216-699: The New Victory Theater is a theater at 209 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City , near Times Square . Built in 1900 as the Republic Theatre (also Theatre Republic ), it was designed by Albert Westover and developed by Oscar Hammerstein I as a Broadway theater . The theater has been known by several names over the years, including the Belasco Theatre , Minsky's Burlesque , and
432-650: A cavea and an architectural scenery, representing a city street. The oldest surviving examples of this style are the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza (1580) and the Teatro all'antica in Sabbioneta (1590). At the beginning of 17th century theaters had moved indoors and began to resemble the arrangement we see most frequently today, with a stage separated from the audience by a proscenium arch. This coincided with
648-440: A foundation that extended 52 feet (16 m) deep. In total, the building had 6,000 square feet (560 m ) of stores and 2,000 square feet (190 m ) of basements. The office section of the building originally comprised 250,000 square feet (23,000 m ) or 265,000 square feet (24,600 m ). The entire building was served by an emergency staircase, and there were toilets on every floor. The original Broadway lobby
864-659: A frontage of 200 feet (61 m) on Broadway and 207 feet (63 m) on 43rd and 44th Streets. The surrounding area is part of Manhattan 's Theater District and contains many Broadway theatres . 1501 Broadway shares the block with 229 West 43rd Street , the Hayes Theater , and the St. James Theatre to the west. Other nearby buildings include the Majestic Theatre , the Broadhurst Theatre , and
1080-578: A movie theater , the Victory, operated by the Brandt family. The theater became the first adult movie theater on 42nd Street in 1972. New 42 took over the Victory and several neighboring theaters in 1990. Plans for the children's theater were announced in 1993, and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates restored the theater, which reopened on December 11, 1995, as the New Victory. The New Victory Theater
1296-471: A 1995 renovation by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates (HHPA). The design of the facade reflects its appearance in 1900, when Oscar Hammerstein I developed the theater. The interior design incorporates details that were added when David Belasco took over the theater in 1902. The theater's interior was intended to be completely fireproof, with marble stairways, artificial stone , and plaster surfaces with wire-net lathing . The brick and brownstone facade
1512-631: A Moorish-style auditorium with three balconies. That December Oscar Hammerstein I filed revised plans for a theater, at the same site, to be known as the Republic. The structure would be built at a cost of $ 200,000 and would complement Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre next door. By constructing the Republic, Hammerstein could extend the roof garden atop the Victoria to the new theater. The Theatre Republic opened on September 27, 1900, with James Herne 's play Sag Harbor , starring Lionel Barrymore . It
1728-657: A New Audience, Urban Bush Women , and the Metropolitan Opera Guild , as well as film series. Newsday described the initial shows as including "football, a storytelling festival, comedy acts and hip-hop dance events". During the late 1990s, the theater hosted adaptations of shows such as Peter and Wendy , The Wind in the Willows , and It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues . The New Victory was more successful than predicted, filling 85 percent of its seats in
1944-637: A barbecue in the nearby Hotel Astor that August, serving oxen and lamb that had been roasted over Westover Court's ruins. By September, the Putnam Building was slated to be demolished. In January 1926, the Paramount Broadway Corporation issued a first mortgage consisting of $ 10 million in bonds with a maturity of 25 years. The same month, the Paramount Broadway Corporation leased the building to Famous Players–Lasky for 25 years at an annual rental of $ 807,500. By then,
2160-412: A courtyard which was open to the elements. A large portion of the audience would stand in the yard, directly in front of the stage. This layout is said to derive from the practice of holding plays in the yard of an inn. Archaeological excavations of The Rose theater at London's Bankside , built 1587, have shown that it had en external diameter of 72 feet (22 metres). The nearby Globe Theatre (1599)
2376-413: A curved LED display but was otherwise designed to match historical specifications. A sign with the name "Paramount" is mounted over the archway and contains 400 lights. Prior to 2018, the main office entrance was just north of the center bay along Broadway; the opening still exists but leads to a retail space. It contains a double-height limestone frame with a lintel above the second floor. The doorway
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#17327655938972592-438: A day: in the morning and in the afternoon. The burlesque performances were several times cheaper than legitimate Broadway shows such as George White's Scandals . Each show consisted of a skit, the main burlesque performance, and a dance or comedy act. Performers included Gypsy Rose Lee , Ann Corio , Margie Hart , and Georgia Sothern . The nearby Eltinge and Apollo theaters were converted into burlesque houses shortly after
2808-470: A few more examples of the multitude of stages where plays can occur. A theatre used for opera performances is called an opera house . A theater is not required for performance (as in environmental theater or street theater ), this article is about structures used specifically for performance. Some theaters may have a fixed acting area (in most theaters this is known as the stage ), while some theaters, such as black box theaters have movable seating allowing
3024-486: A foyer and ticketing. The second is called the stage door, and it is accessible from backstage. This is where the cast and crew enter and exit the theater, and there is a tradition called "stage dooring" that some fans participate in, in which fans wait outside of the stage door after the show in hopes of getting an autograph from the actors. The acting or performance space is the stage. In some theaters, such as proscenium theaters , arena theaters and amphitheaters, this area
3240-512: A fully working and producing theater near its original site (largely thanks to the efforts of film director Sam Wanamaker ) to give modern audiences an idea of the environment for which Shakespeare and other playwrights of the period were writing. During the Renaissance , the first modern enclosed theaters were constructed in Italy. Their structure was similar to that of ancient theaters, with
3456-631: A garage at ground level with offices above. The group began renovating the Paramount Building in January 1967. As part of the renovation, the Paramount Theatre was dismantled and turned into office space, and the archway leading to the theater was removed. That March, Rosenthal and Levine sold their ownership stakes to Levin and Arlen Properties , who split ownership equally between them. Existing tenants were not disrupted by
3672-583: A grandiose nightmare that might follow a rather arduous day of sightseeing in Paris". George Shepard Chappell , writing in The New Yorker under the pseudonym "T-Square", wrote that he could not "conscientiously give the building anything except size"; in Chappell's view, this fit with the "concentrated tawdriness" of Times Square. In the 1980s, The New York Times wrote that Times Square's skyline
3888-514: A greenroom backstage, as well as traps and a stage elevator. The stage elevator, measuring 15 by 30 ft (4.6 by 9.1 m) across, formed much of the surface of the stage itself and required excavation into the underlying bedrock. In addition, there were footlights in front of the stage. The current configuration of the stage dates to 1995, when dressing rooms on the auditorium's stage were demolished to make way for expanded wing space. The stage area contains 276 dimmers and 300 lights in total, and
4104-478: A growing interest in scenic elements painted in perspective, such as those created by Inigo Jones , Nicola Sabbatini and the Galli da Bibiena family . The perspective of these elements could only be viewed properly from the center back of the auditorium, in the so-called "duke's chair." The higher one's status, the closer they would be seated to this vantage point, and the more the accurately they would be able to see
4320-448: A hanamichi stage with her entourage. The stage is used not only as a walkway or path to get to and from the main stage, but important scenes are also played on the stage. Kabuki stages and theaters have steadily become more technologically sophisticated, and innovations including revolving stages and trap doors were introduced during the 18th century. A driving force has been the desire to manifest one frequent theme of kabuki theater, that of
4536-425: A high-ceilinged interior. Within the large temple has a stage inside which is a large platform with its own pyramid roof. The stage area is separate from the audience area with the musician (a drummer on a high seat) behind the stage, and dressing rooms also at the rear with exit doors behind. The audience would be seated on a smooth, polished floor. Several Koothambalams exist within several Indian temples, and follow
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#17327655938974752-651: A lack of money. In early 1989, several dozen nonprofit theater companies submitted plans to the UDC for the takeover of six theaters. Most of the bids were for the Liberty and Victory, but the Selwyn, Apollo, Lyric, and Times Square theaters received 13 bids between them. That year, The Durst Organization acquired the leases to eight theaters in Times Square, including the Victory. It subsequently announced plans to renovate
4968-458: A mural of the Sun King . Elevators connected with the Paramount Theatre's mezzanine levels and with a basement lounge. An enormous crystal chandelier was hung from the hall. The 3,664-seat auditorium was at the rear of the building. It was 10 stories tall, with three levels of balcony seats, as well as a promenade for visitors to look down at the theater from overhead. The orchestra was at
5184-507: A palace or house. Typically, there were two or three doors in the skene that led out onto orchestra, and from which actors could enter and exit. At first, the skene was literally a tent or hut, put up for the religious festival and taken down when it was finished. Later, the skene became a permanent stone structure. These structures were sometimes painted to serve as backdrops, hence the English word scenery . A temple nearby, especially on
5400-582: A restaurant in the building that year. Hard Rock Cafe decided to move into the WWE space in 2004, citing the improvements that WWE had already made. Numerous retailers took space at 1501 Broadway in the early 2010s including Ben & Jerry's and the New York Yankees . Paramount Leasehold LP, the building's owner, obtained a $ 130 million mortgage from Cantor Commercial Real Estate in 2013. Paramount Leasehold planned to spend $ 50 million on renovating
5616-468: A retailer to the basement. Planet Hollywood , which planned to lease the basement, was to pay for the restoration. The restoration of the clock and globe involved changing the power supply and rebuilding the clock mechanism. The clock and globe were restored at the end of 1997. Planet Hollywood spent $ 13 million on renovating 1501 Broadway's ground-floor space into a venue for live music. Tobin Parnes
5832-410: A roof garden above the Times Square and Victory theaters, though it was unclear what would have happened with the Victory's interior. Meanwhile, a committee of theatrical experts recommended in 1987 that the Victory and Liberty theaters be restored for nonprofit use; they estimated that it would cost between $ 6.6 million and $ 7.7 million to renovate the Victory. City and state officials announced plans for
6048-509: A series of sex crimes in early 1937, the La Guardia administration ordered all burlesque houses to remove the word "burlesque" from their marquees that June. The Republic continued to host burlesque performances, which were billed as variety shows . Even without burlesque on its marquee, the Republic remained popular, although it was only one of three remaining burlesque theaters in the city by 1940. The Republic's manager claimed in 1940 that
6264-554: A short while, when officials' attention was diverted elsewhere. After he was elected mayor in 1934, Fiorello La Guardia began cracking down on burlesque and appointed Paul Moss as license commissioner. Even so, the Republic continued to operate as a burlesque house for several more years. Moss revoked the Republic's operating license again in September 1935, but the New York Court of Appeals overturned his revocation. After
6480-509: A shorter wing in the rear, which formerly housed the Paramount Theatre . This was typical of New York City theater buildings, where the theater was relegated to cheaper lots on side streets, while the office space took up the more valuable frontage on the main avenues. While the building had initially been planned with a 29-story office section, this was changed in the middle of construction. The office tower's decorative details
6696-578: A subsidiary, the 1493 Broadway Corporation, to buy the Putnam Building and Westover Court on Times Square in 1919. During the 1920s, Famous Players–Lasky president Adolph Zukor had acquired a controlling interest in the Chicago-based Balaban and Katz theatre chain, operated by Sam Katz , who became the head of Paramount's theatre division. Balaban and Katz had a long working relationship with Chicago architectural firm Rapp and Rapp, which had designed numerous theaters for Katz's company in
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6912-527: A variety of genres, though Levine said none of the company's 42nd Street theaters showed hardcore porn . The Brandts' theaters had a combined annual gross of about $ 2 million and operated nearly the entire day. However, the area was in decline; the Brandts' theaters only had three million visitors by 1977, about half of the number in 1963. The 42nd Street Development Corporation had been formed in 1976 to discuss plans for redeveloping Times Square. The same year,
7128-490: A vertical dimension. The Indian Koothambalam temple is a space used to perform Sanskrit drama . Called the koothambalam or kuttampalam, it is a large high-caste rectangular, temple in Kerala which represented a “visual sacrifice” to any deities or gods of the temple. They were built for kutiyattam or “combined acting” performances, which only two dramas are performed today. The temple has a pyramidal roof, with high walls, and
7344-467: Is across three levels. The decreased capacity reflects the fact that part of the former seating area is occupied by the lobby. In addition, the present-day children's theater did not need a high seating capacity, and modern audiences generally required wider seats. The modern auditorium is a cube measuring around 50 ft (15 m) on each side. When it opened as the Theatre Republic in 1900,
7560-472: Is associated with the performers and their actions. The stage is made entirely of unfinished hinoki , a Japanese cypress, with almost no decorative elements. The poet and novelist Toson Shimazaki writes that "on the stage of the Noh theater there are no sets that change with each piece. Neither is there a curtain. There is only a simple panel ( kagami-ita ) with a painting of a green pine tree . This creates
7776-498: Is at 209 West 42nd Street, on the northern sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue , at the southern end of Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . The building occupies a rectangular land lot covering 6,942 sq ft (644.9 m), with a frontage of 69 ft (21 m) on 42nd Street and a depth of 100.5 ft (30.6 m). The theater abuts 3 Times Square to
7992-404: Is considered symbolic and treated with reverence both by the performers and the audience. The stage includes a large square platform, devoid of walls or curtains on three sides, and traditionally with a painting of a pine tree at the back. The platform is elevated above the place where the audience sits, which is covered in white gravel soil. The four stage corners are marked by cedar pillars, and
8208-418: Is decorated with woodwork and plaster decorations, which resemble the original decorations in the theater. The auditorium was gilded extensively; the gilding was covered in 1902, before HHPA restored the gilding in 1995. The modern-day decorations consist of motifs such as fleurs-de-lis and laurels, which are made of glazed Dutch metal. At the rear of the second balcony level are control booths. The rear wall of
8424-438: Is designed in a red-and-gold palette, with green and purple accents, and contains box seats and a decorative domed ceiling. The backstage areas were initially extremely small, but they were expanded into a new wing in 1995. The theater opened on September 27, 1900, with the play Sag Harbor . Two years later, Belasco leased the theater, renamed it for himself, and completely reconstructed the interior. Although Belasco restored
8640-466: Is designed in the Art Deco and Beaux-Arts styles. The office wing on Times Square contains numerous setbacks as mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution , while the rear wing housed the Paramount Theatre from 1926 to 1967. Newmark & Company owns 1501 Broadway. The facade is mostly designed with brick walls, though the first five stories are ornamented with limestone piers. The main entrance
8856-453: Is divided vertically into a large center section flanked by two narrower sections. At ground level, the entrance includes a set of double doors, flanked by a single door, all made of brass and glass. Above the center doors is a clock flanked by brackets. There are windows above the remainder of the ground floor, as well as another set of windows on the 2nd story. The ground and 2nd stories of the doorway are separated by decorative iron spandrels;
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9072-468: Is narrow, though urban explorers have climbed onto the deck. The central entrance on Broadway led to the offices, while the ornate arched entrance on the south end of the Broadway elevation led to the Paramount Theatre. At ground level, a large amount of space was occupied by the theater's entrance, and other space was taken up by seven storefronts. There was also store space in the basement, as well as
9288-489: Is on 43rd Street, with bronze doors and a bronze marquee sign. The 2nd through 4th stories are divided into bays, containing three-story window openings flanked by rusticated piers. The windows on each story are separated by iron spandrels and are divided by vertical iron mullions. The spandrels are ornamented with classical motifs, as well as theatrical icons such as masks, scrolls , and festoons . The 5th story contains one-over-one sash windows with metal frames. Between
9504-490: Is on 43rd Street. There is also a five-story arch on Broadway , facing Times Square, which leads to a Hard Rock Cafe ; it is an imitation of the former Paramount Theatre entrance. Atop the building is a four-faced clock, with two large faces and two small faces, as well as an illuminated globe that could display the time. The ground floor historically had an ornate lobby leading to the theater, which had 3,664 seats over four levels. The modern building contains office space in both
9720-596: Is organized to provide support areas for performers, the technical crew and the audience members, as well as the stage where the performance takes place. There are as many types of theaters as there are types of performance. Theaters may be built specifically for certain types of productions, they may serve for more general performance needs or they may be adapted or converted for use as a theater. They may range from open-air amphitheaters to ornate, cathedral -like structures to simple, undecorated rooms or black box theaters . A thrust stage as well as an arena stage are just
9936-425: Is permanent part of the structure. In some theaters the stage area can be changed and adapted specifically to a production, often called a black box theater , due to the common practice of the walls being painted black and hung with black drapes. Usually in a building used specifically for performance there are offstage spaces used by the performers and crew. This is where props , sets , and scenery are stored, and
10152-507: Is placed within the globe, measuring 2.5 feet (0.76 m) wide, with a maintenance ladder and catwalks inside. The globe was intended to signify Paramount predecessor Famous Players–Lasky , and it originally illuminated once every 15 minutes. In its early years, the globe could be seen from several miles away at night. During World War II , the globe and clock were painted black to maintain blackout conditions for fear of an enemy invasion. They were restored in 1996. After its restoration,
10368-531: Is still standing today and, with its amazing structural acoustics and having had its seating reconstructed, can be seen to be a marvel of Roman architecture. During the Elizabethan era in England , theaters were constructed of wooden framing, infilled with wattle and daub and roofed with thatch . Mostly the theaters were entirely open air. They consisted of several floors of covered galleries surrounding
10584-679: Is the modular theater, notably the Walt Disney Modular Theater . This large theater has floors and walls divided into small movable sections, with the floor sections on adjustable pneumatric piston, so that the space may be adjusted into any configuration for each individual play. As new styles of theater performance have evolved, so has the desire to improve or recreate performance venues. This applies equally to artistic and presentation techniques, such as stage lighting . Specific designs of contemporary live theaters include proscenium , thrust , black box theater , theater in
10800-426: Is the artistic director. When the New Victory opened in 1995, it operated an education program on weekdays for students who attended public and private schools in the city. The New Victory Theater also offered apprenticeships for high school and college students who lived in the city. These apprenticeships, funded by a scholarship grant, originally ran for 10 to 12 weeks and trained students to be ushers. In addition to
11016-527: The Beaux-Arts and Art Deco styles. It was constructed from 1925 to 1927 as the headquarters of Paramount Pictures , one of the major American motion picture companies in the 1920s. R. E. Hall & Co. were the construction engineers, and Thompson–Starrett Co. was the general contractor ; numerous other engineers, contractors, and suppliers were involved in the building's construction. 1501 Broadway contains 33 stories, although early reports cite
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#173276559389711232-561: The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States , although it continued to host children's and family shows online which were also broadcast on WNET's Camp TV and Let's Learn. The New Victory Theater is operated by New 42nd Street. The New Victory's shows are largely intended for children up to 17 years old. Since 2019, Russell Granet has served as the theater's president and chief executive officer. In addition, as of 2022, Mary Rose Lloyd
11448-627: The City University of New York 's Graduate Center hosted an exhibition with photographs of the Victory and other theaters to advocate for the area's restoration. One plan for the site, in 1978, called for restoring the Victory as a legitimate theater while razing nearby buildings to create a park. Another plan, called the City at 42nd Street, was announced in December 1979 as part of a proposal to restore West 42nd Street around Times Square. Under
11664-536: The Edinburgh Fringe has seen performances in an taxi . The traditional stage used in Noh theater is based on a Chinese pattern. It is completely open, providing a shared experience between the performers and the audience throughout the play. Without any prosceniums or curtains to obstruct the view, the audience sees each actor at moments even before entering the primary platform of the stage. The theater itself
11880-585: The New Amsterdam Theatre to the south; and the Candler Building to the southwest. The surrounding area is part of Manhattan 's Theater District and contains many Broadway theaters . In the first two decades of the 20th century, eleven venues for legitimate theatre were built within one block of West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. The New Amsterdam, Harris , Liberty , Eltinge , and Lew Fields theaters occupied
12096-706: The Offtrack Betting Corporation , Lane Bryant , and the Metropolitan Diagnostic Institute. The newly converted office space was not fully leased until the mid-1970s. By the end of that decade, many lower-story tenants had chosen not to renew, including the Times and Lane Bryant, but Newmark had added other tenants, including the Internal Revenue Service and Hardesty & Hanover . By contrast,
12312-771: The Prudential Insurance Company of America . It was delayed for several years due to lawsuits and disputes concerning the towers. Meanwhile, by the mid-1980s, the adult-film industry had begun to decline, resulting in fewer films being screened at the Victory Theatre. Even so, it was the oldest theater in Manhattan to have continuously operated as such. The Victory still retained some of its early-20th-century architectural detail, such as cherubs, gold-leaf decorations, and trapdoors. The Brandts also leased all their movie theaters on 42nd Street, including
12528-567: The Shubert Theatre to the northwest; One Astor Plaza to the north; 1530 Broadway to the northeast; 1500 Broadway to the east; 4 Times Square and One Times Square to the southeast; 3 Times Square to the south; the American Airlines Theatre , Lyric Theatre , and New Victory Theater to the southwest. Prior to the development of the Paramount Building, the eastern portion of the site had been occupied by
12744-515: The Victory Theatre . The theater is owned by the city and state governments of New York and leased to nonprofit New 42 , which has operated the venue as a children's theater since 1995. The New Victory presents theater shows, dance shows, puppet shows, and other types of performance art shows from all around the world. The New Victory Theater's modern design dates to a 1995 renovation; its facade reflects its appearance in 1900, while
12960-514: The Wurlitzer company. The railings were manufactured from brass. There were Greek statues and busts carved in wall niches, while the restrooms and waiting rooms were grandiose in style in comparison to cathedrals at the time. In addition to the auditorium, there was a music room and three rehearsal rooms. Various rooms were decorated with artwork, and there were seating lounges and a tea gallery as well. The side rooms were given names, such as
13176-476: The fly system consists of 30 sets of counterweights . The counterweight system replaced an older system that used sandbags . Originally, the Victory Theatre was surrounded on all sides by other buildings, and it had neither backstage areas nor a stage door. During the 1995 renovation, the New Victory Theater organization acquired two low-rise tenement buildings on 43rd Street. One of the wings
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#173276559389713392-494: The orchestra pit ) which focused the attention of audience on the stage, completely immersing them in the imaginary world of the music drama. These concepts were revolutionary at the time, but they have since come to be taken for granted in the modern operatic environment as well as many other types of theatrical endeavors. Contemporary theaters are often non-traditional, such as very adaptable spaces, or theaters where audience and performers are not separated. A major example of this
13608-431: The proskenion , but this is not certain. Rising from the circle of the orchestra was the audience. The audience sat on tiers of benches built up on the side of a hill. Greek theaters, then, could only be built on hills that were correctly shaped. A typical theater was enormous, able to seat around 15,000 viewers. Greek theaters were not enclosed; the audience could see each other and the surrounding countryside as well as
13824-657: The 1996–1997 season and selling thousands of memberships to families. Cora Cahan, who headed New 42nd Street, said the New Victory's success proved that there was a "real need" for children's theaters in New York City. The theater continued to present family-friendly shows, including those by foreign artists, through the late 1990s and the 2000s. By the 2000s, the theater was also hosting a variety of dance productions, including classical ballet , hip-hop dance, and modern routines. Compared with theatrical productions, which were often produced or adapted specifically for children,
14040-402: The 5th-story windows are oval cartouches. The theater entrance was near the south end of the eastern elevation, facing Broadway. Originally, it had a five-story archway and an elaborate curved marquee. The original archway was removed in the late 1960s and replaced with windows and rusticated piers, which were taken from the 43rd Street elevation. The only indication of the former archway was
14256-543: The Belasco in its early years. By 1906, Belasco was unsure whether he would be able to renew his lease on his namesake theater, so he decided to develop the Stuyvesant Theatre on 44th Street, incorporating many of the innovations that he had developed at the 42nd Street theater. Belasco's lease was again scheduled for renewal in 1910, and he renamed the theater yet again that July. The 42nd Street theater became
14472-539: The Elizabethan Room, a mixed-gender lounge paneled in walnut. The theater space was converted to offices in 1967, requiring the installation of 64 steel columns within the auditorium shell. The former auditorium is spanned by eight trusses , each measuring 122 feet (37 m) and weighing 144 short tons (129 long tons; 131 t). The former theater lobby's space is occupied by a Hard Rock Cafe restaurant, spread across 5,500 square feet (510 m ) on
14688-594: The Holly Holding Company, leased the Republic in January 1931 with plans to present burlesque shows there. Joseph Weinstock would finance the conversion of the theater into a burlesque house, and Minsky installed two runways for his performers. The theater reopened as a burlesque house on February 12, 1931, becoming the first burlesque venue on 42nd Street. The venue, known as Minsky's Burlesque, presented performances with such titles as "Panties Inferno" and "Mind Over Mattress". The theater presented two shows
14904-753: The LPC hosted public hearings on whether to designate the Victory and five other theaters as landmarks. The LPC rejected the designations in February 2016 because the theaters were already subject to historic-preservation regulations set by the state government. The Urban Development Corporation (UDC), an agency of the New York state government, proposed redeveloping the area around a portion of West 42nd Street in 1981. The plan centered around four towers that were to be built at 42nd Street's intersections with Broadway and Seventh Avenue, developed by Park Tower Realty and
15120-616: The Midwest. In June 1922, Famous Players–Lasky received a $ 5.5 million loan from the Prudence Bonds Corporation, and it planned to spend $ 2.5 million on a 4,000-seat movie theater behind the Putnam Building. Rapp and Rapp were hired to design the new theater. Shortly afterward, Famous Players–Lasky signed a 21-year lease with the 1493 Broadway Corporation. Though Famous Players–Lasky had encountered difficulties in funding its motion pictures by late 1923, Zukor said
15336-406: The New Victory has also operated LabWorks Launch, in which a LabWorks artist is selected to develop their work further and present it at the theater. Theatre (building) A theater , or playhouse , is a structure where theatrical works, performing arts , and musical concerts are presented. The theater building serves to define the performance and audience spaces. The facility usually
15552-540: The New Victory. Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression . Manhattan's theater district had begun to shift from Union Square and Madison Square during the first decade of the 20th century. From 1901 to 1920, forty-three theaters were built around Broadway in Midtown Manhattan. These included the New Victory Theater, which over
15768-425: The Paramount Building was "the most extraordinary pile in New York". Conversely, Lewis Mumford said "the posters describe it as the greatest palace that shadows have built", a phrase that had been created by film industry promoters, "but it is in fact the greatest shadow that shadows have built". While Mumford characterized the exterior as something that nobody could see, he called the interior "the reminiscence of
15984-689: The Paramount Building's debt in May 1934. The yearly interest rate on the bonds was lowered temporarily until half the principal of the bonds was paid off. Paramount Broadway also sued to have the tax assessment for the building reduced by $ 3 million. Despite opposition by bondholders, Paramount Publix reorganized as Paramount Pictures Inc. in April 1935 and restructured its subsidiary, the Paramount Broadway Corporation. Paramount Pictures owned all stock in Paramount Broadway. The Paramount Theatre at
16200-445: The Paramount Theatre with an exhibit hall and office space. A Webb & Knapp subsidiary had made a $ 150,000 down payment, with a promise to pay $ 350,000 before the sale's closing and $ 10 million at closing. The theater shuttered on August 4, 1964, though it temporarily reopened the next month. Paramount Pictures indicated it would remain in the building. The conclusion of the sale was postponed to October, then to November, when
16416-399: The Putnam Building, a six-story commercial structure. It was named after American Revolutionary War general Israel Putnam , who had passed through the site in 1776 during the war. The Putnam Building had long been occupied by theatrical agencies and, before its demolition in 1925, had a large electric sign measuring 200 by 50 feet (61 by 15 m) on its facade . The western part of
16632-484: The Republic Theatre name in 1910, he continued to operate it until 1914. A. H. Woods then leased the theater until 1922, when Oliver D. Bailey took over, hosting the play Abie's Irish Rose at the theater for five years. Due to a lack of theatrical productions, Billy Minsky converted the Republic into a burlesque house in 1931, and his family operated it as such until 1942. Afterward, the Republic became
16848-400: The Republic as early as April 1931, arresting managers and some of the performers for public indecency, but these actions only boosted the theaters' popularity. The Republic's operating license was temporarily revoked in September 1932, although the theater reopened the next month. The Republic temporarily stopped showing burlesque every time it was raided; the managers reinstated the shows after
17064-449: The Republic reopened, and the Republic was financially successful by mid-1931. After Minsky died in 1932, his siblings continued to operate the theater as a burlesque. Local business owners opposed burlesque, claiming that the shows encouraged loitering and decreased property values. In New York, theater licenses were subject to yearly renewal, and opponents of burlesque tried to get the theaters' licenses revoked. The police conducted raids on
17280-536: The Republic to the Universal Film Company for use as a cinema. Hammerstein, who feared that people would boycott the theater, sued Belasco, claiming that the lease only permitted Belasco to use the theater for "first-class theatrical performances". Hammerstein won his lawsuit against Belasco and Universal in March 1914, prompting Belasco to give up his lease. A. H. Woods leased the Republic Theatre at
17496-453: The Republic's plays in 1917 were Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin 's Lilac Time , John N. Raphael's Peter Ibbetson , and Lou Tellegen and Willard Mack 's Blind Youth . Woods also produced Parlor, Bedroom and Bath , which ran at the theater for 232 performances from 1917 to 1918, and A Voice in the Dark , which had 134 performances in 1919. The Republic presented a long-running transfer of
17712-632: The Republic, while the 44th Street theater became the Belasco. The renamed theater's first production was Bobby Burnit , which opened in August 1910. The New York City government announced the same year that it would widen 42nd Street, requiring that the Republic Theatre's stoop be demolished. Around that time, Hammerstein also indicated his intent to sell the theater. The Republic hosted the plays Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm in 1910, The Woman in 1911, and The Governor's Lady in 1912; all of these shows lasted for several months. In January 1914, Belasco leased
17928-457: The Selwyn, Apollo, Times Square, Lyric, and Victory theaters on the north side of 42nd Street, as well as the Eltinge and Liberty theaters on the south side. The Victory Theater showed horror and exploitation films. Several producers offered to stage legitimate productions in the Brandt theaters, but none of the offers were successful. William Brandt indicated in 1946 that he might replace
18144-495: The Thompson-Starrett Company began erecting the steel trusses above the auditorium. Traveling derricks were used for the process, which was captured on film and which attracted a large crowd. Inclement weather during that month led to slight delays, prompting Thompson-Starrett to hire contractors for overnight shifts to make up for the lost time. By the end of March, the auditorium's trusses were completed and
18360-400: The Victory for workshops and stage readings . The theater was also used as a filming location, including for the film Manhattan Murder Mystery , a video by the band The Black Crowes , and a video for Sophie B. Hawkins 's song " Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover ". As plans for the redevelopment of 42nd Street progressed, several critics lamented the fact that the Victory and other theaters on
18576-472: The Victory in 1944 and began operating it as a "grind house", showing movies from dawn to dusk. By the mid-1940s, the ten theaters along 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues were all showing movies; this led Variety to call the block the "biggest movie center of the world". The Brandt family operated seven of these theaters, while the Cinema circuit operated the other three. The Brandt theaters included
18792-572: The Victory, to the Cine 42nd Street Corporation in 1986. From 1987 to 1989, Park Tower and Prudential hired Robert A. M. Stern to conduct a study on the Apollo, Lyric, Selwyn (later American Airlines), Times Square, and Victory theaters on the north side of 42nd Street. Stern devised three alternatives for the five theaters. Stern presented a model of his plan in October 1988. The plan called for erecting
19008-507: The Victory. The theater became the first on 42nd Street to exhibit pornographic films in 1970. The city government quickly started cracking down on adult theaters, forcing the Victory's managers to change the theater's marquee and withdraw shows under threat of arrest. Martin Levine and Richard Brandt took over the 42nd Street Company in 1972. At the time, the Victory was showing porn and "a mixed bag of other films". The other six theaters showed
19224-488: The acting. An altar was located in the middle of the orchestra; in Athens, the altar was dedicated to Dionysus , the god of wine and the theater. Behind the orchestra was a large rectangular building called the skene (meaning "tent" or "hut"). [1] It was used as a "backstage" area where actors could change their costumes and masks, but also served to represent the location of the plays, which were usually set in front of
19440-530: The actors and chorus. The Romans copied the Greek style of building, but tended not to be so concerned about the location, being prepared to build walls and terraces instead of looking for a naturally occurring site. The auditorium (literally "place for hearing" in Latin) was the area in which people gathered, and was sometimes constructed on a small hill or slope in which stacked seating could be easily made in
19656-735: The apprenticeship and education programs, the theater operates the Usher Corps, training high-school students to be ushers. In 2014, the New Victory was awarded by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award for the usher program. The New Victory also operates LabWorks, a program in which performers and other artists can receive rehearsal space and subsidies. Since 2021,
19872-444: The audience is often separated from the performers by the proscenium arch. In proscenium theaters and amphitheaters , the proscenium arch, like the stage, is a permanent feature of the structure. This area is known as the auditorium or the house. The seating areas can include some or all of the following: Greek theater buildings were called a theatron ('seeing place'). The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on
20088-423: The auditorium and the stage, and he took over the theater in April 1902. He hired the firm of Bigelow, Wallis & Cotton to conduct the renovations, and he hired Rudolph Allen as the interior designer. Belasco initially planned to spend only $ 15,000 to $ 20,000, but he eventually gutted the entire interior, spending $ 150,000. The stage and auditorium were entirely reconstructed, and a basement was excavated underneath
20304-592: The auditorium was decorated in green, white, and gold. Belasco repainted the auditorium red, green, and brown in 1902. The New Victory Theater was repainted in a red-and-gold palette, with green and purple accents, during the 1995 renovation. The modern color palette resembles the color scheme introduced in Belasco's 1902 renovation, with lighter tones. The seating areas were originally so steeply raked that The New York Times said "the big-hat question", in which some patrons' large hats obstructed other guests' views, "will never be raised in that house". When Belasco replaced
20520-417: The auditorium, Three doors under the original stoop led to a box office, cab office, check room, and information bureau, and two more doors led to the orchestra-level seats. Two staircases with carved balustrades led from the lobby to the first balcony level. By the 1930s, the lobby had been removed, and the main entrance doors led directly to the theater's orchestra level. When the theater was renovated in 1995,
20736-491: The base closed for one week in 1934, the only extended closure in the theater's history. The next year, the clock faces were refurbished after the hands had become badly corroded. Paramount Broadway continued to post losses in the years after the reorganization. Conversely, the Paramount Theatre at the building's base became highly popular, especially for live musical performances, hosting performers such as Buddy Holly and Frank Sinatra . William A. White & Son prepared
20952-520: The basement to a restaurant, and the observation deck opened that November. The building's retail tenants paid rent to Paramount based on a percentage of each tenants' gross profits. Paramount executives frequently patronized the shops, including a 3rd-story barbershop, the Childs Restaurant in the basement, and a Walgreens pharmacy at ground level. Rapp and Rapp filed plans for further alterations in late 1928. By then, Famous Players–Lasky
21168-494: The block were no longer showing adult movies. New 42nd Street decided to convert the Victory into a space for live performances, and it erected a sidewalk shed in front of the theater in July 1993, before renovation plans were even finalized. New 42nd Street announced in October 1993 that the Victory would become a children's theater called the New Victory. HHPA was hired to renovate the theater for $ 7.9 million. Fisher/Dachs Associates
21384-596: The block. Back Stage magazine said the New Victory's restoration was "boldly leading the way to the rebirth of 42nd Street as a cultural mecca". TCI magazine said the theater's restoration proved that "Broadway's tarnished jewel boxes-even those languishing as porno houses-can be saved to support the legitimate theatre". For its restoration of the New Victory Theater, HHPA won the American Institute of Architects 's 1997 honor award for interior spaces. The theater's initial season included acts such as Theatre for
21600-423: The building carries a Broadway address, it is actually on the west side of Seventh Avenue . The section of Broadway and Seventh Avenue between 43rd and 45th Streets is officially listed on city maps as "Times Square", but the adjoining section of Broadway was converted into a permanent pedestrian plaza in the 2010s. The Paramount Building's rectangular land lot covers 41,586 square feet (3,863.5 m ), with
21816-407: The building for air raids at the beginning of World War II, which led the building to earn an award for air-raid readiness in 1943. In addition, the Paramount Building's tenants collected scrap paper for the war effort, and the globe and clock atop the building were blacked out. By the end of 1944, Paramount Broadway had paid off a $ 6 million mortgage on the building. Paramount attempted to sell
22032-563: The building since its completion, were closed in 1957. AB-PT relocated its headquarters to the ABC studios on 66th Street in 1959, though ABC's film syndication units remained at the Paramount Building. The theater had dropped its stage-show policy in 1952 but was still popular, though it faced increasing competition from television. William Zeckendorf Jr. of the firm Webb & Knapp offered to buy 1501 Broadway in June 1964, with plans to replace
22248-745: The building, including Rapp and Rapp, the Western Union Telegraph Company , and the Educational Film Corporation of America . In mid-November 1926, the New York Building Congress distributed craftsmanship awards to 21 construction workers. The Paramount Theatre opened on November 19, 1926, with a ceremony including thousands of guests. This was part of a three-day celebration of Broadway's 300th anniversary, which included an event in which thousands of balloons were released from
22464-421: The building. Mortimer M. Caplin had been appointed as trustee for Webb & Knapp's operations, and he sought to delay the sale of the building to Sharp. The property title was to have been transferred in June 1965, but Caplin objected to the transfer at the last minute. Caplin presumably wanted Webb & Knapp's $ 500,000 deposit on the building to be returned to his client. This led Sharp to withdraw from
22680-403: The building. The interior of the theater was decorated with French detailing. The arch connected to a domed rotunda measuring 50 feet (15 m) tall, supported by veined-marble columns on black-and-gold bases. A "Hall of Nations" was just past the rotunda. The Hall of Nations had rocks from 37 countries, accompanied by explanatory plaques, as well as a bust of Thomas Edison . Past that
22896-476: The building; it also considered adding an entrance on 43rd Street. At the time, 1501 Broadway was 70 percent occupied, and its tenants included entertainment companies and attorneys. The LPC approved the renovation project in 2016. The lobby was moved from Broadway to 43rd Street, and a tenant lounge was installed on the third story. In addition, elevators and escalators were added, while hallways, restrooms, and windows were upgraded. The contractors replicated
23112-468: The burled surfaces of the wood. The private offices of Famous Players–Lasky cofounders Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky were decorated with walnut-paneled walls, separated by wide moldings. These offices had large ceiling beams, which were clad with walnut panels and separated by plaster coffers; the casement windows in these offices contained stained glass panels. The stories below the 18th floor each contained 16,000 square feet (1,500 m ), while
23328-410: The center panel has an oval motif. The spandrels contain other motifs including theater masks, instruments, and branches. The building's cornerstone is placed in a niche within the former main entrance. The cornerstone includes copper boxes with several newspapers' front pages, gold coins, film reels, and a news reel showing Richard E. Byrd 's 1926 North Pole flight. Starting on the 6th story of
23544-474: The company spent $ 7.5 million. The World opened in 2000. That May, the LPC approved the addition of an LED marquee after initially hesitating to do so. The new marquee was unveiled with an American flag display on September 12, 2001, one day after the September 11 attacks . WWE closed its store and restaurant in early 2003, only three years after opening the restaurant. Bubba Gump Shrimp Company opened
23760-435: The corporation would proceed once the lease on Westover Court expired the following year. The size of the site would have allowed a theater with up to 7,000 seats, but this would have required an extremely crowded seating arrangement. Famous Players–Lasky had raised $ 2 million toward funding the building's construction when it had run into financial issues. Ultimately, the company implemented a financing plan, wherein it cleared
23976-560: The counter screen was framed in walnut with a natural finish , and all of the furniture and fixtures of the officers' platform were also made of walnut. Above the woodwork, the walls and ceiling were finished in white-tinted plaster. In 2018, a third-story sky lobby was completed. The sky lobby includes a two-story escalator atrium and an additional elevator from the entrance on 43rd Street. The offices were originally served by twelve elevators that could travel at up to 700 feet per minute (210 m/min). As of 2021 , there are 22 elevators in
24192-640: The dance productions were more difficult to adapt to younger audiences. The New Victory Theater renamed its lobby after its primary donor, LuEsther Mertz , in 2003. Two years later, the New Victory Theater launched the New Vic at the Duke, a series of teenagers' plays presented at the neighboring The Duke on 42nd Street . The Arts Education Network, operated by Americans for the Arts , gave the New Victory Theatre an Arts Education Award in 2008. By then,
24408-523: The debt from the bond issues. After Famous Players–Lasky's financial issues were resolved, in October 1924, Zukor announced that the company would construct the theater and an office tower. Early in 1925, Zukor appointed a special committee to oversee the development of the office tower and the as-yet-unnamed theater. That April, Famous Players–Lasky announced that it would erect the 29-story Paramount Building and an adjoining theater for $ 13.5 million, and Rapp and Rapp filed building plans. The land alone
24624-498: The demolition of the old theater, which had been completed by that October. A branch of the New York Bank for Savings opened in the base in early 1968, while construction was still ongoing, forcing the tellers to wear hard hats. Newmark & Company managed the building on behalf of Arlen, signing ten-year leases for the expanded office stories. Major tenants in the newly converted offices included The New York Times ,
24840-429: The early 1980s. The LPC started to consider protecting theaters, including the Victory Theatre, as landmarks in 1982, with discussions continuing over the next several years. While the LPC granted landmark status to many Broadway theaters starting in 1987, it deferred decisions on the exterior and interior of the Victory Theatre. Further discussion of the landmark designations was delayed for several decades. In late 2015,
25056-538: The early 1990s, although it was still dilapidated. The Victory staged its first legitimate play in six decades, the En Garde Arts company's production of the play Crowbar , in early 1990; the audience sat on the stage and the performers ran around the auditorium. Later that year, the Actors' Equity Association said that the Victory could host the off-off-Broadway show Stealing Souls (Bring Your Camera) , marking
25272-674: The east and northeast, as well as the Lyric Theatre to the west and northwest. It also shares the block with the Hotel Carter building, the Todd Haimes Theatre , and the Times Square Theater to the west. Other nearby buildings include 255 West 43rd Street , the St. James Theatre , and the Hayes Theater to the northwest; 229 West 43rd Street and 1501 Broadway to the north; 5 Times Square and
25488-570: The eastern end of the theater building. The basement contains the theater's restrooms, lockers, and concessions. During the theater's restoration in 1995, part of the underlying bedrock was excavated to make way for the basement. Prior to its restoration, the Victory Theatre had never been equipped with adequate lounges, concessions, or restrooms. The original capacity of the Victory Theatre is unclear, with numbers ranging from to 936 to 1,100 given across various sources, although this has since been reduced to an off-Broadway capacity of 499 seats. Seating
25704-453: The eight theaters in February 1990. The New York state government acquired the theater sites that April via eminent domain . The city had planned to buy out the theaters' leases but withdrew after the 42nd Street Company indicated it would lease the theaters to another developer. Although Durst protested the move, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled that the sites could be acquired by condemnation . A nonprofit organization, New 42nd Street ,
25920-423: The end of that month. Woods's first production at the theater was The High Cost of Loving , which opened that August. Cleves Kinkead's Common Clay opened at the theater in 1915, running for over 300 performances, and Clare Kummer 's play Good Gracious, Annabelle was staged at the Republic the next year. Afterward, Woods began to lease out the theater, as he could not produce all of these shows by himself. Among
26136-400: The first place. Inside Rome, few theatres have survived the centuries following their construction, providing little evidence about the specific theatres. Arausio , the theatre in modern-day Orange, France , is a good example of a classic Roman theatre, with an indented scaenae frons , reminiscent of Western Roman theatre designs, however missing the more ornamental structure. The Arausio
26352-595: The first time that Actors' Equity had approved an off-off-Broadway show at a Broadway-sized theater. The Theatre for a New Audience staged Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the theater in January 1991. That September, André Gregory relocated his rehearsals of the play Uncle Vanya to the Victory; he relocated the rehearsals to the New Amsterdam Theatre in 1992. Organizations such as the National Music Theatre Network used
26568-488: The five theaters, along with the Liberty Theatre on the south side of 42nd Street, in September 1988. The UDC opened a request for proposals for the six theaters that October. The Liberty and Victory were to be converted into performing-arts venues for nonprofit organizations, while the Selwyn, Apollo, Lyric, and Times Square were to be converted to commercial use. By the end of the year, the plans were threatened by
26784-401: The following month during the construction. The office tower topped out on August 2, 1926, with the raising of the U.S. flag 450 feet (140 m) above street level. The same month, Roman governor Filippo Cremonesi presented an eagle from a Roman palace, on behalf of Italian leader Benito Mussolini , for the theater's Hall of Nations. At that point, a variety of firms had leased space at
27000-443: The globe was lit a constant white after dusk, with red pulses every 15 minutes to signify the time, as well as bell chimes. In November 1927, a rooftop observation deck opened above the clock at a height of 450 feet (140 m). It included glass-enclosed rooms on either side of the clock. Adults were charged 50 cents for admission, while children paid 25 cents. The observation deck has since been closed. The observation area
27216-542: The ground floor and 35,000 square feet (3,300 m ) in the basement, as well as a Hard Rock Cafe store measuring 1,500 square feet (140 m ). The restaurant can fit 600 diners or 1,000 concertgoers. The offices were decorated with similar French motifs as the rest of the building. The fourth through twelfth stories, originally occupied by Famous Players–Lasky, included 65 executive offices that were finished in walnut, and some rooms contained veneers of burled walnut, The veneers contained carvings of figures that matched
27432-568: The historical features using plaster moldings, and some original architectural details were salvaged and relocated. A specialty contractor provided the custom cast-bronze pieces and an Italian quarry supplied marble for the renovation. The lobby relocation was completed in mid-2018, after which Newmark signed leases with tenants such as the KIPP Foundation and the American Federation of Musicians . The entire renovation
27648-419: The impression that anything that could provide any shading has been banished. To break such monotony and make something happen is no easy thing." Another unique feature of the stage is the hashigakari , a narrow bridge at upstage right used by actors to enter the stage. Hashigakari means "suspension bridge", signifying something aerial that connects two separate worlds on a same level. The bridge symbolizes
27864-465: The interior incorporates details that were added when David Belasco took over the theater in 1902. The theater has a brick and brownstone facade with a central stoop leading to the second floor. Inside the entrance is a lobby and reception area, as well as a basement with the theater's restrooms, lockers, and concessions. The New Victory Theater's auditorium seats 499 people on three levels, although it originally accommodated over 900 guests. The auditorium
28080-486: The lobby was a broad travertine staircase, which led to a second-story banking room occupied by the Chemical National Bank . This banking room was finished with a terrazzo floor and marble base, while all the trim and the counter screens were made of wood. The lower part of the counter screen, and the wainscoting on the walls, were composed of molded wood paneling. which was painted white. The upper part of
28296-535: The mythic nature of Noh plays in which otherworldly ghosts and spirits frequently appear. In contrast, hanamichi in Kabuki theaters is literally a path ( michi ) that connects two spaces in a single world, thus has a completely different significance. The Japanese kabuki stage features a projection called a hanamichi (花道; literally, flower path), a walkway which extends into the audience and via which dramatic entrances and exits are made. Okuni also performed on
28512-527: The next year. The theater's other plays included The Girl of the Golden West in 1905; The Rose of the Rancho in 1906; The Warrens of Virginia in 1907; and The Devil in 1909. Although Belasco was involved in many of these productions, the extent of his involvement varied widely. George Arliss , Cecil B. DeMille , Mary Pickford , and Tyrone Power Sr. were among the other actors who appeared at
28728-440: The ninth story, which are surrounded by festoons. The top of the rear wing on 44th Street is decorated with acroteria . The setbacks of the office tower contain parapets . Below the parapets were floodlights that originally illuminated the setbacks at night to emphasize the jagged massing . Over one thousand lights were used in the setbacks' lighting system. Trapezoidal finials , designed to resemble obelisks, are placed at
28944-459: The office building in 1948. After marketing the building for a few months and failing to find a buyer, the company listed it publicly that September for $ 13 million. The clock faces were repaired in mid-1949. In 1949, Paramount Pictures' board of directors voted to split the theater unit to a separate company, United Paramount Theatres (UPT). The building became the UPT's headquarters, and UPT leased
29160-603: The office tenants included four firms listed on the New York Stock Exchange . William A. White & Sons managed the leasing for the Paramount Building. Zukor had the top-story office for himself. By January 1927, the building was 35 percent rented; the office structure was completed early that year. Some of the storefronts began opening that May, including a barber shop and the Chemical Bank branch. Rapp and Rapp filed plans in July 1927 to convert
29376-433: The office tower, the window openings generally contain one-over-one windows, which are grouped into bays. The bays are divided by alternating narrow and wide piers. The narrow piers are plain, while the wide piers are either rusticated or plain. The rusticated piers project slightly from the facade. The rear wing on 43rd and 44th Streets has double-hung windows separated by plain piers. On 44th Street, there are oval openings at
29592-400: The orchestra and first balcony level, as well as the control booths on the second balcony level, contain sound-absorbing acoustical panels. In addition, the entrance from the lobby and the auditorium's emergency exits have soundproof doors. When Belasco owned the theater, he had installed autumn-themed tapestries on the rear and side walls of the auditorium. He also placed a rosewood partition at
29808-444: The original exterior double staircase and returning the rest of the theater to the way it looked during the Belasco era. In addition, the backstage areas were expanded into two existing buildings on 43rd Street. The project's cost increased still further to $ 11.4 million by late 1995. Following the New Victory Theater's restoration, companies such as Disney and Livent quickly leased 42nd Street's other theaters. On December 11, 1995,
30024-409: The original office wing and the theater wing. Paramount predecessor Famous Players–Lasky proposed the theater in 1922, but Rapp and Rapp had revised the plans to include an office tower by 1924. The theater opened on November 19, 1926, though the offices did not open until the following year. The clock and globe on the roof were blacked out during World War II. A group led by David Rosenthal converted
30240-423: The other 42nd Street theaters operated from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., with three shifts of workers. The ten theaters on the block attracted about five million visitors a year between them. The 42nd Street Company was established in 1961 to operate the Brandts' seven theaters on 42nd Street. By the early 1960s, the surrounding block had decayed, but many of the old theater buildings from the block's heyday remained, including
30456-412: The performers and other personnel. A booth facing the stage may be incorporated into the house where lighting and sound personnel may view the show and run their respective instruments. Other rooms in the building may be used for dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, spaces for constructing sets, props and costumes , as well as storage. All theaters provide a space for an audience. In a fixed seating theatre
30672-400: The performers standby before their entrance. These offstage spaces are called wings on either side of a proscenium stage. A prompter's box may be found backstage. In an amphitheater, an area behind the stage may be designated for such uses while a blackbox theater may have spaces outside of the actual theater designated for such uses. Often a theater will incorporate other spaces intended for
30888-409: The perimeter. The current stoop is a replica of the theater's original stoop, which led to the auditorium's second balcony level; the original lobby was below the original stoop. The original stoop was removed in 1910 before being restored in 1995. The New York City government had to approve the installation of the current stoop because it extends onto the sidewalk of 42nd Street. When Belasco renovated
31104-572: The perspective elements. The first enclosed theaters were court theaters, open only to the sovereigns and the nobility. The first opera house open to the public was the Teatro San Cassiano (1637) in Venice. The Italian opera houses were the model for the subsequent theaters throughout Europe. Richard Wagner placed great importance on "mood setting" elements, such as a darkened theater, sound effects, and seating arrangements (lowering
31320-608: The plan, the Victory Theatre would be restored as a legitimate theater. Mayor Ed Koch wavered in his support of the plan, criticizing it as a "Disneyland on 42nd Street". Subsequently, Hugh Hardy conducted a report on 42nd Street's theaters in 1980. His report, in conjunction with a movement opposing the demolition of the nearby Helen Hayes and Morosco theaters, motivated the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to survey fifty of Midtown Manhattan's extant theaters in
31536-461: The play Enter Madame in 1921, as well as the farce Getting Gertie's Garter and the comedy The Fair Circassian later the same year. Meanwhile, after Oscar Hammerstein had died in 1921, his son Arthur Hammerstein and two of Arthur's sisters sued their stepmother Emma Smith for control of the Republic Theatre and Manhattan Opera House . A judge subsequently determined that the theater had belonged to Arthur since 1910. Oliver D. Bailey leased
31752-434: The presence of blank limestone panels instead of windows on the 5th story. The arch was restored in 2001 and is constructed of concrete reinforced with glass fibers. The archway is surrounded by a frame with scrolls, rosettes , and lyre players, attached to a steel frame. The replica marquee, measuring 39 feet (12 m) wide, is made of three glass panels, reinforced with plastic and finished in bronze. The marquee includes
31968-411: The production to create a performance area suitable for the production. A theater building or structure contains spaces for an event or performance to take place, usually called the stage , and also spaces for the audience, theater staff, performers and crew before and after the event. There are usually two main entrances of a theater building. One is at the front, used by the audience, and leads into
32184-517: The proposed sale, allowing Caplin to proceed with selling the building at a foreclosure auction. Though the auction garnered no buyers, the building was sold that September to David Rosenthal, Joseph E. Levine, and Philip J. Levin. ABC moved to 1330 Avenue of the Americas afterward, while Paramount moved out after becoming part of the Gulf & Western conglomerate. The owners planned to build
32400-435: The rear of the auditorium. Behind this screen was originally a men's smoking room, as well as one women's lounge on each of the three levels. These rooms were outfitted with then-modern amenities such as telephones and carriage calls. There are triple-height boxes flanking the stage, above which are golden domes. Originally, there were two boxes on either side of the stage at the orchestra and first balcony levels, while there
32616-424: The rearmost rows of seating were removed from the auditorium, creating space for the present lobby. A wall was installed between the auditorium and lobby, reducing disruption caused by noise from the street. A staircase and an elevator connect the lobby to other stories. The elevator was installed in the mid-1990s. Because there was so little space within the theater, the elevator had to be built within an alleyway at
32832-475: The refurbished theater reopened as the New Victory Theater, becoming the city's first off-Broadway theater for kids and families. The theater hosted its first public show a week later, when the French-Canadian troupe Cirque Éloize performed there. At the time of the New Victory's reopening, the surrounding block of 42nd Street was being redeveloped rapidly, although there were still seven adult stores on
33048-469: The ribs. Its glazed surface is painted amber and ocher. The dome includes an LED chandelier and uplights, as well as ventilation openings. Above the auditorium is the theater's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment; to minimize vibrations, the HVAC equipment is mounted on girders spanning the auditorium's ceiling. The proscenium arch in front of the stage is ocher with gold highlights, while
33264-409: The right side of the scene, is almost always part of the Greek theater complex, which could justify, as a transposition, the recurrence of the pediment with the later solidified stone scene. In front of the skene there may have been a raised acting area called the proskenion , the ancestor of the modern proscenium stage. It is believed that the actors (as opposed to the chorus) acted entirely on
33480-545: The roof of the office tower. To date, $ 17 million had been spent on the entire project, including $ 3 million on the theater alone. Within a week of the theater's opening, Famous Players–Lasky estimated that the theater would earn $ 20,000 a week in net profit. The retail tenants included Chemical Bank , Childs Restaurants , the Knox Hat Company, and the Sarnoff-Irving Hat Store, while
33696-544: The roof of the theater wing, with a small setback on the 26th story and a deeper setback on the 28th story. The top section of 1501 Broadway rises above the 28th story and is two bays deep. The massing was intended to resemble that of a pyramid or a mountain as depicted in the Paramount Pictures logo . The first five stories of both wings are clad in limestone and constitute the building's base. The ground story contains storefronts. The main entrance since 2018
33912-459: The round , amphitheater , and arena . In the classical Indian dance , Natya Shastra defines three stage types. In Australia and New Zealand a small and simple theater, particularly one contained within a larger venue, is called a theatrette . The word originated in 1920s London, for a small-scale music venue. Theatrical performances can also take place in venues adapted from other purposes, such as train carriages. For instance, in recent years
34128-471: The same rectangular plan and structure. 1501 Broadway 1501 Broadway , also known as the Paramount Building , is a 33-story office building on Times Square between West 43rd and 44th Streets in the Theater District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City . Designed by Rapp and Rapp , it was erected from 1925 to 1927 as the headquarters of Paramount Pictures . The building
34344-414: The seats in 1902, he installed seat coverings with bee motifs, a reference to his last initial. The modern-day seats are flanked by wrought-iron stanchions, both with bee motifs. The modern seat coverings are similar in design to those that Belasco installed. HHPA created a custom design for the current carpets in 1995; the original carpets could not be restored due to a lack of documentation. The auditorium
34560-417: The setback level atop many of the rusticated piers. On the 28th through 30th stories, there are oversized consoles on the north and south elevations. The Paramount Building has a large four-faced clock above its 30th story. The clock faces on the west and east are made of limestone, with metal minute and hour hands. The west and east clock faces measure about 25 feet (7.6 m) wide. Inset within
34776-459: The site was occupied by a group of brownstones, operated by the Astor family as a set of apartments called Westover Court. The Astor family had owned the land since 1803. Until about 1850, the vicinity had also been known as the "Eden Farm" a title that came from a previous landowner. 1501 Broadway was designed by brothers Cornelius Ward Rapp and George Leslie Rapp, of the firm Rapp and Rapp , in
34992-422: The site's valuation had increased to $ 6 million, making it one of the most valuable sites in the neighborhood. The Broadway Association was tasked with arranging a dedication ceremony for the Paramount Building. The excavations descended about 53 feet (16 m) into the underlying layer of bedrock. During excavations in February 1926, a water main and a gas main broke, flooding the site. Later that month,
35208-490: The slopes of hills. The most famous open-air greek theater was the Globe Theater where many of Shakespeare's plays were performed. They consisted of three principal elements: the orchestra , the skene , and the audience. The centerpiece of the theater was the orchestra , or "dancing place", a large circular or rectangular area. The orchestra was the site of the choral performances, the religious rites, and, possibly,
35424-418: The south end, while the stage was at the north end. The theater was decorated in rose, turquoise, and ivory colors, with red and gold draperies, as well as a cyclorama -style wall at the rear of the stage. Fountains flanked the proscenium arch above the stage. The height of the theater was emphasized by decorated vertical panels on either side of the proscenium. The theater housed a large organ built by
35640-466: The south side of the street. The original Lyric and Apollo theaters (combined into the current Lyric Theatre), as well as the Times Square, Victory, Selwyn (now Todd Haimes), and Victoria theaters, occupied the north side. These venues were mostly converted to movie theaters by the 1930s, and many of them had been relegated to showing pornography by the 1970s. The New Victory Theater was designed by architect Albert Westover; its current design dates to
35856-403: The stage curtain is rose-colored. As built, the proscenium arch measured 35 ft (11 m) across and was ornately decorated. The top of the arch was decorated with a golden lyre, flanked by figures representing harmony and melody. When the theater opened, the proscenium arch was topped by a balcony for musicians, since there was no orchestra pit at the orchestra level of seating. The balcony
36072-399: The stage to accommodate trap doors and the stage elevator. Belasco also built apartments for himself and for Mrs. Carter above the auditorium. As workers were excavating an area under the stage, they hit a spring by mistake, flooding the site. Belasco's assistant, Louis Hartmann, convinced him to add a laboratory directly above the dome to test out lighting and stage effects. Belasco renamed
36288-421: The steel for the office tower was being erected. In addition, the offices on the first 13 stories had been completely rented, as were much of the 18th through 23rd stories. Mayor Jimmy Walker laid the ceremonial cornerstone on May 19, 1926, at a ceremony attended by Paramount's cofounders (Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky ), as well as various producers and actors. One of the building's architects, C. W. Rapp, died
36504-571: The stone are twelve circular glass panels, which measure 4 feet (1.2 m) high and denote the hours. These panels contain five-pointed stars, forming a circle of stars as used in the Paramount Pictures logo. The hour and minute hands were originally illuminated. Flanking these faces is a pair of setback pavilions with oval cartouches and rusticated piers. The north and south clock faces are placed on these setback pavilions. They are made with metal frames and are smaller than those on
36720-481: The structure as containing 35 stories. It measures 372 feet (113 m) tall to its roof and 455 feet (139 m) to its pinnacle. At the time of its completion, the Paramount Building was the tallest building in Times Square, as well as Broadway's tallest building north of the Woolworth Building . 1501 Broadway was designed in two parts: the 33-story office section in the front, along Broadway, and
36936-459: The sudden, dramatic revelation or transformation. A number of stage tricks, including actors' rapid appearance and disappearance, employ these innovations. The term keren (外連), often translated playing to the gallery , is sometimes used as a catch-all for these tricks. Hanamichi and several innovations including revolving stage, seri and chunori have all contributed to kabuki play. Hanamichi creates depth and both seri and chunori provide
37152-470: The theater after himself, and it reopened on September 29, 1902, with the play Du Barry featuring Mrs. Carter. One of the renovated theater's early successes was Belasco's play The Darling of the Gods , which opened in December 1902 and lasted for 182 performances. Belasco's play Sweet Kitty Bellairs opened at the theater in December 1903, running for more than 300 performances, followed by The Music Master
37368-403: The theater from Paramount Pictures. In addition, Paramount received a $ 9 million loan from Prudential Insurance in September 1950, including a $ 7 million mortgage on the Paramount Building. After UPT's merger with ABC in 1953, the building continued as American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres (AB-PT)'s headquarters. The Child's Restaurant and Walgreens store at the base, which had occupied
37584-481: The theater had lost millions of dollars after the marquee stopped advertising burlesque. Moss again refused to renew the Republic's operating license in early 1942, marking the permanent end of burlesque at the Republic. By May 1942, the Republic had become a newsreel theater . Shortly afterward, it was renamed the Victory Theatre, in honor of American soldiers fighting in World War II. The Brandt family acquired
37800-449: The theater in 1902, he installed a wrought iron and glass canopy in front of the entrance, which was also eliminated in 1910. Prior to the New Victory's restoration, there had been an Art Deco -style marquee in front of the entrance, dating from 1932. This was removed in 1995, along with a piece of the neighboring Lyric Theatre 's marquee. Above the cornice of the theater building are capital letters spelling out "New Victory". Although
38016-414: The theater in July 1922, with plans to present Theatre Guild productions there, and he relocated the play Abie's Irish Rose to the Republic from the nearby Fulton Theatre . Abie's Irish Rose ultimately ran for 2,327 performances through October 1927, becoming the longest-running Broadway show at the time, a record that it held for six years. After Abie's Irish Rose closed, several producers leased
38232-468: The theater in the hope that 42nd Street's reputation would improve. William Brandt said in 1953 that any of his 42nd Street theaters could be converted to a legitimate house within 24 hours' notice, but producers did not take up his offer. By the late 1950s, the Victory was operating as a grindhouse , displaying exploitation and horror films. Tickets cost 25 to 65 cents apiece, the cheapest admission scale for any theater on 42nd Street. The Times Square and
38448-602: The theater in the hope that they would also be able to present a long-running play. Bailey also produced several Theatre Guild shows, such as a rendition of the play Porgy that had transferred from the Guild Theatre . One of the Republic's more successful shows in the late 1920s was My Girl Friday , with 253 performances in 1929. With the onset of the Great Depression in 1930, many Broadway theaters were impacted by declining attendance. The theater's last play
38664-463: The theater to offices in 1967 and removed the theater's original arch. The Paramount Building's facade became a New York City designated landmark in 1988. The arch, clock, and globe were restored starting in the late 1990s, and the main entrance was relocated in another renovation in the 2010s. The Paramount Building is on 1501 Broadway , between 43rd and 44th Streets, at Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City . While
38880-477: The theater was originally topped by a colonnade with arches, it was not rebuilt in the 1995 restoration. The modern-day "New Victory" sign occupies the site of the former colonnade. The roof of the theater contained the Paradise Roof Garden, an extension of a garden atop the neighboring Victoria Theatre . It operated until about 1914 or 1915. The garden originally consisted of a "Swiss farm", which
39096-418: The theater wing is nine stories tall, except for the westernmost bay , which is fourteen stories tall with a setback on the 12th story. Along the office wing, the setbacks on the north, east, and south elevations start above the 18th story; there are six setbacks on these elevations, placed at regular intervals. Each setback is separated by two or three stories. The office wing's west elevation rises above
39312-626: The theater's 1901–1902 season, the venue was rented out to producers, who presented such shows as Under Southern Skies , The Happy Hypocrite , and Mistress Nell . Theatrical operator David Belasco agreed in January 1902 to lease the Republic from Hammerstein, after the latter had visited Belasco's Carnegie Hall office to lament that "the Theatrical Syndicate is trying to crush me out of business". Belasco planned to present productions starring silent-film actress Mrs. Leslie Carter . Belasco filed plans for major renovations to both
39528-550: The theater's art was auctioned. 1501 Broadway was finally purchased in December 1964 by Paramount Building Associates, an affiliate of Webb & Knapp, for $ 10.5 million. By then, Webb & Knapp was financially troubled and was selling off property to pay off debts. The Paramount Theatre was leased for stage/screen programs in March 1965 but closed again that June after failing to attract guests. Paramount Building Associates contracted to resell 1501 Broadway in May 1965 to Evelyn Sharp , who paid $ 9 million and planned to renovate
39744-552: The theater's programming director Mary Rose Lloyd was also planning to host shows for infants and toddlers. The New Victory established a new work development program called LabWorks in 2012, and the theater received a special Drama Desk Award the same year. The theater also started providing free dance performances for local students in 2014 as part of the Victory Dance program. The theater's lower lobbies were renovated in 2017. The New Victory closed temporarily in 2020 due to
39960-446: The theaters on the block were "viable", as well as to fill a gap in the theatre industry. Officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation on May 17, 1994. The cost of the project had increased to $ 9.2 million at the time of the groundbreaking. HHPA chose to restore the early-20th-century design so it could be easily converted to present shows for adults if the children's theater failed. The restoration included rebuilding
40176-515: The theaters on the north side of 42nd Street with a skyscraper. By then, there was a shortage of new films in the theaters along 42nd Street, which led to decreased attendance. Later the same year, the Brandt family received a mortgage loan for the Victory Theatre. They also bought the theater building from the Geisha Realty Company for $ 402,000; previously, the Brandts had leased the theater from Geisha. The Brandts continued to operate
40392-495: The tradition of the Greek Theatres. The central part of the auditorium was hollowed out of a hill or slope, while the outer radian seats required structural support and solid retaining walls. This was of course not always the case as Romans tended to build their theatres regardless of the availability of hillsides. All theatres built within the city of Rome were completely man-made without the use of earthworks. The auditorium
40608-586: The upper stories were fully rented. In addition to the larger tenants, the Paramount Building hosted smaller offices such as those of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities . All of the space in the building had been rented by the mid-1980s. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Paramount Building as a city landmark in November 1988. The building
40824-463: The upper stories were smaller because of the setbacks, tapering to 2,100 square feet (200 m ) at the top. As a result of the setbacks, the floors were also built in eleven different sizes. The smaller upper stories were advertised as being suitable for companies that wanted to consolidate their offices on a full story and occupy it for themselves. Another 190,000 square feet (18,000 m ) or 220,000 square feet (20,000 m ) of office space
41040-399: The walls were bronze elevator doors. Originally, the lobby was served by six local and six express elevators. The local elevators traveled only to the 18th floor, while the express elevators skipped some intermediate stories and traveled to the 28th floor. Visitors to the observation deck had to take an express elevator, then transfer to a lift that served the upper offices. On one side of
41256-409: The west and east. The clock faces were mechanically operated from the building's completion. Above the clock faces is a stone frieze and trapezoidal corner obelisks. The top of the building contains a copper pedestal with an ornamental glass and copper sphere measuring 19 feet (5.8 m) across. The sphere is made of 90 square panels, originally decorated with a map of the world. A smokestack
41472-442: The whole is topped by a roof, even when the Noh stage is erected indoors. A ceramic jar system under the stage amplifies the sounds of dancing during the performance. There is a small door to permit entry of the musicians and vocalists. The independent roof is one of the most recognizable characteristic of the Noh stage. Supported by four columns, the roof symbolizes the sanctity of the stage, with its architectural design derived from
41688-447: The worship pavilion ( haiden ) or sacred dance pavilion ( kaguraden ) of Shinto shrines. The roof also unifies the theater space and defines the stage as an architectural entity. The pillars supporting the roof are named shitebashira (principal character's pillar), metsukebashira (gazing pillar), wakibashira (secondary character's pillar), and fuebashira (flute pillar), clockwise from upstage right respectively. Each pillar
41904-484: The years has been known as Theatre Republic, Belasco Theatre, and Victory Theatre. George M. Jansen filed plans with the New York City Department of Buildings for a music hall and cafe at 207–211 West 42nd Street, to be designed by John E. Kerby, in June 1899. It would have been three stories tall with a raised basement and would have cost $ 200,000. Had the theater been built, it would have contained
42120-569: Was Pressing Business , which premiered in November 1930 for a month-long run. Bailey gave up his lease on the theater in December 1930, and Arthur Hammerstein announced plans to present talking films at the Republic. By then, the Depression had made it extremely difficult for theater owners to continue presenting legitimate shows. The Republic Amusement Corporation operated the theater for one month, presenting short films continuously and selling tickets for 25 cents. Billy Minsky , treasurer of
42336-527: Was a grand hall along 43rd Street, which was modeled on the Versailles chapel and measured 150 feet (46 m) long by up to 50 feet (15 m) wide. The hall's design features were also inspired by that of the Paris Opera House 's foyer, with white marble columns, balustrades, and a grand staircase flanking the hallway. The vaulted ceiling rose to a height of 50 feet (15 m) and had
42552-480: Was added in the late 1960s with the renovation of the former theater wing. The conversion created floor plates of up to 37,000 square feet (3,400 m ) on the lowest stories. Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression . Famous Players–Lasky, the predecessor to the Paramount Corporation, had been formed in 1916. The company formed
42768-416: Was characterized by "the beautiful Astor Hotel, the sleekly new Paramount Building and, of course, Times Tower ". The Times wrote that despite 1501 Broadway's location at the middle of Times Square, "some New Yorkers have never bothered craning their necks to see" the building's attributes, including its globe and clock. 1501 Broadway was also significant in the film industry. Years after the destruction of
42984-486: Was completed in 2019. JPMorgan Chase gave Levin and Newmark a $ 200 million loan for 1501 Broadway in early 2020, and the owners began adding a tenant lounge on the third story that year. Ticketing platform TodayTix moved to 1501 Broadway in 2022. When the Paramount Building was completed, architect Francisco Mujica wrote that the building exemplified how setback skyscrapers resembled "the primitive pyramids of America". H. I. Brock of The New York Times wrote that
43200-533: Was demolished to make way for a loading dock. The other building was preserved and converted into a dressing room wing. The rear wing includes 40 dressing rooms, as well as a wardrobe room, green room , security office, and offices for visiting theatre companies. During the development of the adjacent 3 Times Square in 1998, the Rudin family acquired the loading dock and demolished it. The Rudins constructed loading docks within 3 Times Square, reserving one loading dock for
43416-399: Was designated for its historical importance to the motion-picture industry and for its architectural importance as an Art Deco skyscraper. In 1996, Newmark received permission from the LPC to restore the clock and globe atop the building and the large arch on Broadway. An imitation of the original marquee was to be placed in front of the arch. This was part of the company's effort to attract
43632-446: Was formed in September 1990 to restore six of the theaters and find uses for them. Government officials hoped that development of the theaters would finally allow the construction of the four towers around 42nd Street, Broadway, and Seventh Avenue. In 1992, New 42nd Street received $ 18.2 million for restoring the six theaters as part of an agreement with Prudential and Park Tower. The Victory began offering plays by non-profit companies in
43848-437: Was hired as the theater designer, Fisher Maranz Renfro Stone was the lighting consultant, and Jaffe Holden Scarborough Associates was the acoustic engineer. The Victory was the first theater restored by New 42nd Street; this was a deliberate choice, as the Victory had been the earliest of 42nd Street's theaters to become an adult movie theater. By converting the Victory into a children's theater, New 42nd Street wished to prove that
44064-475: Was influenced by the Beaux-Arts style, while the theater was designed in a Neo-Renaissance style. The Art Deco decoration was limited largely to the massing . 1501 Broadway contains eight setbacks , seven of which are above the theater wing. The setbacks are placed on all sides as mandated under the 1916 Zoning Resolution . On 43rd Street, the theater wing is twelve stories tall. On 44th Street,
44280-417: Was inspired by Venetian architecture. When the theater was completed in 1900, the main facade measured 70 ft (21 m) tall and 100 ft (30 m) wide. The New-York Tribune described it as being made of "iron, brownstone, and Powhatan brick". At the front of the theater, a brownstone stoop with two staircases rises from ground level to the second story. Ten wrought-iron street lights decorate
44496-461: Was larger, at 100 feet (30 metres). Other evidence for the round shape is a line in Shakespeare's Henry V which calls the building "this wooden O ", and several rough woodcut illustrations of the city of London. Around this time, the green room , a place for actors to wait until required on stage, became common terminology in English theaters. The Globe has now been rebuilt as
44712-525: Was not roofed; rather, awnings ( vela ) could be pulled overhead to provide shelter from rain or sunlight. Some Roman theatres, constructed of wood, were torn down after the festival for which they were erected concluded. This practice was due to a moratorium on permanent theatre structures that lasted until 55 BC when the Theatre of Pompey was built with the addition of a temple to avoid the law. Some Roman theatres show signs of never having been completed in
44928-560: Was officially known as the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation; that company, in turn, became Paramount Publix in 1930. The office tower received several new tenants in the 1930s, including Fusion Party campaign offices, advertisers Donahue & Coe, and Prudential Insurance . By February 1933, Publix was in receivership and seeking to reduce its rent payments; in so doing, the firm moved to downsize its space. A bankruptcy court agreed to reorganize
45144-418: Was one box on either side at the second balcony level. The boxes are topped by lighting fixtures, similar to those that had been installed when Belasco owned the theater. On the ceiling is a large dome that features lyre -playing putti perched on its rim; these putti were removed in 1902 before being restored in 1995. The dome is divided by ribs, with a central motif of a lyre and cherubs at the intersection of
45360-427: Was planned to be completed first, followed by the office tower. The tenants of Westover Court were asked to leave the site by the beginning of June 1925, and the Putnam Building was to be demolished by that October. Demolition contracts were awarded in May 1925. Famous Players–Lasky kept a film record of the work, starting with the demolition of Westover Court. To celebrate the project, Famous Players–Lasky held
45576-438: Was relatively small; no one had to travel more than 35 feet (11 m) between the street and any elevator. The space had a travertine floor and polished black-veined marble walls. There was a tenant directory facing the main entrance, as well as a mail chute on the wall between the directory and the entrance. The lobby had a shallow vaulted ceiling with low-relief ornamentation, a gold finish, and bronze chandeliers. Inset into
45792-463: Was removed in 1902. During that renovation, an orchestra pit was placed in front of the stage, with platforms at different heights. It was expanded and deepened during the 1995 renovation. The sprung floor stage measures 31 by 65 ft (9.4 by 19.8 m). For most of the 20th century, the stage lacked sufficient wing space and was relatively small, measuring only 33 by 32 ft (10.1 by 9.8 m). In 1902, Belasco added three dressing rooms and
46008-476: Was replaced with a "Dutch farm" in 1905. According to The New York Times , the "Dutch farm" was a replica of a Dutch village "complete with water mill, a rooftop space where patrons dined and danced". The theater initially had a small reception area, described by the New-York Tribune as "tomblike", which was replaced with a lobby in 1902. The original lobby had oak panelling and wrought-iron doors to
46224-433: Was the restoration architect. The project entailed lowering the basement by 7 feet (2.1 m), removing three support columns, and lengthening nine more columns. Following Planet Hollywood's financial troubles, it sold the basement and first-floor space to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment (WWF; later WWE) in July 1999 for $ 9 million. WWF planned to open a theme restaurant at the base, known as The World , and
46440-552: Was the third theater built on this block of West 42nd Street, as well as the seventh theater developed by Hammerstein. The New-York Tribune called the Republic a "small but prettily arranged house". The theater hosted three additional plays during its inaugural season, including In the Palace of the King , which featured Viola Allen for four months. The theater was relatively small, so it could only accommodate dramas and comedies. During
46656-589: Was valued at $ 4.24 million, an increase from $ 3.2 million in 1917. In addition to the theater, the building would include ground-story stores, Famous Players–Lasky's offices, a radio broadcasting station, a private rehearsal theater, and a children's nursery. The theater would be operated as part of Famous Players–Lasky's Publix chain. The lowest two stories and the 16th through 31st stories would be rented out, except to theatrical agents, who would instead be offered space at Paramount Studios in Queens . The theater
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