Richard Rogers Theatre (New York City, New York)

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7-story Neo-Classical theater completed in 1925. Designed by Herbert J. Krapp for Irwin Chanin, it was originally called Chanin's 46th Street Theatre. Chanin almost immediately leased it to the Shuberts, who bought the building outright in 1931 and renamed it the 46th Street Theatre. In 1945, the theater was taken over by Robert W. Dowling. In 1960, it was purchased by the producer Lester Osterman, who sold it to producers Stephen R. Friedman and Irwin Meyer in 1978. In 1981, it was purchased and renovated by the Nederlander Organization, who in 1990 changed the house's name to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in memory of the composer. The 1,319-seat theater currently holds the distinction of having housed the greatest number (11) of Tony Award-winning Best Plays and Best Musicals, more than any other theater on Broadway. The record-breaking musical Hamilton opened at the theater on August 6, 2015.

The facade of the theater is faced in glazed white brick and terra-cotta above a terrazo water table. The rusticated ground floor is punctuated by five openings with shallow reveals containing: a stage door above terrazo steps at the west, pairs of metal doors leading from the auditorium above terrazo steps, three pairs of cast aluminum and glass doors leading into the box office lobby, and paired metal doors leading to a service alley. Wood display boxes flank the auditorium doors. The base terminates in a simple cornice. A modern, metal marquee with signs on the ends extends out above the three center openings; the marquee is made up of three large, curved sections.

The facade is dominated by a triple 2-story arcade. The arches with console bracket keystones are flanked by Corinthian pilaster with capitals containing swans all executed in terra-cotta. This trabeated arcade in turn is flanked by brick paneled wall sections framed by identical Corinthian pilasters. These brick wall panels are adorned by terra-cotta swags and terra-cotta panels with theatrical masks.

An electrical sign with the name of the theater extends from the eastern wall section. A wrought-iron railing extends along the base of the arcade; the design complements the design of the railing on the fire stair which is set within the arcade. The brick wall behind the arcade is enhanced by decorative terra-cotta panels with lyres, bellflowers, and swags. The facade is terminated by a full entablature with a frieze of panels alternating with rinceaux and shields, and a terra-cotta modillioned cornice. This supports a terra-cotta urn-adorned parapet of three blind lattice motif bays flanked on the extremes by bays containing Roman shields and foliation in low
relief. A secondary brick parapet with a terra-cotta coping rises behind.

The 7-story stagehouse is at the west of the main theater facade. Faced with wire-cut buff brick above a terrazo water table, the upper stories are flanked by brick pilasters. These floors have four window openings per floor. At the ground floor terrazo steps provide access to a stage door and large doors for stage property access and removal. The elevation is terminated by a modillioned sheet-metal roof cornice with Adamesque detail.