New Century Theatre

The New Century Theatre was a Broadway theater in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at 205–207 West 58th Street and 926–932 Seventh Avenue. Opened on October 6, 1921, as Jolson's 59th Street Theatre,[1] the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp on the site of the Central Park Riding Academy. It was built for the Shubert brothers, who named the house after Al Jolson.[2]

New Century Theatre
Jolson's 59th Street Theatre (1921–31)
Central Park Theatre (1931)
Shakespeare Theatre (1932–34)
Venice Theatre (1934–42)
Jolson's 59th Street Theatre (1942)
Molly Picon Theatre (1943)
Jolson's 59th Street Theatre (1943)
New Century Theatre (1944–54)
Address932 Seventh Avenue
New York City
United States
Coordinates40.766495°N 73.97947°W / 40.766495; -73.97947
OwnerShubert Organization
TypeBroadway theatre
Capacity1,700
Construction
OpenedOctober 6, 1921 (1921-10-06)
Closed1954
Demolished1962
ArchitectHerbert J. Krapp

In 1920, the Shuberts announced plans to convert the Central Park Riding Academy into a theater,[3] hiring Krapp to renovate the old structure.[2] The Shuberts went bankrupt in 1931 and sold off Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, in part because of the venue's remoteness from Times Square.[2] The venue was then leased as a film house called the Central Park Theatre.[4] It was then renamed five more times before assuming the "New Century" name in 1944. The theater was converted to an NBC broadcast studio in 1953, then to a videotape studio in 1958.[2] Upon the theater's demolition in 1962, the apartment building at 200 Central Park South was erected on the site.[5]

References
  1. "Jolson's Fifty-Ninth Street Theatre". The New York Times. September 19, 1921. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. Morrison, William (1999). Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. p. 121. ISBN 0-486-40244-4.
  3. "Shuberts to Build Another Theatre; New Structure Will Occupy Site of Old Central Park Riding Academy". The New York Times. August 1, 1920. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  4. "Jolson to Be Film House; Brecher Leases It and Will Change Name to Central Park Theatre". The New York Times. February 4, 1931. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. "Central Park Theatre in New York, NY". Cinema Treasures. October 6, 1921. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
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