Photo © Museum of the City of New York

Apollo Theater

Formerly, Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater

Description

The Apollo Theater is a historical concert venue. It is a noted venue for African-American performers, and is the home of Showtime at the Apollo, a nationally syndicated television variety show which showcased new talent, from 1987 to 2008, encompassing 1,093 episodes; the show was rebooted in 2018.

Constructed, 1914

The theater, which has a capacity of 1,506, opened in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater, and was designed by George Keister in the neo-Classical style, a whites-only venue.

The song "I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)" by Harry Sullivan and Harry Ruskin, written in 1929, became the theme song of the theater.

Purchased, Jan 26, 1934

It was purchased by Sidney Cohen. Renovated and renamed to the Apollo Theater in 1934, when it was opened to black patrons of Harlem. It is estimated that 1.3 million people visit the Apollo every year.

Designations

New York City Landmark in June 28, 1983

National Register of Historic Places in Nov 17, 1983

Factoids

Feb 14, 1934 - The first major star to appear at the Apollo was jazz singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall in Clarence Robinson's production Chocolate Soldiers, which featured Sam Wooding's Orchestra. The show ran for a limited engagement and was highly praised by the press, which helped establish the Apollo's reputation.

Related Playlist

Apollo Theater Compilation

Map View

Apollo Theater

253 W. 125th St

#Architecture

#Performance Space