George M. Cohan's Theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New York City
United States of America
 View of house from the stage, 1911 | |
 Interactive map of George M. Cohan's Theatre | |
| Address | 1482 Broadway (Broadway and West 43rd Street) New York City United States of America |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°45′23″N 73°59′9″W / 40.75639°N 73.98583°W |
| Capacity | 1,086 |
| Current use | Demolished |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1911 |
| Closed | 1938 |
George M. Cohan's Theatre was a Broadway theatre at Broadway and West 43rd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was built in 1911 and demolished in 1938.
The theatre was designed by George Keister, and opened on February 13, 1911, starting with George M. Cohan's Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, which moved from the Gaiety Theatre which Cohan also owned.[1][2][3][4]
Cohan considered the theatre to be a celebration of his career, with exhibits and murals of his work on display. 1911's The Little Millionaire was the first hit of the theatre. Potash and Perlmutter (1913) was a very big hit. In 1915, Cohan and his partner Sam H. Harris sold the theatre to Joe Leblang, a big discount ticket seller. Leblang had A. L. Erlanger manage the theatre.[5] The theatre started also showing motion pictures by the early 1920s on the weekend, eventually making more money through that source than plays. The 1925 film version of Ben Hur had a long run. By 1933, the theatre stopped hosting live theatre altogether, the Great Depression affecting Broadway significantly. The entire Fitzgerald Building and the theatre in which it was housed was demolished in late 1938.[6] It is currently the site of 4 Times Square.
