Dramatically standing out from its surroundings, the Casino Theatre was quite a sight on West 39th at the time. Thomas Wisedell and Francis Hatch Kimball, the theater's architects, designed the theater in the Moorish Revival style. Rudolph Aronson, a prolific composer, had secured financing from some of New York's most prominent businessmen (including Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan) to create a theater for the light musical fare.

However, the site was actually rather daring for the time. The Casino Theatre was almost 20 blocks north of the existing theater district and far away from the competition. But Aronson was convinced that through the strength of the productions, and the unique and modern design of the theater, guests could be lured into the Casino despite its remote locale.

And unique it was. The Casino's Moorish terracotta outside gave way to an inside rife with metalwork, detailed patterns, carvings, and arches. Moreover, it was the first theater in New York to be lit entirely with electricity and even would include fans to cool the theater goers down.

Furthermore, Aronson introduced another novelty: a fully stocked cafe to serve the Casino Theatre's guests with refreshments, a rarity at the time for theaters of this type.

The Casino opened to a stormy night with its roof still unfinished on October 21, 1882. Despite some of the well-dressed guests being dripped upon, the theater soon became a success. Known for its expensive productions of European operas, patrons would come to the Casino, knowing that some of the biggest stars would appear on its stage.

As success continued, Aronson spurred another Theater District innovation: the rooftop garden. This would allow the Casino to operate throughout the year in New York's steaming summer, many other New York theaters would adopt this method in the days before air conditioning.

Moreover, the Casino Theatre was the first to produce an all African-American musical "Clorindy: The Origin of the Cakewalk" to a white audience. The all-black cast had been met with much rejection until Edward E. Rice, the manager of the Casino's new roof garden, agreed to produce the show. Debuting on July 4th, 1889, the show was a hit.

The Casino would continue its success into the new century. Everyone from Lillian Russell to Evelyn Nesbit would pass through its halls. Ownership would change multiple times and survive multiple fires. Unfortunately, times would change and again the Casino Theatre would be in a no man's land as theaters moved northward.

In January 1930, a final performance of Faust was performed. Shortly after the Casino Theatre was demolished.