Hammerstein's Olympia, New York Theatre,Loew's New York, Criterion Theatre, Vitagraph Theatre | |
 Hammerstein's Olympia | |
 Interactive map of Olympia Theatre | |
| Address | 1514–16 Broadway New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Broadway |
| Current use | restaurant |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1895 |
| Rebuilt | 1935 |
| Years active | 1890–1935 |
| Architect | J. B. McElfatrick & Son |
TheOlympia Theatre (1514–16Broadway at 44th Street), also known asHammerstein's Olympia and later theLyric Theatre and theNew York Theatre, was a theater complex built by impresarioOscar Hammerstein I atLongacre Square (laterTimes Square) inManhattan,New York City, opening in 1895.
It consisted of a theater, a music hall, a concert hall, and a roof garden. Later, sections of the structure were substantially remodeled and used for both live theatre and for motion pictures. As a cinema, it was also known at various times as the Vitagraph Theatre and the Criterion Theatre.
According toThe New York Times, the Olympia was a "massive gray stone building", and extended 203 feet (62 m) on Longacre Square, 104 feet (32 m) on 45th Street, and 101 feet (31 m) on 44th Street. It was made from Indiana limestone, featured an imposing façade, and followed French Renaissance designs. It was designed byJ. B. McElfatrick & Son.[1][2] The building opened on November 25, 1895 with the Broadway debut ofExcelsior, Jr., with over 30 performers from Europe appearing.[3] It was the second theater to open in what is now known as theTheater District. (The first was theEmpire Theatre, on the southeast corner of 40th Street and Broadway.) The complex consisted of the Music Hall, a large variety theater, the Lyric, a legitimate theater, the Concert Hall, for smaller music performances, and a rooftop garden theater.
In 1898, Hammerstein was forced to sell the complex to settle debts from its construction.[4] The venues were sold separately, with the Music Hall becoming the New York Theatre, which became part of theLoew's movie theater chain in 1915.[5] The Lyric was renamed the Criterion Theatre. From 1914 to 1916 it operated as the Vitagraph Theatre, leased by theVitagraph Company for prestige motion pictures includingThe Battle Cry of Peace, before returning to the Criterion name. It permanently switched to cinema use in 1920.[6][7][8] The rooftop garden theater was leased byFlorenz Ziegfeld and hosted the first five editions of theZiegfeld Follies under the nameJardin de Paris, named for the location inParis of theMoulin Rouge. It, too, became a movie theater.[9] The complex was demolished in 1935.
 | It has been suggested that this section besplit out into another article titledBow Tie Building. (Discuss)(October 2022) |
After the old venues were demolished, architectsThomas W. Lamb andEugene De Rosa designed a new building on the site which included a new Criterion Theatre cinema, the International Casino nightclub, and retail space.[1] The nightclub closed after only two years, and the space became aBond Clothing Stores location until 1977. It was then reconverted to a discotheque,Bond International Casino, which closed in 1986. The cinema was multiplexed in 1980.
In 1988, a portion of the former nightclub space was converted was to a pair of live theater spaces called the Criterion Center.[10] In 1991, the spaces were leased toRoundabout Theatre Company, a prominent non-profit theater company, which used the larger Stage Right space as a smallTony Award-eligible theater while the smaller second theater became the first version of theLaura Pels Theatre. Notable productions during Roundabout's tenure at the Criterion include the 1993 revival ofEugene O'Neill'sAnna Christie (featuringLiam Neeson andNatasha Richardson in theirBroadway debuts),[11] the 1995 revival ofStephen Sondheim'sCompany,[12] and the 1997 revival of1776.[13] The company left the space in 2000 when their lease was canceled.
In 2001,Toys "R" Us built a flagship store in the building, leading to the closure of both the cinema and the live theater venues.[14] The multilevel store featured a 60-foot in-store Ferris Wheel and an animatronic T-rex among its attractions. Upon expiration of its lease, Toys "R" Us closed on December 30, 2015.[15] The decision was attributed primarily to a rise in property values in Times Square that would increase its rent from $12 million to upwards of $42 million a year. In June 2015,Gap Inc. signed a lease for the property and expected to open stores for its Gap andOld Navy brands in 2017. The two stores account for 62,000 square feet of the 100,000-square-foot store.[16] In July 2016, during the construction of the Gap and Old Navy flagship store, remnants of the original Olympia were found under the floors.[17][18][19] The building, known officially as the Bow Tie Building, remains owned by Bow Tie Partners, the real estate holding company tied toBow Tie Cinemas, the chain operated by the Moss family.[20]
The Cherry Blossom Grove was a second theatre located on the rooftop of the Olympia Theatre.[21]
40°45′27″N73°59′09″W / 40.75738°N 73.98570°W /40.75738; -73.98570