The Herald Square Theatre was a

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City, built in 1883 and closed in 1914. The site is now a highrise designed by H. Craig Severance.

History

The Park Theatre opened in 1883 (also known as the New Park Theatre) on the partly demolished site of the Great New York Aquarium (1876–1881), which is unrelated to the later

New York Aquarium The New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States, located on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded at Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan in 1896, and move ...

. Actor Charles E. Evans, retiring from the stage with cash in hand from the long-running success of ''

A Parlor Match ''A Parlor Match'' is an American musical play which debuted in 1884 and was one of the biggest hits of its time. It starred Charles E. Evans and William F. Hoey.Morden, Ethan''Ziegfeld: The Man Who Invented Show Business'' p. 32 (2008) Charles ...

'', refurbished the prior Harrigan's Park Theatre as the Herald Square Theatre in 1894.Who's who on the stage
p. 90 (1906) It stood at 1331 Broadway, designed by architects Rose & Stone, with about 1150 seats and with its interior furnished by the interior of the nearby Booth's Theatre, which was being demolished.

Lee Shubert Lee Shubert (born Levi Schubart; March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born to a Jewish family, the so ...

took over the lease of the theatre in 1900, making it the first Broadway theatre owned by

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

. Partially destroyed by fire and rebuilt, in 1911 it became "the first New York theatre to be converted into a silent movie house", but it was demolished only three years later, as the Garment District expanded, and the Broadway theater district migrated north of 40th Street.(10 July 1914)
The Real Estate Field
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' ("The property, on which is the Herald Square Theatre, has a Broadway frontage of 211.5 feet, 207 feet on Thirty-fifth Street and eight-one feet on Thirty-sixth Street.") The theatre offered a variety of entertainment, from plays, like Shaw's '' Arms and the Man'' (1894), to

Edwardian musical comedies Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the Ame ...

, like '' The Girl from Kay's'' (1903–1904) and ''

The Girl Behind the Counter ''The Girl Behind the Counter'' is an Edwardian musical comedy with a book by Arthur Anderson (dramatist), Arthur Anderson and Leedham Bantock, music by Howard Talbot and lyrics by Arthur Anderson (dramatist), Arthur Anderson (and additional lyr ...

'' (1907–1908), to operetta, like

Reginald De Koven Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859January 16, 1920) was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas. Biography De Koven was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Europe in 1870, where he receive ...

and Harry B. Smith's '' Rob Roy''. It saw the first performance of the

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

song "

You're a Grand Old Flag "You're a Grand Old Flag" is an American patriotic march. The song, a spirited march written by George M. Cohan, is a tribute to the U.S. flag. In addition to obvious references to the flag, it incorporates snippets of other popular songs, inclu ...

" in 1906, and it was also where

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

first saw and met his wife Millicent Willson during her appearance as a "bicycle girl" in 1897.

Selected performances

* '' Arms and the Man'' (September 1894) (with

Richard Mansfield Richard Mansfield (24 May 1857 – 30 August 1907) was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and the play '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''. Life and career Mansfield was born ...

) * ''Napoleon Bonaparte'' (October 1894) * '' Rob Roy'' (October 1894 - March 1895) * '' Pudd'nhead Wilson'' (April 1895) (dramatized by Frank M. Mayo) * '' The Heart of Maryland'' (October 1895 - March 1896) (by

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

) * ''

'' (revival) (September 1896) * '' The Girl From Paris'' (December 1896 - July 1897; August 1897) * ''An Arabian Girl and 40 Thieves'' (April - May 1899) * ''

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

'' (September 1900 - January 1901)Brown, Thomas Allston
A History of the New York Stage, Vol. III"> A History of the New York Stage, Vol. III
(1903) * '' Dolly Varden'' (January 1902 - June 1902) (with

Lulu Glaser Lulu Glaser (June 2, 1874 - September 5, 1958) was an American actress and vocalist. She appeared on Broadway and later Vaudeville. Glaser's first appearance on the stage was at the Broadway Theatre in New York on December 30, 1891 in the play ...

) * ''

The Girl from Kays ''The Girl from Kays'' is a musical comedy in three acts, with music by Ivan Caryll and book and lyrics by Owen Hall. Additional songs were by Paul Rubens, Howard Talbot, Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank and others. The farcical story concerns a ...

'' (November 1903 – May 1904; August–September 1904) * '' The Rollicking Girl'' (May 1905 - October 1905) * '' George Washington Jr.'' (February 1906 - April 1906) *'' Widower's Houses'' (March 1907) * ''

The Orchid ''The Orchid'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, a book by James T. Tanner, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, and additional numbers by Paul Rubens. The story concerns marital ...

'' (April 1907 - September 1907) * ''

'' (October 1907 - June 1908) * ''Three Twins'' (June 1908 - December 1908, closed due to fire) * ''

The Beauty Spot ''The Beauty Spot'' was a 1909 musical comedy in two acts that played for 137 performances at the Herald Square Theatre in New York with music by Reginald De Koven, a book by Joseph W. Herbert and additional lyrics by Terry Sullivan. The musical ...

'' (April 1909 - August 1909) * '' Tillie's Nightmare'' (May 1910 - July 1910)

References

External links

Cinema Treasures Listing
{{Authority control Former Broadway theatres Demolished theatres in New York City Buildings and structures demolished in 1915 1911 fires in the United States Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan