John Golden Theatre
The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a Spanish style and was built for real-estate developer Irwin S. Chanin. It has 800 seats across two levels and is operated by the Shubert Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.
The facade is designed in a Spanish style with golden brick, terracotta, and stone. The ground floor, which contains the theater's entrance, is clad in rusticated blocks of terracotta above a granite water table. Above are a set of three double-height arches, as well as two terracotta plaques. The facade is topped by a loggia. The auditorium contains Spanish-style detailing, a large balcony, and a rib-arched ceiling. Due to the theater's small size, it lacks box seats. The balcony, proscenium arch, and exit arches are ornately decorated, with geometric panels and twisting colonettes.
The Masque, Majestic, and Royale theaters, along with the Lincoln Hotel, were all developed by Chanin and designed by Krapp as part of a theater/hotel complex. The Masque opened on February 24, 1927, and was the second of the three theaters to open. The Shubert family took over the Masque in 1930 but subsequently went into receivership, and producer John Golden leased the theater in 1936. Golden renamed the theater after himself in 1937, and the Shuberts regained full control in 1945. The Golden has mostly remained in legitimate use since then, except from 1946 to 1948, when it was used as a cinema. Over the years, the Golden has largely been used for productions with small casts, as well as revues.
Site
The John Golden Theatre is on 252 West 45th Street, on the south sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, near Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The rectangular land lot covers, with a frontage of on 44th Street and a depth of. The Golden Theatre shares the city block with the Row NYC Hotel to the west. It adjoins six other theaters: the Bernard B. Jacobs, Gerald Schoenfeld, and Booth to the east; the Broadhurst and Shubert to the southeast; and the Majestic to the south. Other nearby structures include the Music Box Theatre and Imperial Theatre to the north; the New York Marriott Marquis to the northeast; One Astor Plaza to the east; and Sardi's restaurant, the Hayes Theater, and the St. James Theatre one block south.The Golden is part of the largest concentration of Broadway theaters on a single block. The adjoining block of 45th Street is also known as George Abbott Way, and foot traffic on the street increases box-office totals for the theaters there. The Majestic, Masque, and Royale theaters and the Lincoln Hotel had all been developed concurrently. The site of all four buildings had previously occupied by twenty brownstone residences. The site was part of the Astor family estate from 1803 to 1922, when it was sold to Henry Claman. The plots collectively measured wide along Eighth Avenue, along 44th Street, and along 45th Street.
Design
The Golden Theatre, originally the Theatre Masque, was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Spanish style and was constructed from 1926 to 1927 for the Chanin brothers. The theater is named after producer John Golden. It was part of an entertainment complex along with the Lincoln Hotel and the Majestic and Royale theaters, which were also designed by Krapp in a Spanish style. The Masque was designed to be the smallest theater in that complex, with about 800 seats. The Chanin Realty and Construction Company constructed all four structures. The Golden is operated by the Shubert Organization.Facade
The Golden Theatre's facade is symmetrically arranged. The ground floor is clad in rusticated blocks of terracotta above a granite water table. At ground level, the auditorium entrance includes four pairs of glass and aluminum doors. There is a modern bronze-framed sign board to the left, or east, of the doors. In addition, there are two display boxes on either side of the doors, with volutes on one of the boxes and stylized lions on the other box on either side. A plaque memorializing the theater's namesake is placed beside the doors. The entrance is topped by a marquee. A terracotta cornice and a band course run above the ground floor. The stage door is to the right, or east, of the main facade and is shared with the Majestic and Bernard B. Jacobs theaters.The upper stories contain gold-colored, bonded Roman brick. The brick facade was designed to relate to the adjacent theaters and hotel. The center of the facade has a set of three arches spanning the second and third stories. The arches have molded Della Robbia foliate decoration, placed on terracotta piers that contain Corinthian-style capitals. On the second story, there are metal-framed casement windows with multiple panes, above which is a horizontal rope molding. The arches do not have windows on the third story. A similar, wider arcade exists on the neighboring Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
A sign with the theater's name is placed in front of the center arch. Toward the top of the facade, there are terracotta medallions depicting fictional beasts and foliate decorations. The parapet of the facade contains a terracotta balustrade. Above the center portion of the facade is a loggia, which in turn is placed on a balustrade and console brackets. The loggia has six single columns with decorative capitals, which support a cornice with modillions, as well as a Spanish-tile hip roof. The Golden's loggia complements a similar one on the stage-house wing of the Bernard B. Jacobs.
Auditorium
The Theatre Masque's original color scheme was red and blue, accented with gray, while the seat coverings were colored burnt orange. The interior is laid out in a similar Spanish style to the exterior. The layout was part of an effort by Irwin Chanin, one of the developers, to "democratize" the seating arrangement of the theater. The Golden was designed with a single balcony rather than the typical two, since Chanin had perceived the second balcony to be distant. The Chanin brothers wanted the three theaters' interior designs to be distinct while still adhering to a Spanish motif. Following a 2013 renovation, the theater has had an orange/red and blue/green color scheme, resembling the original.The auditorium has an orchestra level, one balcony, and a stage behind the proscenium arch. The auditorium's width is greater than its depth, and the space is designed with plaster decorations in high relief. According to the Shubert Organization, the auditorium has 802 seats; meanwhile, Playbill cites 787 seats and The Broadway League cites 805 seats. The physical seats are divided into 465 seats in the orchestra, 110 at the front of the balcony, and 227 at the rear of the balcony. The Golden does not have boxes. There are restrooms and drinking fountains below the orchestra. An article from 1927 noted that the theater had 800 seats, which were slightly wider than seats in typical Broadway theaters of the time.
Seating areas
The rear of the orchestra contains doors from the ticket lobby, which leads to a promenade behind a modern wall. There are decorative exit signs above the doorways, which are at the center of the rear wall. The orchestra floor is raked, and the eastern wall is curved inward due to the presence of the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre next door. The orchestra and its promenade contain walls with rough stucco blocks, and there are lighting sconces mounted onto the walls. Two staircases lead between the orchestra and the balcony. The orchestra level is wheelchair-accessible, but there are no elevators to the balcony. On either side of the front section of the orchestra, there are pointed arches with two pairs of doors. The doors are flanked by twisting columns and contain decorative exit-sign frames above them. There are also shields on the walls, high above the arches. The doorways originally had red velour curtains, which were restored during a 2013 renovation.The balcony level is divided into front and rear sections by an aisle halfway across its depth, where ornate metal railings surround the staircases. The front section curves forward toward the walls and contains decorative metal balustrades. As at the orchestra level, the walls contain lighting sconces. The walls consist of paneled stucco blocks with low relief Moorish designs. There are arched doorways with exit doors at the front of the balcony. Above the wall is a geometric frieze, which forms the wall's cornice. Geometric-patterned panels are placed along the front and underside of the balcony. Lights have been installed in front of the balcony.