Posted: 11/1/17 at 10:14am
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2017/11/01/record-breaking-deal-clears-way-for-cort-theatre-expansion/
That's got to be the biggest Broadway air rights deal to date.
Posted: 11/1/17 at 10:42am
Interesting...I think the improvements could be great! Would love to see the plans and designs. I think that the Shuberts are looking to take this smaller theatre and make it more welcoming to larger shows.
Posted: 11/1/17 at 10:49am
Posted: 11/1/17 at 11:12am
Posted: 11/1/17 at 11:47am
Very good news for that theatre. It makes sense to try to expand its capabilities so it can house more complex productions. The Shubert Organization has done such careful restorations with even their less popular theatres that houses like the Belasco and the Longacre, which would sit empty for months or even years at a time, are now seldom empty.
The Cort is also one of the few theatres where a digital marquee may actually be a good thing, since that theatre is currently so invisible from Seventh Avenue. I'd love if the current ugly boxy marquee would be replaced with a facsimile of the original. Look how much more graceful the facade looked originally:
Posted: 11/1/17 at 12:38pm
Thank God they're adding bathrooms. I couldn't believe how few there were when I saw Indecent .
Posted: 11/2/17 at 9:05am
I actually like the Cort's current marquee, but the old photo that Smaxie posted is really cool! It's nice to see so many Broadway houses getting a freshening-up for the next generation of theatergoers!
Posted: 11/2/17 at 10:28am
The original curved glass marquee really complements the facade. It works with those half circle figures above the door, and allows you to see the doric columns. Those boxy 1960s era marquees have their charms as well, but this one really does ruin the look of the facade. It's just too heavy.
Found another view, this one from 1937 when Room Service was playing at the Cort. 
Posted: 11/2/17 at 10:42am
I love the old photos! Thank you for posting. The curved marquee looks great. I hope something similar can be built.
SomethingPeculiar said: "Wonder how the new construction above the theatre will affect the shows in there? Or if that will happen simultaneously with the new “annex.” Regardless, this is good news!"
Air rights are frequently transferred to nearby sites. I think it is unlikely that the Landmarks Preservation Commission would approve a tower right on top of the Cort. According to the article below, Broadway air rights can be transferred to any site within the theater district.
From a New York Times article:
Protected by landmark designation, the theaters were constrained from making full use of their rights to build on their lots. City officials decided to allow them to sell their air rights not only to owners of neighboring properties, but to any site within the theater district, on the West Side of Manhattan from 40th to 57th Street.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/nyregion/theater-owners-surefire-hit-is-the-sale-of-their-air-rights.html
Updated On: 11/2/17 at 10:42 AM
Posted: 11/28/17 at 9:10am
Some renderings:
https://newyorkyimby.com/2017/11/renderings-revealed-for-cort-theater-expansion-at-138-west-48th-street-times-square.html
Updated On: 11/29/17 at 09:10 AM
Posted: 11/29/17 at 6:24am
