Hamilton Theatre, 1915. Constructed in 1912-1913, the Hamilton Theatre was vaudeville house designed by famed theatre architect Thomas Lamb.The neo-Renaissance building has large round-arched windows that dominate the facades. The upper floors are clad in terra cotta and cast iron, with an elaborate bracketed cornice (since removed). The marquee in this 1915 photo advertises Ethel Barrymore in "The Final Judgement" and "Vaudeville Photo Plays." The building became an RKO movie theatre in 1928 as vaudeville was being replaced by "talking pictures." The theatre operated until 1958. In the later 20th century, the building was a sports venue and disco. An evangelical church owned and occupied the building from 1965 until the mid 1990s. The lobby has been converted to retail space, the auditorium has been unused since the 1990s and the marquee has been removed.

Although European settlers had begun farming the area now known as West Harlem in 1625, the community was not formally incorporated as the village of New Harlem (or “Nieuw Haarlem” in Dutch) until 1658. The development of New York City and the introduction of rail and transport allowed Harlem to become a thriving neighborhood over the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, local organizations continue to fight to preserve West Harlem and promote its unique identity as increased development threatens this dynamic community and its architectural beauty.

(Thomas W. Lamb, 1912-13) Although missing its original ornate cornice, the Hamilton Theater, designed by famed movie architect Thomas Lamb, prominently stands out on its corner lot. The building’s round-arch windows feature cast-iron caryatids supporting pediments at the second story and oculi at the third story apex of the arches. The Hamilton is typical of Lamb’s early, smaller neighborhood theaters in its neo-Renaissance style, three-story height and use of terra cotta. As Harlem developed at the end of the 19th century, the theater became one of the many satellite centers of entertainment appearing in the burgeoning residential neighborhoods along the new subway system. The 2,500-seat theater was conceived in 1912 by theater operators B.S. Moss and Solomon Brill to host vaudeville performances, screen motion pictures and feature dining and recreational space in the basement and rooftop. Moss sold his theater empire to RadioKeith-Orpheum Radio Pictures, Inc. in 1928, which operated the Hamilton until its closure and conversion to a sports arena in 1958.