Theater Center (New York City, New York)

 theatre, pharmacy, 1880_construction

4-story commercial building originally completed in 1880. The Snapple Theater Center opened in the building in 2006 as a multi-theater entertainment complex. It was formerly sponsored by the beverage company Snapple, and had a giant bottle suspended from the 3rd-floor corner. It is a 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art entertainment center consisting of two theaters with a total seating capacity of 398, rehearsal studios, contemporary lobbies, WiFi, two bars with cabaret-style seating and two merchandise stands.

The Jerry Orbach Theater, named for the actor from Law & Order and the Broadway stage, currently houses The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical (Orbach was an original cast member). The Anne L. Bernstein Theater houses Perfect Crime, the longest-running play in the history of New York theater. The Snapple Theater Center offers event and rehearsal space in Times Square for corporate meetings, workshops, classes, training sessions, auditions and more.

At the Broadway facade, and the east half of the north facade along 50th Street, the lower two levels house a large storefront, with metal-and-glass display windows at the ground floor (and the entrance to the Orbach Theater at the south end), and black metal panels across the 2nd floor. There is an opening to a subway entrance at the west end of this section. The west half of the ground floor has a large and small storefront (the former with wood-paneled doors and windows), and another theater entrance at the west end. The 2nd floor is clad in beige brick, with large, tripartite windows, covered by signage above the larger storefront.

The entire 2nd floor is surmounted by a projecting band painted yellow on the underside and bright-blue on the edges, with bulb letters spelling out "THEATER CENTER" in multiple locations. Above this band, the 3rd floor is covered by a glittery, silver-and-gold metal installation, overlaid in some places by yellow metal cloud and wave shapes, with a large sunburst at the corner, all featuring neon tubing. Round mounting points remain that once held giant Snapple bottle caps. The top floor is clad in beige brick, with eight bays of paired windows along 50th Street, and three such bays facing Broadway. A billboard is mounted over the top floor at the east end of the north facade, with another at the north end of the roof.

The ground floor is occupied by a Duane-Reade pharmacy.

www.snappletheater.com/