Delacorte Theater

1000 5th Avenue | Central Park | built 1962

Open on the map5 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1960

    Newbold Morris clears the way for a permanent Shakespeare theater

    Parks commissioner Robert Moses had long opposed Joseph Papp's push for a permanent home for his free Shakespeare festival. When Newbold Morris replaces Moses as commissioner in 1960, he backs the project, and publisher George T. Delacorte Jr. donates the final $150,000 needed to finish construction. The theater is named for Delacorte and his wife Valerie in gratitude for the gift.

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. 1962

    June 18

    Joseph Papp opens the Delacorte with The Merchant of Venice

    Joseph Papp had toured free Shakespeare around the boroughs since 1954 and fought Parks Commissioner Robert Moses for a permanent stage. Moses's successor backed the plan, the city put up $250,000 and publisher George T. Delacorte Jr. gave the remaining $150,000. The theater opened on June 18, 1962, with George C. Scott and James Earl Jones in The Merchant of Venice.

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 1976

    Festival Latino begins its run at the Delacorte

    From 1976 to 1991 the Delacorte hosted Festival Latino, organized by Oscar Ciccone and Cecilia Vega, which was billed as the largest festival of Hispanic culture ever held in North America.

    Source: Wikipedia

  4. 2023

    September

    The Delacorte closes for an Ennead Architects-led rebuild

    After decades of free performances leave the open-air theater's bleachers leaking and its backstage areas covered in tarps, the Public Theater closes the Delacorte in September 2023 for a major overhaul. The Landmarks Preservation Commission had approved the renovation plans the year before. Ennead Architects leads the redesign.

    Source: Wikipedia

  5. 2025

    July 15

    The Delacorte reopens after an $85 million rebuild

    The theater closed after its September 2023 show for an $85 million renovation. It reopened on July 15, 2025, with a new facade clad in wood salvaged from New York City rooftop water towers.

    Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

Nearby

All 15 buildings with stories in Central Park