John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a Spanish style and was built for real-estate developer Irwin S. Chanin. It has 800 seats across two levels and is operated by the Shubert Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.
This article is about the theater at 252 West 45th Street, originally the Theatre Masque. For the theater at 242 West 45th Street, originally the Royale Theatre, see Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.Address
252 West 45th Street
Manhattan, New York City
United States
802
February 24, 1927
1927–1946, 1948–present
November 17, 1987[1]
1335[1]
Facade
November 17, 1987[2]
1336[2]
Auditorium interior
The facade is designed in a Spanish style with golden brick, terracotta, and stone. The ground floor, which contains the theater's entrance, is clad in rusticated blocks of terracotta above a granite water table. Above are a set of three double-height arches, as well as two terracotta plaques. The facade is topped by a loggia. The auditorium contains Spanish-style detailing, a large balcony, and a rib-arched ceiling. Due to the theater's small size, it lacks box seats. The balcony, proscenium arch, and exit arches are ornately decorated, with geometric panels and twisting colonettes.
The Golden, Majestic, and Bernard B. Jacobs theaters, along with the Lincoln Hotel, were all developed by Chanin and designed by Krapp as part of a theater/hotel complex. The Masque opened on February 24, 1927, and was the second of the three theaters to open. The Shubert family took over the Masque in 1930 but subsequently went into receivership, and producer John Golden leased the theater in 1936. Golden renamed the theater after himself in 1937, and the Shuberts regained full control in 1945. The Golden has mostly remained in legitimate use since then, except from 1946 to 1948, when it was used as a cinema. Over the years, the Golden has largely been used for productions with small casts, as well as revues.
Site[edit]
The John Golden Theatre is on 252 West 45th Street, on the south sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City.[3][4] The rectangular land lot covers 6,400 square feet (590 m2), with a frontage of 62.33 feet (19.00 m) on 44th Street and a depth of 109.67 feet (33 m).[4] The Golden Theatre shares the city block with the Row NYC Hotel to the west. It adjoins six other theaters: the Bernard B. Jacobs, Gerald Schoenfeld, and Booth to the east; the Broadhurst and Shubert to the southeast; and the Majestic to the south. Other nearby structures include the Music Box Theatre and Imperial Theatre to the north; the New York Marriott Marquis to the northeast; One Astor Plaza to the east; and Sardi's restaurant, the Hayes Theater, and the St. James Theatre one block south.[4]
The Golden is part of the largest concentration of Broadway theaters on a single block.[5] The adjoining block of 45th Street is also known as George Abbott Way,[6] and foot traffic on the street increases box-office totals for the theaters there.[7] The Majestic, Masque (Golden), and Royale (Bernard B. Jacobs) theaters and the Lincoln Hotel (Row NYC Hotel) had all been developed concurrently.[8] The site of all four buildings had previously occupied by twenty brownstone residences.[9] The site was part of the Astor family estate from 1803[10] to 1922, when it was sold to Henry Claman.[11][12] The plots collectively measured 200 feet (61 m) wide along Eighth Avenue, 240 feet (73 m) along 44th Street, and 250 feet (76 m) along 45th Street.[12][13]