| Morosco Theatre | |
| Image Alt: | The Morosco Theater as seen from across the street at night. Under the marquee are a group of people. There is a sign displaying the theater's name and the name of the play "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Etc." |
| Address: | 217 West 45th Street |
| City: | New York City |
| Country: | United States |
| Coordinates: | 40.758°N -73.9857°W |
| Architect: | Herbert J. Krapp |
| Type: | Broadway |
| Opened: | February 5, 1917 |
| Demolished: | 1982 |
The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial.[1]
Located at 217 West 45th Street, the Morosco Theatre was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp for the Shubert family, who constructed it for Oliver Morosco in gratitude for his helping them break the monopoly of the Theatrical Syndicate. It had approximately 955 seats. After an invitation-only preview performance on February 4, 1917, it opened to the public the next day with a production of Canary Cottage, a musical with a book by Morosco and a score by Earl Carroll.[1] [2]
The Shuberts lost the building in the Great Depression, and City Playhouses, Inc. bought it at auction in 1943. It was sold in 1968 to Bankers Trust Company and, after a massive "Save the Theatres" protest movement led by Joe Papp and supported by various actors and other theatrical folk failed,[3] [4] it was razed in 1982, along with the first Helen Hayes, the Bijou, and remnants of the Astor and theGaiety theaters; it was replaced by the 49-story Marriott Marquis hotel and Marquis Theatre.[2]
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