DuPont Hospitality (a unit of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company)

The DuPont Theatre, originally the Playhouse Theatre, was incoporated as The Play House Company on April 17, 1913, by John J. Raskob, Pierre S. du Pont and R.R.M. Carpenter. The object was to provide a first-class entertainment venue in Wilmington, Del. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was in the midst of a transition from a traditional explosives manufacturer run from a domestic-scaled office on the works site to an international chemical company with a new, modern corporate headquarters in the center of town. To serve the growing number of executives, researchers and important visitors, the office building already included a first-class hotel and restaurants. Adding a theater to the building complex bundled work and relaxation on a one-block site. By providing a modern venue, the company hoped to offer first-class entertainment by having Broadway shows hold their tryouts in Wilmington, as they traditionally had done in New Haven and Philadelphia, as well as attracting top tier touring companies. The Playhouse opened on Oct. 15, 1913.

The company leased the operation of the theater to a series of professional impressarios: William A. Brady (1913-1918), the Majestic Theatre Company (1918-1921), Earle G. Finney (1921-1926), and the Shubert Organization (1926-1930), the last operating it as the Shubert Playhouse. They were succeeded by Raymond N. Harris of Penns Grove, N.J. (1930-1946), after which the DuPont Company decided to operate the theatre with its own employees. In February 2003 it was renamed the DuPont Theatre, at which time the managements of the theater, the Hotel du Pont and the Du Pont Country Club were bundled as DuPont Hospitality.

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