The Century Theatre, originally the New Theatre, was a theatre at 62nd Street and

Central Park West Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

on the

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New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Opened on November 6, 1909, it was noted for its fine architecture but due to poor acoustics and an inconvenient location it was financially unsuccessful. It was briefly renamed the Century Opera House in 1913, until reverting back to the Century Theatre in 1915. The theatre was demolished in 1930 and replaced by The Century apartment building.

History

New Theatre

The New Theatre was once called "New York's most spectacularly unsuccessful theater" in the ''WPA Guide to New York City''. Envisioned in 1906 by

Heinrich Conried Heinrich Conried (September 3, 1855 – April 27, 1909) was an Austrian and naturalized American theatrical manager and director. Beginning his career as an actor in Vienna, he took his first post as theater director at the Stadttheater Bremen i ...

, a director of the Metropolitan Opera House, its construction was an attempt to establish a great theatre at New York free of commercialism, one that, broadly speaking, would resemble the Comédie Française of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Thirty founders each subscribed $35,000 at the start, and a building designed to be the permanent home of a repertory company was constructed on

on the

at a cost of three million dollars. Architecturally, it was one of the handsomest structures in the city, designed by the prominent Beaux-Arts architectural firm

Carrère and Hastings Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was an American list of architecture firms, architecture firm ...

. With

Winthrop Ames Winthrop Ames (November 25, 1870 – November 3, 1937) was an American theatre director and producer, playwright and screenwriter. For three decades at the beginning of the 20th century, Ames was an important force on Broadway, whose repertoir ...

as the only director, the ''New Theatre Company'' occupied the building for only two seasons, 1909–10 and 1910–11. Capable of seating 2,300 persons, the New Theatre was opened on Saturday, November 6, 1909, with impressive ceremonies and apparently under the most favoring auspices, but a serious defect in the acoustics became apparent at once and this was only partly remedied by the installation of a sound-deflecting bell. The world premiere of Sergei Rachmaninoff's 3rd piano concerto took place on Sunday, November 28, 1909, at the New Theatre, with Rachmaninoff as soloist and Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Symphony Society. Several

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays were given, by far the most notable presentation being that of ''The Winter's Tale''. On the whole the company did its best ensemble work in some of the modern plays of that time, like Maeterlinck's '' The Blue Bird'' and ''Sister Beatrice'', Galsworthy's ''

Strife Strife may refer to: Mythology *Eris (mythology), in Greek mythology the goddess of discord, whose name means 'strife' *Bellona (goddess), Roman counterpart of Eris, and a war goddess *Enyalius, a son of Eris and god of strife * Tano Akora, god of ...

'', and

Edward Sheldon Edward Brewster Sheldon (February 4, 1886, in Chicago, Illinois – April 1, 1946, in New York City) was an American dramatist. His plays include ''Salvation Nell'' (1908) and '' Romance'' (1913), which was made into a motion picture with Greta ...

's ''

The Nigger ''The Nigger'' is a play by American playwright Edward Sheldon (1886–1946). It explores the relationship between blacks and whites in the melodrama of a politician faced with a sudden, personal dilemma. The play was first performed on Broadw ...

'' starring

Annie Russell Annie Ellen Russell (12 January 1864 – 16 January 1936) was a British-American stage actress. Early life Russell was born in Liverpool, England to Irish parents, Joseph Russell and Jane Mount. She moved to Canada when she was a child. She mad ...

. A poetic drama of distinction was

Josephine Preston Peabody Josephine Preston Peabody (May 30, 1874 – December 4, 1922) was an American poet and dramatist. Biography Peabody was born in New York and educated at the Girls' Latin School, Boston, and at Radcliffe College. She also participated in Geor ...

's ''The Piper''. In most cases the stage settings were of very high quality. The building was located a mile above the

Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing a city's theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences ...

, and it was exceedingly expensive to maintain. Financially, the venture proved to be a

boondoggle A boondoggle is a project that is considered a waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy or political motivations. Etymology "Boondoggle" was the name of the newspaper of the Roosevelt Troop of the Boy Sco ...

. At the end of the second season, the founders of the company decided to abandon the theatre and lease it out. Plans were made to construct a smaller building in the theatre district, but it was found to be impracticable and the company folded. The theatre critic William Winter wrote:

Century Theatre

In 1911, the building was leased to other theatre managers, who changed the name to the Century Theatre, the Century Opera House (1913), and the Century once more (1915), with

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the '' Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He al ...

as manager. From Europe in 1912 came

Judith Gautier Judith Gautier (25 August 1845, Paris – 26 December 1917) was a French poet, translator and historical novelist, the daughter of Théophile Gautier and Ernesta Grisi, sister of the noted singer and ballet dancer Carlotta Grisi. She was m ...

and

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ele ...

, producers and supervisors of ''The Daughter of Heaven''. Despite their efforts, the critic of ''The New York Times'' found the play "rich in spectacle, but dramatically deficient", and the scene changes tedious and "long delayed". In 1917, producers Florenz Ziegfeld and

Charles Dillingham Charles Bancroft Dillingham (May 30, 1868 – August 30, 1934) was an American theatre manager and producer of over 200 Broadway theatre, Broadway shows. Biography Charles Bancroft Dillingham was born on May 30, 1868, in Hartford, Connecticut, ...

opened the roof garden as a

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

and named it the Cocoanut Grove, based on the success of a similar venue, Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New Yor ...

. The "Shrine of Snobbism", as the WPA Guide called it, was demolished in 1930. The next year, the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

Century Apartments (designed and developed by the office of

Irwin S. Chanin Irwin Salmon Chanin ( ) (October 29, 1891 – February 24, 1988) was an American architect and real estate developer, best known for designing several Art Deco towers and Broadway theaters. Biography Irwin Chanin was born to a American Jews, Je ...

) was completed on the Century Theatre's site.

Gallery

File:New Theatre - stage - The Architect 1909.jpg, Proscenium and curtain File:New Theatre - auditorium side view - The Architect 1909.jpg, Auditorium File:New Theatre - main vestibule - The Architect 1909.jpg, Main vestibule File:New Theatre - circular main staircases - The Architect 1909.jpg, Staircases File:New Theatre - main foyer circulation - The Architect 1909.jpg, Foyer-level circulation File:New Theatre - main foyer general view - The Architect 1909.jpg, Main foyer File:New Theatre - main foyer ceiling central panel - The Architect 1909.jpg, Foyer ceiling, central panel File:New Theatre - main foyer ceiling secondary panel - The Architect 1909.jpg, Foyer ceiling, secondary panel File:New Theatre - main foyer door - The Architect 1909.jpg, Foyer door File:New Theatre - ground floor plan - The Architect 1909.jpg, Ground floor plan File:New Theatre - rooftop garden pavilion - The Architect 1909.jpg, Rooftop Garden Pavilion File:New Theatre - free-standing poster case - The Architect 1909.jpg, Poster case

References

Sources

*
Theatre" "New York"
* * * ::names of founders, officers, etc., with biographical sketches and portraits of the company * ''The New Theatre, Season 1909–10'' (New York, 1910) ::titles of plays, dates of production, casts, etc.

External links

*
Century Theatre
at

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

New Theatre costume designs, 1909-1911
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

* Danni Bayles-Yeage
Century ("New") Theatre
''Performing Arts Archive'' {{Authority control 1909 establishments in New York City 1900s architecture in the United States 1931 disestablishments in New York (state) Beaux-Arts architecture in New York City Buildings and structures demolished in 1931 Carrère and Hastings buildings Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Demolished theatres in New York City Former theatres in Manhattan Metropolitan Opera Opera houses in New York City Theatres completed in 1909 Upper West Side