New York City has long been considered the leading American center for arts and culture. The arts, especially theater, constitute one of New York’s primary economic forces. Throughout the 20th century, the LGBT community has had a significant and disproportionate impact on the Broadway stage, even as the New York Legislature-enacted Wales Padlock Law (1927-1967) made it illegal for theaters to show plays that featured gay and lesbian characters (though some productions managed to get around this restriction). This curated collection spotlights the Broadway Theater District and its associations with major LGBT performers and creators.

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.

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.