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New York Hippodrome

The Hippodrome Theatre,[1][2][3][4][5] also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theater in New York City from 1905 to 1939, located on Sixth Avenue between West 43rd and West 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan. It was called the world's largest theatre by its builders and had a seating capacity of 5,300,[6] with a 100x200ft (30x61m) stage.[7] The theatre had state-of-the-art theatrical technology, including a rising glass water tank.

New York Hippodrome
The Hippodrome in 1907, on a hand-tinted postcard
General information
StatusDemolished
ClassificationTheater
Town or cityManhattan, New York City
CountryUnited States
Coordinates40°45′21″N 73°59′00″W / 40.7558°N 73.9833°W / 40.7558; -73.9833
Completed1905
Demolished1939
Design and construction
Architect(s)Frederic Thompson and Jay Herbert Morgan
Main contractorcontractor: Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy
construction firm: George A. Fuller Company
Other information
Seating capacity5,300

The Hippodrome was built by Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy, creators of the Luna Park amusement park at Coney Island, with the backing of Harry S. Black's U.S. Realty, a dominant real estate and construction company of the time,[8] and was acquired by The Shubert Organization in 1909. In 1933, it was re-opened as the New York Hippodrome cinema, and became the stage for Billy Rose's Jumbo in 1935. Acts which appeared at the Hippodrome included numerous circuses, musical revues, Harry Houdini's disappearing elephant, vaudeville, silent movies such as Neptune's Daughter (1914) and Better Times (1922) and 1930s cinema.[7]

The theatre closed in August 1939 for demolition,[7] and in 1952, a large modern office building known as The Hippodrome Center (1120 Avenue of the Americas), opened on the site.

Construction edit

 
The interior of the Hippodrome

Construction of the Hippodrome began in June 1904, with Frederick Thompson and Jay H. Morgan as architects, and the Fuller Company as the general contractor.[8][9] Finishing touches were still being put in place days before the April 12, 1905 opening.[8] With a seating capacity of 5,300, almost twice that of the Metropolitan Opera's 3,000 seats,[8] the gargantuan building is still considered one of the true wonders of theatre architecture. Its stage was 12 times larger than any Broadway "legit" house and was capable of holding as many as 1,000 performers at a time, or a full-sized circus with elephants and horses – who could be housed in built-in stalls under the stage.[8] It also had an 14-foot (4.3 m) high, 60-foot (18 m) diameter, 8,000-gallon clear glass water tank that could be raised from below the stage by hydraulic pistons for swimming-and-diving shows.[8]

The exterior of the red-brick and terra-cotta building was Moorish in style, with two corner towers, each of which was topped by a globe covered in electric lights.[6][8]

A clip of Panorama from the Times Building, New York 1905, Bryant Park (and NYPL Building under construction) and Hippodrome Theater and Algonquin Hotel(upper-left corner behind the theater)
 
Harry Houdini and Jennie the elephant performing at the Hippodrome
 
The Hippodrome Building, built in 1951–52, at 1120 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), designed by Kahn & Jacobs

Opening edit

The gala opening on April 12, 1905, was completely sold out, with seats being priced at as little as 25 cents in the theatre's "Family Circle", while others had been auctioned off for as much as $575. The performance was a four-hour extravaganza, the first act of which was called A Yankee Circus on Mars, which featured space ships, horses, elephants, acrobats, clowns – including the noted Spanish clown Marceline – a baboon named Coco, an orchestra of 60, hundreds of singers, and 150 dancers performing to Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours. The second act was Andersonville, about the notorious Confederate military prison where many Union soldiers were maltreated. The spectacle depicted the Union raid on the camp, with gunfire, explosions and cavalry troops on horseback swimming across the huge water tank simulating a lake.[8]

The glory years edit

Under the direction of Charles Dillingham, the Hippodrome was the largest and most successful theater in New York. The Hippodrome featured lavish spectacles complete with circus animals, diving horses, opulent sets, and 500-member choruses. Until the end of World War I, the Hippodrome housed all sorts of spectacles then switched to musical extravaganzas, including Good Times which ran for 456 performances from 1920 to 1921.[10] and Better Times, which ran for 405 performance in 1922-23[11] When Dillingham left in 1923 to pursue other interests, the Hippodrome was leased to Keith-Albee, which hired architect Thomas W. Lamb[9] to turn it into a vaudeville theatre by building a much smaller stage and discarding all of its unique features. The most popular vaudeville artists of the day, including illusionist Harry Houdini, performed at the Hippodrome during its heyday. Others might vanish rabbits, but in 1918, on the brightly lit stage of the Hippodrome, Houdini made a 10,000-pound elephant disappear, creating a sensation.

The Hippodrome's huge running costs made it a perennial financial failure, and a series of producers tried and failed to make money from the theatre. It became a location for vaudeville productions in 1923 before being leased for budget opera performances, then finally becoming a sports arena.

Decline and fall edit

In 1922, the elephants that graced the stage of the Hippodrome since its opening moved uptown to the Bronx's Royal Theater. On arrival, stage worker Miller Renard recalled, the elephants were greeted with extraordinary fanfare:

The next day the Borough President gives them a dinner on the lawn of the Chamber of Commerce up on Tremont Avenue, with special dinner menus for the elephants. It was some show to see all those elephants march up those steps to the table where each elephant had a bale of hay. The[n], the Borough President welcomes the elephants to the Bronx, and the place is just mobbed with people. And that was the worst week's business we ever done in that theatre.

In 1925, movies were added to the vaudeville, but within a few years, competition from the newer and more sumptuous movie palaces in the Broadway-Times Square area forced Keith-Albee-Orpheum, which was merged into RKO by May 1928, to sell the theatre. Several attempts to use the Hippodrome for plays and operas failed, and it remained dark until 1935, when producer Billy Rose leased it for his spectacular Rodgers & Hart circus musical Jumbo, which received favorable reviews but lasted only five months due to the Great Depression.

After that, the Hippodrome sputtered through bookings of late-run movies, boxing, wrestling, and jai alai games, then was demolished in 1939 as the value of real estate on Sixth Avenue began to escalate. The New York Hippodrome closed on August 16, 1939, and was demolished. World War II delayed re-development, and the Hippodrome site remained vacant for over a decade.

Legacy edit

The office building and parking garage built on the site in 1951–52, owned by Edison Properties, uses the name "The Hippodrome Center."[12][13] Through the 1960s, the modern building was the corporate headquarters of the Charter Communications media publishing company.

Selected shows edit

  • A Yankee Circus on Mars (1905)
  • A Society Circus (1905)
  • Neptune's Daughter (1906)
  • The Auto Race (1907)
  • Sporting Days (1908)
  • A Trip to Japan (1909)
  • The International Cup, the Ballet of Niagra, and the Earthquake (1910)
  • Around the World (1912)
  • Under Many Flags (1912)
  • America (1913)
  • Wars of the World (1915)
  • Hip! Hip! Hooray! (1915)
  • The Big Show (1916)
  • Cheer Up (1917)
  • Everything (1918)
  • Happy Days (1919)
  • Good Times (1920)
  • Get Together (1921)
  • Better Times (1922)
  • Jumbo (1935)

In popular culture edit

  • In 1915, John Philip Sousa composed a march titled "The New York Hippodrome" commemorating his band's performance run in the Hip Hip Hooray extravaganza at this venue.[14]
  • In 1944, in the Leonard Bernstein musical On the Town, Chip isn't aware of its demolition in the number "Come Up to My Place."

References edit

Notes

  1. ^ "Raze Old Hippodrome Theater in New York; Will Build 'Taxpayer'". Chicago Tribune. July 9, 1939. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  2. ^ George C. Izenour (1996). Theater Technology. ISBN 0300067666. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  3. ^ David Ewen (1970). New complete book of the American musical theater. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. ISBN 9780030850608. Retrieved February 22, 2013. Hippodrome Theater.
  4. ^ Armond Fields (January 22, 2002). Fred Stone: Circus Performer and Musical Comedy Star. ISBN 9780786411610. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  5. ^ Sheldon Patinkin (May 20, 2008). "No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance": A History of the American Musical Theater. ISBN 9780810119949. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Shanor
  7. ^ a b c "World Theatres – alphabetical listing", World-Theatres, 2008, webpage: World-theatres.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Alexiou
  9. ^ a b Morrison, William (1999). Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture. Dover Books on Architecture. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. pp. 48–50. ISBN 0-486-40244-4.
  10. ^ "Good Times". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
  11. ^ "Better Times". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
  12. ^ "The Hippodrome Center" August 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Star Office Space
  13. ^ . Emporis. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  14. ^ "The New York Hippodrome March". United States Marine Band. from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.

Bibliography

External links edit

york, hippodrome, hippodrome, theatre, redirects, here, other, uses, hippodrome, disambiguation, hippodrome, theatre, also, called, theater, york, city, from, 1905, 1939, located, sixth, avenue, between, west, 43rd, west, 44th, streets, theater, district, midt. Hippodrome Theatre redirects here For other uses see Hippodrome disambiguation The Hippodrome Theatre 1 2 3 4 5 also called the New York Hippodrome was a theater in New York City from 1905 to 1939 located on Sixth Avenue between West 43rd and West 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan It was called the world s largest theatre by its builders and had a seating capacity of 5 300 6 with a 100x200ft 30x61m stage 7 The theatre had state of the art theatrical technology including a rising glass water tank New York HippodromeThe Hippodrome in 1907 on a hand tinted postcardGeneral informationStatusDemolishedClassificationTheaterTown or cityManhattan New York CityCountryUnited StatesCoordinates40 45 21 N 73 59 00 W 40 7558 N 73 9833 W 40 7558 73 9833Completed1905Demolished1939Design and constructionArchitect s Frederic Thompson and Jay Herbert MorganMain contractorcontractor Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundyconstruction firm George A Fuller CompanyOther informationSeating capacity5 300The Hippodrome was built by Frederic Thompson and Elmer Skip Dundy creators of the Luna Park amusement park at Coney Island with the backing of Harry S Black s U S Realty a dominant real estate and construction company of the time 8 and was acquired by The Shubert Organization in 1909 In 1933 it was re opened as the New York Hippodrome cinema and became the stage for Billy Rose s Jumbo in 1935 Acts which appeared at the Hippodrome included numerous circuses musical revues Harry Houdini s disappearing elephant vaudeville silent movies such as Neptune s Daughter 1914 and Better Times 1922 and 1930s cinema 7 The theatre closed in August 1939 for demolition 7 and in 1952 a large modern office building known as The Hippodrome Center 1120 Avenue of the Americas opened on the site Contents 1 Construction 2 Opening 3 The glory years 4 Decline and fall 5 Legacy 6 Selected shows 7 In popular culture 8 References 9 External linksConstruction edit nbsp The interior of the HippodromeConstruction of the Hippodrome began in June 1904 with Frederick Thompson and Jay H Morgan as architects and the Fuller Company as the general contractor 8 9 Finishing touches were still being put in place days before the April 12 1905 opening 8 With a seating capacity of 5 300 almost twice that of the Metropolitan Opera s 3 000 seats 8 the gargantuan building is still considered one of the true wonders of theatre architecture Its stage was 12 times larger than any Broadway legit house and was capable of holding as many as 1 000 performers at a time or a full sized circus with elephants and horses who could be housed in built in stalls under the stage 8 It also had an 14 foot 4 3 m high 60 foot 18 m diameter 8 000 gallon clear glass water tank that could be raised from below the stage by hydraulic pistons for swimming and diving shows 8 The exterior of the red brick and terra cotta building was Moorish in style with two corner towers each of which was topped by a globe covered in electric lights 6 8 source source source source source A clip of Panorama from the Times Building New York 1905 Bryant Park and NYPL Building under construction and Hippodrome Theater and Algonquin Hotel upper left corner behind the theater nbsp Harry Houdini and Jennie the elephant performing at the Hippodrome nbsp The Hippodrome Building built in 1951 52 at 1120 Avenue of the Americas Sixth Avenue designed by Kahn amp JacobsOpening editThe gala opening on April 12 1905 was completely sold out with seats being priced at as little as 25 cents in the theatre s Family Circle while others had been auctioned off for as much as 575 The performance was a four hour extravaganza the first act of which was called A Yankee Circus on Mars which featured space ships horses elephants acrobats clowns including the noted Spanish clown Marceline a baboon named Coco an orchestra of 60 hundreds of singers and 150 dancers performing to Ponchielli s Dance of the Hours The second act was Andersonville about the notorious Confederate military prison where many Union soldiers were maltreated The spectacle depicted the Union raid on the camp with gunfire explosions and cavalry troops on horseback swimming across the huge water tank simulating a lake 8 The glory years editUnder the direction of Charles Dillingham the Hippodrome was the largest and most successful theater in New York The Hippodrome featured lavish spectacles complete with circus animals diving horses opulent sets and 500 member choruses Until the end of World War I the Hippodrome housed all sorts of spectacles then switched to musical extravaganzas including Good Times which ran for 456 performances from 1920 to 1921 10 and Better Times which ran for 405 performance in 1922 23 11 When Dillingham left in 1923 to pursue other interests the Hippodrome was leased to Keith Albee which hired architect Thomas W Lamb 9 to turn it into a vaudeville theatre by building a much smaller stage and discarding all of its unique features The most popular vaudeville artists of the day including illusionist Harry Houdini performed at the Hippodrome during its heyday Others might vanish rabbits but in 1918 on the brightly lit stage of the Hippodrome Houdini made a 10 000 pound elephant disappear creating a sensation The Hippodrome s huge running costs made it a perennial financial failure and a series of producers tried and failed to make money from the theatre It became a location for vaudeville productions in 1923 before being leased for budget opera performances then finally becoming a sports arena Decline and fall editIn 1922 the elephants that graced the stage of the Hippodrome since its opening moved uptown to the Bronx s Royal Theater On arrival stage worker Miller Renard recalled the elephants were greeted with extraordinary fanfare The next day the Borough President gives them a dinner on the lawn of the Chamber of Commerce up on Tremont Avenue with special dinner menus for the elephants It was some show to see all those elephants march up those steps to the table where each elephant had a bale of hay The n the Borough President welcomes the elephants to the Bronx and the place is just mobbed with people And that was the worst week s business we ever done in that theatre In 1925 movies were added to the vaudeville but within a few years competition from the newer and more sumptuous movie palaces in the Broadway Times Square area forced Keith Albee Orpheum which was merged into RKO by May 1928 to sell the theatre Several attempts to use the Hippodrome for plays and operas failed and it remained dark until 1935 when producer Billy Rose leased it for his spectacular Rodgers amp Hart circus musical Jumbo which received favorable reviews but lasted only five months due to the Great Depression After that the Hippodrome sputtered through bookings of late run movies boxing wrestling and jai alai games then was demolished in 1939 as the value of real estate on Sixth Avenue began to escalate The New York Hippodrome closed on August 16 1939 and was demolished World War II delayed re development and the Hippodrome site remained vacant for over a decade Legacy editThe office building and parking garage built on the site in 1951 52 owned by Edison Properties uses the name The Hippodrome Center 12 13 Through the 1960s the modern building was the corporate headquarters of the Charter Communications media publishing company Selected shows editA Yankee Circus on Mars 1905 A Society Circus 1905 Neptune s Daughter 1906 The Auto Race 1907 Sporting Days 1908 A Trip to Japan 1909 The International Cup the Ballet of Niagra and the Earthquake 1910 Around the World 1912 Under Many Flags 1912 America 1913 Wars of the World 1915 Hip Hip Hooray 1915 The Big Show 1916 Cheer Up 1917 Everything 1918 Happy Days 1919 Good Times 1920 Get Together 1921 Better Times 1922 Jumbo 1935 In popular culture editIn 1915 John Philip Sousa composed a march titled The New York Hippodrome commemorating his band s performance run in the Hip Hip Hooray extravaganza at this venue 14 In 1944 in the Leonard Bernstein musical On the Town Chip isn t aware of its demolition in the number Come Up to My Place References editNotes Raze Old Hippodrome Theater in New York Will Build Taxpayer Chicago Tribune July 9 1939 Retrieved February 22 2013 George C Izenour 1996 Theater Technology ISBN 0300067666 Retrieved February 22 2013 David Ewen 1970 New complete book of the American musical theater Holt Rinehart and Winston ISBN 9780030850608 Retrieved February 22 2013 Hippodrome Theater Armond Fields January 22 2002 Fred Stone Circus Performer and Musical Comedy Star ISBN 9780786411610 Retrieved February 22 2013 Sheldon Patinkin May 20 2008 No Legs No Jokes No Chance A History of the American Musical Theater ISBN 9780810119949 Retrieved February 22 2013 a b Shanor a b c World Theatres alphabetical listing World Theatres 2008 webpage World theatres a b c d e f g h Alexiou a b Morrison William 1999 Broadway Theatres History and Architecture Dover Books on Architecture Mineola New York Dover Publications pp 48 50 ISBN 0 486 40244 4 Good Times IBDB com Internet Broadway Database Better Times IBDB com Internet Broadway Database The Hippodrome Center Archived August 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Star Office Space Emporis building ID 114364 Emporis Archived from the original on March 4 2016 The New York Hippodrome March United States Marine Band Archived from the original on June 11 2021 Retrieved June 11 2021 Bibliography Alexiou Alice Sparberg 2010 The Flatiron The New York Landmark and the Incomparable City that Arose With It New York Thomas Dunne St Martin s ISBN 978 0 312 38468 5 pp 188 193 Epstein Milton The New York Hippodrome A Complete Chronology of Performances From 1905 to 1939 Performing Art Resources vol 17 18 New York Theatre Library Association 1993 ISBN 978 0 03 261014 9 Shanor Rebecca Read Hippodrome in Jackson Kenneth T ed 2010 The Encyclopedia of New York City 2nd ed New Haven Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 300 11465 2 pp 597 598External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to New York Hippodrome New York Hippodrome at the Internet Broadway Database Cinema Treasures Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title New York Hippodrome amp oldid 1181661632, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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