Astor Theatre, ca. 1905. Opened on September 21, 1906 with a production of “A Midsummer Nights Dream,” the Astor Theatre was considered a premier Broadway venue during the early 20th century. The corner building was striking, rendered in a mix of Neo-Classical and Second Empire styles and topped by a bronze-domed tower. Live performances continued until 1925 when the theatre was converted to a movie house. In 1955 the movie "East of Eden," starring James Dean premiered here. The ornate structure underwent a radical modernization in 1959, which created a plain boxy facade and gutted the interior of its gilded proscenium arch and boxes. In 1972 the movie house closed. Despite a valiant effort by preservationists to save the building and its adjacent theatres (the Victoria Theatre, the Helen Hayes Theatre, the Bijou Theatre and Morosco Theatre), the whole block was demolished in 1982 for the Marriott Marquis New York Hotel. That hotel did include a Broadway theatre in its design.