Lyric Theatre (New York City, New York)

4-story theater completed in 1998 on the site of the Apollo and Lyric Theaters. The original Lyric was built in 1903 and hosted such notable shows as Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen until it was converted to a movie theater in 1934. The Apollo, constructed in 1920, housed the Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band and George White's Scandals, among other works, but was also turned into a film venue by the early 1930s. A brief return to use as a legitimate theater in the late 1970s proved unsuccessful, and the venue ended its existence as the Academy nightclub.

By the early 1990s, after being neglected and falling into serious disrepair, both theaters were condemned. They were among the 42nd Street theaters repossessed by the City and State of New York in 1990, and fell under the protection of the New 42nd Street organization in 1992. In 1996, the theaters were leased by Livent and demolished. However, certain major architectural elements and structures were protected under landmark status; these were carefully removed from the buildings, stored, and incorporated into the new theater. Today, patrons visiting the Foxwoods sit under the dome from the Lyric and proscenium arch from the Apollo, and pass through the ornate Lyric facades on 43rd and 42nd Streets.

The new theater opened as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on January 26, 1998 with a musical version of E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime. In 2005, the venue was completely renovated and renamed the Hilton for the US premiere of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was again renamed the Foxwoods in 2010 prior to the planned opening of Julie Taymor's musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and returned to the name of the Lyric in 2014. The venue has a seating capacity of 1,930 making it the second largest Broadway house (the Gershwin Theatre is just slightly larger).

The main 43rd Street facade on the original Lyric is restored on the east end of the new theater. A narrow wing extends to 42nd Street, where the smaller south facade is similarly restored. The ground floor of this narrow facade has a pair of wooden double-doors framed by grey stone piers with brass poster boxes. A gold-colored marquee extends out over the sidewalk, lined at the top and bottom with light bulbs and having lettering spelling out "LYRIC THEATRE" on all three sides. Above the marquee are two angled sign boards (each with a smaller sign atop a larger one) outlined in gold-colored frames lined with bulbs. At the top of the midpoint where the signs meet, a gold lyre lined with bulbs crowns the ensemble. The upper part of the facade is somewhat obscured behind the signs, with a large, central round-arch and various elaborate carvings on each side, including faces and angels. At the top there is a bracketed stone roof cornice with a large egg-and-dart molding, surmounted by patina copper cresting with a wreath projecting up at the center. Set back on the roof is an ornamental, lit, vertical sign spelling out "LYRIC THEATRE" sideways from bottom to top, with an oval in the middle bearing a lyre, and another lyre crowning the decorative top of the sign; it is supported by metal framework behind it.

The restored north facade on 43rd Street that was originally the Lyric Theatre was designed by Victor Hugo Koehler. The ground floor is clad in limestone and banded white brick above a grey granite water table. At the center there are three round-arched entrances, each with double wood-and-glass doors. Projecting round-arches of metal and glass, lit with bulbs and topped by gilded cresting extend out over the doors. Flanking these three bays are two slightly narrower double doors, topped by round-arches; the western one has a carved panel reading "DRAMA" and the eastern one reads "MUSIC". The end bays have small, square windows above horizontal poster boards. Above each of three main arches are helmeted mythological figures flanked by acanthus leaves, framed by four large console brackets. The tops of the brackets, which interrupt the ornamental cornice topping the ground floor, have faces with curved horns, and support a shallow, balustraded stone balcony at the 2nd floor's three middle bays. The three balustrades are separated by bases with carved acanthus leaf panels for the round Corinthian columns above; the columns have elaborately carved bottom sections and are fluted at the middles and tops. Between them are tall, recessed windows framed in stone, topped by round-arches with round niches filled by busts of notable figures in drama. The tops of the arches have flat keystones, and both the architraves and spaces around the niches are filled by elaborate carvings. Above the capitals of the columns, pedestals divide stone panels bearing the words "THE", "LYRIC" and "THEATRE", and support a cornice with egg-and-dart moldings. To the outside of the outer columns, the end bays are clad in banded brick - mostly red, but with two narrow framing strips of white at the ends. These bays also have a recessed window similar to those in the middle, with a balustrade at the base, but they are framed by flat, intricately carved pilasters instead of fluted Corinthian columns, and don't have arches at the top. Instead, there are cornices topped by small round windows surrounded by carved wreaths and further framed by acanthus leaves. The wreaths are topped by small carved heads.

In the middle section, the 3rd floor has three slightly-larger round windows situated above the cornice, each surrounded by very elaborate carvings set within square panels. The round windows are topped by roaring lions' heads. The panels are separated by intricately designed pillars topped with small globes. The entire facade is capped above the 3rd floor by a stone cornice with brackets alternating with rosettes. At the top floor, this cornice is topped by a wrought-iron railing, behind which is an arcade of 14 recessed bays divided by small, fluted, Corinthian columns. Most of the bays have square-headed windows, but the two end bays and the two four bays from each end are fronted by wide stone pillars with large cartouches. The facade is crowned by a projecting, black metal roof cornice.

The wider western part of the facade on 43rd Street is clad mostly in red brick, with some limestone detailing, and is much plainer. The ground floor, with a grey granite water table at the base, is capped by a limestone band, and has a metal service door at the east end; to the right are seven bays of gold-framed poster boxes. Above, on the piers flanking each bay, are modern styled Art-Deco brass light fixtures. There are multiple service doors at the west end, and more light fixtures. Above the ground floor, at the eastern eight bays, the piers are defined by recessed grooves; the far west end is faced in plain concrete. Another stone band caps the middle section of the facade; the top floors at the east end has concrete panels in the bays, with a narrower stone band marking the roof line. The west end is taller, and faced in plain concrete.
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Coordinates:  40°45'24"N 73°59'15"W
This article was last modified 7 years ago