NYC’s Ziegfeld Theatre Will Close

CT Ken Roe Ziegfeld Marquee

Steve Cuozzo reports in the New York post “It’s fade to black for Midtown’s iconic movie palace the Ziegfeld movie theater — but the iconic venue at 141 W. 54th St. will be reborn as a spectacular high-end event space, The Post has learned.

The new Ziegfeld Ballroom will be a mecca for society galas and corporate events, to open in fall 2017 after a two-year renovation of the space.

The ballroom is to be run by most of the partners who operate Gotham Hall, the event venue inside a landmarked former bank at Broadway and West 36th Street.

Plans call for a 10,000-square-foot column-free ballroom, as well as mezzanine meeting rooms and advanced electronic facilities.

CT Ken Roe ZiegfeldThe Ziegfeld, opened in 1969, is Manhattan’s last remaining large single-screen showplace used exclusively for movies with 1,300 seats (there is only one remaining single-screen movie venue in the borough, the 571-seat Paris). Although the Ziegfeld is revered by cinema buffs, it has in recent years lost over $1 million annually.

World renowned for the quality of its sound and projection — and for an ornate design that evoked the long-gone ’20s movie palaces that once lined Broadway and Seventh Avenue — the Ziegfeld was for decades one of the country’s best-known movie venues.”

Read the NY Post article here.

ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.

Learn more about historic theatres in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archives and on our website at historictheatres.org

Images by Ken Roe courtesy of Cinema Treasures.