139-687: 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
278-430: 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
417-515: 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
556-521: 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 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
695-584: 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
834-454: 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
973-676: A hotel, live seals were kept in indoor fountains inside its lobby. Later, it was home to the infamous Plato's Retreat nightclub. Immediately north of Verdi Square is the Apple Bank Building , formerly the Central Savings Bank, which was built in 1926 and designed to resemble the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Broadway is also home to the Beacon Theatre at West 74th Street , designated
1112-475: 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,
1251-590: A live album in 1966, Bill Evans at Town Hall . Broadway (Manhattan) Broadway ( / ˈ b r ɔː d w eɪ / ) is a road in the U.S. state of New York . Broadway runs from the south at State Street at Bowling Green for 13 mi (20.9 km) through the borough of Manhattan , over the Broadway Bridge , and 2 mi (3.2 km) through the Bronx , exiting north from New York City to run an additional 18 mi (29.0 km) through
1390-575: 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 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
1529-481: A national landmark in 1979 and still in operation as a concert venue after its establishment in 1929 as a vaudeville and music hall, and "sister" venue to Radio City Music Hall . At its intersection with West 78th Street, Broadway shifts direction and continues directly uptown and aligned approximately with the Commissioners' grid. Past the bend are the historic Apthorp apartment building, built in 1908, and
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#17327801643601668-581: 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
1807-476: A one-block stretch between 24th and 25th Streets. At Greeley Square (West 32nd Street), Broadway crosses Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), and is discontinuous to vehicles until West 35th Street. Macy's Herald Square department store, one block north of the vehicular discontinuity, is located on the northwest corner of Broadway and West 34th Street and southwest corner of Broadway and West 35th Street; it
1946-432: 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
2085-476: 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
2224-483: A pilot program; the right-of-way is intact and reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. From the northern shore of Manhattan, Broadway crosses Spuyten Duyvil Creek via the Broadway Bridge and continues through Marble Hill (a discontiguous portion of the borough of Manhattan) and the Bronx into Westchester County . U.S. 9 continues to be known as Broadway until its junction with NY 117 . The section of lower Broadway from its origin at Bowling Green to City Hall Park
2363-695: 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 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
2502-586: A shared street. Broadway runs the length of Manhattan Island, roughly parallel to the North River (the portion of the Hudson River bordering Manhattan), from Bowling Green at the south to Inwood at the northern tip of the island. South of Columbus Circle , it is a one-way southbound street. Since 2009, vehicular traffic has been banned at Times Square between 47th and 42nd Streets , and at Herald Square between 35th and 33rd Streets as part of
2641-463: 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
2780-435: 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
2919-408: 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
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#17327801643603058-423: 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 the canopy. The centers of
3197-849: Is now Lower Manhattan was initially known as Great George Street . Traffic continued up the East Side of the island via Eastern Post Road and the West Side via Bloomingdale Road, which opened in 1703, continued up to 117th Street and contributed to the development of the modern Upper West Side into an upscale area with mansions. In her 1832 book Domestic Manners of the Americans , Fanny Trollope wrote of her impressions of New York City in general and of Broadway in particular: This noble street may vie with any I ever saw, for its length and breadth, its handsome shops, neat awnings, excellent trottoir , and well-dressed pedestrians. It has not
3336-439: Is now known as South Broadway. It trends ever westward, closer to the Hudson River , remaining a busy urban commercial street. In downtown Yonkers, it drops close to the river, becomes North Broadway and 9A leaves via Ashburton Avenue. Broadway climbs to the nearby ridgetop runs parallel to the river and the railroad, a few blocks east of both as it passes St. John's Riverside Hospital . The neighborhoods become more residential and
3475-501: 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
3614-469: Is one of the largest department stores in the world. One famous stretch near Times Square , where Broadway crosses Seventh Avenue in midtown Manhattan , is the home of many Broadway theatres , housing an ever-changing array of commercial, large-scale plays, particularly musicals . This area of Manhattan is often called the Theater District or the Great White Way, a nickname originating in
3753-403: Is the historical location for the city's ticker-tape parades , and is sometimes called the " Canyon of Heroes " during such events. West of Broadway, as far as Canal Street , was the city's fashionable residential area until c. 1825 ; landfill has more than tripled the area, and the Hudson River shore now lies far to the west, beyond Tribeca and Battery Park City . Broadway marks
3892-580: 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
4031-470: The 72nd Street subway station, one of the first 28 subway stations in Manhattan, remains located on one of the wide islands in the center of Broadway, on the south side of West 72nd Street. For many years, all traffic on Broadway flowed on either side of this median and its subway entrance, and its uptown lanes went past it along the western edge of triangular Verdi Square. In 2001 and 2002, renovation of
4170-475: The 72nd Street station was built in the exact location of these lanes. Northbound traffic on Broadway is now channeled onto Amsterdam Avenue to 73rd Street, makes a left turn on the three-lane 73rd Street, and then a right turn on Broadway shortly afterward. In August 2008, two traffic lanes from 42nd to 35th Streets were taken out of service and converted to public plazas. Bike lanes were added on Broadway from 42nd Street to Union Square . Since May 2009,
4309-753: The First Baptist Church in the City of New York , incorporated in New York in 1762, its current building on Broadway erected in 1891. The road heads north and passes historically important apartment houses such as the Belnord , the Astor Court Building , and the Art Nouveau Cornwall . At Broadway and 95th Street is Symphony Space , established in 1978 as home to avant-garde and classical music and dance performances in
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4448-673: The Harlem River on the Broadway Bridge to Marble Hill . Afterward, it then enters the Bronx , where it is the eastern border of Riverdale and the western border of Van Cortlandt Park . At 253rd Street, NY 9A joins with US 9 and Broadway. (NY 9A splits off Broadway at Ashburton Avenue in Yonkers.) The northwestern corner of the park marks the New York City limit and Broadway enters Westchester County in Yonkers , where it
4587-675: The John William Draper House , was the site of the first astrophotograph of the Moon . In the next village, Dobbs Ferry , Broadway has various views of the Hudson River while passing through the residential section. Broadway passes by the Old Croton Aqueduct and nearby the shopping district of the village. After intersecting with Ashford Avenue, Broadway passes Mercy College , then turns left again at
4726-558: The New York City Department of Sanitation . Bay (architecture) In architecture , a bay is the space between architectural elements, or a recess or compartment. The term bay comes from Old French baie , meaning an opening or hole. The Japanese ken and Korean kan are both bays themselves and measurements based upon their number and standard placement. Under the Joseon , Koreans were allocated
4865-510: 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
5004-704: The U.S. Rubber Company Building at 58th Street , the B.F. Goodrich showroom at 1780 Broadway (between 58th and 57th Streets ), the Fisk Building at 250 West 57th Street, and the Demarest and Peerless Buildings at 224 West 57th Street. Broadway once was a two-way street for its entire length. The present status, in which it runs one-way southbound south of Columbus Circle ( 59th Street ), came about in several stages. On June 6, 1954, Seventh Avenue became southbound and Eighth Avenue became northbound south of Broadway. None of Broadway became one-way, but
5143-517: The Von Trapp family the same year. The Kolisch Quartet gave 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,
5282-558: The Westchester County municipalities of Yonkers , Hastings-On-Hudson , Dobbs Ferry , Irvington , Tarrytown , and Sleepy Hollow , after which the road continues, but is no longer called "Broadway". The latter portion of Broadway north of the George Washington Bridge / I-95 underpass comprises a portion of U.S. Route 9 . It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in New York City, with much of
5421-661: The 1932–1933 season. The series originally had five performances per season, but this 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
5560-653: 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 the firm
5699-512: 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,
The Town Hall (New York City) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5838-679: 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 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
5977-556: 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
6116-673: The Herald Square area. Additionally, portions of Broadway in Madison Square and Union Square have been dramatically narrowed, allowing ample pedestrian plazas to exist along the side of the road. A terrorist attempted to set off a bomb on Broadway in Times Square on May 1, 2010. The attempted bomber was sentenced to life in prison. In May 2013, the NYCDOT decided to redesign Broadway between 35th and 42nd Streets for
6255-465: 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 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
6394-400: 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;
6533-531: The Square's northwest corner; Union Square is the only location wherein the physical section of Broadway is discontinuous in Manhattan (other portions of Broadway in Manhattan are pedestrian-only plazas). At Madison Square , the location of the Flatiron Building, Broadway crosses Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street , thereby moving from the east side of Manhattan to the west, and is discontinuous to vehicles for
6672-551: 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 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,
6811-459: 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 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
6950-535: 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, 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
7089-429: The Town Hall in 1933, aged eight. Antonia Brico 's all-woman orchestra debuted at 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
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#17327801643607228-518: The Town Hall's other events included Edna St. Vincent Millay 's public poetry reading debut in 1928 and 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
7367-571: 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
7506-764: The address of Alexander Hamilton 's house, The Grange , which has been moved. Broadway achieves a verdant, park-like effect, particularly in the spring, when it runs between the uptown Trinity Church Cemetery and the former Trinity Chapel, now the Church of the Intercession near 155th Street. NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital lies on Broadway near 166th, 167th, and 168th Streets in Washington Heights . The intersection with St. Nicholas Avenue at 167th Street forms Mitchell Square Park . At 178th Street, US 9 becomes concurrent with Broadway. Broadway crosses
7645-463: 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
7784-538: 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 the end of that June. Ultimately, more than three thousand people donated to fund Town Hall's development. The upper stories were completed by
7923-490: The boundary between Greenwich Village to the west and the East Village to the east, passing Astor Place . It is a short walk from there to New York University near Washington Square Park , which is at the foot of Fifth Avenue . A bend in front of Grace Church allegedly avoids an earlier tavern; from 10th Street it begins its long diagonal course across Manhattan, headed almost due north. Because Broadway preceded
8062-409: The building in 1937, but this was not carried out. The same year, Denny succeeded Ely as 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
8201-450: 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 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
8340-424: 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
8479-420: 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
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#17327801643608618-429: The center of town just past South Presbyterian Church , headed for equally comfortable Ardsley-on-Hudson and Irvington . Villa Lewaro , the home of Madam C. J. Walker , the first African-American millionaire, is along the highway here. At the north end of the village of Irvington, a memorial to writer Washington Irving , after whom the village was renamed, marks the turnoff to his home at Sunnyside . Entering into
8757-432: 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
8896-476: The crowded glitter of Bond Street equipages, nor the gorgeous fronted palaces of Regent Street ; but it is magnificent in its extent, and ornamented by several handsome buildings, some of them surrounded by grass and trees. In 1868, Bloomingdale Road between 59th Street (at the Grand Circle, now Columbus Circle ) and 155th Streets would be paved and widened, becoming an avenue with landscaped medians. It
9035-668: The current street allegedly beginning as the Wickquasgeck trail before the arrival of Europeans. This then formed the basis for one of the primary thoroughfares of the Dutch New Amsterdam colony, which continued under British rule, although most of it did not bear its current name until the late 19th century. Some portions of Broadway in Manhattan are interrupted for continuous vehicle traffic, including Times Square , Herald Square , and Union Square , and instead used as pedestrian-only plazas. South of Columbus Circle ,
9174-463: The designation. In the 1960s and 1970s, the area surrounding both Verdi Square and Sherman Square was known by local drug users and dealers as "Needle Park", and was featured prominently in the gritty 1971 dramatic film The Panic in Needle Park , directed by Jerry Schatzberg and starring Al Pacino in his second onscreen role. The original brick and stone shelter leading to the entrance of
9313-563: The east, Broadway becomes the busy main street of Tarrytown . Christ Episcopal Church , where Irving worshiped, is along the street. Many high-quality restaurants and shops are along this main road. This downtown ends at the eastern terminus of NY 448 , where Broadway slopes off to the left, downhill, and four signs indicate that Broadway turns left, passing the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow , another NHL. The road then enters Sleepy Hollow (formerly North Tarrytown), passing
9452-486: 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
9591-426: 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 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
9730-514: 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
9869-540: 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 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,
10008-426: The first decade of the 20th century, the area was occupied mostly by equestrian industries and was "thoroughly lifeless", but by 1907, The New York Times characterized this section of Broadway as having "almost a solid line of motor vehicle signs all the way from Times Square to Sherman Square". In the late 1900s and early 1910s, several large automobile showrooms, stores, and garages were built on Broadway, including
10147-571: 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 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 ,
10286-608: The former Symphony Theatre, which was originally built in 1918 as a premier "music and motion-picture house". At 99th Street, Broadway passes between the controversial skyscrapers of the Ariel East and West. At 107th Street, Broadway merges with West End Avenue , with the intersection forming Straus Park with its Titanic Memorial by Augustus Lukeman . Broadway then passes the campus of Columbia University at 116th Street in Morningside Heights , in part on
10425-872: 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
10564-632: The grid that the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 imposed on the island, Broadway crosses midtown Manhattan diagonally, intersecting with both the east–west streets and north–south avenues. Broadway's intersections with avenues, marked by " squares " (some merely triangular slivers of open space), have induced some interesting architecture, such as the Flatiron Building . At Union Square , Broadway crosses 14th Street , merges with Fourth Avenue , and continues its diagonal uptown course from
10703-525: 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,
10842-491: The headline "Found on the Great White Way" in the February 3, 1902, edition of the New York Evening Telegram . The journalistic nickname was inspired by the millions of lights on theater marquees and billboard advertisements that illuminate the area. After becoming the city's de facto red-light district in the 1960s and 1970s (as can be seen in the films Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy ), since
10981-490: The historic 72nd Street station and the addition of a second subway control house and passenger shelter on an adjacent center median just north of 72nd Street, across from the original building, resulted in the creation of a public plaza with stone pavers and extensive seating, connecting the newer building with Verdi Square, and making it necessary to divert northbound traffic to Amsterdam Avenue for one block. While Broadway's southbound lanes at this intersection were unaffected by
11120-663: The increased southbound traffic between Columbus Circle (Eighth Avenue) and Times Square (Seventh Avenue) caused the city to re-stripe that section of Broadway for four southbound and two northbound lanes. Broadway became one-way from Columbus Circle south to Herald Square ( 34th Street ) on March 10, 1957, in conjunction with Sixth Avenue becoming one-way from Herald Square north to 59th Street and Seventh Avenue becoming one-way from 59th Street south to Times Square (where it crosses Broadway). On June 3, 1962, Broadway became one-way south of Canal Street , with Trinity Place and Church Street carrying northbound traffic. Another change
11259-577: The intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue was repurposed into a public plaza, simplifying that intersection. As part of the 2017 project, Worth Square was expanded, converting the adjoining block of Broadway into a "shared street". In September 2019, the pedestrian space in the Herald Square area was expanded between 33rd and 32nd Streets alongside Greeley Square . Five blocks of Broadway—from 50th to 48th, 39th to 39th, and 23rd to 21st Street—were converted into shared streets in late 2021. The block between 40th and 39th Streets, known as Golda Meir Square,
11398-415: 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
11537-618: The late 1980s Times Square has emerged as a family tourist center, in effect being Disneyfied following the company's purchase and renovation of the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street in 1993. The New York Times , from which the Square gets its name, was published at offices at 239 West 43rd Street; the paper stopped printing papers there on June 15, 2007. At the southwest corner of Central Park , Broadway crosses Eighth Avenue (called Central Park West north of 59th Street) at West 59th Street and Columbus Circle ; on
11676-488: 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 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
11815-408: The league in 1930. Denny thought "an honest system of political education" 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
11954-729: The length of Manhattan Island. Upon the arrival of the Dutch , the trail was widened and soon became the main road through the island from Nieuw Amsterdam at the southern tip. The Dutch explorer and entrepreneur David Pietersz. de Vries gives the first mention of it in his journal for the year 1642 ("the Wickquasgeck Road over which the Indians passed daily"). The Dutch called it the Heeren Wegh or Heeren Straat , meaning "Gentlemen's Way" or "Gentlemen's Street" – echoing
12093-464: 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
12232-738: 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
12371-590: The name of a similar street in Amsterdam – or "High Street" or "the Highway"; it was renamed "Broadway" after the British took over the city, because of its unusual width. Although currently the name of the street is simply "Broadway", in a 1776 map of New York City, it is labeled as "Broadway Street". In the 18th century, Broadway ended at the town commons north of Wall Street . The part of Broadway in what
12510-473: The new construction, its northbound lanes are no longer contiguous at this intersection. Drivers can either continue along Amsterdam Avenue to head uptown or turn left on West 73rd Street to resume traveling on Broadway. Several notable apartment buildings are in close proximity to this intersection, including The Ansonia , its ornate architecture dominating the cityscape here. After the Ansonia first opened as
12649-603: The next block is the Manhattan School of Music . Broadway then runs past the Manhattanville campus of Columbia University, and the main campus of CUNY–City College near 135th Street; the Gothic buildings of the original City College campus are out of sight, a block to the east. Also to the east are the brownstones of Hamilton Heights. Hamilton Place is a surviving section of Bloomingdale Road, and originally
12788-470: The northern border of Sleepy Hollow, New York . Canyon of Heroes is occasionally used to refer to the section of lower Broadway in the Financial District that is the location of the city's ticker-tape parades . The traditional route of the parade is northward from Bowling Green to City Hall Park . Most of the route is lined with tall office buildings along both sides, affording a view of
12927-492: The other triangle is a lush tree-filled garden bordering Amsterdam Avenue from just above West 72nd Street to West 73rd Street. Named Verdi Square in 1921 for its monument to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi , which was erected in 1909, this triangular sliver of public space was designated a Scenic Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1974, one of nine city parks that have received
13066-456: The parade for thousands of office workers who create the snowstorm-like jettison of shredded paper products that characterize the parade. While typical sports championship parades have been showered with some 50 tons of confetti and shredded paper, the V-J Day parade on August 14–15, 1945 – marking the end of World War II – was covered with 5,438 tons of paper, based on estimates provided by
13205-577: The performances were sold out, and NBC Blue broadcast the concerts under 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
13344-455: The portions of Broadway through Duffy Square , Times Square , and Herald Square have been closed entirely to automobile traffic, except for cross traffic on the Streets and Avenues, as part of a traffic and pedestrianization experiment, with the pavement reserved exclusively for walkers, cyclists, and those lounging in temporary seating placed by the city. The city decided that the experiment
13483-475: 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
13622-423: 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
13761-436: The road gently undulates along the ridgetop. In Yonkers, Broadway passes the historic Philipse Manor house, which dates back to colonial times. It remains Broadway as it leaves Yonkers for Hastings-on-Hudson , where it splits into separate north and south routes for 0.6 miles (1.0 km). The trees become taller and the houses, many separated from the road by stone fences, become larger. Another National Historic Landmark,
13900-523: The road is one-way going southbound. Broadway in Manhattan is known widely as the heart of the American commercial theatrical industry , and is used as a metonym for it, as well as in the names of alternative theatrical ventures such as Off-Broadway and Off-off-Broadway . Broadway was originally the Wickquasgeck trail, carved into the brush of Manhattan by its Native American inhabitants. This trail originally snaked through swamps and rocks along
14039-414: 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
14178-461: 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
14317-431: The second time in five years, owing to poor connections between pedestrian plazas and decreased vehicular traffic. With the new redesign, the bike lane is now on the right side of the street; it was formerly on the left side adjacent to the pedestrian plazas, causing conflicts between pedestrian and bicycle traffic. In spring 2017, as part of a capital reconstruction of Worth Square, Broadway between 24th and 25th Streets
14456-491: The section of Broadway between 32nd and 21st Streets would be redesigned as part of a project called Broadway Vision. The section between 32nd and 25th Streets would receive a bidirectional bike lane and would be converted to a shared street. Cars would be banned permanently from 27th to 25th Street. That work was finished the same July. In March 2024, the DOT announced plans to convert the section between 17th and 21st Streets into
14595-621: The show in early 1934, and Town Meeting premiered at Town Hall on May 30, 1935, to wide praise. The show 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
14734-483: The site of the former New York Coliseum convention center is the new shopping center at the foot of the Time Warner Center , headquarters of Time Warner . From Columbus Circle northward, Broadway becomes a wide boulevard to 169th Street; it retains landscaped center islands that separate northbound from southbound traffic. The medians are a vestige of the central mall of "The Boulevard" that had become
14873-594: The southern portion of Tarrytown, Broadway passes by historic Lyndhurst mansion , a massive mansion built along the Hudson River built in the early 1800s. North of here, at the Kraft Foods technical center, the Tappan Zee Bridge becomes visible. After crossing under the Thruway and I-87 again, here concurrent with I-287 , and then intersecting with the four-lane NY 119 , where 119 splits off to
15012-825: The spine of the Upper West Side , and many of these contain public seating. Broadway intersects with Columbus Avenue (known as Ninth Avenue south of West 59th Street ) at West 65th and 66th Streets where the Juilliard School and Lincoln Center , both well-known performing arts landmarks, as well as the Manhattan New York Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are located. Between West 70th and 73rd Streets, Broadway intersects with Amsterdam Avenue (known as 10th Avenue south of West 59th Street). The wide intersection of
15151-502: 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
15290-469: 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
15429-485: The time, far below its peak of 1,900. Town Meeting ultimately ended in 1956. In October 1955, 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
15568-650: The tract that housed the Bloomingdale Insane Asylum from 1808 until it moved to Westchester County in 1894. Still in Morningside Heights, Broadway passes the park-like campus of Barnard College . Next, the Gothic quadrangle of Union Theological Seminary , and the brick buildings of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America with their landscaped interior courtyards, face one another across Broadway. On
15707-453: The two thoroughfares has historically been the site of numerous traffic accidents and pedestrian casualties, partly due to the long crosswalks. Two small triangular plots of land were created at points where Broadway slices through Amsterdam Avenue. One is a tiny fenced-in patch of shrubbery and plants at West 70th Street called Sherman Square (although it and the surrounding intersection have also been known collectively as Sherman Square), and
15846-484: 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 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
15985-407: 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 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,
16124-421: The venue. Instead, the foundation operated Town Hall exclusively as a rental venue, charging $ 1,200 to host an event outside 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
16263-616: The visitors' center for Kykuit , the National Historic Landmark that was (and partially still is) the Rockefeller family 's estate . Broadway then passes the historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery , which includes the resting place of Washington Irving and the setting for " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ". Broadway expands to four lanes at the trumpet intersection with NY 117 , where it finally ends and U.S. 9 becomes Albany Post Road (and Highland Avenue) at
16402-410: 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
16541-411: Was being broadcast on 78 stations by 1939; the show's own popularity was largely fueled by its setting within 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
16680-527: Was called "Western Boulevard" or "The Boulevard". An 1897 official map of the city shows a segment of what is now Broadway as "Kingsbridge Road" in the vicinity of Washington Heights . On February 14, 1899, the name "Broadway" was extended to the entire Broadway / Bloomingdale / Boulevard / Kingsbridge complex. In the 20th century, a 30-block stretch of Broadway, extending mainly between Times Square at 42nd Street and Sherman Square at 72nd Street , formed part of Manhattan 's "Automobile Row". Before
16819-411: 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
16958-592: Was closed to vehicular traffic at that time. During 2020, the section from 31st to 25th Street was converted to a temporary pedestrian-only street called NoMad Piazza as part of the New York City Department of Transportation 's Open Streets program. Following the success of the pedestrian-only street, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership BID closed the section between 25th and 27th Streets to vehicular traffic again during 2021 and 2022. City officials announced in March 2023 that
17097-403: Was converted to a shared street , where through vehicles are banned and delivery vehicles are restricted to 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h). Delivery vehicles go northbound from Fifth Avenue to 25th Street for that one block, reversing the direction of traffic and preventing vehicles from going south on Broadway south of 25th Street. The capital project expands on a 2008 initiative where part of
17236-427: 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 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
17375-417: 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
17514-536: 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 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
17653-477: 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 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
17792-472: Was made on November 10, 1963, when Broadway became one-way southbound from Herald Square to Madison Square ( 23rd Street ) and Union Square ( 14th Street ) to Canal Street, and two routes – Sixth Avenue south of Herald Square and Centre Street , Lafayette Street , and Fourth Avenue south of Union Square – became one-way northbound. Finally, at the same time as Madison Avenue became one-way northbound and Fifth Avenue became one-way southbound, Broadway
17931-419: Was made one-way southbound between Madison Square (where Fifth Avenue crosses) and Union Square on January 14, 1966, completing its conversion south of Columbus Circle. In 2001, a one-block section of Broadway between 72nd Street and 73rd Street at Verdi Square was reconfigured. Its easternmost lanes, which formerly hosted northbound traffic, were turned into a public park when a new subway entrance for
18070-422: Was musically successful between 1946 and 1948, immediately after World War II. During October 1947 alone, 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
18209-471: 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
18348-478: Was not being broadcast, Town Hall continued to be used as a venue for speeches, musical recitals, and other events and performances. Town Hall 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
18487-581: 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 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,
18626-464: 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 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
18765-474: Was smaller than other venues such as Carnegie Hall . Furthermore, Times Square 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
18904-486: 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 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
19043-527: Was successful, and decided to make the change permanent in February 2010. Though the anticipated benefits to traffic flow were not as large as hoped, pedestrian injuries dropped dramatically and foot traffic increased in the designated areas; the project was popular with both residents and businesses. The current portions converted into pedestrian plazas are between West 47th and 42nd Streets within Times and Duffy Squares, and between West 35th and 33rd Streets in
19182-435: 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 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,
19321-507: 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 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
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