belasco-theatre

The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 and designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco.

The Belasco Theatre is on 111 West 44th Street, on the north sidewalk between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The rectangular land lot covers 12,552 ft2 (1,166.1 m2), with a frontage of 125 ft (38 m) on 44th Street and a depth of about 100 ft (30 m). On the same block, the Hotel Gerard, Hudson Theatre, and Millennium Times Square New York are to the west. Other nearby buildings include the Algonquin Hotel to the east, 1166 Avenue of the Americas to the northeast, the Americas Tower and High School of Performing Arts to the north, the Lyceum Theatre and 1540 Broadway to the northwest, 1500 Broadway to the southwest, and the Chatwal New York hotel and the Town Hall to the south.

The Belasco Theatre was designed by George Keister, the architect of the neighboring Hotel Gerard, in the neo-Georgian style. It was constructed from 1906 to 1907 as the Stuyvesant Theatre and was originally operated by David Belasco. The neo-Georgian style was selected because a similar style was used on many early government buildings of New York City. The original name was a homage to Peter Stuyvesant, a director-general of New Amsterdam, the 17th-century Dutch colony that later became New York City. Compared to its contemporaries, the Belasco is relatively small. A wing for offices and dressing rooms, separated from the rest of the theater by a thick wall, was constructed on the west side of the theater. The eastern part of the theater is topped by a private duplex apartment built in 1909.

The primary elevation of the facade faces south on 44th Street and is made of red brick in Flemish bond, with terracotta decorative elements. It is split into an office section to the west and the main theater section to the east. The side walls are faced in plain brick. The 44th Street elevation is about 60 ft (18 m) tall, while the rear elevation is cited as being 80 ft (24 m) or 90 ft (27 m) tall. To comply with fire regulations at the time of the Belasco's construction, the theater is surrounded by an alley measuring 10 ft (3.0 m) wide. Due to the presence of the alley, the theater only measures 105 by 100 ft (32 by 30 m).

On 44th Street, the ground-story facade consists of a water table made of granite, above which is burnt brick in Flemish bond. There are four pairs of doors at the center of the facade, above which is an entablature made of terracotta. These doors are separated by terracotta pilasters in the Tuscan style. On either side of the central doorways are wood-framed display boards. The facade's westernmost portion corresponds to the office stories and has a granite stoop with two steps. The steps are flanked by iron railings and lead to two pairs of wood-and-glass doors, which connect to the ticket lobby. These doorways are set within the same opening, with Doric terracotta pilasters on either side and an entablature above. A metal gate leads to an alley on the west. The easternmost section contains a stoop with three steps, which lead to a pair of wood-and-glass doors flanked by pilasters; this provides access to the balcony. A large metal canopy hangs above the doorways. An egg-and-dart molding and a Greek key frieze runs above the ground story on 44th Street.

Available at this venue:

• Wheelchair-accessible entrance

Not available at this venue:

• Wheelchair-accessible parking

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