Grand Theatre (Manhattan)

The Grand Theatre was a theatre in the Yiddish Theatre District in Manhattan in New York City built for Yiddish productions, the first of its kind.[2] The theater was built in 1904 by Jacob Pavlovitch Adler, a famous Russian-born Jewish actor.[3]

Grand Theatre
Adler's Grand Theatre
New Grand Theatre
The Grand Theatre, some time before 1906
Address255 Grand Street, at Chrystie Street
New York City
Construction
OpenedFebruary 5, 1903
Closed1930
ArchitectVictor Hugo Koehler[1]

Background

On March 12, 1902, Sophia Karp, with Jacob Fischel and playwright Joseph Lateiner, founded the Grand Theatre in New York City. The city's first theatre built specifically for Yiddish productions,[4] the Grand was typical of Yiddish theatres of the time by being largely artist-managed. Besides Karp and Lateiner, the directors included leading man Morris Finkel, comedian Bernard Bernstein, L. S. Gottlieb, and composer Louis Friedsell.[5] It opened on February 5, 1903.[6][7]

Two events in 1904 symbolized the decline of the serious stage. Jacob Gordin failed as the director of his own theater and Jacob Adler, the leading exponent of Gordin's dramas, opened the Grand Theater – the first structure built specifically for the Yiddish stage. In 1912 T[h]omashefsky's new National Theater on Houston Street even surpassed the Grand in the magnificence of its appointments. The National compared favorably with Broadway palaces and offered similar enjoyments subject to the same commercial will-o'-the-wisp.[4]

Italian performances also were done at the theatre.[8]

The theatre was demolished in 1930 to make way for Sara D. Roosevelt Park.[9]

See also

References
  1. Tom Miller (June 1, 2015). "The Lost Grand Street Theatre – Grand and Chrystie Streets". Daytonian in Manhattan. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  2. Rosenfeld, Lulla Adler. The Yiddish theatre and Jacob P. Adler, p. 299 (1988)
  3. "Grand Theatre - New York City". www.nycago.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  4. Moses Rischin, The promised city: New York's Jews, 1870–1914
  5. "Actors Own New Theatre" (PDF). The New York Times. February 8, 1903.
  6. "A New Jewish Theatre" (PDF). The New York Times. February 1, 1903.
  7. "Grand Theatre Opened" (PDF). The New York Times. February 6, 1903.
  8. Aleandri, Emelise. The Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City, p. 45 (1999)
  9. "The Lost Grand Street Theatre -- Grand and Chrystie Streets". June 1, 2015.

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