Keith-Albee's New York Hippodrome
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The Hippodrome first opened in 1905 and is still considered as one of the true wonders of theatre architecture. Its stage was 12 times larger than any Broadway "legit" house and capable of holding as many as 1,000 performers at a time, or a full-sized circus with elephants and horses. It also had an 8,000-gallon clear glass water tank that could be raised from below the stage by hydraulic pistons for swimming-and-diving shows. In 1923, the Hippodrome was leased to Keith-Albee, which hired Thomas Lamb to turn it into a vaudeville theatre by building a much smaller stage and discarding all of its unique features. In 1925, movies were added to the vaudeville, but within a few years, competition from the newer, more sumptuous movie palaces in the Broadway-Times Square area forced Keith-Albee, by then merged into RKO, to sell the theatre. Several attempts to use the Hippodrome for plays and operas failed, and it remained dark until 1935, when producer Billy Rose leased it for his spectacular Rodgers & Hart circus musical, "Jumbo," which received favorable reviews but lasted only five months due to Depression conditions. After that, the Hippodrome sputtered through bookings of late-run movies, boxing, wrestling, and jai lai games before being demolished in 1939 as the value of real estate on Sixth Avenue began to escalate. In 1952 it was taken over for a combination office building and parking garage.
From the description of Belknap Collection, Theatre and theatre groups ca. 1905-1916 : Hippodrome. (University of Florida). WorldCat record id: 60564467
Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
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referencedIn | Burnside, R. H. (Robert Hubberthorne), 1873-1952. Guide to the R.H. Burnside Collection, ca. 1905-1952. | New York Public Library System, NYPL | |
creatorOf | Keith-Albee's New York Hippodrome. [Programs for the New York Hippodrome]. | Dartmouth College Library | |
creatorOf | Keith-Albee's New York Hippodrome. Belknap Collection, Theatre and theatre groups ca. 1905-1916 : Hippodrome. | University of Florida | |
referencedIn | Lawson, Mark. Set designs for The Big Show by Mark Lawson and Dash, 1916. | New York Public Library System, NYPL | |
referencedIn | R. H. Burnside collection, circa 1905-1952 | The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division. | |
creatorOf | Theatre Program Scrapbooks | National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center |
Filters:
Relation | Name |
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associatedWith | Belknap Collection for the Performing Arts. |
associatedWith | Burnside, R. H. (Robert Hubberthorne), 1873-1952. |
associatedWith | George A. Smathers Libraries. Dept. of Special and Area Studies Collections. |
associatedWith | Hippodrome (New York, N.Y.) |
associatedWith | Lawson, Mark. |
associatedWith | Matthews, William Henry |
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Active 1905
Active 1916
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Keith-Albee's New York Hippodrome
Keith-Albee's New York Hippodrome | Title |
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