The National Theater was a
Yiddish theatre at the southwest corner of
Second Avenue (
Chrystie) and
Houston Street in the
Yiddish Theater District
The Yiddish Theatre District, also called the Jewish Rialto and the Yiddish Realto, was the center of New York City's Yiddish theatre scene in the early 20th century. It was located primarily on Second Avenue, though it extended to Avenue B, b ...
in
Manhattan, New York City, United States.
When first built it was leased to
Boris Thomashefsky and
Julius Adler.
Its grand opening as the Adler-Thomashefsky National Theatre was on September 24, 1912.
[ Zylbercweig, Zalmen (1934).]
Tomashefsky, Boris
. ''Leksikon fun yidishn teater'' exicon of the Yiddish theatre Vol. 2. Warsaw: Farlag Elisheva. Columns 804-840; here: col. 822.Grand Opening of the Adler-Thomashefsky National Theatre, Houston St. and Second Avenue
rogram(1912). New York: Lipshitz Press. For performance on September 24, 1912. Digitized version retrieved via the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
, 2016-12-26.
The theatre was one of the many designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas White Lamb (May 5th, 1870 – February 26th, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.
Career
Born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Thomas W. La ...
, and seated 1,900 when it opened. It was built as one of a pair of theatres, with the Crown Theater, seating 963, on the upper level. Both theatres closed in 1941, re-opened in 1951 as a pair of cinemas (the National Theater and the Roosevelt Theater), and were demolished in 1959.
References
Yiddish theatre in the United States
Jewish theatres
Jews and Judaism in Manhattan
Demolished theatres in New York City
Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan
Former theatres in Manhattan
Yiddish culture in New York City
Lower East Side
Thomas W. Lamb buildings
Buildings and structures demolished in 1959
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