Times Square Theater

Times Square Theater

Times Square Theater, with entrance to Apollo Theater (left), 1922
Address	217 West 42nd Street New York City United States
Coordinates
Owner	City and State of New York
Type	Broadway
Capacity	1,032
Construction
Opened	September 30, 1920
Years active	1920–1934
Architect	Eugene De Rosa
Tenants
New 42nd Street

The Times Square Theater is a former Broadway theater, located at 217 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, in New York City.

History

The Times Square Theater was built in 1920 by the Selwyn brothers from a design by Eugene De Rosa. It was one of three theaters they built and controlled on 42nd Street, including the Apollo and the Selwyn. It opened on September 30, 1920, with Florence Reed starring in The Mirage.

G.K. Chesterton spoke on the topic "Shall We Abolish the Inevitable?" at the theater in 1921.

Battling Butler, the basis for the Buster Keaton film of the same name, transferred from the Selwyn to the Times Square in 1924. Notable shows presented at the Times Square included the original New York productions of George and Ira Gershwin's Strike Up the Band in 1930 and Noël Coward's Private Lives in 1931. Laurence Olivier appeared at the Times Square Theater in 1931.

Only three years after Private Lives, the Times Square was converted to a cinema. It would remain in operation as a movie theater until the early 1990s, when it was closed. The final scene of the 1980 motion picture Times Square was filmed at the Times Square Theater, with Robin Johnson's character performing a "midnight concert" atop the theater's marquee.

The City and State of New York took possession of the Times Square Theater in 1990. In 1992, it was one of six 42nd Street theaters to come under the protection of the New 42nd Street organization. It was not immediately restored or renovated, as the theater lacks any entrances not directly on 42nd Street, rendering it more difficult to use for loading of scenery and props.

Since then, the theater has been the focus of several development proposals that were later abandoned. Canadian production company Live Entertainment Corporation of Canada briefly considered a redevelopment project in 1998. MTV and Marvel Mania also considered redeveloping the property.

In 2005, the Times Square Theater was leased to Ecko Unlimited, which planned to make it a store for clothing and other urban youth market items. In 2009, the company walked away from its lease.

In 2012, a long term lease was signed to make the theater home to a "4D" film presentation called Broadway Sensation, dedicated to the history of Broadway. The presentation was to be produced by lawyer Robert Kory and producer/director Gary Goddard and the theater renovated to house it. The attraction was expected to open in spring 2015, however, on May 28, 2014, it was reported that the project had been canceled due to financial troubles.

In March 2015, the New York Post reported that the British-based Ambassador Theatre Group, which controls the adjacent Lyric Theatre, was in negotiations to take over management of the building, converting it back into a Broadway theater after completing renovations.

Sources

• Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture, William Morrison, 1999, Dover Publications, ISBN 0-486-40244-4
• Lost Broadway Theatres, Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, Princeton Architectural Press, 1997, ISBN 1-56898-116-3

External links

• Cinema Treasures. Brief history and photographs.
• Internet Broadway Database. Listing of legitimate productions.
• Museum of the City of New York. Drawing.
• New 42nd St. "Our Projects & Theaters" page.