 Ziegfeld Theatre during the run of Show Boat (1927–29) | |
 | |
| Address | 1341 Sixth Avenue Manhattan, New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′45″N73°58′43″W / 40.76256°N 73.97873°W /40.76256; -73.97873 |
| Owner | Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. |
| Type | Broadway |
| Capacity | 1,638 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 2, 1927 (1927-02-02) |
| Demolished | 1966 |
| Architect | Joseph Urban and Thomas W. Lamb |
TheZiegfeld Theatre was aBroadway theatre located at 1341Sixth Avenue, corner of54th Street inManhattan,New York City. It was built in 1927 and despite public protests, it was razed in 1966.
With a seating capacity of 1,638,[1] the Ziegfeld Theatre was named for the famed Broadway impresarioFlorenz Ziegfeld, Jr., who built it with financial backing fromWilliam Randolph Hearst. Designed byJoseph Urban andThomas W. Lamb, it opened February 2, 1927, with the musicalRio Rita. The theater's second show was also its most famous—Jerome Kern's landmark musicalShow Boat, which opened December 27, 1927, and ran for 572 performances.
Due to the decline in new Broadway shows during theGreat Depression, the theater became theLoew's Ziegfeld in 1933 and operated as amovie theater until showmanBilly Rose bought it in 1944.
NBC leased the Ziegfeld Theatre for use as atelevision studio from 1955 to 1963. ThePerry Como Show was broadcast from the theater beginning in 1956. It was also used to present the televisedEmmy Awards program in 1959 and 1961.
In 1963 the Ziegfeld Theatre reopened as alegitimate Broadway theater. This was short-lived, however, as Rose began to assemble abutting properties for a new real estate project.[2] The musicalAnya, which opened November 29, 1965, for 16 performances, was the last musical to play at the theater, which was torn down in 1966 to make way for a skyscraper, the Fisher Bros.Burlington House.[1]
"The Ziegfeld was one of those buildings that went just a few years too soon," wrote architectural criticPaul Goldberger. "Had it been able to hold on just a bit longer, a later age would surely have seen its value and refused to sanction its destruction."[3]
A fragment of the Joseph Urban facade, a female head, can be seen in front of the private home at 52 East 80th Street.[4]
The box from the cornerstone and its contents are held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division of theNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
| Shows | |
|---|---|
| Radio | |
| Films | |
| People | |
| Related articles | |
