Music Box Theater
- Architect
- C. Howard Crane
- Year
- 1921
- City
- Manhattan, NY
The Music Box Theatre opened in 1921 at 239 West 45th Street, designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspired style and built for songwriter Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris. Harris had proposed the theater in 1919 specifically to house his own productions. It seats 1,025 across two levels and is now operated by the Shubert Organization.
the building
Palladian limestone facade. The symmetrical limestone facade blends Palladian and neo-Georgian motifs, with the entrance and marquee to the east and the stage door to the west.
The hidden colonnade. A double-height central colonnade at the second and third floors conceals a fire-escape staircase, flanked by windows in the outer bays.
Adam-style auditorium. Inside, Adam style detailing surrounds a large balcony and two outwardly curved box seats set within ornate archways, paired with a deliberately small lobby and a basement lounge.
the style
Crane worked in a Palladian-inspired mode paired with neo-Georgian and Adam style detailing, giving the theater a restrained classical dignity distinct from the more ornate Broadway houses of its era.
the architect
C. Howard Crane designed the Music Box Theatre in 1921, built for Irving Berlin and Sam H. Harris.
significance
Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City designated landmarks (NYC Individual Landmark LP-01359, designated 12/8/1987).
nearby
- Paramount Hotel
- The Times Square Building
- Times Square Hotel
- 47th Street Theatre
- Church of Saint Mary-the-Virgin Complex
- New Amsterdam Theater