Broadway Theatre Zoning District

Location

General Description and Significance Type

The Broadway Theater District originated in the early 1900s as theaters began to move from Union Square and Madison Square Garden further uptown to the Times Square area because of its cheaper real estate. Two of the earliest Broadway theaters, New Amsterdam and Lyceum, were built in 1903. The Lyceum Theater was designed in a Beaux Arts style by Herts and Tallant1. Herts and Tallant also designed the New Amsterdam Theatre but in an Art Nouveau style2

The invention of the electric light bulb paved the way for the notorious electric signage which characterizes Times Square. The first electric billboard for the play, The Red Mill, was illuminated in 19033 Other theaters followed this trend, and soon enough all of Broadway was illuminated with electric signage and referred to as "The Great White Way"4. In 1927, the neon light was invented, bringing in a flush of new vibrant colored lights for billboards in Times Square.

The 1920s brought a tremendous spike in theater production with over 30 available venues. The Shuberts, theater owners, exclusively commissioned Herbert Krapp to design the theaters, some of which have been very successful: "Of the forty theaters built in the immediate Times Square area, Krapp’s playhouses have proven to be the most enduring"5. The area faced hard times after the stock market crash of 1929 and the popularization of "talkies" ticket sales plunged causing theater owners like the Shuberts to file for bankruptcy6.

The Great Depression deeply affected the area causing many theaters to shut down. Some reopened as movie theaters while others showcased live burlesque shows.

The theater district continued to face financial issues, and plunged into its worst period during the 1970s. The theaters began showing art films and pornography which attracted prostitutes, drug dealers and crime. The once sparkling exterior of the grand monumental theaters further faced dereliction and dilapidation7. In the 1980s, the city became motivated to clean up the area by forming the New 42nd Street Development Project http://www.new42.org/about.cfm " href="#footnote8_3j3j6e6">8. This project combined private and public organizations who worked to revitalize the area by renovating historic structures, introducing commercial retail in vacant buildings, and cleaning up the area. It was successful at achieving a balance of historic preservation and economic development.

In 1992, Robert A.M. Stern was commissioned to develop a master plan for the re-design of Times Square9. In addition, he developed a guideline for zoning requirements in the area, which promoted the use of large billboards that would be applied to the buildings on 42nd Street. The intent was to invigorate the vibrancy of the theater district, by taking a modern approach the "Great White Way" had once engendered. The 1990s saw a surge in Broadway plays when Disney partnered with the city to rehabilitate the New Amsterdam theater and showcase adaptations of popular Disney movies including The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast 10. The area now attracts millions of visitors and further gleams as an entertainment epicenter for not only the city, but for the world.

Designation Status

25 Individually Landmarked Broadway Theaters

Current Condition

Entertainment District

Related Preservation Campaigns

Due to the dereliction of the Times Square Broadway Theater District in the 1970s, historic theaters were threatened by demolition. The battle to preserve the Broadway theaters in Times Square represented a conflict between protecting the economic interests of private theater owners while attempting to revitalize the Times Square and preserve its historic structure.

Radio City Music Hall

According to preservationist Joe Rosenberg, the major impetus to landmark Broadway theaters occurred after the announcement that Rockefeller Center planned to demolish Radio City Music Hall11. Rosenberg quickly worked on putting together information for a report to present to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission so that they would grant Radio City Music Hall a public hearing. In addition he helped launch a publicity campaign by getting the Rockettes to advertise for saving the building from demolition. The efforts of Joe Rosenberg and others paid off when Radio City Music Hall was designated a New York City Landmark in 1978. In addition, the New Amsterdam Theater became a New York City Landmark in 1982, protecting it from proposed demolition.

Marriott Marquis

Yet, community organizers reached a hurdle when plans were announced for the demolition of the Moroso, the Helen Hayes, and Bijou to make way for the construction of the Marriott Marquis Hotel12. Preservationists joined by the Actor's Equity formed the group, Save the Theaters Incorporated, in order to preserve the theaters in the district. Publicity campaigns, started by Save the Theaters Incorporated garnered support from celebrities including Tony Randall, Liza Minelli, Joseph Pap, Colleen Dewhurst, and Christopher Reeves. However, due to the city's urban development plan to clean up Times Square, city officials pressured the Landmarks Preservation Commission to vote against designating the theaters13.

Theater Zoning District

In 1982, zoning amendments were passed in order to permit transferable development rights from landmarked theaters to "abutting areas or across the street"14. Norman Marcus, City Planning Commissioner "led the legal team that established the Midtown Manhattan district, in which air rights above Broadway theaters could be transferred to nearby developments"15. The special district zoning also required that a special permit be granted for any demolition of theaters which are not designated landmarks16. Furthermore, the Board of Estimate declared a two-year moratorium on demolishing Broadway theaters17. This bought preservationists time in order to petition the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate 44 theaters. They began to research the remaining theaters in order to compile reports for the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Soon enough the LPC began designating the Broadway theaters, including the Ambassador, Lyceum, Neil Simon, and the Palace18. In June of 1988, two of the most prominent theater owners, the Shuberts and the Nederlander organizations, filed a lawsuit citing that designation of the theaters infringed on their ability to produce an economic return of their business. The courts ruled against the theater owners and upheld the landmark status of the designated theaters19.

Meanwhile the city formed the New 42nd Street Development Project in order to transform the Broadway district. They worked in conjunction with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, who had composed a list of theaters which were not landmarked but were to be treated as landmarks in the midst proposed new development. The New 42nd Development Project renovated numerous theaters while still retaining their historic integrity in addition to generating economic vitality to the Broadway district. 20

In addition, a zoning code passed in 1998 now allows for Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) to be sold not only to areas adjacent to the landmarked buildings but to areas within the district [fm]McGeehan, Patrick. "Theater District Will Get Taller, If Not Richer." New York Times. August 6, 2006..

By 1987, twenty five Broadway theaters had been designated New York City Landmarks, ultimately protecting and preserving the legacy of the theater district. As former Landmarks Commissioner Elliot Willensky eloquently remarked, "These Theaters are more than the history of New York City or the history of a neighborhood. They are of the significance of the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Bridge. They are of national- even international - significance. This was the starting point of spreading culture to every town, every city in America." 21

Archives, Personal Files, Oral Histories, Ephemera

Interview with Joe Rosenberg by Portia Dyrenforth. Oral History. New York Preservation Archive Project. October 17, 2007.

• 1. Staff. "Lyceum Theatre New York City Landmarks Designation Report." November 26, 1974.
• 2. Pearson, Marjorie. "New Amsterdam Theater New York City Landmarks Designation Report." October 23, 1979
• 3. Kenrick, John. "Theatre in NYC: History Part IV." http://www.musicals101.com/bwaythhist4.htm.
• 4. Kenrick, John. "Theatre in NYC: History Part IV." http://www.musicals101.com/bwaythhist4.htm.
• 5. Theatre in America: 200 years of plays, players, and productions. H.N. Abrams, 1986 p.256.[/fn>. 1927 and 1928 signaled the height of theater popularity in Times Square with 70 theaters and 250 showsKenrick, John. "Theatre in NYC: History Part IV." http://www.musicals101.com/bwaythhist4.htm.
• 6. Kenrick, John. "Theatre in NYC: History Part IV." http://www.musicals101.com/bwaythhist4.htm.
• 7. Burns, Rick and James Sanders. New York: An Illustrated History New York: Knopf, 2003.
• 8. http://www.new42.org/about.cfm
• 9. Muschamp, Herbert. "Architecture View; Time to Reset the Clock in Time Square." New York Times November 1, 1992.
• 10. Weber, Bruce. "Disney Unveils Restored New Amsterdam Theater." New York Times April 3, 1997
• 11. Dyrenforth, Portia. Interview with Joe Rosenberg. Oral History. New York Preservation Archive Project. October 17, 2007.
• 12. Goldberger, Paul. "Architecture View; Broadway Need Not Become a Doormat for Skyscapers." New York Times. April 13, 1986.
• 13. Dyrenforth, Portia. Interview with Joe Rosenberg. Oral History. New York Preservation Archive Project. October 17, 2007.
• 14. Oser, Alan S. "Act I of a Zoning Drama in the Theater District." New York Times. November 7, 1982.
• 15. Hevesi, Dennis. "Norman Marcus, New York City Zoning Expert Dies at 75." New York Times. July 7, 2008.
• 16. New York City Zoning Handbook: A Guide to New York City's Zoning Resolution. The Department of City Planning 2006.
• 17. Oser, Alan S. "Act I of a Zoning Drama in the Theater District." New York Times. November 7, 1982.
• 18. Dunlap, David. "5 More Broadway Theaters Classified as Landmarks." New York Times November 5, 1987
• 19. Sullivan, Ronald. "Theaters' Landmark Status Upheld." New York Times December 8, 1989.
• 20. http://www.new42.org/about.cfm
• 21. Schmatz, Jeffrey. "Landmarks Panel Listing Broadway Panel Listing Broadway Theaters." New York Times August 7, 1985.