Hammerstein's | |
Address | 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue New York City United States |
---|---|
Owner | Oscar Hammerstein I |
Operator | Oscar and William Hammerstein |
Type | Broadway, Vaudeville |
Construction | |
Opened | 1899 |
Demolished | 1915 |
Architect | John B. McElfatrick [1] [2] |
The Victoria Theatre was a prominent American vaudeville house during the early years of the twentieth century. Theatre mogul Oscar Hammerstein I opened it in 1899 on the northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street, along New York City's Longacre Square (now Times Square). [3] The theatre was closely associated with the Paradise Roof Garden above it, and the two venues came to be known collectively as Hammerstein's. [4] The Victoria closed in 1915.
Undaunted by the failure of his father's massive Olympia Theatre, which Willie Hammerstein managed, he quickly secured the necessary funds to build the Victoria, purportedly named so in honor of his victory over his enemies. Due to budgetary constraints, the building crew was forced to take several cost-saving measures: the walls were filled with debris from the site’s demolished structure, Gilley Moore’s Market Stables; once erected, the plastered walls remained largely unadorned; and second-hand theatre seats lined the rows of the house. [5] Despite the shortcuts, the press warmly greeted the grand opening; The New York Times deemed the décor “warm and comfortable,” free of anything “grotesque.” [3]
A three-act burletta titled The Reign of Error, featuring the comedy duo of the Rogers Brothers, christened the new stage [3] and ran for at least fifty performances. [6] In the four years that followed, Hammerstein presented ten other productions, one of which, a flop titled Sweet Music, was rumored to be of his own authorship. [5] Not one of these productions, however, was successful enough to solidify a formidable reputation for the fledgling theatre.
In 1904, Hammerstein's son Willie took over operations of the theatre, leaving Hammerstein more time to devote to his first love, grand opera. Willie took the drastic measure of turning the Victoria from legitimate theatre to vaudeville, and over the succeeding years, his risk proved tremendously profitable. Hammerstein's bore the distinction of being one of the few vaudeville houses in the city to operate independently of the virtual monopoly that B. F. Keith and E. F. Albee enjoyed. [7] Headliners included such names as the Three Keatons, the Four Cohans, and the Seven Little Foys. [5] In printed advertisements, the term “direct from Hammerstein’s” was testament to the quality of an act. [4]
In 1915, Hammerstein sold the theatre to Samuel Roxy Rothafel; however, the transfer of ownership was not a seamless one. A colorful anecdote had Hammerstein wielding a hammer to drive away the wrecking crew. [4] The Times documented, “In Three Reels,” Hammerstein's sordid legal struggle to gain access to his former office. [8]
Roxy wasted no time in gutting the building and demolishing the Seventh Avenue facade. The Rialto Theatre, a movie palace, opened soon thereafter. Nineteen years later, the entire structure was razed and replaced with offices, shops, and a smaller theater. [4]
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Many of his songs are standard repertoire for vocalists and jazz musicians. He co-wrote 850 songs.
Oscar Hammerstein I was a Germany-born businessman, theater impresario, and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America. He was the grandfather of American playwright/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II and the father of theater manager William Hammerstein and American producer Arthur Hammerstein.
Arthur Hammerstein was an American songwriter, dramatist, playwright and theater manager.
Broadway, until 1890 Fort Street, is a thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The portion of Broadway from 3rd to 9th streets, in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles, was the city's main commercial street from the 1910s until World War II, and is the location of the Broadway Theater and Commercial District, the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch of Broadway, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States.
Marilyn Miller was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these talents endeared her to audiences. On stage, she usually played rags-to-riches Cinderella characters who lived happily ever after. Her enormous popularity and famed image were in distinct contrast to her personal life, which was marred by disappointment, tragedy, frequent illness, and ultimately her sudden death due to complications of nasal surgery at age 37.
Orville Harrold was an American operatic tenor and musical theatre actor. He began his career in 1906 as a performer in operettas in New York City, and was also seen during his early career in cabaret, musical theatre, and vaudeville performances. With the aid of Oscar Hammerstein I, he branched out into opera in 1910 as a leading tenor with Hammerstein's opera houses in New York City and Philadelphia. While his career from this point on primarily consisted of opera performances, he periodically returned to operetta and musical theatre throughout his career. He notably created the role of Captain Dick Warrington in the world premiere of Victor Herbert's operetta Naughty Marietta in November 1910.
The Fifth Avenue Theatre was a Broadway theatre in Manhattan, New York City, United States, at 31 West 28th Street and Broadway. It was demolished in 1939.
The Olympia Theatre, also known as Hammerstein's Olympia and later the Lyric Theatre and the New York Theatre, was a theatre complex built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in Longacre Square, New York City, opening in 1895.
Troja was a musical theatre performer in New York City in the 1890s and early 20th century. An 1894 advertisement commented that she was a serio-comic singer. Other items described her as a singing comedienne who is clever, and droll.
Joseph Morris Weber was an American vaudeville performer who, along with Lew Fields, formed the comedy double-act of Weber and Fields.
The Casino Theatre was a Broadway theatre located at 1404 Broadway and West 39th Street in New York City. Built in 1882, it was a leading presenter of mostly musicals and operettas until it closed in 1930.
The Manhattan Theatre was located at 102 West 33rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, directly across from Greeley Square at Sixth Avenue and 33rd Street. The 1,100-seat theatre opened in 1875 as the Eagle Theatre, and was renamed the Standard Theatre in 1878. All but destroyed by a fire in 1883, it was rebuilt in a more modern style and re-opened in December 1884. In 1898, the Standard was refurbished by architect Howard Constable and renamed the Manhattan Theatre. The theatre was demolished in 1909 for the construction of a flagship Gimbels department store, now the Manhattan Mall.
Central Theatre was a Broadway theatre in New York City built in 1918. It was located at 1567 Broadway, at the southwest corner with 47th Street, and seated approximately 1,100 patrons. The architect was Herbert J. Krapp. The theatre was built by the Shubert family on a site previously occupied by the Mathushek & Son piano factory.
The Rialto Theatre was a movie palace in New York City located at 1481 Broadway, at the northwest corner of Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street, within the Theater District of Manhattan.
Hammerstein's Roof Garden (1899–1915) was the official name of the semi-outdoor vaudeville venue that theatre magnate, Oscar Hammerstein I, built atop the Victoria Theatre and the neighboring Theatre Republic, commonly known then as the Belasco Theatre. Unlike Hammerstein’s first roof garden theatre, which crowned his failed Olympia Theatre, the Paradise Roof Garden was able to rise to prominence and contend with its rivals for the better parts of two decades. For New York City theatre-goers, the name Hammerstein’s grew to encompass both the Victoria and its roof garden. From 1904 to 1914 it was run by Willie Hammerstein, who put on highly popular vaudeville acts.
William Hammerstein was an American theater manager. He ran the Victoria Theatre on what became Times Square, Manhattan, presenting very popular vaudeville shows with a wide variety of acts. He was known for "freak acts", where celebrities or people notorious for scandals appeared on stage. Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre became the most successful in New York.
Harlem Opera House was an opera house located at 211 West 125th Street, in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Designed by architect John B. McElfatrick, it was built in 1889 by Oscar Hammerstein; it was his first theater in the city.
The Anco Cinema was a former Broadway theatre turned cinema at 254 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1904 and was originally named the Lew Fields Theatre. It continued to operate as a playhouse under various names until it was converted into a movie theatre in 1930. Its block was famous for its concentration of Broadway theatres turned cinemas. After World War II, the street declined and the Anco Cinema eventually became a pornography venue. It closed as a cinema in 1988 and was gutted for retail use. The building was demolished in 1997.
Loney Haskell was an American veteran vaudeville entertainer and theatre manager. He was a writer, a monologist, and a master of ceremonies. Haskell worked as the secretary of the Jewish Theatrical Guild of America and in that capacity eulogized his friend Harry Houdini.
The Columbus Theatre was a theatre located at 114 E. 125th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenue. It was the second theatre built by theatre impresario Oscar Hammerstein I. The architects were J. B. McElfatrick & Sons.