History

New York City Center, with its unique neo-Moorish facade, was built in 1923 as a meeting hall for the members of the Ancient Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. After it had reverted to City ownership, the building was saved from destruction by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and City Council President Newbold Morris, who created Manhattan's first performing arts center: a 2,750-seat New York home for the best of theater, music, and dance.

On December 11, 1943, City Center officially opened its doors with a special concert by the New York Philharmonic; LaGuardia himself took the baton to conduct the national anthem. New York City Opera and New York City Ballet were both created at City Center. Leopold Stokowski and Leonard Bernstein led the New York City Symphony. Legendary actors gave legendary performances – from Paul Robeson in Othello to Tallulah Bankhead in A Streetcar Named Desire. Jose Ferrer then Maurice Evans served as director of the City Center Drama Company. Jean Dalrymple brought to the City Center stage one after another revival of the hit musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. City Center quickly became a cultural haven for New Yorkers: an affordable – and fun – complement to the Broadway theater, Carnegie Hall, and the Metropolitan Opera House.

In the mid-‘70s, with the opera and ballet moving to Lincoln Center and the building underused, City Center was again slated for demolition. Under the leadership of chairman Howard M. Squadron, the theater was re-dedicated as New York's premier home for dance and was given landmark status. The City Center 55th Street Theater Foundation was formed to manage the complex and ensure its survival as a performing arts center.

Today, New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert® series, and is home to some of the country’s leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Paul Taylor Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York’s leading theater companies. Continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, in 2004 New York City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival. In 2006, New York City Center formed partnerships with both London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works, and with Carnegie Hall to work together on exciting new programming initiatives between the two neighboring institutions. In 2007, the Encores! Summer Stars series was introduced with Gypsy, starring Patti LuPone, which transferred to Broadway and garnered three Tony Awards for its lead actors.