Apollo Theater | 253 W. 125th St.

To start the walk by subway, take the A/B/C/D to 125th Street Station and walk east on W. 125th St. to the Apollo Theater (253 W. 125th Street), the first stop.

By R. Ertug Altinay

This neoclassical theater was built in 1913-14. The Apollo first opened in 1914 as “Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theater.” Like many theaters at the time, the venue upheld a strict whites-only policy both on stage and in the audience. In 1933, Hurtig and Seamon’s closed down during a campaign against burlesque.

When the building reopened as “the 125th Street Apollo Theatre” in 1934, the format of the shows shifted from burlesque to variety revues, which African Americans were allowed to attend. The Apollo soon became one of the largest employers of Black performers and the pinnacle of venues on the “Chitlin' Circuit,” where it was safe and acceptable for African Americans to perform during the age of racial segregation.

While the venue concentrated on African American acts, white artists such as Anita O’Day have also performed here. In 1957, the Apollo’s promoters booked a young Buddy Holly and his band, the Crickets, thinking they were Black. Comedians who performed in blackface were also booked at the Apollo until the 1940s, which disturbed many Black patrons.

The Apollo is known by the slogan, “Where Stars are Born and Legends are Made.” Dionne Warwick once said: “To play the Apollo is the true proving ground. It was, and it still is, the true test of an artist.” Other “Apollo legends” who started their careers here include Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, the Jackson 5, and Lauryn Hill.

In 1983, both the interior and exterior of the Apollo were designated New York City landmarks, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1991, the State of New York purchased the venue. Today, the Apollo Theater draws an estimated 1.3 million visitors annually.

Click here to watch Jamaican-Chinese-American slam poet Staceyann Chin performing "Homophobia" at the Apollo.