Restored Hudson Theatre...

[magruder]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 12:22pm

Interesting article in the New York Times today. The Hudson Theatre, which is attached to the Millenium Hotel on 44th Street, recently underwent a restoration, where they discovered tons of precious Tiffany tile work throughout the proscenium, mezzanine and balcony. The theatre, built in 1903, was a Broadway theatre for a long time, although it hasn't been used for legit purposes in many years. It's used today for seminars, trade shows and cable TV tapings, but wouldn't it be lovely for it to return to the legit fold someday?


Hudson Theatre - NY Times

Updated On: 7/2/05 at 12:22 PM

[Mamie]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 2:10pm

Isn't that beautiful? I saw that article this morning and wondered if the general public would ever get a chance to see this.

Updated On: 7/2/05 at 02:10 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 2:28pm

Nothing pisses me off more than lazy people who just paint over things. How could ANYONE paint over those tiles?! I've spent most of my time here at home stipping layers of paint off of beautiful woodwork and original hardware (over 100 years old).

Stop it with the paint, people!

Posted: 7/2/05 at 6:14pm

The Hudson Theatre is a jewel that was almost victim to the wrecking ball. This was long before the mosaics were discovered. Fortunately, the theatre was designated a landmark. I saw it before it was subsumed by the Millenium, and it was a beautiful even after years of neglect and even painted over.

This is a terrific discovery, for sure.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 6:39pm

"Nothing pisses me off more than lazy people who just paint over things. How could ANYONE paint over those tiles?! I've spent most of my time here at home stipping layers of paint off of beautiful woodwork and original hardware (over 100 years old).

Stop it with the paint, people!"

AMEN!!!

I'll bet you ANYTHING that the white-painted auditorium interior of ENCORES! home City Center masks a similarly lush riot of polychrome decoration. There is no way that the exterior and lobby, with its rich Isnik-tile designs, would not have been continued inside.

Updated On: 7/2/05 at 06:39 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 6:43pm

Painting things over was done to cut the cost of cleaning many old theaters had mirrors painted over because painting over them once was easier than cleaning mirrors many times. The Hudson was, for a time, used as a TV studio where Steve Allen aired from. It would be great indeed if this gem were returned to live performances

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 7:37pm

Roxy, thats what happened in our building outer's lobby. It was painted dull yellow for years till an accidental scrape revelaled that the lobby was lined in pink marble. Thank goodness our board (in a rare moment of sanity and good taste), decided to clean off all the old paint.