Apollo Theatre

The Apollo Theatre on 42nd Street was a Broadway theatre located at 213 West 42nd Street in Manhattan. It was demolished in 1996 and provided part of the site for the new Ford Center, now known as the Foxwoods Theatre.

History

The theatre was built in 1920 by the Selwyn Brothers to a design by Eugene De Rosa^[1]. It stood next to the Lyric Theatre and was initially a musical theatre venue for such works as the Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band and George White's Scandals.

By the early 1930s the Apollo had been turned into a film venue. It returned to serving as a theatre in the late 1970s, but this venture failed and the Apollo ended its existence as a night club. The building was neglected, fell into disrepair, and was condemned. In 1990 it was among the 42nd Street theatres repossessed by the City and State of New York and in 1992 came under the protection of the New 42nd Street organization. It was demolished in 1996.^[2]

Some of the theatre's architectural features, including the proscenium arch, which were protected by its landmark status were removed and later incorporated into the new Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now called the Foxwoods Theatre) which was built on the site.

Notes

• Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, Lost Broadway Theatres (Princeton Architectural Press, 1997), ISBN 1-56898-116-3

External links

• Apollo information at the New 42nd Street

Coordinates: 40°45′24″N 73°59′16″W / 40.75667°N 73.98778°W / 40.75667; -73.98778