The Vanderbilt Theatre was a New York CityBroadway theatre, designed by architect Eugene De Rosa for producer Lyle Andrews. It opened in 1918,[1] located at 148 West 48th Street. The theatre was demolished in 1954.
History
The 780-seat theatre hosted the long-running musical Irene from 1919 to 1921. In the mid-1920s, several Rodgers and Hart musicals played at the theatre. Andrews lost the theatre during the Great Depression, and in 1931 it was briefly renamed the Tobis to show German films. The experiment was a failure, and the theatre returned to legitimate use. No new shows played at the theatre from 1939 until 1953, as it was used as a radio studio, first by NBC, then by ABC, until 1952. Irving Maidman purchased the theatre and began to produce new shows in 1953, but the theatre was demolished after only a year, being replaced by a 6-story parking garage.[1][2]
