With a cornice of frowning faces, a tapestry of alternating terra cotta panels, and a 10 feet by 80 feet mural, the First Helen Hayes Theatre was truly fabulous. It was torn down in 1982 to make way for the Marriot Marquis, but remnants of it may still have a chance to live on: the Landmarks Preservation Commission put parts of it on auction Tuesday.
Bits of an Old Theatre Slip Through a Salvager’s Grasp
Evan Blum helped to salvage the Helen Hayes Theatre before its demolition in 1982. Thirty years later, he got a chance to win back some of the theatre’s remains. Read more about this story here. |
|
Where Theatre Once Stood, a Hotel Looms
The Marriot Marquis in Times Square is known to many as one of the largest hotels in Manhattan, but to theatre-lovers it is known as the former site of the Helen Hayes Theatre. We revisit what made the theatre special — so special, in fact, that it inspired protests when developers announced it was going to be torn down. Read more about this story here. |
|
The Gold Angel of the Helen Hayes Theater
At 255 West 43rd Street, two cupids and one angel coated in gold paint live in the lobby of the Common Ground Community’s residence, The Times Square. Saved from the façade of the original Helen Hayes Theatre, the figures keep a protective watch over the residents, according to 10-year tenant Jim Davis. Read more about this story here. |