Erlanger's Theatre | |
.jpg) St. James Theatre in July 2019 | |
 | |
| Address | 246 West 44th Street Manhattan, New York United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′29″N 73°59′17″W / 40.75806°N 73.98806°W |
| Owner | ATG Entertainment |
| Type | Broadway |
| Capacity | 1,710 |
| Production | Sunset Boulevard |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 26, 1927 |
| Architect | Warren and Wetmore |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Designated | December 15, 1987[1] |
| Reference no. | 1374[1] |
| Designated entity | Facade |
| Designated | December 15, 1987[2] |
| Reference no. | 1375[2] |
| Designated entity | Auditorium interior |
The St. James Theatre, originally Erlanger's Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 246 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, it was designed by Warren and Wetmore in a neo-Georgian style and was constructed for A. L. Erlanger. It has 1,709 seats across three levels and is operated by ATG Entertainment. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.
The facade is made largely of stucco, except for the ground story, which is clad in cast stone above a granite water table. The ground story has several recessed openings to the lobby, auditorium, and upper-story offices. Above that are two marquees and a double-story cast-iron loggia, masking the fire escapes from the auditorium. The top story contains windows from the offices there. The auditorium is decorated largely with murals and ornamental plasterwork. The theater has a sloped orchestra level, two balcony levels, and a flat ceiling with a carved sounding board. The first balcony level contains box seats near the front of the auditorium, above which are murals. In addition, there are several lounges and passageways throughout the theater.
Erlanger had proposed a theater on the site as early as 1921, but two proposals failed to materialize. Erlanger's Theatre opened on September 26, 1927, with the musical The Merry Malones. Erlanger died in 1930, and control of the theater was transferred in 1932 to Lodewick Vroom, who renamed it after St James's Theatre in London. The Shubert family acquired the St. James in 1941 but were forced to sell it in 1956 following an antitrust suit. William L. McKnight bought the theater and renovated it in 1958, with Jujamcyn taking over the venue's operation. The theater was further renovated in 1985, 1999, and 2016. The theater has housed several long-running musicals in its history, including original productions of Oklahoma!, The King and I, Hello, Dolly!, The Who's Tommy, and The Producers.
- ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1987, p. 1.
- ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission Interior 1987, p. 1.