A History of Broadway Theatres in New York: Then and Now

Broadway theatres in New York have shaped American culture for well over a century. The Theater District as we know it began to take shape in the early 1900s, when producers and theatre owners migrated uptown from 14th Street to cluster around Times Square and the surrounding blocks.

By the 1920s, the Shubert brothers alone had financed and constructed dozens of houses along 44th through 50th Streets, cementing the area as the undisputed home of Broadway theater in New York City. Many of those buildings still stand today, their facades bearing the weight of history while their stages continue to host some of the most celebrated Broadway musicals and dramas in the world.

Here is a closer look at some of the most storied venues in the Theater District, and the remarkable journeys they have made from then to now.

Walter Kerr Theatre

The Walter Kerr Theatre, originally the Ritz Theatre, opened on March 21, 1921, designed by Herbert J. Krapp for the Shubert brothers. The venue functioned as a radio and television studio for ABC from 1943 to 1965, then passed through various owners before Jujamcyn Theaters took over in 1980.

The renovated theater reopened with a $1.9 million refurbishment in 1990, renamed in honor of drama critic Walter Kerr. Today, it stands as the Broadway house that has produced the most Tony Award winners for Best Play, and currently hosts the acclaimed folk opera Hadestown. The Belvedere Hotel sits directly on 48th Street, placing this Theatre District architecture gem less than a 3-minute walk from your door.

Ambassador Theatre

The Ambassador opened on February 11, 1921, and the Shuberts sold the property in 1935, after which it was intermittently used as a CBS broadcast studio, a movie theater, and for live theater until 1945. The Ambassador Theatre is uniquely built diagonally on its lot; the architect constructed the theater at an angle in order to fit as many seats as possible, resulting in very limited wing space and a diagonal grid above the stage.

Since 2003, the theater has hosted the musical Chicago, which in 2014 became the second-longest-running Broadway show. The Ambassador sits on West 49th Street, barely a 5-minute stroll from The Belvedere Hotel.

Eugene O'Neill Theatre

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre was built in 1925 as the Forrest Theatre; the first Broadway theatre to combine a stage with a hotel and the first to use steel-frame construction, previously reserved only for skyscrapers. It was renamed after playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1959, the first Broadway house ever named for a playwright, and Jujamcyn has operated the theater since 1982, restoring it in 1994.

The theatre hosted the original run of Annie, Spring Awakening, and The Odd Couple, and today remains home to the Tony Award-winning The Book of Mormon. Located on West 49th Street, it sits just 5 minutes on foot from The Belvedere Hotel.

Ethel Barrymore Theatre

In 1928, the Shuberts offered to build Ethel Barrymore a theatre and commission a play for her to premiere in her namesake house, making the Ethel Barrymore the last theatre Lee and J.J. Shubert ever built. It is one of the few Broadway theaters to have never been sold or renamed since its opening.

The theatre hosted Fred Astaire in Cole Porter's Gay Divorce, Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, and Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee in A Raisin in the Sun. Its current production is August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Located on West 47th Street, the Ethel Barrymore is a 5-minute walk from The Belvedere Hotel.

Majestic Theatre

The Majestic Theatre opened on March 28, 1927. It was designed by Herbert J. Krapp, the same architect behind the Walter Kerr, and built by the Chanin Brothers. It was then transferred to the Shubert Organization in 1930, which has operated it since that time. That makes it one of the few Broadway houses to have remained under such a long continuous ownership by a single organization. It is the largest of the traditional Shubert houses and has long been considered the crown jewel of the Shubert portfolio.

The Majestic's stage has hosted some of the most celebrated productions in Broadway history, including Carousel, South Pacific, Camelot, and The Music Man. Today, the theater hosts a new production befitting its grand legacy. Located on West 44th Street, the Majestic is approximately a 7-minute walk from The Belvedere Hotel.

Gershwin Theatre

Named in honor of the legendary composer George Gershwin and his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, the Gershwin Theatre opened in 1972 as part of the Uris Building complex on 51st Street. As one of Broadway's largest stages, with over 1,900 seats, it has hosted some of the most technically ambitious Broadway musicals in history, including the original productions of Sweeney Todd, My Favorite Year, and, most famously, Wicked, which is currently running at the Gershwin and has been for over two decades. The Gershwin sits approximately a 7-minute walk from The Belvedere Hotel.

Stay at The Belvedere Hotel Right in the Heart of the Theater District

Few historic hotels place you as squarely inside a Broadway theater in New York as The Belvedere Hotel. Situated at 319 West 48th Street, the hotel sits at the very center of the Theater District. Every theatre featured in this post falls within a short walk, making it effortless to immerse yourself in the architecture, history, and world-class performances that have defined Broadway musicals and drama for a century.

Book your stay at The Belvedere Hotel and experience Broadway the way it was meant to be experienced, steps from the stage.