The Marquis Theatre, Marriott Marquis Hotel, and the lost theaters

At one time, five theaters built in the early 1900s lived between here and 45th Street. In 1982, in spite of fierce protesting from the Broadway community and New Yorkers at large, the wrecking ball took down all five theatres to make room for The Marriott Marquis Hotel. In fact, as the last protestors were taken away, the wrecking ball made the first hole in the Morosco Theater. In order for the Marriott to get their building permits, they had to include one Broadway theatre in the new building. So in 1986, The Marquis opened with a production of Me and My Girl. The new theatre is modern and large and tucked away on the second floor of the hotel and you wouldn’t even know it was there except for the sign on the Broadway side of the hotel. It was a devastating blow to theatre lovers. For the people within the community, these theatres are our churches. When you walk through a stage door, you are aware of all of the great performers, directors, choreographers, playwrights, designers etc. that have come before you. When you stand on one of the stages in these beautiful theatres, you are lifted by the artists who came before you. With the destruction of these theatres came the knowledge that efforts must be made to preserve the rest of the theatres within the district. That same year, 1982, The New Amsterdam Theatre (which we saw on 42nd St) was designated a landmark building, which saved it from demolition. Within five years, 25 stages had been landmarked, effectively halting further destruction of the Theatre District and zoning regulations were rewritten to ensure that any renovations or new projects were supportive of Times Square theatrical heritage.