{{Short description|Former theater complex in Manhattan, New York}} {{distinguish|Olympic Theatre (New York City)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Use American English|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox venue | name = Olympia Theatre | native_name = | native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead --> | image = Hammerstein's Olympia, Broadway and 44th Street, Manhattan.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = Hammerstein's Olympia | image_map = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_caption= | address = 1514–16 Broadway | city = New York City | country = United States | designation = | architect = J. B. McElfatrick & Son | owner = | tenant = | operator = | capacity = | type = Broadway | opened = 1895 | reopened = | years_active = 1890–1935 | rebuilt = 1935 | closed = | demolished = | other_names = Hammerstein's Olympia, New York Theatre, Loew's New York, Criterion Theatre, Vitagraph Theatre | production = | current_use = restaurant | website = }}
The '''Olympia Theatre''' (1514–16 Broadway at 44th Street), also known as '''Hammerstein's Olympia''' and later the '''Lyric Theatre''' and the '''New York Theatre''', was a theater complex built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I at Longacre Square (later Times Square) in Manhattan, New York City, opening in 1895.
It consisted of a theater, a music hall, a concert hall, and a roof garden. Later, sections of the structure were substantially remodeled and used for both live theatre and for motion pictures. As a cinema, it was also known at various times as the Vitagraph Theatre and the Criterion Theatre.
==History== According to ''The New York Times'', the Olympia was a "massive gray stone building", and extended {{convert|203|ft|m}} on Longacre Square, {{convert|104|ft|m}} on 45th Street, and {{convert|101|ft|m}} on 44th Street. It was made from Indiana limestone, featured an imposing façade, and followed French Renaissance designs. It was designed by J. B. McElfatrick & Son.<ref name="Morrison"/><ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1895/11/24/106073816.pdf "Olympia Ready to Open"]. ''The New York Times.'' November 24, 1895.</ref> The building opened on November 25, 1895 with the Broadway debut of ''Excelsior, Jr.'', with over 30 performers from Europe appearing.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1895/11/26/103375475.pdf "Police Call in Olympia"]. ''The New York Times.'' November 26, 1895.</ref> It was the second theater to open in what is now known as the Theater District. (The first was the Empire Theatre, on the southeast corner of 40th Street and Broadway.) The complex consisted of the Music Hall, a large variety theater, the Lyric, a legitimate theater, the Concert Hall, for smaller music performances, and a rooftop garden theater.
In 1898, Hammerstein was forced to sell the complex to settle debts from its construction.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/05/nyregion/looking-back-hammerstein-s-gamble.html |title=LOOKING BACK;Hammerstein's Gamble|first=Richard F.|last=Shepard|date=November 5, 1995|newspaper=The New York Times }}</ref> The venues were sold separately, with the Music Hall becoming the New York Theatre, which became part of the Loew's movie theater chain in 1915.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/loews-new-york-1401|title=Loew's New York|website=Internet Broadway Database|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref> The Lyric was renamed the Criterion Theatre. From 1914 to 1916 it operated as the Vitagraph Theatre, leased by the Vitagraph Company for prestige motion pictures including ''The Battle Cry of Peace'', before returning to the Criterion name. It permanently switched to cinema use in 1920.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/16481 |title=Criterion Theatre |publisher=Cinema Treasures |access-date=July 24, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/criterion-theatre-1403 |title=Criterion Theatre |website=Internet Broadway Database|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 5, 1915 |title=War Picture at the Vitagraph |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1915-09-05/ed-1/seq-21/ |work=New-York Tribune |page=5 |access-date=July 24, 2020 }}</ref> The rooftop garden theater was leased by Florenz Ziegfeld and hosted the first five editions of the Ziegfeld Follies under the name ''Jardin de Paris'', named for the location in Paris of the Moulin Rouge. It, too, became a movie theater.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/jardin-de-paris-1404|title=Jardin de Paris|website=Internet Broadway Database|publisher=The Broadway League|access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref> The complex was demolished in 1935.
==Subsequent site use== {{split section|Bow Tie Building|date=October 2022}} After the old venues were demolished, architects Thomas W. Lamb and Eugene De Rosa designed a new building on the site which included a new Criterion Theatre cinema, the International Casino nightclub, and retail space.<ref name="Morrison">{{Cite Morrison Broadway|pages=24–26}}</ref> The nightclub closed after only two years, and the space became a Bond Clothing Stores location until 1977. It was then reconverted to a discotheque, Bond International Casino, which closed in 1986. The cinema was multiplexed in 1980.
In 1988, a portion of the former nightclub space was converted was to a pair of live theater spaces called the Criterion Center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/venue.php?id=1129|title=Criterion Center Stage Right – New York, NY |publisher=IBDB}}</ref> In 1991, the spaces were leased to Roundabout Theatre Company, a prominent non-profit theater company, which used the larger Stage Right space as a small Tony Award-eligible theater while the smaller second theater became the first version of the Laura Pels Theatre. Notable productions during Roundabout's tenure at the Criterion include the 1993 revival of Eugene O'Neill's ''Anna Christie'' (featuring Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson in their Broadway debuts),<ref name="Anna Christie">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4702|title=Anna Christie – Broadway Play – 1993 Revival |publisher=IBDB}}</ref> the 1995 revival of Stephen Sondheim's ''Company'',<ref name="Company">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=4305|title=Company – Broadway Musical – 1995 Revival |publisher=IBDB}}</ref> and the 1997 revival of ''1776''.<ref name="1776 play"/> The company left the space in 2000 when their lease was canceled.
[[File:Streetcar Rated-6-2.jpg|right|thumb|The Toys "R" Us Times Square store in 2012.]] In 2001, Toys "R" Us built a flagship store in the building, leading to the closure of both the cinema and the live theater venues.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/02/nyregion/toys-r-us-to-build-the-biggest-store-in-times-sq.html |title=Toys 'R' Us to Build the Biggest Store in Times Sq. |work=The New York Times |date=August 2, 2000}}</ref> The multilevel store featured a 60-foot in-store Ferris Wheel and an animatronic T-rex among its attractions. Upon expiration of its lease, Toys "R" Us closed on December 30, 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Elizabeth A. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/nyregion/days-after-christmas-toys-r-us-closes-in-times-square.html |title=Several Days After Christmas, Toys 'R' Us Closes in Times Square |work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 2015}}</ref> The decision was attributed primarily to a rise in property values in Times Square that would increase its rent from $12 million to upwards of $42 million a year. In June 2015, Gap Inc. signed a lease for the property and expected to open stores for its Gap and Old Navy brands in 2017. The two stores account for 62,000 square feet of the 100,000-square-foot store.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Gap, Old Navy Brands to Take Over Toys 'R' Us Times Square Store – |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-26/gap-old-navy-brands-to-take-over-toys-r-us-times-square-store |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701002930/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-26/gap-old-navy-brands-to-take-over-toys-r-us-times-square-store |last=Rupp |first=Lindsey |date=June 26, 2015 |publisher=Bloomberg Business }}</ref> In July 2016, during the construction of the Gap and Old Navy flagship store, remnants of the original Olympia were found under the floors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/times-square-construction-workers-unearth-ruins-of-old-theatre|title=Times Square Construction Workers Unearth Ruins of Old Theatre|first=Robert|last=Viagas|date=July 27, 2016|website=Playbill}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/8/5/12389892/see-the-remnants-of-the-historic-theater-unearthed-at-times-square|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806155803/http://ny.curbed.com/2016/8/5/12389892/see-the-remnants-of-the-historic-theater-unearthed-at-times-square|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 6, 2016|title=See the remnants of the historic theater unearthed at Times Square |first=Zoe|last=Rosenberg|date=August 5, 2016|website=Curbed NY}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Cote|first=David|date=August 5, 2016|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/blog/ruins-of-an-1895-broadway-theatre-found-under-toys-r-us-in-times-square-080516|title=Ruins of an 1895 Broadway theatre found under Toys R Us in Times Square|website=Time Out New York}}</ref> The building, known officially as the Bow Tie Building, remains owned by Bow Tie Partners, the real estate holding company tied to Bow Tie Cinemas, the chain operated by the Moss family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bowtiepartners.com/the-bow-tie-building|title=The Bow Tie Building|author=Bow Tie Partners|access-date=November 24, 2020}}</ref>
==Cherry Blossom Grove== The Cherry Blossom Grove was a second theatre located on the rooftop of the Olympia Theatre.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/06/17/archives/cherry-blossom-grove-second-roof-garden-opens-for-the-summer-season.html|title="CHERRY BLOSSOM GROVE"; Second Roof Garden Opens for the Summer Season.|work=The New York Times|date=June 17, 1902|page= 9}}</ref> ==Partial list of notable productions== ===Original venues=== * ''The Gay Lord Quex'' (1900)<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1900/11/18/archives/at-the-theatres-acting-of-john-hare-and-irene-vanbrugh-in-the-gay.html "At the Theatres; Acting of John Hare and Irene Vanbrugh in ''The Gay Lord Quex''"], ''The New York Times'', November 18, 1900, p. 18 {{subscription required}}</ref> * ''A Million Dollars'' (1900)<ref>{{cite book|first1=Burns|last1=Mantle|first2=Garrison P.|last2=Sherwood|first3=John Arthur|last3=Chapman|title=The Best Plays of 1899–1909|year=1944|publisher=Dodd, Mead & Co.|chapter= A Million Dollars|page=372}}</ref> * ''When Knighthood Was in Flower'' (1901)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DQqOAQAAQBAJ&dq=When+Knighthood+Was+in+Flower+Jan+14,+1901&pg=PA197|title=Routledge Guide to Broadway|author=Ken Bloom|year=2013|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781135871178|page=197}}</ref> * ''The King's Carnival'' (1901)<ref>{{cite book|first1=Dan|last1=Dietz|title=The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|year=2019|isbn=9781442245280|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRmGDwAAQBAJ|chapter=The King's Carnival}}</ref> * ''Florodora'' (1901)<ref>{{cite book|first=Jacques|last=Legrand|title=Chronicle of the 20th Century|publisher=Ecam Publication|year=1987|page=21|isbn=0-942191-01-3}}</ref> * ''In Dahomey'' (1903)<ref>Riis, Thomas L., ''Just Before Jazz: Black Musical Theater in New York, 1890-1915'' (London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989), p. 91</ref> * ''Happyland'' (1905)<ref name="Bordman">Bordman & Norton, p. 250</ref>
===Criterion Center Stage Right=== * ''The Price'' (1992 revival)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/11/theater/review-theater-with-such-furniture-the-shopping-is-over.html|title=THEATER REVIEW; A Game Of Feudal Feuding|author=Ben Brantley|work=The New York Times|date=March 12, 1999|page=E1}}</ref> * ''Anna Christie'' (1993 revival)<ref name="Anna Christie"/> * ''She Loves Me'' (1993 revival)<ref name=playbill_criterion>{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/venue/criterion-center-stage-right-vault-0000000110|title=Criterion Center Stage Right|work=Playbill.com|access-date=6 March 2025}}</ref> * ''A Month in the Country'' (1995 revival)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/26/theater/theater-review-turgenev-s-inquiry-into-calamitous-love.html|title=THEATER REVIEW; Turgenev's Inquiry Into Calamitous Love|work=The New York Times|author=Vincent Canby|date=April 26, 1995}}</ref> * ''Company'' (1995 revival)<ref name="Company"/> * ''1776'' (1997 revival)<ref name="1776 play">{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/production/1776-criterion-center-stage-right-vault-0000003806|title=1776|website=Playbill Vault|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref> * ''The Lion in Winter'' (1999 revival)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/12/movies/theater-review-a-game-of-feudal-feuding.html|title=THEATER REVIEW; A Game Of Feudal Feuding|author= Ben Brantley|work=The New York Times|date=March 12, 1999|page=E1}}</ref>
===Toys "R" Us=== * Times Square Ball Drop (December 31, 2001 - January 1, 2015) * ''Noises Off'' (2002) * ''Blue's Clues Live: Blue's Birthday Party'' (2002) * ''Into the Woods'' (2002 revival) * ''Beauty and the Beast'' (2003) * ''A Year with Frog and Toad'' (2003) * ''Dora the Explorer Live: Search for the City of Lost Toys'' (2003) * ''Times Square's 100th Anniversary Ceremony'' (April 8 - December 31, 2004) * ''The Wiggles in Concert'' (2004) * ''Barney's Big Purple Bus Tour'' (2008) * ''Playhouse Disney Toy Launch'' (2008) * ''Gordon and Elmo - Live!'' (2008)
==References== {{reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|title=American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle|first1=Gerald Martin|last1=Bordman|first2=Richard|last2= Norton|year=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199729708}}
==External links== {{stack|{{commons category|Hammerstein's Olympia}}}} * [http://cinematreasures.org/theater/16481 CinemaTreasures.org entry for Criterion Theatre (single screen), New York] * [http://cinematreasures.org/theater/528/ CinemaTreasures.org entry Loew's Criterion Theatre (multiplex), New York] * [http://www.ibdb.com/venue.php?id=1401#1406 Olympia Theatre: Music Hall] at the IBDB database * [http://www.ibdb.com/venue.php?id=1129 Criterion Center Stage Right] at the IBDB database
{{Midtown North, Manhattan}} {{Times Square}} {{Broadway theatres}}
{{coord|40.75738|-73.98570|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY|display=title}}
Category:1895 establishments in New York City Category:1935 disestablishments in New York (state) Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1935 Category:Event venues established in 1895 Category:Former theatres in Manhattan Category:Loew's Theatres buildings and structures Category:Theater District, Manhattan Category:Theatres completed in 1895 Category:Times Square buildings Category:Toys "R" Us