Brook Arts Center

Brook Arts Center
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Brook Arts Center in 2022
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Location	10 Hamilton Street, Bound Brook, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°33′43″N74°31′48″W / 40.56194°N 74.53000°W / 40.56194; -74.53000
Built	1927 (1927)
Built by	Alexander Morecraft
Architect	William E. Lehman
NRHP reference No.	14000190 [1]
NJRHP No.	4114 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 5, 2014
Designated NJRHP	February 27, 2014

The Brook Arts Center, formerly Brook Theatre, is a historic theater located at 10 Hamilton Street in Bound Brook of Somerset County, New Jersey. ^[3] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 2014, for its significance in entertainment and performing arts. ^[4]

History and description

The theater was designed by William E. Lehman. ^[5] It was built by Alexander Morecraft, a Bound Brook resident, and had a grand opening on January 19, 1927. Originally a 1,300-seat vaudeville house, the theater was the hub of a theater district serving surrounding towns and counties. As motion pictures took over in the 1930s, the theater became a performing arts center and first-run movie house, operating until the floods of 1999 and 2007 required extensive rebuilding. The theater is notable for its contributions to Bound Brook and remains the only surviving vaudeville theater in the county. ^[4]

The theater offers plays, bands, dance, silent film and classic movies year round. The venue is a rental house for plays, film shoots, and various other events. The Brook Arts Center is also home of the Brook Orchestra and Brook Arts Center Community Players. ^[6]

Stage and proscenium arch

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerset County, New Jersey

References

1. "National Register Information System – (#14000190)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Somerset County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. December 22, 2021. p. 3.
3. "The History of the Brook". brookarts.org. Somerset County Cultural Arts Center. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014.
4. Cannelongo, Kat (January 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: The Brook Theater". National Park Service. Includes photos, drawings, and maps.
5. "Movie Theaters Designed by William E. Lehman". cinematreasures.org. Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
6. "Brook Arts Center". Somerset County Tourism.

External links

• Media related to Brook Arts Center at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website
• Brook Arts Center at Cinema Treasures