Liberty Theatre

The Liberty Theatre, built in 1904 on W. 41st Street, was designed by the firm of Herts & Tallant in Beaux-Arts style for Klaw and Erlanger. Its narrow entrance and 100ft long lobby opened onto W. 42nd Street, as it was at the time (and still is) the more desired address. The Liberty Theatre was opened on October 10, 1904 with “The Rogers Brothers in "Paris”, a move-over from the New Amsterdam Theatre.

The W. 42nd Street Neo-Classical inspired façade, had a set of caryatides flanking the main entry four stories tall. A huge arched window was surmounted by a carving of the Liberty Bell, and at the summit of the façade was a large stone American eagle, its wings spread and looking downwards to the sidewalk below.

A stunning ticket counter was located in a vestibule in the lobby, which was topped with a large dome, covered in gilding and aluminum. A promenade led to the staircase leading to the balconies and the orchestra seating, with an ivory, amber and gold color theme.

Its 1,054-seat auditorium continued the patriotic theme of the exterior, with Liberty Bells and eagles covered with gilt circling the huge ceiling dome and the towering proscenium arch. Again, the ivory and amber color scheme continued into the auditorium. Each side wall featured four sets of opera boxes.

In the basement, luxurious lounges catered to each sex, with the ladies lounge carrying a garden theme, complete with pastel shades and floral patterns, and the men’s being designed in a Spanish countryside theme, with leather and oak highlights.

The Liberty Theatre presented the first edition of “George White’s Scandals” in 1919. It screened exclusive runs of “Birth of a Nation” in March 1915, “Intolerance” from September 5, 1916 and “The Thief of Bagdad” from March 18, 1924. In 1924 Fred & Adele Astaire starred in “Lady Be Good”. In 1928 it had its biggest hit when “Blackbirds of 1928 was staged, starring an all colored cast which included Adelaide Hall, Mantan Mooreland, Aida Ward, Bill ‘Bojanjgles’ Robinson, Elizabeth Welch, and the Hall Johnson Choir. The biggest hit song in the show was "I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”. In 1932 it went over to presenting vaudeville. Its final ‘legit’ show was “Masks and Faces” which open & closed on March 18, 1933.

Like most of its neighboring theaters, the Liberty Theatre, rather than go dark, converted from stage shows to movies, and remained a movie house for well over half a century until the revival of 42nd Street began in the early-1990’s.

By 1996, the Liberty Theatre of old was gone, its magnificent Beaux-Arts elements mostly removed, and the rest hidden behind a very ugly boxy marquee. Its front entrance was remodeled in a late-Streamline style façade. The interior of the Liberty Theatre had suffered just as badly over the 50 years since its golden days ended, and was decrepit and dirty. Its balconies and side boxes long since closed off, and its original color scheme painted many times over.

However, it was just the appearance that a theater company was looking for, for a short run of T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” which was the Liberty Theatre’s first legitimate use in over six decades. However, it was shuttered as soon as the play closed.

In 1997, plans were announced to convert the Liberty Theatre into a virtual reality arcade. However, this plan fell through. After over a decade laying empty and unused it was demolished in 2000.

A new building housed containing a Hilton Hotel and parking garage has been built on the site of the auditorium, while the frontage on W. 42nd Street has had many different mixes of resraurants such as the Liberty Diner and an Applebee’s.

Excerpted from “Lost Broadway Theatres” by Nicholas Van Hoogstraten, 1997

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