Lost Broadway/New York theatre related landmarks

At the corner of 50 th & Broadway was the Roxy theater & the Hotel Taft

The theater was torn down in 1960 . What was the main entrance is now a food court. The theater area is an office building on 50 th street. The Hotel Taft is now 1/2 a hotel & half condos

The Paramount Theater in Times Square was gutted and transformed into office space in the late 60's

The Metropolitan Opera was demolished around the time the New Met opened in Lincoln Center . There is an office building where it once stood and on the ground floor of, I believe a bank, is a little sign commemorating it.

So much for progress

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I doubt it. Be more specific. Across the street going toward Times Square.

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Updated On: 4/8/14 at 06:36 PM

Ted Hook's, Backstage. I was first a busboy then a waiter there, and the memories I cherish to this very day.

BobbyBubbi asked where the Broadway performers hung out... well, there were several places, but one of the most popular was Backstage. Before the theater it was all tourists and tours. They'd come in, be quickly seated and served as their menu was price fixed - and the food wasn't what Backstage was most famous for.

After the theater was another story. Steve Ross would be at the piano and slowly as the night wore on, the stars from many of the shows would work their way over to the restaurant where they'd hold court until closing.

Each "star" had their name on their own table lamp in the shape of a backstage circular staircase. If they weren't already out on a table, they were stored in the front in the coat closet. There was also a machine that made the name tags for those new "names" who'd come knowing that they'd be given the "star" treatment.

I met, served and even befriend, more celebrities than I could list here, and with those meetings there are stories that are truly gems, like the night celebrating Nell Carter's Tony win for, Ain't Misbehaving, where she sang a song from her upcoming new musical, Dreamgirls. Yup, she sang an early version of, I'm Telling You I'm Not Going. Of course, scheduling delays and TV would change fate and Nell Carter would end up on Give Me a Break and Jennifer Holiday would become a star.

Another favorite memory was serving Lucille Ball who had come to see her daughter in, They're Playing Our Song. She was there with her daughter, and husband. I remember her taking out a cigarette and as a good waiter and gentleman, I ran to light it for her. I believe, terrified that I'd light her overly bleached hair on fire, she threw a tantrum and no apologies on my part could calm her. I was moved to a different table in the back and was lucky that I wasn't fired on the spot. Ms. Ball would have preferred that. I was crushed, because I grew up on, I Love Lucy, and was so disappointed to discover one of my idols such a b!tch.

The stories are endless. I was truly blessed to have had those experiences.

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Updated On: 4/6/14 at 09:57 PM

"I met, severed and even befriend, more celebrities than I could list here"

ARTc3, I'm more interested in hearing about the celebrities you severed.

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I love this!!!!! More! More!

I loved the little lampshades at Ted Hook's with the names of Broadway performers.

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Ah yes the Howard Johnson's! It was run down and extremely retro in the early to late 70's. I would "Splurge" and go there after a show during my college years! If not there then the Chockful o' Nuts coffee shop which was that era's Starbucks.

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To Art

No idea the Latin Quarter played those shows. Thought it only did revue type of shows.

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Very interesting. Did not know that.

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Across the street on 50 th from where the Roxy once stood was the Earl Carroll theater where his shows came from. Later on, it housed a giant Woolworth's . When Woolworth's was there, the upper part of the theater was still there above a drop ceiling . It was discovered when the building was being torn down for the office building that stands there now.

Lost Broadway/Movie theaters in Times Square area:

Roxy
Paramount
Loew's State
Loew's Capitol
Paramount
Mark Strand
Rivoli
Earl Carroll

All the picture palaces in Times Square are gone with the exception of the old Mark Hellinger which started out life as Warner's Hollywood theater.

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^ Yeah, but the food wasn't great. Basically, traditional Italian fare prepared competently, but without any pizzaz.

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The old Mayfair theater on 47 th Street currently in it's death throes.

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