, the performances were sold out, and NBC Blue broadcast the concerts under
20672-431: The years. By 1902, overcrowding at the club's previous headquarters prompted the Lambs to consider developing a new clubhouse, which opened on September 1, 1905. The clubhouse was expanded in 1915, but the Lambs faced financial troubles during the 1920s and 1930s because of competition from talking pictures . After the club experienced further financial difficulties in the 1970s, the clubhouse was sold at auction in 1975, and
20824-662: Was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network every Thursday night (the Blue Network eventually split from NBC to become the American Broadcasting Company , or ABC). The Town Hall Club on the building's upper stories stopped hosting weekly roundtable luncheons when Town Meeting aired. When Town Meeting was not being broadcast, Town Hall continued to be used as a venue for speeches, musical recitals, and other events and performances. Town Hall
20976-552: Was built in the 1900s, the structure measured 37.5 ft (11.4 m) wide, but this was doubled in 1915. The Lambs Club Building was one of several clubhouses developed in the surrounding area during the early 20th century. The section of 44th Street just east of the Lambs Club Building is known as Club Row; when the building was developed, the Harvard Club , Yale Club , New York Yacht Club , New York City Bar Association , and Century Association all had clubhouses in
21128-661: Was changed in 1933 to eight performances. Outside of the Endowment Series, the Colonial Dames of America and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America presented a play in 1932, which depicted the inauguration of George Washington as U.S. president. Pianist Ruth Slenczynska made her debut at the Town Hall in 1933, aged eight. Antonia Brico 's all-woman orchestra debuted at
21280-415: Was chosen for its connotations of grassroots democracy . The main elevation of the facade, facing south on 43rd Street, is clad in brown brick with Flemish bond and is divided into three horizontal sections. The openings have limestone trim around them. Generally, the facade is nine bays wide and is designed to appear as a four-story structure. When it was completed, Town Hall's facade complemented
21432-411: Was closed in July 1984 for a renovation spanning two and a half months. The facade was cleaned, while the auditorium was refurbished and restored, with a new carpet and renovated seats. Because of the landmark status of the building, the seats were restored to their original condition rather than being replaced, while the rear wall was coated in wash to preserve the acoustics. Leffler also sought to make
21584-439: Was converted into the Chatwal New York hotel in the 2000s and was expanded to ten stories. The hotel had 83 guestrooms when it opened; by the late 2010s, the hotel had 76 units. As part of the hotel conversion, the interior was redesigned in a modern Art Deco style. The auditorium on the third and fourth stories was demolished because it was badly deteriorated, but other components of the old clubhouse were preserved, such as
21736-464: Was denied twice. Because of this disagreement, Anderson reneged from his lease of Town Hall in January 1979. The venue saw a net loss of $ 138,000 in 1978 and $ 200,000 in 1979. In March 1979, the Town Hall Foundation took title to Town Hall, though NYU continued to collect payments from the air rights. The foundation, led by Marvin Leffler, acquired the Town Hall for a nominal fee of $ 10. Leffler,
21888-447: Was developed, there was a cast-iron fence at street level, but this had been removed by the 1980s. The second floor originally contained two groups of French windows , recessed within a loggia and flanked by a set of pilasters . Each bay is separated by columns, and there is a wrought iron balcony and a large rectangular window behind the columns. There is a plaque at the center of the second-story facade. An entablature, containing
22040-499: Was falling into decline at the time, and Town Hall was being used more often for the premieres of fledgling artists before they appeared at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center . Town Hall Inc. evicted the Town Hall Club from the building in April 1955 after falling into debt and failing to pay $ 9,500 of rent. The Town Hall Club filed for bankruptcy on April 6, 1955. It had only 650 members at the time, far below its peak of 1,900. Town Meeting ultimately ended in 1956. In October 1955,
22192-428: Was frequently called the "busiest theater on Broadway", though it was neither a Broadway theater nor physically on Broadway. Despite Town Hall's success, the League for Political Education still did not own Town Hall outright by 1936, as it still rented the auditorium and offices. Town Hall's leadership planned another expansion of the building in 1937, but this was not carried out. The same year, Denny succeeded Ely as
22344-523: Was helping raise the $ 450,000 for the club's mortgage. The Lambs' new general director, Gene Frankel , planned to refurbish the building's theater and add classrooms and rehearsal halls. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had begun considering whether to designate the Lambs Club Building as a city landmark in May 1974, and the LPC designated the building as a landmark on September 24, 1974. In October 1974, Ryan postponed foreclosure proceedings for another six weeks. The club hosted
22496-416: Was knowledgeable of what his grandson Samuel G. White called "the acting profession's reputation for social eccentricity". The northern elevation of the facade is the only one that is normally visible from street level. The ground floor is clad with smooth marble, while the upper stories are clad with red Flemish-bond brick. The walls contain terracotta trim, with stone quoins at each end. The facade
22648-509: Was much emptier than usual by too high a rent scale". This was worsened by the opening of Lincoln Center in 1962, which drew events away from Town Hall. For over a decade after NYU's takeover, Town Hall was "abandoned by the great names in music who had once made it a mecca for the finest in recitals and chamber music", according to the Times . The organ was removed by 1960. To raise money, in 1966, NYU leased some air rights above Town Hall to
22800-483: Was never greater. May the new Town Hall aid materially in its growth." The U.S. president Woodrow Wilson and president-elect Warren G. Harding both sent congratulatory telegrams to celebrate Town Hall's opening. At the time, the League had 6,000 members in total. Some $ 1.25 million or $ 1.35 million had already been spent on its construction. Town Hall, under its first director Robert Erskine Ely , extended its programming to benefit New York City at large. As
22952-483: Was no adjacent site to which the air rights could be transferred. Afterward, the church asked the LPC to designate the interior of the building's interior as a landmark, as the air rights of interior landmarks in the Theater District could be transferred to a larger number of buildings in the neighborhood. However, the agency was not allowed to designate the interiors of religious buildings as landmarks. In
23104-452: Was vital to the "safety of American democracy", and he believed that Americans should be exposed to multiple viewpoints. In 1934, Denny was inspired to create America's Town Meeting of the Air , a radio show to promote the free exchange of ideas; it became the first public-affairs media program. NBC approved a limited run of the show in early 1934, and Town Meeting premiered at Town Hall on May 30, 1935, to wide praise. The show
#103896