Paramount Theater (New York City)
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The Paramount Theater in the Times Square district of New York City was a noted movie theatre and live performance venue before it was gutted and converted to office and retail space in 1965.
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[edit] The building
Paramount Pictures, already one of the major American motion picture companies in the 1920s, built its headquarters building in Times Square in 1926, and built this theatre of over 3600 seats behind it to serve as the company's flagship venue, where its major films would be premiered. Company president Adolph Zukor had acquired a controlling interest in the Chicago-based Balaban and Katz theater chain, with it the services of Barney Balaban, who became the head of Paramount's theatre division.
Balaban had a long working relationship with Chicago architectural firm Rapp and Rapp, which had designed numerous theaters for his company in the Midwest. Paramount hired the Chicago firm to design their new Manhattan flagship and office tower. The Rapps created a thirty-three story office tower which was influenced by the Art Deco style,[1] and a theatre in the palatial Neo-Renaissance style.
The theater entrance was marked by a five story arch on Broadway, and a long gallery passed from there through the office building to reach the theater itself, which occupied a lower building extending through the middle of the block from 43rd to 44th street. This structure included both a grand lobby at the north end and a stage at the south end. A large orchestra pit could be raised and lowered from the basement.
[edit] History
The New York Paramount opened in November of 1926, setting a box office record for the city of $80,000 in one week, and then continued in operation for only four decades. [2] During that time it was the site of numerous movie premiers, but it was also one of the city's most popular locations for live performances, presenting such performers as Benny Goodman, Jack Benny, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, and Jerry Lewis. During the 1950s, along with the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre, it was the site of popular live Rock'n'Roll shows presented by promoter Alan Freed. It was also the site of the world premier of Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley's first movie.
In 1964 the Paramount closed. The theatre was gutted and turned into retail space and office space for the New York Times. The entrance arch was closed in and the marquee removed. There was not trace of the theater remaining, but in 2000, a large section of the Broadway office building was leased by World Wrestling Federation, which recreated the famous arch and marquee and developed the space into a themed club and restaurant. The WWF operation closed some years later, and the location is now the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.
The Paramount building was added to the National Register of Historic Places many years after the theatre was gutted.
[edit] See also
Madison Square Garden. For a short while in the late 80's early 90's, The Theater At Madison Square Garden was called The New Paramount Theater after a corporate merger. Before it was called the Paramount, it was known as the Felt Forum. This 5000 seat fan shaped theater is now scheduled for demolition with the rest of Madison Square Garden complex after 2008.
