Ziegfeld Theatre
141 West 54th Street | also 126 West 55th Street, 1345 Avenue of the Americas | Midtown | built 1968
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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.
- 1969
A new Ziegfeld opens as a single-screen movie palace with the premiere of Marooned
On December 17, 1969, the Ziegfeld opened at 141 West 54th Street as the flagship of the Walter Reade theater chain, starting with the New York premiere of Marooned. Emery Roth & Sons built it from Irving Gershon's designs, and John J. McNamara decorated the gold-and-maroon interior for $600,000. With 1,152 seats, it was the first new theater near Times Square since Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1977
Close Encounters of the Third Kind opens at the Ziegfeld, a house known for big premieres
After opening in December 1969, the Ziegfeld ran reissues until July 1, 1970, when it hosted the world premiere of Disney's The Boatniks. After that it was often used for world premieres and large press screenings. One of the best known was the opening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind in November 1977.
“…it was often used for world premieres and big-event press screenings, such as the November 1977 opening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2008
The Ziegfeld becomes a centerpiece of the New York Film Festival while Lincoln Center is rebuilt
During the 2008 New York Film Festival the Ziegfeld served as a centerpiece venue, because reconstruction work was under way at Lincoln Center that year. The theater had been extensively renovated in the late 1990s, and digital projection was added in the 2000s. Its screen, 20 feet tall and 52 feet wide, was the largest non-IMAX screen in New York City.
“It was a centerpiece site during the 2008 New York Film Festival because of reconstruction work at Lincoln Center that year.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2015
Cablevision's James Dolan says he will probably close the money-losing Ziegfeld
In an April 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cablevision chief executive James Dolan was asked whether he would close the Ziegfeld Theatre, which his company ran and which was said to be unprofitable. He answered that it probably would close, because it lost a lot of money, and called the theater business a tough one. The magazine's introduction singled out his intent to close the theater as one of the interview's revelations.
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
- 2016
The Ziegfeld shows its last film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, after losing its lease
The 10 p.m. screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Thursday, January 28, 2016, was the last at the Ziegfeld, then the largest single-screen theater in New York City. ABC7 reported that its lease was not renewed and that it had struggled to cover operating expenses. Cablevision, which operated it, said the owners had found a new tenant and that it would leave within weeks.
Source: abc7ny.com
- 2016
Fisher Brothers and Core Ziegfeld sign a 20-year lease to turn the theater into a ballroom
In January 2016 Fisher Brothers and Core Ziegfeld LLC, the operator of Gotham Hall, finalized a 20-year lease to convert the building into the Ziegfeld Ballroom, a 21,331-square-foot event space on three floors. Architect Richard Bloch planned an art deco-inspired design in tribute to Florenz Ziegfeld's original 1927 theater, with the opening set for fall 2017. The project was expected to bring about 150 new direct and indirect jobs.
Source: abc7ny.com
Further reading
- Ziegfeld Theatre (1969)Wikipedia
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