In the 1910s and 1920s, New York’s Theater District in the newly christened Times Square area was at peak popularity.
“Close to eighty theaters were in operation, with as many as seven shows debuting on the same night,” wrote Kevin C. Fitzpatrick in A Journey Into Dorothy Parker’s New York.
But as movies and TV replaced live theater as an entertainment option, many of Broadway’s venerable theater houses were slated for the wrecking ball.
No year had as many demolitions as 1982, when five theaters were to be reduced to a pile of bricks, then replaced by a new luxury hotel.
The plan for the hotel, with a new theater housed inside it, was first announced in 1973.
It gained support from city officials, who felt that Times Square’s seediness was driving away theatergoers. A theater safely ensconced away from the street, however, could draw back crowds.
But that meant the Helen Hayes (built in 1911), the Bijou (1917), the Morosco (1917), the Astor (1906, above photo), and the Gaiety (1909), all on or between 45th and 46th Streets, had to be torn down.
Rallies were staged. One outside the Morosco on 45th Street and Broadway on March 4, 1982 was organized by Joseph Papp. Jason Robards, Christopher Reeve, Lauren Bacall, and James Earl Jones read from Pulitzer-winning plays, all making pleas for the Morosco and Helen Hayes to be saved.
The “Save the Theaters” campaign ultimately failed. By late spring, what was deemed the “Broadway Massacre” or the “Great Theater Massacre of 1982” had transpired.
In 1985, Times Square got its gleaming 45-story hotel, the Marriott Marquis, with a revolving restaurant at the top.
You could say the project was the first of many that redid the face of Times Square and gave the Theater District a different character.
[Third photo: Metropolismag.com; fourth photo: Skyscraper Museum]
Tags: Broadway Massacre, Great Theater Massacre of 1982, Joseph Papp, Old Broadway Theaters torn down, Save the Theaters Broadway 1982, Theater District 1980s, Times Square theaters 1980s
Ephemeral New York 
June 1, 2015 at 4:33 am |
I recall a color photograph (which might have been published in LIFE Magazine) of GLORIA SWANSON, gowned in a magnificent frock, striking a grand pose amongst the wretched chunks and broken ruins of a semi-destroyed New York theater. It was a sort of ‘Norma Desmond tribute’ as well as marking the horrid destruction of a breathingly beautiful auditorium. Thinking back about that picture, I wonder if you could have picked up a bit of debris, held it to your ear – ‘seashell like’ – and heard the echoes of music, laughter, voices and applause before all the ‘magic’ drained out…
June 1, 2015 at 5:02 am |
That’s such a lovely idea, I hope it would be true!
June 1, 2015 at 5:53 am |
I just located the photo (which I had not seen since I was 10yrs old!) It was a haunting, unforgettible image. Someone else remembered the picture too; in fact, it inspired him to write the Broadway play “FOLLIES”. Here is one of several links to different poses / all taken at the same time. (If this does not work – just type into the Internet GLORIA SWANSON IN THEATER RUINS. This site includes several interesting tidbits – and the over 5,000 seat theater was: ‘THE ROXY.’
http://search.aol.com/aol/imageDetails?s_it=imageDetails&q=gloria+swanson+ruins+theater&v_t=webmail-hawaii1-basicaol&b=image%3Fs_it%3Dwebmail-hawaii1-basicaol%26q%3Dgloria%2Bswanson%2520ruins%2520theater%26oreq%3Dc0e096a8dec041d6a0036ec1f5ad5526&img=http%3A%2F%2Fstargayzing.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F06%2FOctober-1960-2.jpg&host=http%3A%2F%2Fstargayzing.com%2Fgloria-swansons-connection-to-stephen-sondheims-follies%2F&width=85&height=127&thumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fencrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcQ9yRy7kem_13ynAOtmBB114lNiTaVVlhHiiIBq6zYC4zF11cRdzD7k9UU&imgWidth=853&imgHeight=1280&imgSize=174719&imgTitle=gloria+swanson+ruins+theater
June 1, 2015 at 8:02 am |
I’ve lived nearby since ‘ 79 and have collected many ‘ sea shells ‘
from the Theatres that became Burlesque houses that became Peep shows that became Fast Food for tourists.
It will always be a lively neighborhood thanks to the Broadway
Babies , giggling after curtain – seeking a cosmopolitan or a mojito
in a dark place that’s always spontanious and filled with hope
June 7, 2015 at 5:46 pm |
Reblogged this on http://www.seanmunger.com and commented:
Ephemeral New York is a terrific little blog that doesn’t post often, but when an article does go up you can be assured it’s fascinating. With my interest in NYC geography and history, I naturally gravitated toward this article about the Broadway “massacre”–the year (1982) when no less than five historic theaters were torn down despite efforts to save them. Some of these theaters are mentioned in a few of my “Night Out in New York” posts. Sad to see, and this is a powerful argument for beefing up our historic preservation efforts.
December 28, 2015 at 4:30 am |
[…] The Theater District’s 1982 Broadway Massacre (Ephemeral New York, June) […]
December 29, 2015 at 10:19 am |
[…] Source: The Theater District’s 1982 Broadway Massacre | Ephemeral New York […]
November 27, 2017 at 8:13 am |
[…] New York’s theater scene followed the growth of the city northward, centering around Astor Place in the 1840s before relocating to 14th Street and inching up Broadway to Longacre Square by the turn of the century. […]
November 27, 2017 at 9:47 am |
[…] New York’s theater scene followed the growth of the city northward, centering around Astor Place in the 1840s before relocating to 14th Street and inching up Broadway to Longacre Square by the turn of the century. […]
November 27, 2017 at 8:05 pm |
I HATE what was allowed to happen in Times Square with the destruction of those historic theaters. The very fabric of Manhattan’s Times Square destroyed all in the name of “progress”.