Trans-Lux Theatre, 1937 Opened on May 16th, 1931, this was one of the city's first purpose-built "twin" cinemas. This second Trans-Lux theatre occupied the retail space of the new Lecourt (later Brill) Building. Its two small auditoriums each had its own box office and entrance, but they shared the wide marquee seen here. Opened during the Depression the twin theatres, which showed newsreels, shorts, and cartoons. The struggling venue limped along until 1937 when boxing champion Jack Dempsey and his business partner took over the space for a self-branded eatery. The Jack Dempsey’s Broadway Bar and Cocktail Lounge opened in 1937 and survived in the Brill Building until 1974. After vacating this space, Trans-Lux opened a much more successful, single-screen theatre at 1607 Broadway.

Martin Beck Theater ARCHITECT: C. Albert Lansburgh DATE: 1923-24 STYLE: Byzantine The Martin Beck Theater survives today as one of the historic theaters that symbolize American theater for both New York and the nation. It was designed for Martin Beck, one of America’s great vaudeville producers, by G. Albert Lansburgh, a prominent theater designer who considered it his finest work. Beck and Lansburgh created an unusual and exotic design based on Byzantine motifs, making the Beck architecturally unique among the Broadway theaters. Among its outstanding characteristics is its double-height stone-faced arcade with elaborately carved capitals. For over half a century the Martin Beck has served as home to countless numbers of the plays through which the Broadway theater has come to personify American theater. Its presence helps visually to define the Broadway theater district, the largest and most famous concentration of legitimate stage theaters in the world.

Alvin Theatre, September 1935. Built in 1927 as the Alvin Theatre, the Broadway house was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the developer and real estate mogul Alexander Pincus. The name Alvin was a portmanteau of the names of producers Alex Aarons and Vinton Freedley. The theatre opened with a premiere of George and Ira Gershwin's 'Funny Face' with Fred and Adele Astaire. Gershwin also had his best known musical 'Porgy and Bess' premiere here in 1935. The theatre was renamed for playwright Neil Simon in 1977, after the Nederlander Organization bought the building. In the 1980s the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated a number of Broadway Theatres, including this one (in 1985).

The West 47th Street Police Station was built in 1860. The station was nestled in Hell's Kitchen and in proximity to the Theater District, which meant the station was always busy. One rumor claims that after a risque play titled "Sex," actress and playwright Mae West was arrested and brought in to the station. The station was known as the 26th, 9th, 18th, and then 16th precinct, exchanging titles as Manhattan's landscape changed around it. In 1933, the station became the target of a lively protest. In summer months, children living in tenement apartments across the city sought relief from heatwaves by prying open fire hydrants. At the expense of instant relief, streets, gutters, and cellars were flooded. Soon the fire department claimed that so many hydrants left open might deplete their supply of water if an actual fire broke out. In response, the police closed every hydrant. Outraged a crowd of "400 youngsters, most of them clad in bathing suits and other scanty attire, staged a noisy demonstration outside the West 47th street station." The demonstration, which lasted less than an hour, was reported in the New York Times on June 10th, 1933. By the 1960s, the station, then known as Traffic Station D, was slated for demolition. After the building was razed, the city-owned plot was given to the FDNY as a potential site for developing a new firehouse, though it remained empty for a number of years. Seeking the empty lot as a space for community growth and development, a coalition of local activists, led by Ramon Aponte, garnered the support of a local developer to buy the plot for public use. Hell's Kitchen was riddled with crime from the 1970s through the 1980s, and Aponte recognized creating public spaces was key to reinstilling a sense of safety in the area. The land was turned into a park with a playground and was maintained by the 47th Street Block Association, Community Board #4, Fountain House, and the Green Guerillas for the decade after it was purchased by the community. The park was eventually made an official New York City Park and is named after Aponte.

Stella Tower, 425-437 West 50th Street, ca. 1980. Ralph Thomas Walker, lauded as the "architect of the century" by the New York Times upon his receipt, in 1957, of the American Institute of Architects Centennial Medal of Honor, designed this Art Deco gem in 1927 for the New York Telephone Company. In 2014, the top half of Walker's 18-story tower was transformed into fifty-one luxury residences. Verizon, the successor to New York Telephone Company, now operates out of the building's lower floors. Upon its redevelopment, the building was rechristened the "Stella Tower," after Walker's wife Stella Forbes.

Globe Theater/Lunt-Fontane Theater ARCHITECT: Carrère and Hastings DATE: 1909-10 STYLE: Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts style facade of this building is an unusually handsome design. This design reflects Carrere & Hastings’s earlier celebrated New Theater, now demolished. Its significant architectural features include a five-bay arcade of double-height Ionic columns, deep cornice, and sculpted figures of theater masks.

Longacre Theater ARCHITECT: Henry B. Herts DATE: 1912-13 The design of the auditorium incorporates a configuration notable for its intimacy, including an unusual square proscenium opening, and a two balcony arrangement. The Longacre was built to house the productions of Broadway producer and baseball magnate Harry H. Frazee, at one time the owner of the Boston Red Sox.

Columbus Branch, 1909. Though the Columbus library building was created using the funds from the 1901 Carnegie bequest, the bulk of the original library collection was transferred from the reading room of the Columbus Catholic Club, a social and educational club for young men. The building was designed by Babb, Cook & Willard and completed in 1909. The building included a roof garden with a glass canopy, called an open-air reading room for the summer months. The Italian Renaissance Revival style facade was considerable altered during the 20th century. The third floor was removed in 1960 (and with it the roof-top garden). The small set of steps and original entrance were also removed and replaced by a ground level entrance and a non-historic door.

Built on the site of the Capitol Theater, the Uris Building was built in 1970. Designed by Emery Roth and Sons, the 48 story tower was developed and owned by the Uris brothers. Following a series of vacancies in the 70s, the building was sold to Paramount.

Alvin Theater ARCHITECT: Herbert J. Krapp DATE: 1926-27 STYLE: Neo-Georgian, Adamesque The Alvin Theater survives today as one of the historic theaters that symbolize American theater for both New York and the nation. It was designed for Alex Aarons and Vinton Freedley, producers of some of Broadway’s most successful musical comedies. The facade designed for the Alvin by Herbert J. Krapp, the most prolific designer of Broadway theaters, is an exceptionally handsome neo-Georgian design. This facade, based on elegant proportions and Adamesque detailing, distinguished the theater headquarters of Aarons and Freedley, and as such represents a special aspect of the nation’s theatrical history. The Alvin Theater Interior was designed in Adamesque style. The elegant Adamesque detailing distinguished the theater headquarters of Aarons and Freedley, a company that produced some of Broadway’s most successful musical comedies. It represents a special aspect of the nation’s theatrical history.

Each month the Landmarks Conservancy highlights New York City’s extraordinarily rich architectural heritage by featuring a different building style or function. As the City we love continues to reopen we are proud to celebrate the return of Broadway and the magic of live theater and will feature many of the majestic houses that have hosted iconic music and memorable performances across the decades.

My Archive Spring 2019 "Art Paradise: with my buddy Josh exploring midtown, the late 90s." —Ethan Wolff

No. 690 Eighth Avenue, ca. 1936.

Workers inspect the site of the Ninth Avenue El derailment on September 11, 1905. At upper right is the 53rd Street spur, leading to the Sixth Avenue El, where the derailed train was mistakenly switched.

Brill Building ARCHITECT: Victor A. Bark, Jr. DATE: 1930-31 STYLE: Art Deco Designed in the Art Deco style by architect Victor A. Bark, Jr., the white brick elevations feature handsome terra-cotta reliefs, as well as two niches that prominently display stone and brass portrait busts that most likely portray the developer’s son, Alan, who died as the building was being planned. A remarkable number of tenants have been music publishers, but the building is also notable for attracting an evolving roster of songwriters, booking agents, vocal coaches, publicity agents, talent agents, and performers

Forrest Hotel, pictured at left, next to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

Chanin Theatre, ca.1925. Designed by Herbert J. Krapp for producers Irwin and Henry Chanin, Chanin's 46th Street Theatre opened in 1925. Soon after the Chanins leased it to the Shuberts who bought it outright in 1931. Known as the 46th Street Theatre between 1931 and 1990, the Nederlander Organization (its new owners as of 1981) renamed it in honor of composer Richard Rodgers in 1990. The theatre included a number of innovative features including a sloped orchestra level which offered excellent sight lines, and Chanin's 'democratic' seating plan, in which all patrons entered through the same doors regardless of ticket level. This theatre has the distinction of presenting the greatest number (11) of Tony Award-winning Best Plays and Best Musicals. Since summer of 2015 it has been the home of the musical phenomenon, Hamilton.

Barrymore Theater ARCHITECT: Herbert J. Krapp DATE: 1928 STYLE: Elizabethan The Barrymore was built in honor of and named for Ethel Barrymore, one of the nation’s most famous actresses. Its interior is an exceptionally handsome and harmonious design reflecting Elizabethan influences. Among its outstanding characteristics are plasterwork ornament in a strapwork pattern, unusual box treatment, and a coved ceiling with a dome.

The Brill Building, 1935. The Brill Building is a landmark structure that was developed in 1930-31 by Abraham E. Lefcourt. When Lefcourt first leased the land from the Brill Brothers, he planned to erect the world's tallest building on the site, which he would then name after his son, Alan. When Lefcourt failed to meet the terms of their agreement, the Brills foreclosed on the property and changed the name of the near-complete building from the Alan E. Lefcourt Building to the Brill Building. Since its construction, the Brill Building has been synonymous with American music. From the last days of Tin Pan Ally to the emergence of rock and roll, it has been home to a number of remarkable tenants in the music industry. Many big-name performers have leased office space in the building, including Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole. At its height in the '60s, more than 160 tenants were involved in the music industry, giving the Brill Building a genre of its own: "The Brill Building Sound."

White Rats Club House, ca 1914. The White Rats was a fraternal organization of Vaudeville actors founded by comedian, actor, and prizefighter George Fuller Golden. The group was based on the entertainment industry fraternity and charity the British Water Rats. In 1899, the Water Rats had helped Golden and his wife pay for their medical expenses in London after Ms. Golden fell ill. They eventually sponsored the couple's return to the United States. Golden was so moved that when he returned to New York, he founded the White Rats. The organization's main aim was not charity, like the Water Rats. It was concerned with a more pressing problem which Vaudeville performers faced in New York. A monopolistic group, the Vaudeville Managers Association (VMA), threated the working rights of performers, keeping their wages low and maintaining an iron grip on their mobility. A year after the White Rats formed they began negotiations with the VMA. They organized a strike in February of 1901, which was quickly called off because performers had to secure contracts through the VMA itself. The White Rats was ultimately disbanded in 1916 after another unsuccessful strike left members blacklisted from productions at any of the 10,000 theaters owned by one of the VMA's leaders. Founder of the White Rats, George Fuller Golden, never worked as an entertainer again.

Barrymore Theater, ca. 1976. Designed by Herbert Krapp in 1928, the theatre, named after famed American actress Ethel Barrymore, was the final Broadway theatre created by Lee and J.J. Shubert. It is also the only surviving theatre created by the original owner/operators of the Shubert family for one of their performers. The two-story terra-cotta grillwork screen is the defining feature of the facade and was modeled after the design of public baths in Rome. The premiere play was The Kingdom of God, with Barrymore in a leading role. She returned to the stage here a number of times through the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. The Barrymore was the debut location of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, which premiered in 1947, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Jessica Tandy, Marlon Brando.

St. James Theatre, 1935. Opened as the Erlanger Theatre in 1927, this building replaced the building that housed the original Sardi's restaurant. Its architects were Warren & Wetmore, famed for their work on Grand Central Terminal. Their design of a simple brick facade with an ornate iron loggia (an exterior, covered, but open gallery), was a departure from their more elaborate structures. The interior, though, was awash with French-inspired ornamental detail and its two balconies made it a popular venue for musicals. It was renamed the St. James Theatre in 1930 when it was taken over by the Astor family, who also owned the land it was built on. Eventually taken under the control of the Jujamcyn Theaters, the venue will host 2018's most talked-about new show, Disney's Frozen!

Ninth Avenue El derailment at 53rd Street. September 11, 1905. At a few minutes after 7 a.m., a downtown-bound train on the Ninth Avenue El plunged from the tracks at the corner of 53rd Street, ultimately killing 13 and injuring 48, in what was then the worst subway accident in city history. The wreck occurred at the point where downtown-bound Ninth and Sixth Avenue tracks diverged, with Sixth Avenue trains making a 90 degree turn East along 53rd Street. Ordinarily, the approaching downtown train would display a placard indicating to the towerman whether to activate the switch for the curve. In this case a miscommunication between the motorman and the towerman (who may not have been at his post) sent the train into the curve at more than three times its speed limit. The motorman braked, but was unable to prevent two cars from careening over the edge of the trestle. One car slammed into the ground while the other came to rest partially suspended by the second floor window of no. 798 Ninth Avenue. The New York Times described the scene: “The third car of the train, hurled forward by the weight of those behind it, was shoved over the elevated structure and its forward end was forced through the window of the apartment of Mrs. James G. Crowe, who lives above the drug store. The car rocked for a moment and seemed as if about to fall into the street. Then it settled, its forward end held by the sill of the window and the fire escape, and hung suspended like a bridge across the street. The frantic passengers clambered out of the windows and along the roof into the apartments of Mrs. Crowe, and thence to the street.”

In December 1936, the Winter Sports Show and International Ski Meet was held at Madison Square Garden.

Film Center Building, ca. 1948 The Film Center was built in 1928 and was used for various functions of film productions during the late 1920s and 1930s when New York City was the center of filmmaking. The building housed sets, editing, and production facilities, as well as a distribution center. The Film Center Building was designed by Eli Jaques Kahn in an Art Deco style. Kahn was a prominent architect in the first half of the 20th century, known for his modernist designs. The building has one of the most detailed surviving interiors from that period in New York City. Both the exterior of the building and a portion of the interior were landmarked in 1982.

Early 20th-century censors, excited about “controversial” subjects being explored in New York’s theaters, focused mainly on sexuality – in particular, homosexuality and interracial relationships. In 1927, the New York Legislature passed the Wales Padlock Law, which made it illegal “depicting or dealing with, the subject of sex degeneracy, or sex perversion,” and offending theaters could be closed. (Similarly, Hollywood movies were subjected to the infamous Motion Picture Production (Hays) Code of 1930.) Although the New York law was not often enforced, and was protested by the theater community, it had a huge and censorious effect on the Broadway stage. Despite the law, which remained on the books until 1967, lesbian and gay characters did manage to make it to Broadway, often in the works of lesbian and gay playwrights. At the Ethel Barrymore Theater, for instance, there were a number of important productions with subtle gay themes: Design for Living (1933) by Noel Coward, with Coward, Alfred Lunt, and Lynn Fontanne; A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), by Tennessee Williams, with Marlon Brando (winner of the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award); Bell, Book and Candle (1950) by John Van Druten; and Tea and Sympathy (1953) by Robert Anderson. A Raisin in the Sun (1959), by Lorraine Hansberry, was the first work on Broadway by an African-American woman and winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.

Imperial Theatre drawing, date unknown. Designed by Henry J. Krapp and opened in 1923, the Imperial was created specifically to be the Shubert's premier stage for musicals. Its diminutive entrance squished between the Kraw Theatre (now demolished) and the large Music Box Theatre in "Shubert Alley" on 45th Street obscures that the bulk of the theatre itself is actually located on 46th Street. The T-shaped venue was constructed with a modest facade, much like Krapp's other post-WWI theatres for the Shuberts. The interior was more elaborately designed with a flourish of highly ornamental, low relief plasterwork on the walls, typifying Krapp's appreciation of 18th century English Adamesque style. The auditorium includes three large boxes flanking each side of the stage, and is decorated in the neo-classical decoration of the Adamesque style: framed medallions, vases, urns, floral motifs, and chandeliers. The interior of the theatre was designated a landmark in 1986, though its exterior was not protected similarly. The Imperial has hosted a number of Broadway hits in its history included the premiere of 'Annie Get Your Gun," 'Fiddler on the Roof," and "Pippen." After three years at the Broadway Theatre, "Les Misérables" transferred to the Imperial, where it ran for an additional 13 years.

Bickford's Restaurant, 1936. Samuel Longley Bickford began a career in restaurants just after the turn of the century, but it was not until 1921 that he established his eponymous restaurant chain. In the decade after opening, the chain grew to more than two dozen locations in New York City and Boston. The lunchrooms were self-serve with a limited menu. The goal was quick turn over, while maintaining high quality and moderate cost. Eventually the chain included more than 85 locations. During the 1930s most of the restaurant locations were designed by architect F. Russell Stuckert (whose father had designed Horn & Hardart restaurants). With 42 New York City locations in 1970 and only two in 1980, Bickford's disappeared from the city entirely in 1982.

Entrance to Film Center, ca. 1995.

328 West 48th Street, south side between Eighth and Ninth Avenues showing Public School 17, ca. 1920. Originally constructed as Public School 17 in 1908, the facility is also known as the Midtown West School. Designed by C.B.J Snyder, the school survived through the 20th century, and at some point had its designation changed to Public School 212. In 1990 the building became home to the Professional Performing Arts School. This small, specialized school focuses on the development and showcasing of students in dance, drama, and vocal music, along with traditional subjects. Famous alum of the school include actress Claire Danes, actor Jesse Eisenberg, and singer Alicia Keys.

Hotel Edison, c. 1930. Completed in 1931, the Hotel Edison was designed by Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known designer of theatres. On the opening day of the hotel, Thomas Edison switched on the electricity. The Art Deco style hotel opened with space enough for 1000 guests and a large ballroom. The ballroom was converted into a theatre in 1950 and hosted theatrical productions until 1991, when it was changed back into a ballroom space. The interiors of the building showcased its Deco style with terraced hallways with gold-trimmed mirrors and a mural lined lobby. The building also was the location of the well-loved Cafe Edison, a Polish style dinner in opulent former formal dinning room of the hotel. Cafe Edison unfortunately closed in 2014.

Eagle Brewery, ca. 1892. This 19th century west side brewery has a history intertwined with the oldest brewery in the United States, Yuengling. Eagle Brewery was founded in by John Frederick Betz, a young man who had apprenticed at Yuengling in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. After a trip to Europe to learn from master brewers in Germany and Austria, he returned to America and opened his business in 1853. Betz began a brewing empire, with operations in Philadelphia and Jersey City. In 1890 the name was changed to Lembeck and Betz Eagle Brewery. The NJ and PA breweries closed in 1920 during Prohibition, so likely this one did as well. It is unknown when the buildings were demolished.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 457 West 51st Street, ca. 1980. The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Roman Catholic parish, founded in 1876 by Reverend Martin J. Brophy. Designed in the Romanesque Revival style to the plans of LeBrun & Sons, the building, according to the AIA Guide to NYC is a "symmetric confection of deep red brick and matching terra cotta frosted with light-colored stone arches, band courses, and copings." Before construction completed in 1901, the congregation worshipped at the Plymouth Baptist Church, also in Manhattan. In 1966, the interior of the church was the first in the Archdiocese of New York to be reconfigured after the Second Vatican Council.

239 West 45th Street, unknown date. Designed to the plans of architect C. Howard Crane, the intimate Music Box Theater was specifically constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris to house Berlin's famed Music Box Revues. Though one of the smaller Broadway venues, with a seating capacity of only 860, its box seats are notable for being usually large and rounded. After opening in 1921, the theatre hosted a new musical production annually until 1924, when it presented its first play, Cradle Snatchers, starring Humphrey Bogart. Notable playwrights have since found a home at the theatre, including William Inge in the 1950s, who had great success there with Picnic, Bus Stop, and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. The theatre was co-owned by Berlin's estate and the Shubert Organization until 2007, when the Shubert Organization assumed its full ownership.

In 1908 publishing magnate Charles Scribner built a printing plant and headquarters. The 14-story building was designed with 13 1/2 foot ceilings and wide set interior columns for the placement of large printing machinery. The windows also were built floor to ceiling. Today the building has been converted to a modern office building, with tenants such as the coworking company, WeWork.

"Larry David, Alicia Keys, and Samuel L. Jackson walk into an elevator. Sounds like the prelude to a bad joke? Actually, that’s just daily routine at Manhattan Plaza, a 1,600-unit affordable housing complex for performing artists in Times Square that has served as the launching pad for thousands of creative careers since it opened in the late 1970s. It was in this anonymous high-rise in Hell’s Kitchen, that Alicia Keys first learned to play the piano. It was here, in a federally subsidized apartment, that Larry David first met Kenny Kramer — the 'real' Kramer — and wrote the pilot for Seinfeld. To this day, Manhattan Plaza continues to serve as affordable 'on-campus housing' for thousands of performers in the nearby Theater District. But despite Manhattan Plaza’s enormous contributions to popular culture — not to mention the local entertainment economy — the project is little known. To most passersby, it’s just another ugly redbrick tower block. That’s about to change with the release of the forthcoming documentary Miracle on 42nd Street, which explores the project’s dramatic history and features countless Manhattan Plaza 'alumni' paying tribute to the project’s transformative impact on their lives and careers. The film also offers fresh insights into familiar moments in the city’s history: the fiscal crisis, the AIDS crisis, and the revitalization of Times Square." For more on Manhattan Plaza, check out this interview with award-nominated filmmaker Alice Elliott in Gotham: A Blog for Scholars of New York City History.

Martin Beck Theater Interior ARCHITECT: C. Albert Lansburgh DATE: 1923-24 STYLE: Byzantine The exotic design of Martin Beck Theater, or Al Hirschfeld Theater, is based on Byzantine motifs, making the Beck architecturally unique among the Broadway theaters. Among the most notable design features of the interior are a triple-domed lobby with murals, and an auditorium with spiral-ribbed proscenium arch and fan vaults. Its exotic painted domed ceiling is the work of Albert Herter, a noted American muralist.

Madison Square Garden at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, ca. 1930, the third structure to bear that name.

Music Box Theater Interior ARCHITECT: C. Howard Crane & E. George Kiehler DATE: 1920 STYLE: Palladian-inspired The interior of the Music Box Theater is a fine example of Palladian-inspired design. Among its significant architectural features is a flat proscenium arch flanked by Palladian arched boxes echoing the design of its exterior, handsome murals, and Adamesque-style plasterwork.

Fire Engine Company No. 54 ARCHITECT: Napoleon LeBrun & Son DATE: 1888 STYLE: Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival Fire Engine Company No. 54 is a late but excellent example of LeBrun & Son’s numerous mid-block firehouses, reflecting the firm’s attention to materials, stylish details, plan and setting. Napoleon LeBrun, who had established his firm in New York City in 1864, achieved renown as a designer of office buildings, including those for Home Life Insurance Company and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The building combines elements of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles, and adopts the designs of numerous mid-block firehouses as an economical and rapid means of creating public buildings that clearly identified their civic function.

Globe Theatre, ca. 1910. Opened in 1910 and named for the Shakespeare's famous theatre in London, the Globe originally produced dramas. The Italian Renaissance style building was designed by Carrère and Hastings, a firm best known for their New York libraries. The theatre had seating for more than 1100 viewers and two balconies. An innovative feature of the theatre was a retractable roof section, which was meant to open the theatre to the starlight and also provide relief during hot weather. No evidence has been found that the roof ever functioned. It was likely difficult to operate and would have opened the theatre to soot and litter. But, a feature that did function for theatre-goers was individual vents under the seats for heating and cooling. In 1932, owing to the financial crisis and the dwindling revenue of Broadway theatres, the building was converted to a movie house. This function only lasted for about 25 years. In 1958 the building was gut renovated and reopened as the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. In 1959 the Sound of Music opened to mixed reviews. Today the theatre is part of the Nederlander Organization.

Imperial Theatre ARCHITECT: Herbert J. Krapp DATE: 1923 STYLE: Adamesque The Imperial Theater Interior is an excellent example of the elegant Adamesque style. Its significant architectural features include floral plasterwork bands, flat pilasters with stylized capitals, and Adarnesque friezes including figures holding tragic and comic theatrical masks at the boxes.

Film Center Building ARCHITECT: Ely Jacques Kahn DATE: 1928-29 STYLE: Art Deco The Film Center Building interior design is an example of the Art Deco style. The architect, Ely Jacques Kahn, was one of the city’s most prominent architects working in modernistic styles. The interior incorporates a technique of “woven” plaster wall and ceiling surfaces, and a wide-ranging polychromatic program, and it survives largely intact. The building was built to service the motion picture industry then centered in Times Square to the east and still serves the functions for which it was constructed.

Martin Beck (now Al Hirshfield) Theatre, November 1935. Seen from down the block, the Martin Beck Theatre opened in 1924 and was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh (a San Fransisco-based theatre architect). Constructed for vaudeville promotor Beck, it had the distinction of being the only theatre in New York that was owned outright without a mortgage (and was the only Broadway theatre built west of Eighth Avenue). The Moorish-inspired theatre was particularly lavish in its design and both its exterior and a section of the interior were designated NYC landmarks in 1987. In 2003 the theatre was renamed for famed American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.