{{Short description|Theater in Manhattan, New York}} {{Use American English|date=June 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} {{Infobox venue | name = New York City Center | native_name = | image = New York City Center-Manhattan.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = New York City Center in 2010 | address = 131 West 55th Street | city = Manhattan, New York | country = United States | architect = Harry P. Knowles and Clinton & Russell | owner = City of New York | tenant = | operator = City Center 55th Street Theater Foundation | capacity = Main stage: 2,257<br>Stage I: 299<br>Stage II: 150 | type = Performing arts center<br>Off-Broadway theater (Manhattan Theatre Club) | opened = 1924 (building)<br> 1984 (Stages I & II) | reopened = | years_active = 1943–present | rebuilt = | closed = | demolished = | other_names = | production = | website = {{URL|http://www.nycitycenter.org}} | embedded = {{Infobox NRHP | embed = yes | name = Mecca Temple | nrhp_type = | image = | caption = | coordinates = {{coord|40|45|50|N|73|58|46|W|region:US-NY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | built = | architect = | architecture = Moorish | added = September 7, 1984 | area = less than one acre | refnum = 84002788<ref>{{NRISref|version=2009a|name=Mecca Temple|refnum=84002788}}</ref> | designated_other1 = New York State Register of Historic Places | designated_other1_abbr = NYSRHP | designated_other1_date = August 3, 1984<ref>{{cite web |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |date=November 7, 2014 |url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |access-date=July 20, 2023}}</ref> | designated_other1_number = 06101.001714 | designated_other1_num_position = bottom | designated_other2 = New York City Landmark | designated_other2_date = April 12, 1983 | designated_other2_number = 1234 }} }}
'''New York City Center''' (previously known as the '''Mecca Temple''', '''City Center of Music and Drama''', and the '''New York City Center 55th Street Theater'''<ref name="AIA">{{cite AIA4|page=267}}</ref>) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Developed by the Shriners between 1922 and 1924 as a Masonic meeting house, it has operated as a performing arts complex owned by the government of New York City. City Center is a performing home for several major dance companies as well as the Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), and it hosts the Encores! musical theater series and the Fall for Dance Festival annually.
The facility was designed by Harry P. Knowles and Clinton and Russell in the Moorish Revival style and is divided into two parts. The southern section houses a main auditorium, with 2,257 seats across three levels; this auditorium could originally fit over four thousand people, but it has been downsized over the years. Immediately beneath the main auditorium are two smaller theaters, one of which is used by MTC; these occupy what was originally a banquet hall. This section contains an ornate sandstone facade with an alfiz–like entryway made of terracotta, as well as a dome measuring about {{convert|104|ft}} across. The northern section is much simpler in design, with a largely windowless brick facade, and contains four rehearsal studios and a 12-story office tower.
The Shriners decided in 1921 to construct the 55th Street building after having outgrown their previous headquarters, and the new building was dedicated on December 29, 1924. The Great Depression prompted the Shriners to downsize their activities in the 1930s and relocate out of the building entirely by 1940. New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia and New York City Council president Newbold Morris established the City Center of Music and Drama Inc. (CCMD) to operate the building as a municipal performing-arts venue, which reopened on December 11, 1943. In its early years, City Center housed the City Opera and City Ballet, as well as symphony, dance theater, drama, and art companies. After the City Opera and Ballet relocated to Lincoln Center in the 1960s, the CCMD continued to operate the building until 1976, when the City Center 55th Street Theater Foundation took over operation. City Center largely hosted dance performances during the late 20th century, although it also began hosting off-Broadway shows when the MTC moved to City Center in 1984. The venue was renovated in the 1980s and again in the 2010s.
== Site == New York City Center, originally the Mecca Temple, is at 131 West 55th Street, between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.<ref name="aia5">{{cite aia5|page=305}}</ref> The building's L-shaped land lot covers {{Convert|25153|ft2}}, extending {{convert|200|ft}} northward to 56th Street,<ref name="ZoLa">{{Cite web |title=131 West 55 Street, 10019 |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1008/15 |access-date=September 8, 2020 |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228184932/https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/l/lot/1/1008/15 |url-status=live }}</ref> with frontage of {{Convert|150|ft}} along 55th Street and {{convert|100|ft}} on 56th Street.<ref name="p576693437" /><ref name="nyt-1922-08-05" /> City Center abuts the CitySpire office building to the west and 125 West 55th Street to the east.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref name="aia5" /> Immediately to the north are Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Hall Tower, Russian Tea Room, and Metropolitan Tower from west to east. Other nearby buildings include 140 West 57th Street, 130 West 57th Street, and the Parker New York hotel to the northeast, as well as the 55th Street Playhouse to the southwest and 1345 Avenue of the Americas to the southeast.<ref name="ZoLa" /><ref name="aia5" />
The neighborhood was part of a former artistic hub around a two-block section of West 57th Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway. The hub had been developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, following the opening of Carnegie Hall.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=May 9, 1999 |title=Streetscapes /57th Street Between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue; High and Low Notes of a Block With a Musical Bent|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/realestate/streetscapes-57th-street-between-avenue-americas-seventh-avenue-high-low-notes.html |url-status=live |access-date=November 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127115151/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/09/realestate/streetscapes-57th-street-between-avenue-americas-seventh-avenue-high-low-notes.html |archive-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=November 13, 2001 |title=Steinway Hall |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2100.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109230241/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2100.pdf |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |access-date=November 12, 2020 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |pages=6–7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite fednyc|page=232}}</ref> Several buildings in the area were constructed as residences for artists and musicians, such as 130 and 140 West 57th Street, the Rodin Studios, and the Osborne Apartments, as well as the demolished Sherwood Studios and Rembrandt. In addition, the area contained the headquarters of organizations such as the American Fine Arts Society, the Lotos Club, and the American Society of Civil Engineers.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 16, 2008 |title=Society House of the American Society of Civil Engineers |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2297.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823005513/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2297.pdf |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |access-date=August 25, 2021 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |page=2}}</ref> By the 21st century, the artistic hub had largely been replaced with Billionaires' Row, a series of luxury skyscrapers around the southern end of Central Park.<ref>{{cite web | last=Scher | first=Robin | title='Round 57th Street: New York's First Gallery District Continues (for Now) to Weather Endless Changes in the Art World | website=ARTnews | date=July 19, 2016 | url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/market/round-57th-street-new-yorks-first-gallery-district-continues-for-now-to-weather-endless-changes-in-the-art-world-6685/ | access-date=June 13, 2024}}</ref>
When the Mecca Temple was constructed in 1923, the city block had contained garages, stables, and a school.<ref name="p103126048">{{cite news |date=March 25, 1923 |title=Stable Block Changes Call Sharp Attention: Mecca Temple and Five Apartments in Fifty-Fifth Street. |page=RE2 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|103126048}}}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 4">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=4}}</ref> The lots on the southern part of the building's site, at 131–133 West 55th Street, had been used by Famous Players–Lasky Corporation as a movie studio.<ref name="p576510677">{{cite news |date=December 26, 1921 |title=Yale Sells West 55th St. Realty to Mecca Temple: Property Extending Through Block Will Be Improved With a Mosque |page=16 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|576510677}}}}</ref><ref name="p556999075">{{cite news |date=December 28, 1921 |title=Yale Sells Land to Masonic Order: Mecca Temple of New York to Build $1,500,000 Mosque |page=12 |work=The Hartford Courant |issn=1047-4153 |id={{ProQuest|556999075}}}}</ref> The two lots on the northern part of the site, at 132 and 134 West 56th Street, contained horse stables.<ref name="p576583809" /><ref name="nyt-1922-04-21" />
==Architecture== New York City Center was built by the Shriners between 1922 and 1924 as the '''Mecca Temple''', a Masonic house of worship.<ref name="AIA" /><ref name="nyt-1999-04-11"/> The building was designed by architects Harry P. Knowles (a Master Mason), who died before its completion, in conjunction with the firm of Clinton and Russell.<ref name="AIA" /><ref name="nyt-1999-04-11">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=April 11, 1999 |title=Streetscapes /City Center; From Shriners' Mecca Temple to Mecca for the Arts|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/11/realestate/streetscapes-city-center-from-shriners-mecca-temple-to-mecca-for-the-arts.html |access-date=March 1, 2023|archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160855/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/11/realestate/streetscapes-city-center-from-shriners-mecca-temple-to-mecca-for-the-arts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The building's design is Neo-Moorish, although sources have described the 55th Street wing as "Moresco-Baroque" and "delightfully absurd".<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> An article for the ''Architectural Forum'' characterized the Shriners' clubhouses in general as "Saracenic".<ref name="AF 1926-09">{{cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Herbert M. |date=Sep 1926 |title=The Planning of Fraternal Buildings |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_architectural-forum_1926-09_45_3/page/140/mode/2up |magazine=Architectural Forum |volume=45 |issue=3 |page=141}}</ref>
The building contains a steel superstructure.<ref name="NYCL p. 5">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=5}}</ref><ref name="NPS p. 62">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1984|ps=.|p=6}}</ref><ref name="AA p. 173">{{harvnb|American Architect and Architecture|1925|ps=.|p=173}}</ref> The roof is carried by a large {{convert|65|ST|LT t|adj=on}} girder measuring {{convert|92.5|ft}} long and {{convert|13|ft}} wide. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) wrote that, at the time, it was the largest piece of steel ever installed in a New York City building.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" />
=== Form and facade === In keeping with the Shriners' heritage, the City Center building's facade incorporates several motifs inspired by Islamic architecture.<ref name="NYCL pp. 5–6">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|pp=5–6}}</ref> Knowles had to work around the irregularly shaped site, and he needed to accommodate meeting rooms, an auditorium, and a banquet hall. As such, he placed the clubrooms and lodge rooms on the northern half of the site, which was narrower and faced 56th Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="NPS p. 62" /> The northern portion of the building, at 12 stories high, is also taller than the rest of the building.<ref name="nyt-1924-12-30" /><ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1984|ps=.|p=2}}</ref> The auditorium and banquet hall were placed on the wider southern half, facing 55th Street, since these spaces were to be used much more frequently.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="NPS p. 62" /> The southern part of the building has a tiled rooftop dome.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25">{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=March 25, 2005 |title=Fixing a Leaky Roof, And What a Roof! |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/nyregion/fixing-a-leaky-roof-and-what-a-roof.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306182951/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/25/nyregion/fixing-a-leaky-roof-and-what-a-roof.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== 55th Street facade ==== alt=The main entrance to City Center on 55th Street. At the center are five of the nine horseshoe arches in the alfiz. The arches are surrounded by terracotta tiles.|thumb|Main entrance on 55th Street The southern part of the building, which contains the theater, is largely clad with ashlar sandstone and contains a large pointed arch spanning nearly the entirety of the facade.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /> Early plans called for the facade to be laid in contrasting shades of sandstone; ultimately, the building was clad with golden Ohio sandstone. The word "Mecca" was originally inscribed at the top of the large arch.<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> The 55th Street elevation also contains multicolored glazed terracotta tiles originally manufactured by the New York Architectural Terra-Cotta Company.<ref name="NYCL pp. 5–6" /> In the early 2010s, a glass-and-steel marquee was installed above the entrance.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10">{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin|author-link=Robin Pogrebin|date=October 10, 2011 |title=Countdown at City Center, As Reopening Approaches|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/arts/design/city-center-gears-up-for-its-grand-reopening.html |access-date=March 5, 2023|archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305234607/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/arts/design/city-center-gears-up-for-its-grand-reopening.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The entrance consists of an alfiz with an arcade of nine horseshoe arches.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The arches are surrounded by a terracotta frieze with ocher, green, and blue foliate motifs. Each of the horseshoe arches in the arcade is supported by pink-veined and gray-veined granite columns and contain voussoirs made of glazed ocher tiles. The tympanum of each arch has multicolored tiles, some of which depict a scimitar and a crescent.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=6}}</ref> There are also metal lamps within the arches.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The entryway's design reflects the arrangement of the staircases and lobby inside.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The five central arches are grouped together and lead to the theater's lobby. The two horseshoe arches on either side lead to staircases that ascend to the theater's mezzanine and first balcony. On either side of the arcade are double-height sandstone arches, which connect to staircases that lead down to the basement and up to the second balcony.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6" />
Each of the arcade's five central doorways is topped by a pair of arched windows on the mezzanine level; these windows are separated by engaged columns and surrounded by an extension of the terracotta frieze. The five center bays are flanked by blue terracotta pilasters and topped by a muqarnas cornice above the mezzanine level.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="NYCL p. 6" /> The upper portion of the 55th Street facade is relatively plain in design, except for lancet windows on the sides.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The uppermost part of the facade is stepped upward at its center, following the curve of the domed roof, and is topped by a large cornice with dentils. The corners are chamfered at the top; this was intended to serve as a transition between the cube-shaped lower stories and the domed roof.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" />
===== Domed roof ===== The theater's domed roof measures {{cvt|104|ft|m|adj=on}} wide and {{cvt|50|ft|m|adj=on}} tall, with 28,475 pieces of Ludowici Spanish roof tile.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gagné |first1=Nicole |title=Custom Roofing: A Rooftop Wonder |work=Traditional Building |publisher=Clem Labine |date=August 2005}}</ref> Structurally, the roof is composed of four main ribs; between these are twelve smaller ribs, which are supported at their tops by a "ring" just below the top of the dome.<ref name="AA p. 175" /> Unlike other domes in the United States, it was designed as a true sphere.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25" /> The lower half of each rib is composed of two chords, while the upper half is made of I-beams measuring {{convert|15|in}} thick. The inner chord of the dome rises {{convert|37.5|ft}} and has a diameter of {{convert|88|ft}}; by contrast, the outer chord has a radius of about {{convert|54|ft}}.<ref name="AA p. 175" />
The dome's outer surface consists of a {{convert|3|in|cm|adj=on}} layer of a material called "Nailcrete", which was spread across metal lath; the terracotta tiles were then attached to the Nailcrete.<ref name="AA p. 175" /> Both the 1922 and 2005 tiles for the structure were produced by Ludowici Roof Tile and colored in a varied blend of reds and ochers.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25" /><ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> The tiles gradually narrow near the top of the dome, which also makes City Center the only structure in the Northeastern United States with a dome of graduated clay tiles.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25" /> The top of the dome originally was decorated with a scimitar and a crescent.<ref name="nyt-1924-12-30" /> The roof was renovated in 2005. The refurbished roof includes a {{convert|1/8|in|adj=on}} waterproof membrane underneath each tile; a steel frame above the membrane; and 8,000 stainless-steel anchors that connect the tiles to the steel frame.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25" />
==== 56th Street facade ==== alt=The 56th Street facade of City Center. The base is made of limestone and contains several arches. The upper stories have few windows and are made of brick.|thumb|56th Street facade The 56th Street elevation of City Center's facade was designed in a substantially different manner than that on 55th Street, as the northern part of the building was designed for a different purpose. The facade contains elements of an abstract classical style. At ground level, the facade is made of limestone and contains five arches. The outermost arches are the widest and are connected directly to stage rear, as is the center arch, which is slightly narrower. The second-outermost arches on either side are the narrowest and are flanked by lanterns on either side.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="NPS p. 3">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1984|ps=.|p=3}}</ref>
The upper 11 stories are clad with yellow brick. The third story contains three windows, which contain sandstone moldings, balconies, and pediments.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="NPS p. 3" /> All the decoration above the third story was made of buff-colored terracotta.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> The stories above originally contained the Shriners' lodge rooms, so Knowles chose not to add windows, as was typical for office buildings of the time. Instead, on the fourth through ninth stories, the center of the facade contains six vertical piers, which are made of projecting bricks that are angled outward.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" /><ref name="NYCL pp. 6–7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|pp=6–7}}</ref> The side elevations of the northern half of the building contain even less decoration; they largely consist of brick walls with some scattered window openings.<ref name="NYCL p. 6" />
=== Interior === Originally, the Mecca Temple included a three-level auditorium with space for 5,000 people in total.<ref name="AA p. 173" /><ref name="p498083004">{{Cite news |last=Batchelder |first=Roger |date=December 28, 1924 |title=5000 Shriners Will March in 5Th Avenue: Dedication of Mecca Temple Tomorrow Will Bring Nobles From Many States |page=29 |work=Boston Daily Globe |id={{ProQuest|498083004}}}}</ref> The building also contained a banquet room in the basement, which could fit 5,000 people, and three lodge rooms on the upper stories, which could accommodate another 3,000 people.<ref name="p498083004" /> By 2010, the building contained 12 stories of offices, a main auditorium with 2,753 seats, two smaller auditoriums in the basement, and four studios.<ref name="NYT10">{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |author-link=Robin Pogrebin |date=March 16, 2010 |title=City Center to Begin $75 Million Renovation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/arts/17center.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240624234547/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/arts/17center.html |archive-date=June 24, 2024 |access-date=February 28, 2023 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
The main doorways on 55th Street lead to a ticket lobby, where gold-metal doors surrounded by ceramic tiles lead to the main auditorium.<ref name="NPS p. 3" /> In 2011, the lobbies were rearranged so that audiences entered the auditorium from the sides, rather than from the rear. The modern-day lobby is divided into outer and inner sections. The outer lobby has a bar, while the inner lobby has screens for video installations, which are changed three times a year.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" />
==== Main auditorium ==== The original seating capacity of the main auditorium is disputed but has been variously cited as 4,080<ref name="p1505651409">{{cite magazine |date=April 1, 1925 |title=Opera and Concert: New Mecca Temple, N. Y., In Field for Concerts |magazine=Variety |volume=78 |issue=7 |page=23 |id={{ProQuest|1505651409}}}}</ref> or 4,400.<ref name="p498083004" /> According to ''The Boston Globe'', the main auditorium originally had a foyer with space for another 600 people, bringing the total capacity to 5,000.<ref name="p498083004" /> These seats were spread across a ground-story orchestra level and two steeply raked balconies;<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> in contrast to the balconies, the orchestra was originally nearly flat.<ref name="nyt-1982-08-29"/><ref name="AA p. 177">{{harvnb|American Architect and Architecture|1925|ps=.|p=177}}</ref> Both balcony levels are supported by girders that are cantilevered from the rear of the auditorium.<ref name="AA pp. 177, 180">{{harvnb|American Architect and Architecture|1925|ps=.|pp=177, 180}}</ref> The first balcony level is supported by a pair of diagonal girders on either end because of its unusual shape. The second balcony level, also known as the gallery, is cantilevered above the first balcony and the orchestra; the center of this level is supported by a truss measuring {{convert|92.5|ft}} long.<ref name="AA p. 177" />
During the mid-20th century, the seating capacity was reduced to approximately 2,932.<ref name="nyt-1982-03-16">{{Cite news |last=Lawson |first=Carol |date=March 16, 1982 |title=City Center Renovation Set for Summer |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/16/theater/city-center-renovation-set-for-summer.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002532/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/03/16/theater/city-center-renovation-set-for-summer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During a 1982 renovation, City Center officials removed another 186 seats from the orchestra, reducing it to 2.746 seats.<ref name="p993226250">{{cite news |last=Berman Alexander |first=Janice |date=October 5, 1982 |title=A New View at a Renovated City Center |page=C19 |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|993226250}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1982-10-05">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=October 5, 1982 |title=New City Center: A Place to Crown the Dance; An Appraisal|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/05/theater/new-city-center-a-place-to-crown-the-dance-an-appraisal.html |access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823212705/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/05/theater/new-city-center-a-place-to-crown-the-dance-an-appraisal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The 1982 renovation also included raising the entire orchestra and raking the first ten rows.<ref name="nyt-1982-03-16" /> The front rows of the rebuilt orchestra were raised {{Convert|10|in}}, while the rear rows were raised by as much as {{convert|4|ft|6|in}}.<ref name="nyt-1982-08-29" /> City Center was again downsized in 2011 to approximately 2,250 seats.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" /><ref name="n120260100">{{Cite news |last=Noveck |first=Jocelyn |date=October 30, 2011 |title=City Center Reopens After $56 Million Spruce-Up |pages=C2 |work=Standard-Speaker |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120260100/city-center-reopens-after-56-million/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305234607/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120260100/city-center-reopens-after-56-million/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This project involved removing six rows of seats, increasing the slope of the orchestra level, widening each seat by 2 inches, and reupholstering them in blue and green.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" />
The proscenium arch and the ceiling were decorated in the Islamic style, with such motifs as stalactites and honeycombs.<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> The main auditorium's interior contained Moorish motifs such as multi-pointed stars, lancet windows, and large chandeliers hanging from molded ceiling plasterwork.<ref name="NPS p. 3" /> After the city government moved into the theater in 1943, the space was repainted white because it was easier to maintain.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" /> During the mid-20th century, the auditorium was decorated in red, green, blue, and gilded rococo, but it was repainted again in beige and taupe in 1982.<ref name="nyt-1982-08-29" /> The original color scheme was restored in 2011, along with the murals on the ceiling of the mezzanine lobby.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" /><ref name="n120260100" />
The auditorium's original design focused the audience's attention at the center of the stage, but this design also created difficult sightlines; one observer likened the design to "watching a television screen".<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" /> ''Variety'' magazine stated that the auditorium's stage could fit 100 musicians.<ref name="p1505651409" /> Unlike traditional theaters, the stage originally did not have any wing space for performers;<ref name="nyt-1984-10-30">{{Cite news |date=October 30, 1984 |title=City Center Expansion Plan Detailed |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/30/arts/city-center-expansion-plan-detailed.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823212707/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/30/arts/city-center-expansion-plan-detailed.html |url-status=live }}</ref> even after the theater was renovated in 2011, the wing space was too small to accommodate certain types of productions,<ref name="Catton 2012">{{cite web |last=Catton |first=Pia |date=October 24, 2012 |title=American Ballet Theatre to Leave City Center |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204425904578075070435632626.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=October 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029184908/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204425904578075070435632626.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To accommodate the Shriners, who frequently smoked in the Mecca Temple,<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> there was an air intake on the auditorium's roof.<ref name="AA p. 175">{{harvnb|American Architect and Architecture|1925|ps=.|p=175}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> Fresh air traveled from the intake to a fan and heater room above the auditorium's proscenium, and air was then distributed through the floor slabs of each level.<ref name="AA p. 175" /> A lighting booth was also installed in the auditorium in 2011.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" />
==== Basement ==== The basement originally contained a banquet hall. This space did not contain columns. Instead, it was spanned by a set of deep lattice trusses, which were flanked by deep plate girders; these formed the floor of the auditorium.<ref name="AA p. 173" /> The space between the trusses contained ducts that supplied fresh air to the auditorium and basement; a system of exhaust pipes for the basement; and other utilities.<ref name="AA pp. 173, 175">{{harvnb|American Architect and Architecture|1925|ps=.|pp=173, 175}}</ref>
After an attempt in 1970 to convert City Center's basement into a cinematheque,<ref name="nyt-1970-02-14" /> the basement became a 299-seat off-Broadway theater called The Space in 1981.<ref name="n120117462">{{Cite news |date=March 31, 1981 |title=The Dance Umbrella Opens |pages=123 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120117462/the-dance-umbrella-opens/ |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002516/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120117462/the-dance-umbrella-opens/ |url-status=live }}</ref> When The Space opened, it was only occasionally used by dance companies.<ref name="nyt-1984-08-08">{{Cite news |last=Freedman |first=Samuel G.|author-link=Samuel G. Freedman|date=August 8, 1984 |title=Cramped Theater Club Seeks City Center Site|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/08/arts/cramped-theater-club-seeks-city-center-site.html |access-date=March 4, 2023|archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210748/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/08/arts/cramped-theater-club-seeks-city-center-site.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) moved to The Space in 1984<ref name="nyt-1984-10-24">{{Cite news |last=Gussow |first=Mel|author-link=Mel Gussow|date=October 24, 1984 |title=Manhattan Theater Club Moving to City Center Space|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/24/theater/manhattan-theater-club-moving-to-city-center-space.html |access-date=March 4, 2023|archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002532/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/24/theater/manhattan-theater-club-moving-to-city-center-space.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="n120124323">{{Cite news |date=October 21, 1984 |title=MainStage Moves to Center's Stage |pages=130 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120124323/mainstage-moves-to-centers-stage/ |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304013219/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120124323/mainstage-moves-to-centers-stage/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and divided the basement into two auditoriums.<ref name="Myers 2007">{{cite web |last=Myers |first=Eric |date=July 12, 2007 |title=A Palace for the People |url=https://playbill.com/article/a-palace-for-the-people |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Playbill |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306002431/https://playbill.com/article/a-palace-for-the-people |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2026}}, MTC operates two off-Broadway spaces in the basement: Stage I and Stage II.<ref name="New York City Center Seating Maps">{{cite web |title=Seating Maps |url=https://www.nycitycenter.org/plan-your-visit/seating-maps/ |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=New York City Center |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210750/https://www.nycitycenter.org/plan-your-visit/seating-maps/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Manhattan Theatre Club 2022">{{cite web |date=September 28, 2022 |title=Plan Your Visit |url=https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/plan-your-visit/ |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=Manhattan Theatre Club |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304212257/https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/plan-your-visit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Stage I contains 299 seats, while Stage II contains 150 seats.<ref name="BM p. 302" /><ref name="Alterman o520">{{cite book |last=Alterman |first=Glenn |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/An_Actor_s_Guide_Making_It_in_New_York_C/3nCCDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=New+York+City+Center+manhattan+theatre+club+Stage+I+and+Stage+II&pg=PT185&printsec=frontcover |title=An Actor's Guide—Making It in New York City, Second Edition: Everything a Working Actor Needs to Survive and Succeed in the Big Apple |date=April 5, 2011 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-62153-380-1 |page=185 |access-date=March 15, 2026}}</ref> MTC also operates a coatroom, restroom, and members' lounge on the landing of the staircase between the basement and the lobby.<ref name="Manhattan Theatre Club 2022" />
==== Offices ==== The three lodge rooms were placed in the northern wing of the building.<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> When the Mecca Temple was converted to the City Center, the lodge rooms became rehearsal studios.<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /><ref name="Myers 2007" /> During the 1950s, scripts for the television show ''Your Show of Shows'', starring Sid Caesar, were written in one of the offices on the sixth floor.<ref name="Myers 2007" /> The theater's modern-day rehearsal studios occupy the upper stories.<ref name="nyt-2011-10-10" />
==History==
=== Mecca Temple === The City Center building on 55th Street was constructed as the Mecca Temple, the headquarters of the Shriners. The order's previous headquarters had been located at Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street since 1875.<ref name="NPS p. 62" /><ref name="NYCL p. 3">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> The order began hosting large events at Carnegie Hall in 1891, but the hall banned smoking,<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> even though many Shriners enjoyed smoking large cigars during their meetings.<ref name="NYCL p. 16">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=16}}</ref> Although the Shriners moved to the 71st Regiment Armory on Park Avenue in 1905, the armory was not well-suited for theatrical productions. The Shriners also had trouble booking a theater except during the workday.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> By 1911, the Shriners owned a converted brownstone row house at 107 West 45th Street, and they also held large meetings in the concert hall of Madison Square Garden.<ref name="nyt-1911-06-15">{{Cite news |date=June 15, 1911 |title=Shriners Plan Own Home |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/06/15/archives/faults-bidders-find-in-subway-report-interborough-and-brt.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164519/https://www.nytimes.com/1911/06/15/archives/faults-bidders-find-in-subway-report-interborough-and-brt.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The row house contained a grill room on the ground floor, a lounge and committee room on the second floor, executive offices on the third floor, and an assembly room on the fourth floor.<ref name="nyt-1921-12-25">{{Cite news |date=December 25, 1921 |title=Shriners Here Plan $2,000,000 Mosque; Mecca Temple Pays $400,000 For Plot in West 55th Street – Building to Cost $1,500,000 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/12/25/archives/shriners-here-plan-2000000-mosque-mecca-temple-pays-400000-for-plot.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164518/https://www.nytimes.com/1921/12/25/archives/shriners-here-plan-2000000-mosque-mecca-temple-pays-400000-for-plot.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Development ==== [[File:Mecca Temple Bond.jpg|thumbnail|left|A bond issued in 1922 to raise funds for the construction of the Mecca Temple]] By the early 1920s, the Shriners had outgrown their 45th Street location and wished to build a new headquarters prior to their 50th anniversary in 1922.<ref name="nyt-1921-12-25" /> This prompted 1,500 Shriners to vote in favor of a new temple in April 1921.<ref name="NYCL p. 3" /> The Shriners planned to fund the new temple by issuing bonds and by constructing an office building above the temple.<ref name="nyt-1921-12-25" /> The order issued $1.5 million in bonds,<ref name="NYCL p. 17">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=17}}</ref> and its 11,080 members had purchased $1 million worth of bonds by the end of 1921, allowing the Shriners to build a standalone temple.<ref name="nyt-1921-12-25" /> The rest of the bond issue was used to pay expenses, taxes, and interest on the mortgage loan.<ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> Mecca Temple paid Yale University $400,000 for the lots at 131–135 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan in December 1921.<ref name="p576510677" /><ref name="p556999075" /> Yale, in turn, had acquired the site from William S. and Mary E. Mason three months beforehand.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /> The sale was finalized in January 1922; the Shriners hoped that their new temple would increase land values in the surrounding area.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> The Shriners bought two stables at 133 and 135 West 56th Street from George C. Mason that April for $140,000.<ref name="p576583809">{{cite news |date=April 21, 1922 |title=Mystic Shriners Enlarge for $2,000,000 Home |page=9 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|576583809}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1922-04-21">{{Cite news |date=April 21, 1922 |title=Shriners Enlarge Site. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/04/21/archives/shriners-enlarge-site.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175517/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/04/21/archives/shriners-enlarge-site.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
H. P. Knowles filed plans for a house of worship on 55th Street with the Manhattan Bureau of Buildings in August 1922. The structure was to cost $750,000 and was to contain a meeting hall in the basement; a three-level auditorium; three studios; and three stories of offices.<ref name="p576693437">{{cite news |date=August 5, 1922 |title=Shriners to Build Fine Club on West 55th St.: Structure Will Cost $750,000 To Build, According to Estimate Made by Architect |page=13 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|576693437}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1922-08-05">{{Cite news |date=August 5, 1922 |title=New Mecca Temple Home; Building in West Fifty-Fifth Street Will Cost $750,000. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/08/05/archives/new-mecca-temple-home-building-in-west-fiftyfifth-street-will-cost.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175517/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/08/05/archives/new-mecca-temple-home-building-in-west-fiftyfifth-street-will-cost.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The auditorium was to contain 5,000 seats, which would allow it to be rented out for events such as concerts.<ref name="p1031716636">{{cite magazine |date=August 18, 1923 |title=Theater in Mecca Temple |magazine=The Billboard |volume=35 |issue=33 |pages=11 |id={{ProQuest|1031716636}}}}</ref> James Stewart & Co. was hired as the building's general contractor.<ref name="AA p. 178">{{harvnb|American Architect and Architecture|1925|ps=.|p=178}}</ref> The Shriners hosted a parade on October 13, 1923, after which Arthur S. Tompkins, a New York state judge and the Grand Master of Masons in New York State, laid the building's cornerstone on 56th Street. At the time, the building was planned to cost $2.5 million.<ref name="nyt-1923-10-14">{{Cite news |date=October 14, 1923 |title=Shriners at Site of New Mosque; Attend Laying of Cornerstone of $2,500,000 Home for Mecca Temple. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/10/14/archives/shriners-at-site-of-new-mosque-attend-laying-of-cornerstone-of.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164511/https://www.nytimes.com/1923/10/14/archives/shriners-at-site-of-new-mosque-attend-laying-of-cornerstone-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1237297553">{{cite news |date=October 14, 1923 |title=Mecca Temple Mosque Stone Laid by Tompkins |page=15 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1237297553}}}}</ref> The Mecca Temple received a $1 million mortgage loan from Manufacturers Trust in July 1924.<ref name="p103363044">{{cite news |date=July 15, 1924 |title=Latest Dealings in Realty Field |page=32 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|103363044}}}}</ref><ref name="p1112741808">{{cite news |date=July 16, 1924 |title=Site Occupied by Restaurant In West 34th Street Sold |page=22 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1112741808}}}}</ref> The building was dedicated on December 29, 1924, with the invocation offered by Episcopal bishop William T. Manning; contemporary sources characterized the building as a "mosque".<ref name="nyt-1924-12-30">{{Cite news |date=December 30, 1924 |title=Shriners Dedicate Mecca's New Home; Nobles From All Parts of the Country Here for Opening of $2,500,000 Mosque. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/30/archives/shriners-dedicate-meccas-new-home-nobles-from-all-parts-of-the.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823212711/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/12/30/archives/shriners-dedicate-meccas-new-home-nobles-from-all-parts-of-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1113085593">{{cite news |date=December 30, 1924 |title=3,000 Shriners Help Dedicate Mecca Mosque: $2,000,000 Arabic Temple in West 55th St., Scene of Impressive Rites by Nobles of Masonic Order Parade Before Services Mayor of Philadelphia, Murray Hulbert and Justice Tompkin Speak |page=8 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113085593}}}}</ref>
==== Shriners usage ==== The Mecca Temple's auditorium first opened to the general public in May 1925, when it hosted a fashion show.<ref name="p1113071210">{{cite news |date=May 19, 1925 |title=Mecca Temple Mosque Opened at Exposition: Shriners' New Auditorium Said To Be Largest in City |page=15 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113071210}}}}</ref><ref name="p1505686880">{{cite magazine |date=May 20, 1925 |title=Vaudeville: Shriners' Style Show—Clothes And Things |magazine=Variety |volume=79 |issue=1 |page=31 |id={{ProQuest|1505686880}}}}</ref> By then, the building was complete except for interior decorations and the installation of seats on the first floor.<ref name="p1113071210" /> John Philip Sousa's band performed in the temple's first public concert that October,<ref name="nyt-1925-10-12">{{Cite news |date=October 12, 1925 |title=Sousa Opens New Mecca Temple Hall; Celebrates Third-Of-A-Century Of His Band With Concert in Vast Auditorium |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/10/12/archives/sousa-opens-new-mecca-temple-hall-celebrates-thirdofacentury-of-his.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164516/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/10/12/archives/sousa-opens-new-mecca-temple-hall-celebrates-thirdofacentury-of-his.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1112989740">{{cite news |date=October 12, 1925 |title=Sousa Is Greeted With Tributes and Gifts at Concert: Noted Bandmaster Opens Mecca Temple Auditorium in His Only Appearance in Manhattan This Season |page=10 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1112989740}}}}</ref> and the New York Symphony Orchestra relocated its performances to the auditorium from the Aeolian Building on 42nd Street.<ref name="nyt-1925-04-02">{{Cite news |date=April 2, 1925 |title=Lowers High Cost of Concert Music; New York Symphony Makes Cuts of 10 and 20 Per Cent in Next Season's Series |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/04/02/archives/lowers-high-cost-of-concert-music-new-york-symphony-makes-cuts-of.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228202226/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/04/02/archives/lowers-high-cost-of-concert-music-new-york-symphony-makes-cuts-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the 1920s, the Mecca Temple also hosted events such as a meeting of post-office workers;<ref name="p1112918434">{{cite news |date=April 5, 1925 |title=Postal Employees Thank Congress for Pay Raise |page=14 |work=The New York Herald, New York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1112918434}}}}</ref> a memorial service for American Revolutionary War military commander Casimir Pulaski;<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 10, 1929 |title=Honor Pulaski Tomorrow; Mayor's Proclamation Requests Observance for 1776 Hero. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/10/10/archives/honor-pulaski-tomorrow-mayors-proclamation-requests-observance-for.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228202227/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/10/10/archives/honor-pulaski-tomorrow-mayors-proclamation-requests-observance-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the meetings of Congregation Rodeph Sholom.<ref name="nyt-1929-09-30">{{Cite news |date=September 30, 1929 |title=Quits Temporary Home; Rodeph Sholom Congregation Holds Last Mecca Temple Service. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1929/09/30/archives/quits-temporary-home-rodeph-sholom-congregation-holds-last-mecca.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228202224/https://www.nytimes.com/1929/09/30/archives/quits-temporary-home-rodeph-sholom-congregation-holds-last-mecca.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Unlike other Shriners temples, which were tax-exempt, mainly philanthropic concerns, the Mecca Temple earned money from renting its auditorium out, so it was not tax-exempt.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" />
By the 1930s, the Great Depression had forced many fraternal groups, such as the Shriners, to reduce the scope of their activities.<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> The Mecca Holding Company, the Mecca Temple's original owner, transferred the building's title to a group of Shriners trustees in 1933.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> The Fides Opera Company, led by Cesare Sodero, began performing at the Mecca Temple the same year.<ref name="nyt-1933-09-11">{{Cite news |date=September 11, 1933 |title=New Group Plans Popular Opera; Fides Company Includes 57 Musicians From Orchestra of the Metropolitan |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/09/11/archives/new-group-plans-popular-opera-fides-company-includes-57-musicians.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160853/https://www.nytimes.com/1933/09/11/archives/new-group-plans-popular-opera-fides-company-includes-57-musicians.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Irving Verschleiser,{{Efn|Also spelled "Verschleisser"<ref name="p101049399"/>}} operator of the Central Opera House on the Upper East Side, leased the building's ballroom and kitchens in 1934, with plans to convert it into the Mecca Temple Casino.<ref name="p101049399">{{cite news |date=April 5, 1934 |title=Leases in Mecca Temple.: Verschleisser to Operate Ballroom – Carpet Concern Moving. |page=40 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|101049399}}}}</ref> Aside from opera, dance, theatrical productions, and concerts, the auditorium's events in the 1930s included a Federal Theatre Project circus,<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 24, 1936 |title=Children Guests at a WPA Circus; 4,000 Afflicted Youngsters Thrilled at 3-Hour Show in Mecca Temple. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/24/archives/children-guests-at-a-wpa-circus-4000-afflicted-youngsters-thrilled.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160851/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/24/archives/children-guests-at-a-wpa-circus-4000-afflicted-youngsters-thrilled.html |url-status=live }}</ref> a protest meeting attended by over one-fifth of the city's Armenian population.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 29, 1934 |title=Slain Archbishop Mourned by 3,000; Armenian Protest Meeting in Mecca Temple Guarded by Police and Army of Ushers |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/29/archives/slain-archbishop-mourned-by-3000-armenian-protest-meeting-in-mecca.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160852/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/01/29/archives/slain-archbishop-mourned-by-3000-armenian-protest-meeting-in-mecca.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and a speech by former Greek prime minister Alexandros Papanastasiou.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 8, 1935 |title=Greeks Here Urged to Back Republic; Papanastasiou Doubts That Plebiscite on Monarchy Will Be Held This Fall. |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/08/archives/greeks-here-urged-to-back-republic-papanastasiou-doubts-that.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160852/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/08/archives/greeks-here-urged-to-back-republic-papanastasiou-doubts-that.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Manufacturers Trust foreclosed on the building in 1937 after the Shriners failed to make mortgage payments. Verschleiser then took over the building and began operating it through his company, Mecca Temple Casino Inc.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="NPS p. 7">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1984|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> Verschleiser failed to make a profit on the building, and the 130 West 56th Street Corporation took over in 1939.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" />
The Shriners had stopped using the building completely by 1940.<ref name="nyt-1953-12-12">{{Cite news |last=Bracker |first=Milton |date=December 12, 1953 |title=City Center Marks Its 10th Birthday; Ferrer Co-Stars With Wagner and Morris at Celebration, Complete With Big Cake |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/12/12/archives/city-center-marks-its-10th-birthday-ferrer-costars-with-wagner-and.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/12/12/archives/city-center-marks-its-10th-birthday-ferrer-costars-with-wagner-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A writer for ''The New York Times'' reported that the auditorium had been relegated to "political oratory, all sorts of organizational harangues and resolutions, [and] second-rate prize fights".<ref name="nyt-1953-12-12" /> Opera and ballet impresario Max Rabinoff announced in August 1941 that he would convert the auditorium into the Cosmopolitan Opera House and that he would convert the office section into the People's Art Center.<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 13, 1941 |title=Opera at Mecca Temple; Building to Be Converted by Fall – Art Center at Shrine Temple |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/08/13/archives/opera-at-mecca-temple-building-to-be-converted-by-fall-art-center.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301160853/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/08/13/archives/opera-at-mecca-temple-building-to-be-converted-by-fall-art-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p513630113">{{cite news |date=August 16, 1941 |title=Remodeling Begun On Mecca Temple |page=9 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |id={{ProQuest|513630113}}}}</ref> Rabinoff planned to leave the exterior intact while remodeling the interior for ballet, opera, and concerts.<ref name="p513630113" /> The theater had reopened by November 1941.<ref name="nyt-1941-11-05">{{Cite news |last=Downes |first=Olin|author-link=Olin Downes|date=November 5, 1941 |title=Stokowski Opens Symphonic Series; NBC Orchestra Is Heard in the First of Four Programs at Cosmopolitan Opera House|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/11/05/archives/stokowski-opens-symphonic-series-nbc-orchestra-is-heard-in-the.html |access-date=March 1, 2023|archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301163011/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/11/05/archives/stokowski-opens-symphonic-series-nbc-orchestra-is-heard-in-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It hosted shows such as a series of four programs by the NBC Symphony Orchestra;<ref name="nyt-1941-11-05" /> the operettas ''The Gypsy Baron''<ref name="nyt-1942-06-20">{{Cite news |last=N.s |date=June 20, 1942 |title=The Gypsy Baron' Is Presented Here; Central European Musical and Theatrical Leaders Hear the Strauss Operetta |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/06/20/archives/the-gypsy-baron-is-presented-here-central-european-musical-and.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301163009/https://www.nytimes.com/1942/06/20/archives/the-gypsy-baron-is-presented-here-central-european-musical-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''Beggar Student'';<ref name="nyt-1942-09-26">{{Cite news |last=Straus |first=Noel |date=September 26, 1942 |title='Beggar Student' Is Presented Here; Karl Milloecker's Three-Act Operetta Is Produced at the Cosmopolitan Opera House |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/26/archives/beggar-student-is-presented-here-karl-milloeckers-threeact-operetta.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301163009/https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/26/archives/beggar-student-is-presented-here-karl-milloeckers-threeact-operetta.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and a set of concerts to raise money for "war stamps" issued during World War II.<ref name="nyt-1942-05-18">{{Cite news |last=Straus |first=Noel |date=May 18, 1942 |title=Concert Is Given for War Stamps; Third of Series Under Mayor and the City WPA, Aided by Musicians Group, Held |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/05/18/archives/concert-is-given-for-war-stamps-third-of-series-under-mayor-and-the.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301163010/https://www.nytimes.com/1942/05/18/archives/concert-is-given-for-war-stamps-third-of-series-under-mayor-and-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== City Center of Music and Drama operation === By 1942, the 130 West 56th Street Corporation had not paid taxes for several months, and the New York City Treasurer's office was acting as the receiver for the theater and office building.<ref name="nyt-1942-09-02">{{Cite news |date=September 2, 1942 |title=Mecca Temple Bid In By the City on Lien |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/02/archives/mecca-temple-bid-in-by-the-city-on-lien.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301163012/https://www.nytimes.com/1942/09/02/archives/mecca-temple-bid-in-by-the-city-on-lien.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That September, the New York City government bought the building for $100,000 at a foreclosure auction.<ref name="nyt-1942-09-02" /><ref name="p1320076853">{{cite news |date=September 2, 1942 |title=Mecca Temple Property Is Foreclosed by City |page=25 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1320076853}}}}</ref> The city was offering the Mecca Temple for rent the next month.<ref name="p1284467995">{{cite news |date=October 5, 1942 |title=Mecca Temple Offered For Rent by the City |page=23 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284467995}}}}</ref> Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and New York City Council president Newbold Morris began planning to convert the Mecca Temple into a theater. In March 1943, La Guardia named a committee to study these plans.<ref name="nyt-1943-03-06">{{Cite news |date=March 6, 1943 |title=Plan Music Center at Mecca Temple; Mayor and Spokesmen for the Arts Discuss Proposal Originated by Morris |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/03/06/archives/plan-music-center-at-mecca-temple-mayor-and-spokesmen-for-the-arts.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180442/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/03/06/archives/plan-music-center-at-mecca-temple-mayor-and-spokesmen-for-the-arts.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1267871292">{{cite news |date=March 6, 1943 |title=Mayor Pianning Music Center at Mecca Temple: Will Name Committees to Study Plans to Create Municipal Arts 'Temple' |page=6A |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1267871292}}}}</ref> La Guardia and Morris cofounded the City Center of Music and Drama (CCMD) with tax lawyer Morton Baum, who was described as "the financial, production, and political brain that held it together".<ref name="nyt-1968-02-08">{{Cite news |date=February 8, 1968 |title=Morton Baum, Lawyer, Is Dead; A Founder of City Center in '43; Called 'Financial, Production and Political Brain' of Artistic Institution |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/08/archives/morton-baum-lawyer-is-dead-a-founder-of-city-center-in-43-called.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302174426/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/08/archives/morton-baum-lawyer-is-dead-a-founder-of-city-center-in-43-called.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD was to present opera, concerts, dance, ballet, and theatrical productions at the Mecca Temple.<ref name="p1267875722">{{cite news |date=July 22, 1943 |title=Mayor Reveals Plans to Open Mecca Temple as a Music Center: Announces 40-Week Season Will Start This Fall With Concert-Opera Festival and Then Plays; Low Admission Prices To Be the Rule |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1267875722}}}}</ref> The men wished to provide "cultural entertainment at popular prices", with tickets costing as little as $1.<ref name="nyt-1943-11-11">{{Cite news |date=November 11, 1943 |title=Center to Open Dec. 11; Philharmonic to Play at Formal Dedication of City Project |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/11/11/archives/center-to-open-dec-11-philharmonic-to-play-at-formal-dedication-of.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180435/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/11/11/archives/center-to-open-dec-11-philharmonic-to-play-at-formal-dedication-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To attract working-class audiences, La Guardia proposed that shows start at 5:30 p.m., after the end of the workday.<ref name="NYCL p. 8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=8}}</ref>
The New York Supreme Court approved the articles of incorporation for the City Center of Music and Drama Inc. in July 1943.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> La Guardia and Morris appointed a board of 24 people to operate the CCMD.<ref name="p1326037218">{{cite news |last=Zinsser |first=William K |date=February 21, 1950 |title=Repertory Theater for New York: Future of Fine Companies of Music, Ballet, And Drama Wait on City's Decision |page=18 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1326037218}}}}</ref> The city government hired Aymar Embury II the same month to renovate the Mecca Temple's auditorium.<ref name="nyt-1943-07-23">{{Cite news |date=July 23, 1943 |title=City Will Remodel Mecca Auditorium; Architect Drawing Plans to Renovate New Civic Center of Music and Drama |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/07/23/archives/city-will-remodel-mecca-auditorium-architect-drawing-plans-to.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175517/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/07/23/archives/city-will-remodel-mecca-auditorium-architect-drawing-plans-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1267876483">{{cite news |date=July 23, 1943 |title=Music Center May Be Ready By October 1: Mecca Temple Renovation to Begin in Two Weeks: Mayor Heads Corporation |page=9 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1267876483}}}}</ref> City officials filed plans for the renovation with the city's Department of Buildings that August,<ref name="nyt-1943-08-04">{{Cite news |date=August 4, 1943 |title=To Alter Mecca Temple; City Files Plans to Change New Music Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/08/04/archives/to-alter-mecca-temple-city-files-plans-to-change-new-music-center.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175518/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/08/04/archives/to-alter-mecca-temple-city-files-plans-to-change-new-music-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Board of Estimate voted to provide $65,000 for the building's renovation.<ref name="p1322118418">{{cite news |date=August 13, 1943 |title=$65,000 Voted To Renovate Mecca Temple: Board of Estimate Approves Fund, 11 to 5, To Prepare Music and Drama Center |page=8 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322118418}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1943-08-13">{{Cite news |date=August 13, 1943 |title=Hart Says Inquiry Will Cost Nothing; Investigation of La Guardia Regime Will Save Big Sum for City, He Asserts |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/08/13/archives/hart-says-inouiry-will-cost-nothing-investigation-of-la-guardia.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175520/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/08/13/archives/hart-says-inouiry-will-cost-nothing-investigation-of-la-guardia.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The next month, the Board of Estimate gave the CCMD a permit to stage live shows within the Mecca Temple.<ref name="nyt-1943-09-24">{{Cite news |date=September 24, 1943 |title=Music Center Gets a Revocable Permit; Voted by Board of Estimate for New City Auditorium |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/09/24/archives/music-center-gets-a-revocable-permit-voted-by-board-of-estimate-for.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175518/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/09/24/archives/music-center-gets-a-revocable-permit-voted-by-board-of-estimate-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1269853372">{{cite news |date=September 24, 1943 |title=Mecca Temple Permit Granted to City Center: 40-Week Program of Drama, Music and Opera Planned |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1269853372}}}}</ref> Due to material shortages during World War II, the city government postponed the renovation of the theater's interior.<ref name="p1268029308">{{cite news |date=September 23, 1943 |title=Priorities Upset Renovation of Mecca Temple: But Music – Drama Center May Open in November After Some Redecoration |page=19 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1268029308}}}}</ref> Harry Friedgut was appointed as City Center's first managing director in September 1943,<ref name="nyt-1943-09-13">{{Cite news |date=September 13, 1943 |title=Jersey Man Heads City Music Center; Naming of Harry Friedgut to Direct Cultural Project Announced by Mayor |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/09/13/archives/jersey-man-heads-city-music-center-naming-of-harry-friedgut-to.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180443/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/09/13/archives/jersey-man-heads-city-music-center-naming-of-harry-friedgut-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1267877310">{{cite news |date=September 13, 1943 |title=Friedgut Named Director Of New City Music Center: Entertainments in Mecea Temple Slart About Nov. 1 |page=8 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1267877310}}}}</ref> while Morris served as chairman of the CCMD.<ref name="nyt-1944-07-05">{{Cite news |date=July 5, 1944 |title=City Center Director Is Reported Quitting; Said to Have Had Row With the Management Over Policy |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/07/05/archives/city-center-director-is-reported-quitting-said-to-have-had-row-with.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301190158/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/07/05/archives/city-center-director-is-reported-quitting-said-to-have-had-row-with.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Mecca Temple was officially renamed City Center shortly afterward.<ref name="p1319897239">{{cite news |date=October 20, 1943 |title=Mecca Temple Renamed New York City Center: Corporation Takes Over to Provide Entertainment |page=17 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1319897239}}}}</ref><ref name="p226101923">{{Cite news |date=November 20, 1943 |title=City Theatre Center Changes Its Name |page=21 |work=New York Amsterdam News |id={{proQuest|226101923}}}}</ref> The CCMD began paying $2,000 a month in rent that October, before the theater had formally opened.<ref name="p1284479840" />
==== Opening and early years ==== thumb|275px|Interior view City Center opened on December 11, 1943, with a concert by the New York Philharmonic and a birthday party for La Guardia.<ref name="nyt-1943-12-122">{{Cite news |date=December 12, 1943 |title=City Is Embarked on Music Career; Philharmonic Opens Program Before Capacity Throng in Old Mecca Temple |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/12/12/archives/city-is-embarked-on-music-career-philharmonic-opens-program-before.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175520/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/12/12/archives/city-is-embarked-on-music-career-philharmonic-opens-program-before.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1284473671">{{cite news |date=December 12, 1943 |title=First Program At City Center Heard by 2,800: Mayor Dedicates Project After Audience Sings 'Happy Birthday to You' |page=22 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284473671}}}}</ref> The publicist Jean Dalrymple was appointed as volunteer director of public relations.<ref name="BM p. 299">{{harvnb|Botto|Mitchell|2002|ps=.|p=299}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1957-05-19">{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Nan |date=May 19, 1957 |title=Broadway's Dauntless Dalrymple; Dauntless Dalrymple of the City Center Born in New Jersey Meeting in Berlin |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/05/19/archives/broadways-dauntless-dalrymple-dauntless-dalrymple-of-the-city.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301182545/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/05/19/archives/broadways-dauntless-dalrymple-dauntless-dalrymple-of-the-city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The first theatrical show was a revival of Rachel Crothers's play ''Susan and God'', on December 13, 1943.<ref name="BM p. 299" /><ref name="nyt-1943-12-12">{{Cite news |last=Spiegel |first=Irving |date=December 12, 1943 |title=City Center Opens; And Mr. Golden Has a Few Words to Say About the New Venture |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/12/12/archives/city-center-opens-and-mr-golden-has-a-few-words-to-say-about-the.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175517/https://www.nytimes.com/1943/12/12/archives/city-center-opens-and-mr-golden-has-a-few-words-to-say-about-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Initially, City Center presented revivals of successful Broadway shows to attract as many visitors as possible.<ref name="p1326037218" /> Performers who appeared at City Center between the 1940s and 1960s included Helen Hayes, Montgomery Clift, Orson Welles, Gwen Verdon, Charlton Heston, Marcel Marceau, Bob Fosse, Nicholas Magallanes, Francisco Moncion, Tallulah Bankhead, Vincent Price, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Uta Hagen, and Christopher Walken.<ref name="BM pp. 299–302">{{harvnb|Botto|Mitchell|2002|ps=.|pp=299–302}}</ref>
The newly-established New York City Opera started performing at City Center in February 1944 under director Laszlo Halasz;<ref name="nyt-2001-10-31">{{Cite news |last=Kozinn |first=Allan |date=October 31, 2001 |title=Laszlo Halasz, First Director Of City Opera, Is Dead at 96 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/31/arts/laszlo-halasz-first-director-of-city-opera-is-dead-at-96.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126215536/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/31/arts/laszlo-halasz-first-director-of-city-opera-is-dead-at-96.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the New York City Symphony Orchestra, led by Leopold Stokowski, debuted at City Center the next month.<ref name="nyt-1944-03-07">{{Cite news |last=Downes |first=Olin|author-link=Olin Downes|date=March 7, 1944 |title=Stokowski Directs the City Symphony; Orchestra Makes Its Bow in Brilliant Fashion Under Inspired Leadership|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/03/07/archives/stokowski-directs-the-city-symphony-orchestra-makes-its-bow-in.html |access-date=March 1, 2023|archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301192337/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/03/07/archives/stokowski-directs-the-city-symphony-orchestra-makes-its-bow-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> NBC initially sponsored all of City Center's concerts and music performances.<ref name="p1269909472">{{cite news |date=March 24, 1944 |title=2 Film Concerns Get Bid to Aid N. Y. City Center: Their Sponsorship, Morris Says, Would 'Enable Us to Keep Chins Above Water |page=13 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1269909472}}}}</ref> The theater's first several shows were profitable, even though ticket prices were capped at $1.65.<ref name="nyt-1944-01-16">{{Cite news |last=Nichols |first=Lewis |date=January 16, 1944 |title=The City Center; New York's Own Civic Theatre Has Had A Successful Beginning |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/01/16/archives/the-city-center-new-yorks-own-civic-theatre-has-had-a-successful.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301190159/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/01/16/archives/the-city-center-new-yorks-own-civic-theatre-has-had-a-successful.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By the end of the first operating season in May 1944, the theater had grossed over $414,000 from 171 performances, which had attracted 346,000 guests. City Center recorded a net profit of $844.<ref name="p1284479840">{{cite news |date=May 24, 1944 |title=Mayor Hails City Center With Profit of $844.77: Says Experimental Stage Is Over for 'People's Theater' |page=16 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1284479840}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1944-05-24">{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1944 |title=City Center Reports $844 Profit During First Year of Its Operation; Mayor Says Venture Into Show Business 'No Longer an Experiment' – Coy on Future, Has 'Ambitious Plans' |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/05/24/archives/city-center-reports-844-profit-during-first-year-of-its-operation.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301190159/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/05/24/archives/city-center-reports-844-profit-during-first-year-of-its-operation.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This prompted City Center officials to make plans for their own ballet company and repertory theater company.<ref name="p1282845179">{{cite news |date=February 23, 1944 |title=City Center Plans Own Ballet And Play Companies Next Year |page=15A |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1282845179}}}}</ref>
Friedgut resigned as managing director in July 1944, citing disputes with Morris.<ref name="nyt-1944-07-05" /> Although attendance at City Center doubled to 750,000 during the 1944–1945 season, the center recorded a net loss of $36,000, in part because of the orchestra company's large expenses.<ref name="nyt-1945-05-24">{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1945 |title=City Music Center Has $35,908 Deficit; Year's Operation Shows Loss, Morris Reports, For Catering to Love of Melody |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/05/24/archives/city-music-center-has-35908-deficit-years-operation-shows-loss.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301192336/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/05/24/archives/city-music-center-has-35908-deficit-years-operation-shows-loss.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1291102187">{{cite news |date=May 24, 1945 |title=Classies Cost $35,908 Deficit At City Center: Musical Programs Showed Only Losses in Second Year Billing, Says Morris |page=17A |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1291102187}}}}</ref> The Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo began performing at City Center in late 1944<ref name="nyt-1944-09-10">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=September 10, 1944 |title=The Dance: Ballet Russe; New Balanchine-Stravinsky Work for Opening of City Center Season |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1944/09/10/archives/the-dance-ballet-russe-new-balanchinestravinsky-work-for-opening-of.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301192334/https://www.nytimes.com/1944/09/10/archives/the-dance-ballet-russe-new-balanchinestravinsky-work-for-opening-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and remained there for five years.<ref name="NYCL pp. 8–9">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|pp=8–9}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1963-12-06">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=December 6, 1963 |title=Special Program Monday Marks 20th Year of City Center Shows; Review for a Career Rent Is Only $1 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/12/06/archives/special-program-monday-marks-20th-year-of-city-center-shows-review.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306182937/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/12/06/archives/special-program-monday-marks-20th-year-of-city-center-shows-review.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To prevent a future mayoral administration from shuttering City Center,<ref name="nyt-1945-06-14">{{Cite news |date=June 14, 1945 |title=Plan Up to Extend City Center's Life; Move Apparently Intended to Bar Interference by the Next Administration |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/06/14/archives/plan-up-to-extend-city-centers-life-move-apparently-intended-to-bar.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301192339/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/06/14/archives/plan-up-to-extend-city-centers-life-move-apparently-intended-to-bar.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1291110258">{{cite news |date=June 14, 1945 |title=Mayor Moves To Extend Life Of City Center: Permit Expires on July 31; Estimate Board Asked to Grant Five Year Lease |page=13 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1291110258}}}}</ref> the CCMD renewed its lease of the building in July 1945 for five years, paying at least $10,000 a year.<ref name="nyt-1945-07-26">{{Cite news |date=July 26, 1945 |title=Renews Building Lease; City Center of Music and Drama Only Bidder for Space |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/07/26/archives/renews-building-lease-city-center-of-music-and-drama-only-bidder.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301192336/https://www.nytimes.com/1945/07/26/archives/renews-building-lease-city-center-of-music-and-drama-only-bidder.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1291112806">{{cite news |date=July 26, 1945 |title=New City Center Lease: Music and Drama Organization Rents Property for 5 Years |page=36 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1291112806}}}}</ref> City Center planned to establish a theatrical company for the 1945–1946 season, which would present revivals of plays;<ref name="p1337120789">{{cite news |last=McCord |first=Bert |date=July 10, 1945 |title=News of the Theater: City Center Outlines Plans |page=6 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1337120789}}}}</ref> during that season, the center hosted 614,000 guests.<ref name="nyt-1947-05-21">{{Cite news |date=May 21, 1947 |title=City Center Gains as a Show Place; Report by Newbold Morris on Operations Since 1943 Tells of Growth in Audiences |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/05/21/archives/city-center-gains-as-a-show-place-report-by-newbold-morris-on.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153607/https://www.nytimes.com/1947/05/21/archives/city-center-gains-as-a-show-place-report-by-newbold-morris-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Officials installed an air-conditioning system in the auditorium in mid-1946.<ref name="p1308955524">{{Cite magazine |date=August 3, 1946 |title=City Center Now Airconditioned; "Henry V" Continues There |magazine=New Leader |volume=29 |issue=31 |page=12 |id={{ProQuest|1308955524}}}}</ref>
City Center remained popular in the late 1940s, with over 750,000 guests during the 1946–1947 season.<ref name="nyt-1947-05-21" /><ref name="p1313567424">{{cite news |date=May 21, 1947 |title=City Center Sets 750,888 Record For Attendance: Report for Year Lists 462 Performances, Million in Income, No Deficit |page=21 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1313567424}}}}</ref> Although the city government no longer financially supported the center, City Center sold over $1 million worth of tickets per year.<ref name="nyt-1947-05-21" /> City Center accommodated about 578,000 guests during the 1947–1948 season<ref name="nyt-1948-05-20">{{Cite news |date=May 20, 1948 |title=Bernstein Agrees to Retain City Post; Withdraws Resignation as Head of Symphony – Morris Says Center Has $16,000 Profit |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/05/20/archives/bernstein-agrees-to-retain-city-post-withdraws-resignation-as-head.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153607/https://www.nytimes.com/1948/05/20/archives/bernstein-agrees-to-retain-city-post-withdraws-resignation-as-head.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and around 576,000 guests the following season.<ref name="nyt-1949-05-20">{{Cite news |date=May 20, 1949 |title=City Center Drew 575,637 In Season; Attendance at All-Time High, With Gross Near $750,000 – Operations Almost Even |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/05/20/archives/city-center-drew-575637-in-season-attendance-at-alltime-high-with.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153610/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/05/20/archives/city-center-drew-575637-in-season-attendance-at-alltime-high-with.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The New York City Symphony stopped performing at City Center after that season,<ref name="nyt-1965-01-112">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=January 11, 1965 |title=City Centers Sees Return of Plays; Dramas, Absent Since '57, Possible With New Space |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/11/archives/city-centers-sees-return-of-plays-dramas-absent-since-57-possible.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306182937/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/11/archives/city-centers-sees-return-of-plays-dramas-absent-since-57-possible.html |url-status=live }}</ref> mainly due to the theater's poor acoustics.<ref name="n120103975">{{Cite news |last=Eyer |first=Ron |date=November 13, 1968 |title=City Opera Is a Shining Survivor |pages=143 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120103975/city-opera-is-a-shining-survivorron/ |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202033/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120103975/city-opera-is-a-shining-survivorron/ |url-status=live }}</ref> George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein's Ballet Society became a resident organization of the CCMD in 1948 and was accordingly renamed the New York City Ballet Company.<ref name="nyt-1948-06-27">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=June 27, 1948 |title=The Dance: City Ballet |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/06/27/archives/the-dance-city-ballet.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153608/https://www.nytimes.com/1948/06/27/archives/the-dance-city-ballet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD established the New York City Theater Company the same season.<ref name="p1326037218" /> The New York City Dance Theater performed at City Center during the 1949–1950 season,<ref name="nyt-1949-11-20">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=November 20, 1949 |title=The Dance: Modern Unit for City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/11/20/archives/the-dance-modern-unit-for-city-center.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153615/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/11/20/archives/the-dance-modern-unit-for-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1326906043">{{cite news |date=November 17, 1949 |title=City Dance Theater Sets Center Debut: New Organization Features Modern Repertory |page=24 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1326906043}}}}</ref> although it did not schedule any performances afterward.<ref name="p1291350634">{{cite news |last=Walter |first=Terry |date=September 23, 1951 |title=The Dance World: New York City Dance Theatre: Alive, Dormant or Renascent |page=D2 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1291350634}}}}</ref> Despite grossing over $1.2 million from opera, ballet, theater, and dance performances during the 1949–1950 season, the CCMD recorded a net operating loss of $3,517 during that season.<ref name="nyt-1950-05-19">{{Cite news |date=May 19, 1950 |title=City Center Lost $3,517 In Season; This Was Better Than Previous Year, Morris Reports – Gross at $1,125,555 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/19/archives/city-center-lost-3517-in-season-this-was-better-than-previous-year.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302155108/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/19/archives/city-center-lost-3517-in-season-this-was-better-than-previous-year.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Lease renewals and financial issues ==== Several months before City Center's lease expired in 1950, musicians' labor union Local 802 had proposed buying the building for $850,000.<ref name="nyt-1949-09-09">{{Cite news |last=Zolotow |first=Sam |date=September 9, 1949 |title=Union Makes Bid for City Center; Musicians Local 802 Submits $850,000 Offer for Cultural House – Action Pending |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/09/09/archives/union-makes-bid-for-city-center-musicians-local-802-submits-850000.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153618/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/09/09/archives/union-makes-bid-for-city-center-musicians-local-802-submits-850000.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Theatrical critic Brooks Atkinson wrote that "all of the City Center's programs lose money. But the losses are not calamitous" because of the theater's relatively cheap tickets and because of various large donations.<ref name="nyt-1949-10-02">{{Cite news |last=Atkinson |first=Brooks |date=October 2, 1949 |title=Uncertain Future; The City Center Lacks An Official Guarantee |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/10/02/archives/uncertain-future-the-city-center-lacks-an-official-guarantee.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153607/https://www.nytimes.com/1949/10/02/archives/uncertain-future-the-city-center-lacks-an-official-guarantee.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Uncertainty over City Center's lease caused the 1950–1951 season to be delayed, as the CCMD could not book shows until its lease had been renewed.<ref name="p1564884122">{{cite magazine |last=Dash |first=Thomas R. |date=February 7, 1950 |title=Theatres: Sees Lease Holdup on City Center Endangering Projects |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |volume=80 |issue=26 |pages=51 |id={{ProQuest|1564884122}}}}</ref><ref name="p1327398251">{{cite news |date=February 7, 1950 |title=News of the Theater: Wants City Center Lease |page=18 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1327398251}}}}</ref> After mayor William O'Dwyer pledged his support of City Center, the Board of Estimate renewed the CCMD's lease in February 1950. The CCMD agreed to cap ticket prices at $2.50, and its rent was set at 1.5 percent of its annual gross receipts.<ref name="p1326038727">{{cite news |date=February 24, 1950 |title=Mecca Temple Lease Renewed By City Center: Board of Estiniute Acts as Mayor Gives Assurance of Continued Cultural Aid |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1326038727}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1950-02-24">{{Cite news |date=February 24, 1950 |title=City Center's Lease Extended Five Years |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/02/24/archives/city-centers-lease-extended-five-years.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302155107/https://www.nytimes.com/1950/02/24/archives/city-centers-lease-extended-five-years.html |url-status=live }}</ref> City Center's deficit grew to over $72,000 during the 1950–1951 season.<ref name="nyt-1951-05-17">{{Cite news |date=May 17, 1951 |title=City Center Shows Deficit of $72,338; Operating Loss for Last Year $69,838 More Than 1949–50 – Mayor's Wife on Board |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/17/archives/city-center-shows-deficit-of-72338-operating-loss-for-last-year.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302155115/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/05/17/archives/city-center-shows-deficit-of-72338-operating-loss-for-last-year.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By mid-1951, Baum considered hosting dramas only during the winter, as attendance was generally lower during the spring. Low patronage during the summer had already prompted him to stop staging musicals in July and August.<ref name="nyt-1951-07-29">{{Cite news |last=Funke |first=Lewis |date=July 29, 1951 |title=News and Gossip Gathered on the Rialto; City Center Is Considering Limiting Its Drama Season to Winter Series |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/29/archives/news-and-gossip-gathered-on-the-rialto-city-center-is-considering.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302174427/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/07/29/archives/news-and-gossip-gathered-on-the-rialto-city-center-is-considering.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The CCMD announced plans in March 1952 to convert one of the center's emergency-exit hallways into a visual art gallery;<ref name="p1322198892">{{cite news |last=Genauer |first=Emily |date=March 19, 1952 |title=City Center Will Build Gallery To Exhibit and Sell Fine Arts: To Convert Fire Escape Passage Off Lobby; Room to Run All Year, Depend on Gifts at Start |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322198892}}}}</ref> the space would exhibit contemporary sculptures and visual art.<ref name="nyt-1952-06-23">{{Cite news |date=June 23, 1952 |title=City Center to Add Art Shows in Fall; New Gallery to Present and Help to Sell Contemporary Paintings and Sculptures |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/06/23/archives/city-center-to-add-art-shows-in-fall-new-gallery-to-present-and.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191206/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/06/23/archives/city-center-to-add-art-shows-in-fall-new-gallery-to-present-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kirstein was appointed as City Center's managing director later that year.<ref name="nyt-1952-10-02">{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1952 |title=Lincoln Kirstein, Authority on the Dance, Elected-Managing Director of City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/02/archives/lincoln-kirstein-authority-on-the-dance-electedmanaging-director-of.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191207/https://www.nytimes.com/1952/10/02/archives/lincoln-kirstein-authority-on-the-dance-electedmanaging-director-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> CCMD officials, citing increasing production costs asked the New York State Legislature in early 1953 to pass a law allowing the organization to lease the building for $1 annually.<ref name="nyt-1953-02-16">{{Cite news |date=February 16, 1953 |title=City Center Group Asks $1 Lease Law; Cites Money Hardship – State Bill Would Permit Charge of Minimum Yearly Rent |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/02/16/archives/city-center-group-asks-1-lease-law-cites-money-hardship-state-bill.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/02/16/archives/city-center-group-asks-1-lease-law-cites-money-hardship-state-bill.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1322477232">{{cite news |last=McCord |first=Bert |date=February 16, 1953 |title=$1 Yearly Rent for City Center Would Be Allowed by Albany Bill |page=9 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322477232}}}}</ref> The law was enacted later the same year.<ref name="nyt-1955-02-11">{{Cite news |last=Crowell |first=Paul |date=February 11, 1955 |title=City Center Gets $1-A-Year Lease And Possible Forgiveness of Debt |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/02/11/archives/city-center-gets-1ayear-lease-and-possible-forgiveness-of-debt-city.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/02/11/archives/city-center-gets-1ayear-lease-and-possible-forgiveness-of-debt-city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD began raising $200,000 in April 1953 as part of its first-ever fundraiser,<ref name="nyt-1953-04-14">{{Cite news |date=April 14, 1953 |title=City Center Appeals for Fund of $200,000 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/04/14/archives/city-center-appeals-for-fund-of-200000.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/04/14/archives/city-center-appeals-for-fund-of-200000.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Rockefeller Foundation also donated $200,000 to fund the ballet and opera companies for three years.<ref name="p1322496715">{{cite news |date=July 3, 1953 |title=$200,000 Rockefeller Grant for City Center |page=8 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322496715}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1953-07-03">{{Cite news |date=July 3, 1953 |title=City Center Gets Grant of $200,000; Rockefeller Foundation Gives 3-Year Aid for New Opera and Ballet Productions |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/07/03/archives/city-center-gets-grant-of-200000-rockefeller-foundation-gives-3year.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191206/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/07/03/archives/city-center-gets-grant-of-200000-rockefeller-foundation-gives-3year.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The {{cvt|75|by|15|ft|adj=on}} visual-art gallery opened in September 1953;<ref name="nyt-1953-09-11">{{Cite news |date=September 11, 1953 |title=City Center Adds an Art Gallery; First Exhibition of Paintings and Prints on Sept. 29 – New Shows Each Month |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/09/11/archives/city-center-adds-an-art-gallery-first-exhibition-of-paintings-and.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191204/https://www.nytimes.com/1953/09/11/archives/city-center-adds-an-art-gallery-first-exhibition-of-paintings-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1323103115">{{cite news |date=September 11, 1953 |title=City Center Art Gallery to Open |page=12 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1323103115}}}}</ref> it hosted ten exhibitions of 50 canvases per year.<ref name="nyt-1958-05-23">{{Cite news |date=May 23, 1958 |title=$86,886 Surplus for City Center: Morris Cites Grants, Gifts and Successful Shows for Sound Status |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/23/archives/86886-surplus-for-city-center-morris-cites-grants-gifts-and.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200053/https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/23/archives/86886-surplus-for-city-center-morris-cites-grants-gifts-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The building needed repairs by the mid-1950s, and the city government did not always fix these issues promptly. To convince the city government to fix the leaking roof, Morris invited mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri to the City Center on a rainy night; the mayor's program soon became soaked, and the roof was fixed shortly afterward.<ref name="NYCL p. 9">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983|ps=.|p=9}}</ref><ref name="p1564958560">{{cite magazine |date=January 20, 1954 |title=How to Have Roof Fixed |magazine=Women's Wear Daily |volume=88 |issue=13 |pages=80 |id={{ProQuest|1564958560}}}}</ref>
The CCMD continued to lose money, recording a deficit of $225,000 for the 1953–1954 season, even as annual attendance had reached 962,000.<ref name="nyt-1954-05-21">{{Cite news |date=May 21, 1954 |title=City Center Lost $227,135 In Year; Morris Reports on Operations in 1953–54 – Attendance for Season Up 116,246 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/21/archives/city-center-lost-227135-in-year-morris-reports-on-operations-in.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/21/archives/city-center-lost-227135-in-year-morris-reports-on-operations-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An organization called the Friends of City Center was created in January 1954, selling annual memberships to raise money.<ref name="nyt-1954-01-21">{{Cite news |date=January 21, 1954 |title=Friends' Organized to Aid City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/01/21/archives/friends-organized-to-aid-city-center.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191210/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/01/21/archives/friends-organized-to-aid-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Friends sold 3,000 memberships, mostly to small-dollar donors; it was reorganized after losing $25,000.<ref name="p1323294533">{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Don |date=February 8, 1959 |title=You, Too, Can Be in Show Biz If You Are a City Center Friend |page=D1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1323294533}}}}</ref> The City Center Light Opera Company hosted its first performances in May 1954.<ref name="nyt-1954-05-05">{{Cite news |last=Zolotow |first=Sam |date=May 5, 1954 |title=City Light Opera Will Bow Tonight; Company Opens With 'Show Boat' – 'Fledermaus' and 'Carousel' Are Listed |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/05/archives/city-light-opera-will-bow-tonight-company-opens-with-show-boat.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306182951/https://www.nytimes.com/1954/05/05/archives/city-light-opera-will-bow-tonight-company-opens-with-show-boat.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kirstein resigned as City Center's managing director in January 1955 because he and the board of directors could not agree on basic policy. Whereas Kirstein wanted to spend more money to stage experimental shows, the board wished to stage more established shows and reduce its expenses.<ref name="nyt-1955-01-28">{{Cite news |last=Taubman |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Taubman|date=January 28, 1955 |title=City Center Director Quits in Policy Fight|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/01/28/archives/city-center-director-quits-in-policy-fight-director-resigns-city.html |access-date=March 2, 2023|archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191210/https://www.nytimes.com/1955/01/28/archives/city-center-director-quits-in-policy-fight-director-resigns-city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Board of Estimate voted that February to lease the building to the CCMD for $1 per year.<ref name="nyt-1955-02-11" /> The CCMD saw an $220,000 operating loss during the 1955–1956 season, although grants and donations covered much of this cost.<ref name="nyt-1956-05-24">{{Cite news |last=Zolotow |first=Sam |date=May 24, 1956 |title=City Center Lists Deficit of $10,254; Year's Loss of $220,000 Was Made Up by Contributions, Grants and Rental Waiver |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/05/24/archives/city-center-lists-deficit-of-10254-years-loss-of-220000-was-made-up.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191210/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/05/24/archives/city-center-lists-deficit-of-10254-years-loss-of-220000-was-made-up.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
After the City Opera suspended the beginning of its 1957 season due to financial deficits,<ref name="nyt-1956-11-28">{{Cite news |date=November 28, 1956 |title=City Opera Drops '57 Spring Season; $160,000 Deficit Is a Factor in Decision—Other Center Activities to Continue |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/28/archives/city-opera-drops-57-spring-season-160000-deficit-is-a-factor-in.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/28/archives/city-opera-drops-57-spring-season-160000-deficit-is-a-factor-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kirstein unsuccessfully proposed reorganizing City Center and establishing a new opera company.<ref name="nyt-1956-12-11">{{Cite news |date=December 11, 1956 |title=City Center Bars Plans for Opera; Board Blocks Proposals by Kirstein to Operate Unit as a 'Comique' Troupe |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/11/archives/city-center-bars-plans-for-opera-board-blocks-proposals-by-kirstein.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/11/archives/city-center-bars-plans-for-opera-board-blocks-proposals-by-kirstein.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD had received $281,000 in gifts by the end of the 1956–1957 season, saving it from insolvency, although it still operated at a net loss.<ref name="nyt-1957-05-24">{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1957 |title=Center Discloses Season's Surplus; $281,000 In Gifts Last Year and Musical Hits Put City Playhouse in the Black |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/05/24/archives/center-discloses-seasons-surplus-281000-in-gifts-last-year-and.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191207/https://www.nytimes.com/1957/05/24/archives/center-discloses-seasons-surplus-281000-in-gifts-last-year-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1336309707">{{cite news |date=May 24, 1957 |title=City Center In Black, Morris Says: Reports Fiscal Crisis Is Ended |page=A1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1336309707}}}}</ref> After the 1956–1957 season, City Center's drama company stopped performing for several seasons.<ref name="nyt-1958-05-23" /> The following season, the CCMD recorded an operating deficit of over $550,000, although donations covered almost all of this deficit.<ref name="nyt-1959-05-22">{{Cite news |date=May 22, 1959 |title=City Center Lists Deficit of $16,987; Loss for 1958–59 Season Reported – New Members Elected to Board |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/05/22/archives/city-center-lists-deficit-of-16987-loss-for-195859-season-reported.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200055/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/05/22/archives/city-center-lists-deficit-of-16987-loss-for-195859-season-reported.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Friends of City Center had 2,670 members, who paid between $10 and $1,000 per year.<ref name="p1323294533" /> Further losses during the 1959–1960 season prompted officials to increase the center's maximum ticket prices by mid-1960.<ref name="nyt-1960-06-07">{{Cite news |date=June 7, 1960 |title=City Center Eyes Rise in $3.95 Top; Morris Sees Price Going Up If Costs Keep Increasing – Deficit Is $29,269 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/06/07/archives/city-center-eyes-rise-in-395-top-morris-sees-price-going-up-if.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200054/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/06/07/archives/city-center-eyes-rise-in-395-top-morris-sees-price-going-up-if.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Relocation of the ballet and opera ==== alt=The entrance to New York City Center as seen at night|thumb|Entrance to City Center at night As early as 1959, the CCMD was negotiating to move all of its shows from the former Mecca Temple to the newly-developed Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.<ref name="p1327322607">{{cite news |last=Peter D. |first=Franklin |date=July 1, 1959 |title=City Center Is Negotiating to Move All Operations Into Lincoln Center |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1327322607}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1959-07-01">{{Cite news |last=Parmenter |first=Ross |date=July 1, 1959 |title=Mayor Forecasts City Center Move; Tells Lions It Will Shift to Lincoln Center, But Office Denies Issue Is Settled |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/01/archives/mayor-forecasts-city-center-move-tells-lions-it-will-shift-to.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200053/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/07/01/archives/mayor-forecasts-city-center-move-tells-lions-it-will-shift-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD closed City Center's art gallery in May 1961, as the gallery had been unprofitable and had not attracted sponsorships. At the time, the gallery attracted 2,500 monthly visitors, and it had displayed 3,600 artworks, one-eighth of which had been sold.<ref name="nyt-1961-05-23">{{Cite news |last=Knox |first=Sanka |date=May 23, 1961 |title=City Center Is Set to Close Gallery; Nonprofit Art Section Going Under for Lack of Funds |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/05/23/archives/city-center-is-set-to-close-gallery-nonprofit-art-section-going.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200057/https://www.nytimes.com/1961/05/23/archives/city-center-is-set-to-close-gallery-nonprofit-art-section-going.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Donors reduced the organization's operating deficit to $12,000 for the 1961–1962 season,<ref name="nyt-1962-05-25">{{Cite news |date=May 25, 1962 |title=City Center's Loss Is $12,401 For Year |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/05/25/archives/city-centers-loss-is-12401-for-year.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200053/https://www.nytimes.com/1962/05/25/archives/city-centers-loss-is-12401-for-year.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the CCMD had a $37,500 surplus the next season, although the City Opera's losses soon eliminated this surplus.<ref name="nyt-1963-06-12">{{Cite news |last=Rich |first=Alan |date=June 12, 1963 |title=City Center Cuts Year's Deficit, And Donors Promptly Erase It |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/06/12/archives/city-center-cuts-years-deficit-and-donors-promptly-erase-it.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200056/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/06/12/archives/city-center-cuts-years-deficit-and-donors-promptly-erase-it.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In advance of the 1964 New York World's Fair, the City Ballet announced that it would move to the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center after the 1963–1964 season.<ref name="nyt-1963-04-01">{{Cite news |date=April 1, 1963 |title=Ballet Is Moving to Lincoln Center; City Troupe Keeping Prices Low at State Theater |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/04/01/archives/ballet-is-moving-tolincoln-center-city-troupe-keeping-prices-low-at.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200054/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/04/01/archives/ballet-is-moving-tolincoln-center-city-troupe-keeping-prices-low-at.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1032431184">{{cite magazine |date=April 3, 1963 |title=Legitimate: N.Y.C. Ballet Submerging Own Identity in Move To the Lincoln Center |magazine=Variety |volume=230 |issue=6 |page=104 |id={{ProQuest|1032431184}}}}</ref> By the CCMD's 20th anniversary in December 1943, the theater had received 16 million total guests over twenty 40-week seasons.<ref name="nyt-1963-12-06" /> During the 1963–1964 season, the CCMD recorded a net profit for the first time in 18 years, after donors covered that season's operating deficits.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 28, 1964 |title=City Center Ends Year in the Black; Fiscal Period First to Close With Profit Since 1948 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/28/archives/city-center-ends-year-in-the-black-fiscal-period-first-to-close.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228205526/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/05/28/archives/city-center-ends-year-in-the-black-fiscal-period-first-to-close.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Meanwhile, the CCMD was still contemplating relocating its opera, light opera, and drama companies to the New York State Theater,<ref name="nyt-1964-09-21">{{Cite news |date=September 21, 1964 |title=Move Is Weighed for City Center; State Theater Would House Opera, Ballet and Drama |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/21/archives/move-is-weighed-for-city-center-state-theater-would-house-opera.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306182939/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/21/archives/move-is-weighed-for-city-center-state-theater-would-house-opera.html |url-status=live }}</ref> although Lincoln Center and CCMD officials could not agree on who would control that theater.<ref name="nyt-1964-10-11">{{Cite news |date=October 11, 1964 |title=Centers Collide; Control of New York State Theater Disputed by Culture Combines |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/11/archives/centers-collide-control-of-new-york-state-theater-disputed-by.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180436/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/11/archives/centers-collide-control-of-new-york-state-theater-disputed-by.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1014829862">{{cite magazine |last=Landry |first=Robert J. |date=October 7, 1964 |title=Legitimate: 55th St. 'Poor Man's Culture Groups' Resist Swallowing by Lincoln Center |magazine=Variety |volume=236 |issue=7 |pages=63, 68 |id={{ProQuest|1014829862}}}}</ref> By then, ''Variety'' magazine described the original City Center on 55th Street as having "many faulty seat locations" and a shallow stage.<ref name="p1014829862" /> The organization ultimately agreed in January 1965 to permanently relocate its ballet and opera companies to the New York State Theater. The CCMD would relaunch its drama company and would continue to host light opera and drama at the 55th Street theater.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-112" /><ref name="p914438621">{{cite news |date=January 11, 1965 |title=City Center to Run Lincoln Center Theater |page=3C |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|914438621}}}}</ref> The CCMD became a member company of Lincoln Center in 1965<ref name="nyt-1965-01-11">{{Cite news |last=Esterow |first=Milton |date=January 11, 1965 |title=City Center Joins Lincoln Center; To Become Constituent and Get State Theater Lease for Ballet and Opera |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/11/archives/city-center-joins-lincoln-center-to-become-constituent-and-get.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302200053/https://www.nytimes.com/1965/01/11/archives/city-center-joins-lincoln-center-to-become-constituent-and-get.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and signed a sublease for the New York State Theater in January 1966.<ref name="nyt-1966-01-03">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=January 3, 1966 |title=City Center Will Take Over State Theater Today; Both Houses Fully Booked for 1966, Baum Reveals $5.50 Top Price Set |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/01/03/archives/city-center-will-take-over-state-theater-today-both-houses-fully.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202033/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/01/03/archives/city-center-will-take-over-state-theater-today-both-houses-fully.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the organization recorded a $1.7 million operating deficit during the 1965–1966 season due to the costs of the second theater, this was offset by nearly $2 million in donations.<ref name="nyt-1966-05-28">{{Cite news |last=Calta |first=Louis |date=May 28, 1966 |title=City Center's Grateful Friends Offset 1965–66 Operating Loss |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/28/archives/city-centers-grateful-friends-offset-196566-operating-loss.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202034/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/28/archives/city-centers-grateful-friends-offset-196566-operating-loss.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Plans for 55th Street theater ==== The CCMD continued to subsidize the 55th Street theater after relocating its ballet and opera companies.<ref name="n119959073">{{Cite news |last=Soper |first=Susan |date=December 4, 1977 |title=At City Center |pages=95, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119959132/city-center/ 115] |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119959073/at-city-centersusan-soper/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301171046/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119959073/at-city-centersusan-soper/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After Newbold Morris retired in 1966, Baum was appointed as the chairman of City Center's board of directors.<ref name="nyt-1966-04-09">{{Cite news |last=Calta |first=Louis |date=April 9, 1966 |title=Morton Baum Is Selected to Head City Center; Tax Lawyer Is the Successor of Newbold Morris A Director of Lincoln Center, He Also Held Civic Posts |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/04/09/archives/morton-baum-is-selected-to-head-city-center-tax-lawyer-is-the.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302174421/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/04/09/archives/morton-baum-is-selected-to-head-city-center-tax-lawyer-is-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The same year, the Robert Joffrey Ballet became a resident dance company and was renamed the City Center Joffrey Ballet,<ref name="p155494029">{{cite news |last=Winship |first=Frederick M. |date=September 8, 1966 |title=Joffrey Ballet Opens at New York City Center |page=D14 |work=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035 |id={{ProQuest|155494029}}}}</ref> relocating to 55th Street that September.<ref name="nyt-1966-06-03">{{Cite news |date=June 3, 1966 |title=City Center Adds Joffrey Ballet; Troupe Set to Occupy New Home in Fall Season |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/06/03/archives/city-center-adds-joffrey-ballet-troupe-set-to-occupy-new-home-in.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202100/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/06/03/archives/city-center-adds-joffrey-ballet-troupe-set-to-occupy-new-home-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD's drama company also resumed performances at the 55th Street theater during the 1966–1967 season, having been inactive for nine years.<ref name="nyt-1966-07-03">{{Cite news |last=Funke |first=Lewis |date=July 3, 1966 |title=The Rialto: Drama Returns to City Center; Drama In Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/07/03/archives/the-rialto-drama-returns-to-city-center-drama-in-center.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202058/https://www.nytimes.com/1966/07/03/archives/the-rialto-drama-returns-to-city-center-drama-in-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The city government donated $500,000 for a renovation of the 55th Street building in 1967.<ref name="nyt-1967-01-18" /> This money was used to overhaul the air-conditioning system, repaint the interior, and replace wiring.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="nyt-1967-01-18">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=January 18, 1967 |title=City Center Gets a Gift From City; $500,000 To Go to Revamp Theater on 55th Street |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/18/archives/city-center-gets-a-gift-from-city-500000-to-go-to-revamp-theater-on.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175521/https://www.nytimes.com/1967/01/18/archives/city-center-gets-a-gift-from-city-500000-to-go-to-revamp-theater-on.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After Baum died in early 1968, the CCMD's board appointed an executive committee to temporarily take over the organization's operations.<ref name="nyt-1968-02-15">{{Cite news |last=Henahan |first=Donal |date=February 15, 1968 |title=City Center Seeks a Strong Leader; Interim Panel to Rule Until Baum Successor Is Named |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/15/archives/city-center-seeks-a-strong-leader-interim-panel-to-rule-until-baum.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202055/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/02/15/archives/city-center-seeks-a-strong-leader-interim-panel-to-rule-until-baum.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Later the same year, the CCMD appointed Norman Singer as the organization's general administrator<ref name="nyt-1968-05-24">{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1968 |title=City Center Board Confirms Naming of Norman Singer |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/24/archives/city-center-board-confirms-naming-of-norman-singer.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202040/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/05/24/archives/city-center-board-confirms-naming-of-norman-singer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and Richard Clurman as the chairman of its board.<ref name="nyt-1968-11-07">{{Cite news |last=Calta |first=Louis |date=November 7, 1968 |title=Richard Clurman Is Named City Center Chairman |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1968/11/07/archives/richard-clurman-is-named-city-center-chairman.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180435/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/11/07/archives/richard-clurman-is-named-city-center-chairman.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="n120104026">{{Cite news |date=November 7, 1968 |title=New Chairman |pages=90 |work=Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120104026/new-chairman/ |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202038/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120104026/new-chairman/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Under Clurman's leadership, the CCMD proposed relocating from its 55th Street theater, which officials felt was obsolete. As part of the proposed City Center Plaza, the CCMD wished to build four theaters, each with 400 to 800 seats, on the site of the third Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Eighth Avenue.<ref name="nyt-1969-03-28">{{Cite news |last=Taubman |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Taubman|date=March 28, 1969 |title=City Center Unveils 8Th Ave. Project|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/03/28/archives/city-center-unveils-8th-ave-project.html |access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703202742/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/03/28/archives/city-center-unveils-8th-ave-project.html |url-status=live }}</ref> While negotiations for the MSG site were ongoing, CCMD officials announced in early 1970 that they would convert the 55th Street theater's basement into the City Center Cinematheque, with one or more movie theaters and a film museum.<ref name="nyt-1970-02-14">{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Thompson (film critic)|date=February 14, 1970 |title=A City Center Cinema Planned Using Cinematheque's Archives|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/14/archives/a-city-center-cinema-planned-using-cinematheques-archives.html |access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202034/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/14/archives/a-city-center-cinema-planned-using-cinematheques-archives.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 1971. the CCMD proposed taking over Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater and renovating it.<ref name="nyt-1971-01-19">{{Cite news |last=Taubman |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Taubman|date=January 19, 1971 |title=City Center to Remodel the Beaumont|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/19/archives/city-center-to-remodel-the-beaumont-city-center-to-remodel-the.html |access-date=March 8, 2022|archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308191552/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/19/archives/city-center-to-remodel-the-beaumont-city-center-to-remodel-the.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To fund the $5.2 million cost of renovating the Beaumont, the CCMD planned to demolish the 55th Street theater and replace it with an office skyscraper containing a 3,000-seat theater.<ref name="p511243872">{{cite news |last=Beaufort |first=John |date=October 9, 1971 |title=Belated Curtain Call for New York's Beaumont: Skyscraper Proposed Position Sketched Support Wells Up |page=2 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |id={{ProQuest|511243872}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1971-10-08">{{Cite news |last=Ranzal |first=Edward |date=October 8, 1971 |title=Beaumont Backers Get a New Chance |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/08/archives/beaumont-backers-get-a-new-chance.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202057/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/08/archives/beaumont-backers-get-a-new-chance.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD withdrew its plan for the Beaumont that December,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Taubman |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Taubman|date=December 3, 1971 |title=City Center Formally Withdraws Its Beaumont Plan|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/03/archives/city-center-formally-withdraws-its-beaumont-plan.html |access-date=March 8, 2022|archive-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308203222/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/03/archives/city-center-formally-withdraws-its-beaumont-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but it continued to contemplate the demolition of the 55th Street theater.<ref name="p917505382">{{cite news |last=Wallach |first=Allan |date=January 10, 1972 |title=City Center Looks up Despite Faded Dream |page=11A |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|917505382}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1972-03-15">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=March 15, 1972 |title=City Center Is Considering Creation of a Drama Unit|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/15/archives/city-center-is-considering-creation-of-a-drama-unit.html |access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303214935/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/15/archives/city-center-is-considering-creation-of-a-drama-unit.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
City Center stopped producing drama altogether in 1969,<ref name="p1438475499">{{cite magazine |last=Hummler |first=Richard |date=April 22, 1987 |title=Legitimate: City Center Mulling Musicals; Record Label Is Funding Study |magazine=Variety |volume=326 |issue=13 |pages=83, 90 |id={{ProQuest|1438475499}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1994-02-06">{{Cite news |last=O'Toole |first=Lawrence |date=February 6, 1994 |title=Theater; Musicals From Way Back When for Now |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/06/theater/theater-musicals-from-way-back-when-for-now.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304222008/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/06/theater/theater-musicals-from-way-back-when-for-now.html |url-status=live }}</ref> although Singer proposed creating a drama company in early 1972.<ref name="nyt-1972-03-15" /> Before the 1972–1973 season began, two companies joined the CCMD: the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which became the Alvin Ailey City Center Dance Theater,<ref name="nyt-1972-08-04">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=August 4, 1972 |title=Ailey Joins City Center|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/04/archives/ailey-joins-city-center.html |access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202043/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/04/archives/ailey-joins-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Acting Company, which became the City Center Acting Company.<ref name=nyt-1972-08-24>{{Cite news|date=August 24, 1972|title=City Center Adds New Group Formed by 18 at Juilliard|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/24/archives/city-center-adds-new-group-formed-by-18-at-juilliard.html|access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=March 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303214926/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/24/archives/city-center-adds-new-group-formed-by-18-at-juilliard.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By October 1972, the CCMD had recorded a total deficit of $1.3 million.<ref name="nyt-1972-10-04" /> The organization had recorded a net operating loss of $3.7 million for the 1971–1972 season, but it had not received enough grants and donations to offset these losses,<ref name="nyt-1972-10-04">{{Cite news |last=Kiess |first=Peter |date=October 4, 1972 |title=City Center Reports A $1.3-Million Deficit |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/04/archives/city-center-reports-a-13million-deficit.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202054/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/04/archives/city-center-reports-a-13million-deficit.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which grew during the next year.<ref name="nyt-1973-03-06">{{Cite news |last=Gussow |first=Mel|author-link=Mel Gussow|date=March 6, 1973 |title=City Center's Financial Ills Worsen|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/06/archives/city-centers-financial-ills-worsen-board-seeking-solutions-7.html |access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303202038/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/06/archives/city-centers-financial-ills-worsen-board-seeking-solutions-7.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the Ford Foundation gave $500,000 each to the CCMD's ballet and opera companies in early 1973, the CCMD had to drastically reduce funding for the Joffrey Ballet and for the proposed Cinematheque.<ref name="nyt-1973-03-19">{{Cite news |last=Gussow |first=Mel|author-link=Mel Gussow|date=March 19, 1973 |title=Ford Fund Lends City Center a Million|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/19/archives/ford-fund-lends-city-center-a-million.html |access-date=March 3, 2023|archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303214927/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/19/archives/ford-fund-lends-city-center-a-million.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Later that year, the Board of Estimate extended the theater's lease for another 52 years.<ref name="nyt-1973-11-16">{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Glenn |date=November 16, 1973 |title=Extension of Fill in Queens Barred |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/16/archives/extension-of-fill-in-queens-barred-estimate-board-blocks-plan-for.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303214932/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/16/archives/extension-of-fill-in-queens-barred-estimate-board-blocks-plan-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
By the 1970s, the CCMD was subsidizing the ballet and opera at Lincoln Center, as well as the Joffrey Ballet, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, the Acting Company, and the Young People's Theater at 55th Street.<ref name="p1032475170">{{cite magazine |date=May 28, 1975 |title=Legitimate: Re-Structuring N.Y. City Center |magazine=Variety |volume=279 |issue=3 |pages=91 |id={{ProQuest|1032475170}}}}</ref><ref name="n120112298">{{Cite news |last=Micklin |first=Bob |date=September 8, 1974 |title='Grantsmanship': Ultimately Depressing Work |pages=73, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120112298/grantsmanship/ 74] |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120112257/grantsmanship-ultimately-depressing/ |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303214940/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120112257/grantsmanship-ultimately-depressing/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The CCMD also subsidized the Cinematheque, which had leased space under the Queensboro Bridge in 1973;<ref name="nyt-1973-11-02">{{Cite news |date=November 2, 1973 |title=Cinematheque Gets Queensboro Site |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/02/archives/cinematheque-gets-queensboro-site.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204102/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/11/02/archives/cinematheque-gets-queensboro-site.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="n120243045">{{Cite news |last=Oster |first=Jerry |date=November 26, 1973 |title=City Provides Fine Site for Film History |pages=56 |work=Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243045/city-provides-fine-site-for-film/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204102/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243045/city-provides-fine-site-for-film/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the Cinematheque never opened due to a lack of money.<ref name="nyt-1987-05-16">{{Cite news |last=Prial |first=Frank J. |date=May 16, 1987 |title=Construction Date Is Set at Stalled Bridgemarket |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/16/nyregion/construction-date-is-set-at-stalled-bridgemarket.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204338/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/16/nyregion/construction-date-is-set-at-stalled-bridgemarket.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="n120243093">{{Cite news |date=January 16, 1977 |title=Film Festival from Paris |pages=107 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243093/film-festival-from-paris/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204101/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243093/film-festival-from-paris/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, the CCMD co-produced the American Ballet Theatre (ABT).<ref name="n120112298" /> CCMD officials considered selling the 55th Street theater in 1974 to a developer who planned to erect a residential and commercial skyscraper on much of the block.<ref name="nyt-1974-03-10">{{Cite news |last=Tomasson |first=Robert E. |date=March 10, 1974 |title=City Center Site May Be Cleared |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/10/archives/city-center-site-may-be-cleared-builder-would-buy-lease-on-55th-st.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301171042/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/10/archives/city-center-site-may-be-cleared-builder-would-buy-lease-on-55th-st.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The 55th Street theater had hosted dance performances nearly exclusively for several years, so the CCMD planned to construct a dance theater in the proposed skyscraper.<ref name="nyt-1974-03-11">{{Cite news |last=Desiderio |first=Elio |date=March 11, 1974 |title=Center Committed to a Dance Theater |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/11/archives/center-committed-to-a-dance-theater.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/11/archives/center-committed-to-a-dance-theater.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Singer resigned as the organization's director that July.<ref name="n120112298" /><ref name="nyt-1974-07-02">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=July 2, 1974 |title=Norman Singer Leaving As City Center Director |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/02/archives/norman-singer-leaving-as-city-center-director.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303214940/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/02/archives/norman-singer-leaving-as-city-center-director.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By then, the center's net deficit had grown to $4 million.<ref name="n120112298" /> The CCMD ultimately decided to retain the existing building in early 1975.<ref name="nyt-1975-02-05">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=February 5, 1975 |title=City Center Will Keep 55th St. Theater |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/05/archives/city-center-will-keep-55th-st-theater.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164512/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/05/archives/city-center-will-keep-55th-st-theater.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== 55th Street Theater Foundation takeover === thumb|275px|Detail of the ceiling with one of the lights and arabesque motifs
==== Reorganization ==== A reorganization of City Center began in May 1975, when the CCMD's interim chairman created a board of governors, which in turn established separate boards of directors for the City Ballet, the City Opera, and the 55th Street theater.<ref name="p1032475170" /><ref name="nyt-1975-05-21">{{Cite news |last=Shepard |first=Richard F. |date=May 21, 1975 |title=City Center Undertakes a Reorganization |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/21/archives/city-center-undertakes-a-reorganization.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180438/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/21/archives/city-center-undertakes-a-reorganization.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The board of governors had 12 members, compared to the 41-member board of directors.<ref name="n119959073" /><ref name="nyt-1975-07-26">{{Cite news |last=Glueck |first=Grace |date=July 26, 1975 |title=John S. Samuels 3D to Head City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/26/archives/john-s-samuels-3d-to-head-city-center.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180440/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/07/26/archives/john-s-samuels-3d-to-head-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> John S. Samuels III became the chairman of the board of governors the same year.<ref name="nyt-1975-07-26" /> The CCMD concentrated its resources on the ballet and opera companies at Lincoln Center. The drama and music companies at the 55th Street theater, no longer subsidized by the CCMD, had already stopped operating.<ref name="nyt-1983-12-04">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=December 4, 1983 |title=Dance View; City Center's Populist Past to Be Fondly Remembered|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/04/arts/dance-view-city-center-s-populist-past-to-be-fondly-remembered.html |access-date=March 4, 2023|archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002533/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/04/arts/dance-view-city-center-s-populist-past-to-be-fondly-remembered.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Joffrey Ballet, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Eliot Feld Ballet proposed taking over the 55th Street theater in April 1976, alleging that the CCMD had retained control over the building while forcing the ballet companies to subsidize their own operation.<ref name="nyt-1976-04-06">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=April 6, 1976 |title=4 Ballets Seek to Manage City Center|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/06/archives/4-ballets-seek-to-manage-city-center.html |access-date=March 1, 2023|archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180437/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/06/archives/4-ballets-seek-to-manage-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> CCMD officials agreed to turn over the 55th Street theater's operation to the '''City Center 55th Street Theater Foundation''', headed by these ballet companies.<ref name="nyt-1976-04-09">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=April 9, 1976 |title=City Center to Turn 55th St. Theater Over to Dancers|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/09/archives/city-center-to-turn-55th-st-theater-over-to-dancers.html |access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175518/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/04/09/archives/city-center-to-turn-55th-st-theater-over-to-dancers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The plan nearly failed because of disagreements between the CCMD and the dance companies,<ref name="nyt-1976-06-23">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=June 23, 1976 |title=Discord Threatens Plan For 55th Street Theater|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/23/archives/discord-threatens-plan-for-55th-street-theater-management.html |access-date=March 2, 2023|archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/23/archives/discord-threatens-plan-for-55th-street-theater-management.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but the agreement was finalized in August 1976 after months of debate.<ref name="nyt-1976-08-21">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=August 21, 1976 |title=Dance Troupes to Run 55th St. Theater|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/21/archives/dance-troupes-to-run-55th-st-theater.html |access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175523/https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/21/archives/dance-troupes-to-run-55th-st-theater.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequently, the 55th Street building was almost entirely controlled by the 55th Street Theater Foundation, led by lawyer Howard Squadron.<ref name="BM p. 302">{{harvnb|Botto|Mitchell|2002|ps=.|p=302}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1983-12-04" /> The CCMD, meanwhile, focused on its Lincoln Center operations.<ref name="nyt-1983-12-04" />
Throughout the late 1970s, the 55th Street theater continued to be used mainly for dance performances,<ref name="nyt-1981-07-16">{{Cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |date=July 16, 1981 |title=Alton Marshall, Unopposed, Elected Head of City Center Board |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/16/arts/alton-marshall-unopposed-elected-head-of-city-center-board.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002518/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/16/arts/alton-marshall-unopposed-elected-head-of-city-center-board.html |url-status=live }}</ref> attracting companies such as the Dance Theatre of Harlem.<ref name="n119960682">{{Cite news |last=Leogrande |first=Ernest |date=September 11, 1980 |title=A Grande Dame Gets Her Dignity Renewed |pages=280 |work=Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119960682/a-grande-dame-gets-her-dignity/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180435/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119960682/a-grande-dame-gets-her-dignity/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nyt-1982-08-29">{{Cite news |date=August 29, 1982 |title=Turning the City Center Theater Into a First-Rate Dance Space |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/29/theater/turning-the-city-center-theater-into-a-first-rate-dance-space.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002530/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/29/theater/turning-the-city-center-theater-into-a-first-rate-dance-space.html |url-status=live }}</ref> City Center's resident dance companies included the Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, and Martha Graham companies; this led to the center being known as "America's premier dance theatre".<ref name="BM p. 302" /> The 55th Street Theater Foundation installed a new stage in 1978, and it began renovating the facade two years later.<ref name="n119960682" /> Because the auditorium's orchestra level was nearly flat, audience members in the first twelve rows reportedly could not see dancers' feet.<ref name="nyt-1982-08-29" /> By 1980, the 55th Street Theater Foundation was profitable, although the ABT and the Feld company had moved out.<ref name="n119960682" />
==== 1980s ==== [[File:CitySpire_Aug_2021_21.jpg|alt=City Center, a sandstone building with a dome, as seen from the ground on 55th Street. Behind it is CitySpire, a glass-and-metal skyscraper.|thumb|View of City Center, with CitySpire rising above it]] The Theatrical Assistance Group Foundation converted City Center's basement into a 299-seat off-Broadway theater in early 1981.<ref name="n120117462" /> Squadron received a $700,000 federal grant in mid-1981 to renovate the 55th Street theater,<ref name="p121610791">{{cite news |last=Purnick |first=Joyce |date=June 10, 1981 |title=New York Area Given Reprieve by Congress On $15 Million in Aid: Metropolitan Area Gets Reprieve On $15 Million in Federal Grants 'Massive Goodies Program' |page=A1 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|121610791}}}}</ref><ref name="BM p. 302" /> but Samuels still wished to redevelop the 55th Street site, prompting criticism from City Center's board.<ref name="nyt-1981-07-11">{{Cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |date=July 11, 1981 |title=Personal Style Role of Lincoln Center 'Puzzling' Bitterness Lamented |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/11/theater/samuels-challenged-as-head-of-city-center.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228175518/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/11/theater/samuels-challenged-as-head-of-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Samuels ultimately resigned in July 1981<ref name="nyt-1981-07-15">{{Cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |date=July 15, 1981 |title=John Samuels Resigns as Head of City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/15/nyregion/john-samuels-resigns-as-head-of-city-center.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301180439/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/15/nyregion/john-samuels-resigns-as-head-of-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and was succeeded by Alton Marshall,<ref name="nyt-1981-07-16" /> who himself was succeeded by Martin J. Oppenheimer in 1983.<ref name="nyt-1983-09-20">{{Cite news |last=Bennetts |first=Leslie |date=September 20, 1983 |title=City Center Picks Chairman |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/20/arts/city-center-picks-chairman.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304002531/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/20/arts/city-center-picks-chairman.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p993625344">{{cite news |date=September 21, 1983 |title=Oppenheimer Gets City Center Post |page=B56 |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|993625344}}}}</ref> Meanwhile, after the 55th Street Theater Foundation had received the federal grant, the foundation announced in early 1982 that they would renovate the theater.<ref name="nyt-1982-03-16" /> Fred Lebensold and Rothzeid, Kaiserman & Thomson designed the project, which ultimately cost $$900,000.<ref name="BM p. 302" /> The renovation began that June.<ref name="p993226250" /> To improve sightlines, City Center officials removed 186 seats, raised the orchestra level, staggered the seats in each row, and redesigned the aisles.<ref name="p993226250" /><ref name="nyt-1982-08-29" /> In addition, the lobby was expanded; the seats were re-upholstered; a wheelchair ramp was installed; decorations, including the chandeliers, were restored; and the auditorium was repainted. The refurbished theater reopened in October 1982.<ref name="p993226250" /><ref name="nyt-1982-10-05" />
The Manhattan Theatre Club moved into City Center's basement in 1984,<ref name="nyt-1984-10-24" /><ref name="n120124323" /> and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated City Center as a city landmark that year.<ref name="BM p. 302"/> The same year, developer Ian Bruce Eichner proposed buying City Center's air rights to obtain additional space for his neighboring CitySpire development.<ref name="nyt19840503">{{Cite news |last=Daniels |first=Lee A. |date=May 3, 1984 |title=72-Story Tower Proposed Next to the City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/03/nyregion/72-story-tower-proposed-next-to-the-city-center.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823173621/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/03/nyregion/72-story-tower-proposed-next-to-the-city-center.html |archive-date=August 23, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="n84006537">{{Cite news |date=July 12, 1984 |title=City Center, Rumor Center |pages=277 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84006537/city-center-rumor-center/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823212705/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84006537/city-center-rumor-center/ |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Eichner planned to pay the CCMD $11 million, of which $5.5 million would be passed along to the 55th Street Theater Foundation. According to Squadron, this would allow the foundation to expand the cramped stage; construct new storage areas; rebuild the balconies; replace the seats; and add ticket booths, bathrooms, and elevators.<ref name="nyt-1984-10-30" /> Eichner agreed to make improvements to City Center in exchange for the additional space,<ref name="nyt19840503" /><ref name="Stern (2006) p. 633">{{harvnb|Stern|Fishman|Tilove|2006|ps=.|p=633}}</ref> but he had not completed these renovations by 1988, prompting City Center to sue Eichner.<ref name="n83988496-">{{Cite news |last=Saunders |first=D.J. |date=December 9, 1988 |title=City Center Loses High-Rise Round |pages=69 |work=New York Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83988496/city-center-loses-high-rise-round/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823170809/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83988496/city-center-loses-high-rise-round/ |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="TyreWalls1988">{{cite magazine |last1=Tyre |first1=Peg |last2=Walls |first2=Jeannette |date=October 24, 1988 |title=Intelligencer: City Center Claim May Mire Cityspire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=auUCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20 |url-status=live |journal=New York |publisher=New York Media, LLC |volume=21 |issue=42 |page=17 |issn=0028-7369 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824160841/https://books.google.com/books?id=auUCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |access-date=August 25, 2021}}</ref>
Following a separate controversy over CitySpire's height, in 1988, Eichner agreed to build {{Convert|7200|ft2}} of dance studios above a pedestrian arcade at that building's base,<ref name="Stern (2006) p. 633" /> which the city approved in early 1989.<ref name="n83988668">{{Cite news |last=Moss |first=Michael |date=March 31, 1989 |title=Estimate Board OKs CitySpire Deal in Close Vote |pages=9 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83988668/estimate-board-oks-cityspire-deal-in/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823170816/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83988668/estimate-board-oks-cityspire-deal-in/ |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lubasch |first=Arnold H. |date=March 31, 1989 |title=Board of Estimate Approves New Staten Island Jail |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/31/nyregion/board-of-estimate-approves-new-staten-island-jail.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824160843/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/31/nyregion/board-of-estimate-approves-new-staten-island-jail.html |archive-date=August 24, 2021 }}</ref> 55th Street Theater Foundation officials contended that the studios were narrow for City Center's dance companies.<ref name="nyt-1988-11-09">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=November 9, 1988 |title=Cityspire To Dismantle Part of Tower |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/nyregion/cityspire-to-dismantle-part-of-tower.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823170809/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/nyregion/cityspire-to-dismantle-part-of-tower.html |url-status=live }}</ref> City Center continued to host ballet and dance shows, as well as events such as the New York International Ballet Competition.<ref name="nyt-1987-06-25">{{Cite news |last=Dunning |first=Jennifer |date=June 25, 1987 |title=Ballet: World Contest Begins at City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/25/arts/ballet-world-contest-begins-at-city-center.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210752/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/25/arts/ballet-world-contest-begins-at-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> City Center's mezzanine was renamed after Robert Joffrey, the head of the Joffrey Ballet, in 1988.<ref name="nyt-1988-11-24">{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1988 |title=City Center Mezzanine To Be Named for Joffrey |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/24/arts/city-center-mezzanine-to-be-named-for-joffrey.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304210752/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/24/arts/city-center-mezzanine-to-be-named-for-joffrey.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, City Center's executive director Anthony Micocci was considering producing musicals at the theater by the late 1980s, after the stage had been renovated.<ref name="nyt-1988-07-04">{{Cite news |last=Honan |first=William H. |date=July 4, 1988 |title=In New York, The Cultural Season Is Beginning to Have No Seasons |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/04/arts/in-new-york-the-cultural-season-is-beginning-to-have-no-seasons.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304222010/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/04/arts/in-new-york-the-cultural-season-is-beginning-to-have-no-seasons.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1438475499" /> Due to continuing disputes over the CitySpire project, the developers of that skyscraper agreed to pay the New York City government $2.1 million; some of the funding was used to renovate City Center's rehearsal rooms.<ref name="nyt-1997-08-13">{{Cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=August 13, 1997 |title=Midtown, Midblock Walkway Nears Completion |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/13/nyregion/midtown-midblock-walkway-nears-completion.html |access-date=March 3, 2023 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824234224/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/13/nyregion/midtown-midblock-walkway-nears-completion.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Starting in mid-1990, part of the auditorium was closed for restoration,<ref name="nyt-1992-02-06">{{Cite news |date=February 6, 1992 |title=Seats Added for Tharp |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/06/news/seats-added-for-tharp.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304222007/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/06/news/seats-added-for-tharp.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and Altria began sponsoring dance shows at City Center.<ref name="p219129771">{{cite magazine |last=Kreinin Souccar |first=Miriam |date=September 27, 2004 |title=Reviving Location as Hub Barre None Has Facility on Toes |magazine=Crain's New York Business |volume=20 |issue=39 |page=4 |id={{ProQuest|219129771}}}}</ref>
==== Daykin leadership ==== Squadron appointed Judith Daykin as City Center's executive director in November 1991, after Micocci resigned.<ref name="nyt-1991-11-14">{{Cite news |date=November 14, 1991 |title=City Center Names Its New Administrator |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/14/arts/city-center-names-its-new-administrator.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304222007/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/14/arts/city-center-names-its-new-administrator.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p278441402">{{cite news |date=November 14, 1991 |title=Succeeds Anthony Micocci Daykin Named City Center Head |page=81 |work=Newsday |issn=2574-5298 |id={{ProQuest|278441402}}}}</ref> The Joffrey Ballet had stopped regularly performing at City Center after 1991 due to a lack of money.<ref name="nyt-1992-12-20">{{Cite news |last=Kisselgoff |first=Anna|author-link=Anna Kisselgoff|date=December 20, 1992 |title=Dance View; Can the Joffrey Ever Go Home Again?|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/20/arts/dance-view-can-the-joffrey-ever-go-home-again.html |access-date=March 4, 2023|archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304222007/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/20/arts/dance-view-can-the-joffrey-ever-go-home-again.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By the time Daykin assumed the directorship in 1992, the theater was only hosting 17 weeks of shows per year.<ref name="nyt-2000-11-21">{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=November 21, 2000 |title=Public Lives; City Center's Leader, And Other Rare Finds |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/21/nyregion/public-lives-city-center-s-leader-and-other-rare-finds.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305195018/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/21/nyregion/public-lives-city-center-s-leader-and-other-rare-finds.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Within one year of taking over City Center, Daykin had paid off the center's $750,000 debt, and she had increased fundraising and marketing efforts for the theater.<ref name="nyt-2000-11-21" /> Daykin initiated the Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert, which presented rarely heard musicals starting in 1994.<ref name="nyt-1994-02-06" /><ref name="p962766921">{{cite magazine |last=Hersh |first=Amy |date=September 3, 1993 |title=City Center to Present Musicals In Concert Series |magazine=Back Stage |volume=34 |issue=36 |pages=3, 11 |id={{ProQuest|962766921}}}}</ref> Daykin perceived Encores! as an experimental program that she hoped would attract new audiences.<ref name="nyt-1994-02-06" /> Daykin was also credited for turning City Center from a rental hall into an organization that produced its own shows.<ref name="nyt-2000-11-21" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Isherwood |first=Charles |date=June 12, 2002 |title=Daykin Determines She'll Retire from City Center |url=https://variety.com/2002/legit/news/daykin-determines-she-ll-retire-from-city-center-1117868350/ |access-date=November 18, 2022 |website=Variety |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114153559/https://variety.com/2002/legit/news/daykin-determines-she-ll-retire-from-city-center-1117868350/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Upon City Center's 50th anniversary in 1993, it still largely hosted ballet and dance companies, including Joffrey Ballet and the Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Trisha Brown, and Paul Taylor dance companies; the MTC also presented off-Broadway shows there.<ref name="New York Magazine p.">{{cite magazine |last=Ickes |first=Bob |date=May 10, 1993 |title=Hot Center |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ziUAAAAAMBAJ |magazine=New York |publisher=New York Media, LLC |issn=0028-7369 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308170409/https://books.google.com/books?id=ziUAAAAAMBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
By the late 1990s, the center's Encores! series had become popular.<ref name=Span /><ref name="p962968541">{{cite magazine |last=Stevenson |first=William |date=February 16, 1996 |title=Encores! City Center Revives A Popular Tradition |magazine=Back Stage |volume=37 |issue=7 |pages=37 |id={{ProQuest|962968541}}}}</ref> According to Daykin, the Encores! series attracted people "who probably hadn't been here in 20 years, if they weren't dance fans".<ref name="p962968541" /> City Center continued to host visiting dance companies like the ABT, which resumed performances there in 1996;<ref name="nyt-1996-12-03">{{Cite news |last=Dunning |first=Jennifer |date=December 3, 1996 |title=For Ballet Theater, New Homes at Arts Center in Newark and at City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/03/arts/for-ballet-theater-new-homes-at-arts-center-in-newark-and-at-city-center.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305003506/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/03/arts/for-ballet-theater-new-homes-at-arts-center-in-newark-and-at-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> it also operated a dance-education program for middle-school students, which served 5,000 pupils per year by 1999.<ref name="p2085103">{{Cite magazine |last=Liston |first=Heather |date=Feb 1999 |title=New York's City Center: A Model for Outreach |magazine=Dance Teacher |volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=54, 56 |id={{ProQuest|2085103}}}}</ref> The auditorium had been renovated, but ''The New York Times'' reported in 1999 that City Center needed to spend between $8 million and $10 million on repairing the mechanical systems. In addition, the dome was leaking and needed another $3 million in repairs.<ref name="nyt-1999-04-11" /> After Raymond A. Lamontagne succeeded Howard Squadron as the chairman of City Center's board in early 1999, Lamontagne announced that he would create an endowment fund for the center.<ref name="nyt-1999-02-05">{{Cite news |last=Shattuck |first=Kathryn |date=February 5, 1999 |title=City Center Plans to Try to Catch Up With the Joneses |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/movies/city-center-plans-to-try-to-catch-up-with-the-joneses.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305003508/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/movies/city-center-plans-to-try-to-catch-up-with-the-joneses.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Largely because of the changes that Daykin had instituted, the theater was hosting shows 40 weeks per year by 2000. At that point, City Center had a $10 million annual budget, 38 full-time staff members, and hundreds of part-time staff, even as its production costs were increasing.<ref name="nyt-2000-11-21" /> Because City Center's staff were part of a labor union, it cost $200,000 per week to produce a show there, compared to $60,000 for a non-unionized theater such as the Joyce Theater.<ref name=p219129771/> Consequently, ''The New York Times'' wrote in 2003 that City Center was "no longer affordable for many [dance] companies",<ref name="nyt-2003-12-03">{{Cite news |last=Dunning |first=Jennifer |date=December 3, 2003 |title=Wanted: A Good Home For a Space-Starved Art |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/theater/wanted-a-good-home-for-a-space-starved-art.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204101/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/03/theater/wanted-a-good-home-for-a-space-starved-art.html |url-status=live }}</ref> though the ABT and the Alvin Ailey and Paul Taylor dance companies continued to perform there.<ref name="nyt-2003-02-19" /> The upper balcony was rarely open.<ref name="nyt-2004-09-21">{{Cite news |last=Dunning |first=Jennifer |date=September 21, 2004 |title=City Center Is Offering a Smorgasbord of Dance |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/21/arts/dance/city-center-is-offering-a-smorgasbord-of-dance.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305220849/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/21/arts/dance/city-center-is-offering-a-smorgasbord-of-dance.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Shuler leadership and renovation ==== alt=Refer to caption|thumb|The arch at the far western end of the 55th Street facade In 2003, former Joffrey Ballet dancer Arlene Shuler became president and CEO of City Center.<ref name="nyt-2003-02-19">{{Cite news |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=February 19, 2003 |title=A Former Dancer Is Picked to Lead City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/arts/a-former-dancer-is-picked-to-lead-city-center.html |access-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-date=March 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304222009/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/arts/a-former-dancer-is-picked-to-lead-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Shuler quickly renamed the venue New York City Center, expanded the board of directors, hired development and marketing teams, and increased the center's annual budget to $12 million.<ref name="p219129771" /> She also launched the Fall for Dance Festival, which sold dance tickets for $10, to attract both audiences and dance companies.<ref name="nyt-2004-09-21" /><ref name="n120249902">{{Cite news |last=Reiter |first=Susan |date=September 26, 2004 |title=Rich Offerings, Cheap Tix |pages=113, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120249929/ 114] |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120249902/rich-offerings-cheap-tixsusan-reiter/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305220848/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120249902/rich-offerings-cheap-tixsusan-reiter/ |url-status=live }}</ref> City Center hired architecture firm Helpern Architects and contractor Nicholson & Galloway in 2005 to repair the theater's leaky roof for $2.8 million.<ref name="nyt-2005-03-25" /> At the end of that year, City Center formed a partnership with the neighboring Carnegie Hall.<ref name="n120243767">{{Cite news |last=Dobnik |first=Verena |date=December 3, 2005 |title=Carnegie Hall, City Center Forge Artistic Partnership |pages=20 |work=The Journal News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243767/carnegie-hall-city-center-forge/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204102/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243767/carnegie-hall-city-center-forge/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="nyt-2005-12-03">{{Cite news |last=Wakin |first=Daniel J. |date=December 3, 2005 |title=Two Halls Will Share Theaters and Funds |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/03/arts/music/two-halls-will-share-theaters-and-funds.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204407/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/03/arts/music/two-halls-will-share-theaters-and-funds.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The partnership would have allowed the venues to host each other's dance, music, and theater programs; at the time, City Center was still mostly a rental venue.<ref name="nyt-2007-09-01">{{Cite news |last=Wakin |first=Daniel J. |date=September 1, 2007 |title=As Merger With Carnegie Crumbles, City Center Will Delay Its Renovation |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/01/arts/music/01carn.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204104/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/01/arts/music/01carn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To accommodate these new programs, Shuler had planned to renovate City Center between 2007 and 2008 for $150 million.<ref name="n120243767" /><ref name="nyt-2005-12-03" />
The partnership with Carnegie Hall was canceled in early 2007, prompting Shuler to delay City Center's renovation;<ref name="nyt-2007-09-01" /> by mid-2008, Shuler planned to begin renovations at the end of the next year.<ref name="nyt-2008-07-09">{{Cite news |last=Wakin |first=Daniel J. |date=July 9, 2008 |title=City Center Renovation Leaves Schedulers Uncertain |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/arts/dance/09danc.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305220858/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/arts/dance/09danc.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Shuler also expanded the Encores! program and continued to host dance and off-Broadway shows at City Center, although the ''Times'' wrote in 2009 that "Fall for Dance has redefined the theater's identity".<ref name="nyt-2009-08-28">{{Cite news |last=Sulcas |first=Roslyn |date=August 28, 2009 |title=Building a Profile for City Center: Dance Mecca |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/arts/dance/30sulc.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305220847/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/arts/dance/30sulc.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A $75 million renovation of City Center finally began in March 2010.<ref name="NYT10" /> Designed by Ennead Architects LLP, the work included improved sightlines, improved seating, and a new canopy, as well as restoration of historical elements.<ref name="NYT10" /> To accommodate the theater's 2010–2011 theatrical season work, contractors renovated the center in two phases during 2010 and 2011.<ref name="NYT10" /> The renovation was completed in October 2011 with a ceremony led by mayor Michael Bloomberg.<ref name="n120260100" /><ref name="nyt-2011-10-26">{{Cite news |last=Oestreich |first=James R.|author-link=James R. Oestreich|date=October 26, 2011 |title=With Bloomberg Leading the Band, City Center Reopens|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/arts/music/mayor-bloomberg-leads-city-center-re-opening-gala.html |access-date=March 5, 2023|archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305234610/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/arts/music/mayor-bloomberg-leads-city-center-re-opening-gala.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Just before the theater reopened, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater signed a contract to become City Center's main dance company.<ref name="Pogrebin 2011">{{cite web |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin|author-link=Robin Pogrebin|date=September 26, 2011 |title=Alvin Ailey Signs Longterm Deal With City Center |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/alvin-ailey-signs-longterm-deal-with-city-center/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=ArtsBeat |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305234607/https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/alvin-ailey-signs-longterm-deal-with-city-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Catton 2011">{{cite web |last=Catton |first=Pia |date=September 26, 2011 |title=Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Signs 10-Year Deal With City Center |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204831304576595153347041850.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308170426/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204831304576595153347041850 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two dance and ballet companies left City Center in the early 2010s.<ref name="Catton 2012" /><ref name="Catton 2011" /> The Paul Taylor Dance Company left City Center in 2011,<ref name="nyt-2011-07-14">{{Cite news |last=Wakin |first=Daniel J. |date=July 14, 2011 |title=Paul Taylor Leaps Over to the Koch |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/arts/dance/paul-taylor-moves-shows-from-city-center-to-koch-theater.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305234610/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/arts/dance/paul-taylor-moves-shows-from-city-center-to-koch-theater.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and ABT departed the following year, citing City Center's small wing space.<ref name="Catton 2012" /> City Center temporarily suspended in-person shows in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.<ref name="nyt-2021-02-09">{{Cite news |last=Seibert |first=Brian |date=February 9, 2021 |title=What's a Dance Theater Without an Audience? |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/arts/dance/dance-theaters-without-live-performance.html |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306002430/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/09/arts/dance/dance-theaters-without-live-performance.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This affected two of the theater's most popular programs;<ref name="nyt-2022-09-08" /> the Encores! series was suspended for two years,<ref name="Haun 2022">{{cite web |last=Haun |first=Harry |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Reviving the Revivals: 'Encores!' Returns to New York City Center |url=https://observer.com/2022/02/reviving-the-revivals-encores-returns-to-new-york-city-center/ |access-date=March 6, 2023 |website=Observer |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306002428/https://observer.com/2022/02/reviving-the-revivals-encores-returns-to-new-york-city-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while Fall for Dance was held virtually in 2020.<ref name="nyt-2021-02-09" /> After Shuler resigned as City Center's president in 2021,<ref name="nyt-2021-12-08">{{Cite news |last=Sulcas |first=Roslyn |date=December 8, 2021 |title=Arlene Shuler to Step Down as President of New York City Center |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/arts/dance/arlene-shuler-steps-down-city-center.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227193210/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/arts/dance/arlene-shuler-steps-down-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="McPhee 2021">{{cite web |last=McPhee |first=Ryan |date=December 8, 2021 |title=City Center President and CEO Arlene Shuler to Step Down in 2022 |url=https://playbill.com/article/city-center-president-and-ceo-arlene-shuler-to-step-down-in-2022 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Playbill |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217042832/https://playbill.com/article/city-center-president-and-ceo-arlene-shuler-to-step-down-in-2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael S. Rosenberg was appointed as City Center's new director in September 2022.<ref name="nyt-2022-09-08">{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=September 8, 2022 |title=New York City Center Taps Veteran Arts Administrator as Its Next Leader |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/theater/city-center-michael-rosenberg.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302191209/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/theater/city-center-michael-rosenberg.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Evans Evans 2022">{{cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=September 8, 2022 |title=New York City Center, Home Of Popular 'Encores!' Series, Names Michael S. Rosenberg New President & CEO |url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/new-york-city-center-encores-michael-s-rosenberg-president-ceo-1235111507/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Deadline |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305195022/https://deadline.com/2022/09/new-york-city-center-encores-michael-s-rosenberg-president-ceo-1235111507/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Management and governance ==
=== City Center of Music and Drama Inc. === The 55th Street theater was originally controlled by the '''City Center of Music and Drama Inc.''' (CCMD),<ref name="nyt-1943-09-24" /><ref name="p1269853372" /> which the city government established in July 1943.<ref name="p1267875722" /> The City Center for Music and Drama Inc. is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and was formerly also the parent company of the New York City Opera,<ref name="Enc-NYC">{{cite enc-nyc2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780300055368/page/228 228]}}</ref> which was liquidated in 2013.<ref name="Maloney 2013">{{cite web |last=Maloney |first=Jennifer |date=October 2, 2013 |title=City Opera Closes Its Doors |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304373104579109623037365300.html |access-date=March 5, 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=October 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005021307/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304373104579109623037365300.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During its first two decades, the CCMD was largely synonymous with the 55th Street theater, which for the most part was its only location.<ref name="n119959073" /> The CCMD temporarily operated the International Theatre on Columbus Circle during the 1948–1949 season.<ref name="nyt-1948-06-03">{{Cite news |date=June 3, 1948 |title=City Center to Run the International; Board Accepts the Free Offer Made by De Cuevas – Plays Likely to Be Transferred |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/06/03/archives/city-center-to-run-the-international-board-accepts-the-free-offer.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302153616/https://www.nytimes.com/1948/06/03/archives/city-center-to-run-the-international-board-accepts-the-free-offer.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1326814792">{{cite news |date=June 3, 1948 |title=International Theater Is Lent To City Center: House in Columbus Circle Will Be Used as Branch From September to '49 |page=18 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1326814792}}}}</ref> In January 1965, the CCMD became a member company of Lincoln Center.<ref name="nyt-1965-01-11" /> In subsequent years, the CCMD used other venues such as the ANTA Theatre.<ref name="p119361403">{{cite news |last=Taubman |first=Howard|author-link=Howard Taubman|date=January 20, 1971 |title=Irony in City Center's Takeover |page=23 |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|id={{ProQuest|119361403}}}}</ref>
Several of the CCMD's constituent companies are no longer affiliated with City Center or no longer exist. The New York City Symphony performed there from 1944 to about 1948,<ref name="nyt-1965-01-112" /><ref name="n120103975" /> and the New York City Dance Theater only performed at the 55th Street theater during the 1949–1950 season.<ref name="p1291350634" /> The City Center Art Gallery operated between 1953 and 1961.<ref name="nyt-1961-05-23" /> Another former constituent company was the City Center Cinematheque, which was proposed in 1970<ref name="nyt-1970-02-14" /> but never formally opened.<ref name="nyt-1987-05-16" /><ref name="n120243093" />
=== 55th Street Theater Foundation === The City Center 55th Street Theater Foundation took over the 55th Street theater in August 1976,<ref name="nyt-1976-04-09" /> subleasing the theater from the CCMD.<ref name="nyt-1982-08-29"/> The foundation rents out the main auditorium to various performers.<ref name="Myers 2007" /> Stages I and II in the basement are rented to the Manhattan Theatre Club.<ref name="Myers 2007" /><ref name="Alterman o520" /> New York City Center Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1976, controls the theater. {{As of|2023}}, Michael S. Rosenberg is listed as the president and CEO of New York City Center Inc.<ref name="GuideStar Profile">{{cite web | title=New York City Center Inc | website=GuideStar Profile | url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/13-2867442 | access-date=March 6, 2023 | archive-date=March 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306004502/https://www.guidestar.org/profile/13-2867442 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ProPublica 2013">{{cite web | title=New York City Center Inc – Nonprofit Explorer | website=ProPublica | date=May 9, 2013 | url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/132867442 | access-date=March 6, 2023 | archive-date=March 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306004501/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/132867442 | url-status=live }}</ref>
== Programming == Upon the theater's 75th anniversary in 2018, ''The New York Times'' characterized City Center as "a multidisciplinary space for artists in theater, dance and music".<ref name="nyt-2018-05-16">{{Cite news |last=Barone |first=Joshua |date=May 16, 2018 |title=City Center's 75th Anniversary: 'A Chorus Line,' Balanchine and Broadway |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/arts/city-centers-75th-anniversary-a-chorus-line-balanchine-and-broadway.html |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306002430/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/arts/city-centers-75th-anniversary-a-chorus-line-balanchine-and-broadway.html |url-status=live }}</ref> From the 1940s to the 1960s, the City Center's resident companies included the CCMD's opera, symphony, drama, dance, and ballet companies,<ref name="Myers 2007" /> Since the late 20th century, City Center has hosted a variety of dance performances each season.<ref name="nyt-2009-08-28" /> It also hosts events including the Fall for Dance Festival and Encores!.<ref name="Myers 2007" />
=== Dance ===
In 2004, New York City Center introduced the annual Fall for Dance Festival.<ref name="nyt-2004-09-21" /><ref name="n120249902" /> The festival attracted many young adults, as well as those that had never previously been to City Center or seen dance performances.<ref name="nyt-2006-10-09">{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin|author-link=Robin Pogrebin|date=October 9, 2006 |title=Operas for $20? New Audiences Hear Siren Song|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/nyregion/operas-for-20-new-audiences-hear-siren-song.html |access-date=March 5, 2023|archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305220849/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/nyregion/operas-for-20-new-audiences-hear-siren-song.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The theater has also hosted events such as the New York City edition of the Vail International Dance Festival, which began in 2016.<ref name="nyt-2016-05-11">{{Cite news |last=Barone |first=Joshua |date=May 11, 2016 |title=City Center's Season to Include a New Vail Dance Festival |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/arts/dance/city-centers-season-to-include-a-new-vail-dance-festival.html |access-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306002430/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/arts/dance/city-centers-season-to-include-a-new-vail-dance-festival.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The New York City Center Choreography Fellowship, established during the 2011–2012 season, accepts three fellows per season.<ref name="New York City Center">{{cite web |title=Choreography Fellows |url=https://www.nycitycenter.org/About/our-programs/choreography-fellows/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=New York City Center |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301184050/https://www.nycitycenter.org/About/our-programs/choreography-fellows/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Fellows receive a stipend, are given access to rehearsal space, and receive administrative support from City Center officials.<ref name="New York City Center" /><ref name="Vellucci 2011">{{cite web |last=Vellucci |first=Michelle |date=December 1, 2011 |title=Meet The New York City Center Choreography Fellows |url=https://playbill.com/article/meet-the-new-york-city-center-choreography-fellows |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Playbill |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301182545/https://playbill.com/article/meet-the-new-york-city-center-choreography-fellows |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Theatre === New York City Center launched its first Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert productions in 1994.<ref name=Span>{{Cite news |last=Span |first=Paula |date=March 16, 1997 |title=Encores! The Theater's Live Archive |newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1997/03/16/encores-the-theaters-live-archive/96ddd37a-9478-4412-a49f-2704c2a73796/ |access-date=November 18, 2022 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828215737/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1997/03/16/encores-the-theaters-live-archive/96ddd37a-9478-4412-a49f-2704c2a73796/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 14, 1995 |title=Bewitched, Not Bewildered |url=https://www.newsweek.com/bewitched-not-bewildered-183452 |access-date=November 18, 2022 |website=Newsweek |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114153618/https://www.newsweek.com/bewitched-not-bewildered-183452 |url-status=live }}</ref> In its early years, Encores! presented musicals such as ''Du Barry Was a Lady'' and ''Pal Joey''.<ref name=Span /><ref name="p962968541" /> The program earned numerous theatrical awards, including from the New York Drama Critics' Circle and the Outer Critics Circle;<ref name="nyt-1999-02-05" /> In 2000, the American Theatre Wing presented a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre award to City Center for the Encores! series.<ref name="nyt-2000-06-06">{{Cite news |date=June 6, 2000 |title=Honors on Broadway: This Year's Tony Awards |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/06/theater/honors-on-broadway-this-year-s-tony-awards.html |access-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301182547/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/06/theater/honors-on-broadway-this-year-s-tony-awards.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gans 2000">{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |date=June 3, 2000 |title=2000 Tony Awards Winner; Special Tony for Encores! |url=https://playbill.com/article/2000-tony-awards-winner-special-tony-for-encores-com-89676 |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Playbill |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301224130/https://playbill.com/article/2000-tony-awards-winner-special-tony-for-encores-com-89676 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The New York Times'' described Encores! in 2001 as a "major guardian of America's musical-theater heritage".<ref name="nyt-2001-02-11">{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin|author-link=Robin Pogrebin|date=February 11, 2001 |title=Theater; The Brothers Viertel, A Theatrical Tag Team|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/11/theater/theater-the-brothers-viertel-a-theatrical-tag-team.html |access-date=February 28, 2023|archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164514/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/11/theater/theater-the-brothers-viertel-a-theatrical-tag-team.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the tenure of Jack Viertel, who directed the series from 2001 to 2019, several Encores! productions transferred to Broadway during the 2000s and 2010s, including ''After Midnight'', ''The Apple Tree'', ''Finian's Rainbow'', and ''Gypsy''.<ref name="nyt-2019-07-16">{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=July 16, 2019 |title=Jack Viertel Stepping Down at Encores! After 20 Years as Leader |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/theater/jack-viertel-encores.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164511/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/theater/jack-viertel-encores.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2025, the series is directed by Jenny Gersten.<ref>{{cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Jenny Gersten Named VP & Artistic Director of Musical Theatre at New York City Center |url=https://playbill.com/article/jenny-gersten-named-vp-artistic-director-of-musical-theatre-at-new-york-city-center |access-date=January 31, 2025 |website=Playbill}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Jenny Gersten Named Artistic Director Of New York City Center's Encores! |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/jenny-gersten-encores-new-york-city-center-1236273091/ |access-date=January 31, 2025 |website=Deadline}}</ref>
Encores! Off-Center, dedicated to hosting rarely-heard off-Broadway musicals, premiered in mid-2013.<ref name="nyt-2013-07-03">{{Cite news |last=Weinert-Kendt |first=Rob |date=July 3, 2013 |title=Musical Revivalists With a Cause |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/theater/encores-off-center-tilts-toward-the-political.html |access-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164511/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/theater/encores-off-center-tilts-toward-the-political.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Composer Jeanine Tesori served as the series's first artistic director,<ref name="nyt-2016-02-05">{{Cite web |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=February 5, 2016 |title=Encores! Off-Center Sets Season, With Jeanine Tesori in Charge One Last Time |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/encores-off-center-sets-season-with-jeanine-tesori-in-charge-one-last-time/ |access-date=February 28, 2023 |website=ArtsBeat |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164512/https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/encores-off-center-sets-season-with-jeanine-tesori-in-charge-one-last-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while Anne Kauffman has directed the series since 2019.<ref name="AMERICAN THEATRE 2018">{{cite web |date=August 13, 2018 |title=Anne Kauffman Is New Artistic Director of Encores! Off-Center |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2018/08/13/anne-kauffman-is-new-artistic-director-of-encores-off-center/ |access-date=February 28, 2023 |website=American Theatre |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228164512/https://www.americantheatre.org/2018/08/13/anne-kauffman-is-new-artistic-director-of-encores-off-center/ |url-status=live }}</ref> City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center launched a partnership during the 2011–2012 season, starting with the show ''Cotton Club Parade''.<ref name="Gans 2011">{{cite web |last=Gans |first=Andrew |date=April 28, 2011 |title=Warren Carlyle Will Direct Cotton Club Parade, Joint Venture of City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center |url=https://playbill.com/article/warren-carlyle-will-direct-cotton-club-parade-joint-venture-of-city-center-and-jazz-at-lincoln-center-com-178657 |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Playbill |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301182547/https://playbill.com/article/warren-carlyle-will-direct-cotton-club-parade-joint-venture-of-city-center-and-jazz-at-lincoln-center-com-178657 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cox Cox 2011">{{cite web |last=Cox |first=Gordon |date=April 29, 2011 |title=City Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center Join 'Cotton Club' |url=https://variety.com/2011/legit/news/city-center-jazz-at-lincoln-center-join-cotton-club-1118036119/ |access-date=March 1, 2023 |website=Variety |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301182546/https://variety.com/2011/legit/news/city-center-jazz-at-lincoln-center-join-cotton-club-1118036119/ |url-status=live }}</ref> These shows are presented separately from the Encores! series.<ref name="Cox Cox 2011" /> The MTC also presents its own events, including off-Broadway shows, at Stages I and II.<ref name="Alterman o520" />
=== Former programs === The New Dramatists Committee and City Center formed the Elinor Morgenthau Players and Playwrights Workshop in April 1951, with funding from the family of former U.S. Treasury secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr., whose wife Elinor had been on the CCMD's board.<ref name="nyt-1951-04-23">{{Cite news |date=April 23, 1951 |title=Morgenthau Workshop In Drama Is Established |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/23/archives/morgenthau-workshop-in-drama-is-established.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302174426/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/04/23/archives/morgenthau-workshop-in-drama-is-established.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="p1322423905">{{cite news |date=April 23, 1951 |title=Theater Workshop To Be Set Up At City Center as Aid to Stage |page=17 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1322423905}}}}</ref> The workshop opened in October 1951 and was headquartered on three stories of the City Center building.<ref name="nyt-1951-10-22">{{Cite news |date=October 22, 1951 |title=Drama Workshop Dedicated Here; Elinor Morgenthau Memorial in City Center Opens—Mrs. Roosevelt, Notables Speak |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/10/22/archives/drama-workshop-dedicated-here-elinor-morgenthau-memorial-in-city.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302174420/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/10/22/archives/drama-workshop-dedicated-here-elinor-morgenthau-memorial-in-city.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The workshop itself consisted of 50 regular members and 50 alternate members, who were divided into three groups. Half of the regular members created their own plays and presented them at City Center, while the other regular members and the alternates studied plays by established playwrights.<ref name="nyt-1951-10-14">{{Cite news |last=Gelb |first=Arthur |date=October 14, 1951 |title=New Dramatists' Progress |work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/10/14/archives/new-dramatists-progress-morgenthau-grant-and-aid-from-city-center.html |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302174423/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/10/14/archives/new-dramatists-progress-morgenthau-grant-and-aid-from-city-center.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In celebration of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial, he City Center co-sponsored "Cinémathèque at the Metropolitan Museum", which showed seventy films dating from the medium's first 75 years from July 29 to September 3, 1970.<ref name="n120243414">{{Cite news |date=July 24, 1970 |title=A City Festival of All-Time Films |pages=80 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243414/a-city-festival-of-all-time-films/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305204338/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120243414/a-city-festival-of-all-time-films/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The films were selected by Cinémathèque Française founder and director Henri Langlois, from its archive of more than 50,000 films.<ref>[http://libmma.org/digital_files/archives/Trescher_Centennial_records_b18234550.pdf Finding aid for the George Trescher records related to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Centennial, 1949, 1960–1971 (bulk 1967–1970)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412110104/http://libmma.org/digital_files/archives/Trescher_Centennial_records_b18234550.pdf|date=April 12, 2019}}. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 8, 2014.</ref> The Met exhibition had led to the creation of the City Center Cinematheque, although the CCMD's film division was never formally opened.<ref name="n120243093" />
==See also== * List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets * National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
==References==
=== Notes === {{notelist}}
===Citations=== {{Reflist}}
===Sources=== * {{Botto: At This Theatre}} * {{cite report|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1234.pdf|title=Mecca Temple|date=April 12, 1983|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|archive-url=|archive-date=|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1983}}}} * {{cite report|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/84002788.pdf|title=Mecca Temple|date=September 7, 1984|publisher=National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service|ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1984}}}} * {{cite magazine |date=February 25, 1925 |title=Mecca Temple's Structural Steel Framing |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015069435033 |magazine=American Architect and Architecture |volume=127 |pages=173–180 |ref={{harvid|American Architect and Architecture|1925}}}} * {{Stern: New York|edition=2000}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Official website|http://www.nycitycenter.org/}} * {{IBDB name|id=20178|name=City Center}} * {{IOBDB venue|4|New York City Center-Stage I}} * [https://www.spectra.theater/explore/venue/4c555625-5de9-58e2-9440-538ea8c2787d New York City Center – Stage I] at Spectra.theater * {{IOBDB venue|149|New York City Center-Stage II}} * [https://www.spectra.theater/explore/venue/cead8702-2ca9-571f-bc98-97c9e33d84ec New York City Center – Stage II] at Spectra.theater
{{Midtown North, Manhattan}} {{Off-Broadway theatres}} {{New York City performance spaces}} {{National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan}} {{Special Tony Award}} {{Authority control}} {{Portal bar|Architecture|NRHP|New York City|Theatre}}
<!-- * * * * * * * Please do not add Category:Tony Award winners which is for competitive Tony Award recipients. The Special Tony Award is a non-competitive honor that is bestowed not won. -->
Category:1920s architecture in the United States Category:1923 establishments in New York City Category:Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Category:Concert halls in New York City Category:Culture of Manhattan Category:Dance venues in the United States Category:Former clubhouses in Manhattan Category:Former Masonic buildings in New York (state) Category:Masonic buildings completed in 1923 Category:Midtown Manhattan Category:Moorish Revival architecture in New York City Category:New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Category:New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County Category:Shriners Category:Special Tony Award recipients Category:Theatres in Manhattan Category:Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Category:56th Street (Manhattan)