Center Theatre
A 3,500-seat Art Deco theatre formerly located in Rockefeller Center in New York City, remembered especially for its live musical ice-skating spectacles.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Center Theatre was a large entertainment venue at 1230 Sixth Avenue in Rockefeller Center, New York City. Conceived as a smaller companion to the 6,000-seat Radio City Music Hall, it opened on December 29, 1932, as the RKO Roxy Theatre. The venue was designed to operate as a movie palace with a live stage component, but its commercial identity changed repeatedly during its short existence. The theater was renamed the RKO Center after a successful 1933 lawsuit by the owners of the earlier Roxy Theatre on Seventh Avenue, who claimed rights to the Roxy name. It subsequently became known simply as the Center Theatre. The building was designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone, with interior decoration by Eugene Schoen. Its Art Deco treatment was more restrained than the lavish interiors of Radio City Music Hall, using curved mahogany-paneled walls, a large metal chandelier, three shallow mezzanines, and a ceiling decorated with circular mythological reliefs. The stage and orchestra pit incorporated mechanical lifts, and the auditorium contained a 34-rank Wurlitzer organ associated with performers including Betty Gould and Raymond Bohr. The theater seated approximately 3,500 people. Center Theatre struggled to establish a durable position as a cinema. Radio City Music Hall quickly became the dominant film and spectacle venue within Rockefeller Center, leaving the smaller theater without a clear competitive role. In 1934, Center Theatre shifted toward Broadway plays and musicals, presenting productions including The Great Waltz, but its large capacity made sustained theatrical profitability difficult. It also hosted the 1939 world premiere of Eugene Zador's opera Christopher Columbus. Walt Disney's Pinocchio, released in 1940, was the last feature film shown at the venue. The theater found its most distinctive and commercially successful format after Rockefeller Center sought a new use inspired by the popularity of figure-skating champion Sonja Henie. Under the direction of G. S. Eyssell and Chicago producer Arthur M. Wirtz, the venue was rebuilt as a permanent ice theater. A 100-foot-wide ice stage with a skating surface of approximately 7,000 square feet was installed, supported by roughly 28,000 feet of refrigeration pipe and specialized ice-making equipment. The conversion enabled the presentation of large-scale musical skating productions rather than conventional stage shows. The ice-theater era began on October 10, 1940, with Sonja Henie's It Happens on Ice. The production attracted more than 1.5 million visitors during its run and established Center Theatre as a prominent venue for skating spectacles. Subsequent productions included Stars on Ice, Hats Off to Ice, Icetime, and Howdy Mr. Ice, many associated with Henie and Wirtz. From 1944 through 1949, the venue also hosted the spring season of the San Carlo Opera Company. Despite its successful ice-show period, Center Theatre was not consistently profitable for Rockefeller Center. In 1951, NBC leased the building for live television production. Early broadcasts from the theater included The Voice of Firestone and Your Show of Shows. The venue's final years were determined by real-estate redevelopment rather than programming. The United States Rubber Company sought to expand its building above the theater, requiring the auditorium to close and be removed. Center Theatre was demolished in 1954 after 21 years of operation and replaced by a 19-story addition to the U.S. Rubber Company Building. Its final production was the New York portion of the 1954 Academy Awards, at which Audrey Hepburn won Best Actress for Roman Holiday. Parts of the theater were salvaged: doors, lamps, and furnishings went to the Cherry Lane Theatre, while the stage lifts and turntables were acquired by Bob Jones University for its Rodeheaver Auditorium.
History
Center Theatre was constructed as part of Rockefeller Center and began construction in November 1931. It was initially named the RKO Roxy Theatre in honor of Samuel L. Rothafel, the theatrical producer known as Roxy, who was engaged to supervise the design and operation of both the new theater and Radio City Music Hall. The venue opened on December 29, 1932, presenting The Animal Kingdom alongside a live stage show. The theater's first identity was unstable. After the original Roxy Theatre on Seventh Avenue successfully challenged the use of the Roxy name in court, the Rockefeller Center venue was renamed the RKO Center in 1933 and later became Center Theatre. Although designed as a substantial movie palace, it was overshadowed by the success of Radio City Music Hall. In 1934, management tried to reposition it for Broadway plays and musicals. The Great Waltz and other productions appeared there, but the building's large seating capacity and uncertain market position prevented the stage format from becoming consistently successful. In 1939, it presented the world premiere of Eugene Zador's opera Christopher Columbus. The last feature film shown at the venue was Walt Disney's Pinocchio in 1940. Rockefeller Center then pursued a more specialized concept based on the popularity of Sonja Henie's figure-skating performances. The theater was rebuilt with a permanent ice stage approximately 100 feet wide. Its refrigeration system used about 28,000 feet of pipe and circulated a freezing solution beneath a skating surface of roughly 7,000 square feet. This infrastructure allowed the building to host theatrical skating productions in a controlled indoor environment. The ice theater opened on October 10, 1940, with Henie's It Happens on Ice. The show drew more than 1.5 million visitors during its run and led to a series of related spectacles, including Stars on Ice, Hats Off to Ice, Icetime, and Howdy Mr. Ice. The productions were associated with Henie and producer Arthur M. Wirtz, with G. S. Eyssell involved in the conversion and management effort. During the same period, the San Carlo Opera Company used Center Theatre for its spring seasons from 1944 to 1949. The venue remained difficult to operate profitably over the long term. In 1951, NBC leased it for live television, making the theater part of the early broadcast infrastructure of New York. Programs transmitted from the building included The Voice of Firestone and Your Show of Shows. The theater's eventual closure resulted from a redevelopment decision. The United States Rubber Company wanted to enlarge its building above the auditorium, and the theater was closed and demolished in 1954. A 19-story addition replaced it. During the demolition, offices above the theater continued to be occupied while the structure was temporarily supported on stilts. The theater's last production was the New York portion of the 1954 Academy Awards. Some furnishings were transferred to the Cherry Lane Theatre, and the stage lifts and turntables were later installed at Bob Jones University's Rodeheaver Auditorium.
- 1954
Final production and demolition
[1]After hosting the New York portion of the Academy Awards, Center Theatre was demolished for an office-building expansion.
- 1951
NBC lease
[1]NBC leased the venue for live television broadcasts.
- 1944
San Carlo Opera seasons begin
[1]The San Carlo Opera Company began using the theater for its spring seasons, continuing through 1949.
- 1940
Launch of the ice-theater format
[1]Following conversion to a permanent ice stage, the venue reopened with Sonja Henie's It Happens on Ice.
- 1939
World premiere of Christopher Columbus
[1]Eugene Zador's opera Christopher Columbus received its world premiere at the theater.
- 1934
Shift toward Broadway productions
[1]The venue converted from primarily film presentation to plays and musicals.
- 1933
Name changed after litigation
[1]A lawsuit over the Roxy name led to the names RKO Center and subsequently Center Theatre.
- 1932
Opening as RKO Roxy Theatre
[1]The venue opened on December 29 with The Animal Kingdom and a live stage show.
- 1931
Construction begins
[1]Construction of the theater began in November as part of Rockefeller Center's development.
Products and positioning
A large Rockefeller Center entertainment venue that evolved from a movie palace into a venue for stage productions, opera, musical ice shows, and live television. Its strongest public identity came from the Sonja Henie-associated ice spectacles presented during the 1940s.
Cinema · 1932
Movie palace programming
The theater opened as a large-format cinema with live stage entertainment and was initially operated by the RKO chain. Film programming was eventually eclipsed by the popularity of Radio City Music Hall, and the venue's last feature film was Pinocchio in 1940.
Live theatre · 1934
Broadway plays and musicals
In 1934, Center Theatre was repositioned for stage productions. It presented The Great Waltz and other theatrical works, but its large scale made it difficult to sustain a successful Broadway business. The format was later displaced by other uses.
Ice entertainment · 1940
Musical ice spectacles
The venue's defining offering was its indoor musical ice-show format, introduced with Sonja Henie's It Happens on Ice. A permanent refrigerated stage supported elaborate skating productions including Stars on Ice, Hats Off to Ice, Icetime, and Howdy Mr. Ice.
Broadcast production · 1951
Live television broadcasts
During its final operating period, the theater was leased by NBC and used as a live television venue. Programs associated with the space included The Voice of Firestone and Your Show of Shows.
Brand decisions
1954
Demolition for office expansionOtherBackground
The United States Rubber Company sought to expand its building above the theater.
Action taken
Center Theatre was closed and demolished, and a 19-story addition was constructed in its place.
Aftermath
The auditorium disappeared from Rockefeller Center, while selected furnishings and stage machinery were transferred to other venues.
1951
Lease to NBCStrategyBackground
Center Theatre had not become a consistently profitable long-term venue for Rockefeller Center.
Action taken
NBC leased the theater as a location for live television broadcasts.
Aftermath
The lease gave the building a final role in early television before redevelopment ended its operation.
1940
Conversion to an ice theaterStrategyBackground
Film and stage programming had not made the large venue consistently successful, while Sonja Henie's skating performances suggested demand for a dedicated musical ice-show format.
Action taken
Rockefeller Center installed a permanent refrigerated ice stage and relaunched the theater with It Happens on Ice.
Aftermath
The conversion produced the theater's strongest period, with the opening production attracting more than 1.5 million visitors during its run.
1933
Abandonment of the Roxy nameOtherBackground
The owners of the original Roxy Theatre on Seventh Avenue challenged the new Rockefeller Center venue's use of the Roxy name.
Action taken
The venue was renamed the RKO Center and later operated as Center Theatre.
Aftermath
The name dispute ended the theater's initial RKO Roxy identity.
Recent events
- 1954
Center Theatre hosts the New York portion of the Academy Awards[1]
Other
The theater's final production was the New York segment of the 1954 Academy Awards, shortly before demolition.
- 1954
Center Theatre is demolished for office expansion[1]
Other
The theater was removed to permit a 19-story addition to the United States Rubber Company Building, making it the only building in the original Rockefeller Center complex to be demolished.
- 1951
NBC leases Center Theatre for television broadcasts[1]
Other
NBC began using the venue for live television programs, including The Voice of Firestone and Your Show of Shows.
- 1940
Center Theatre converts to a permanent ice stage[1]
Product launch
The venue reopened with Sonja Henie's It Happens on Ice, launching its most successful programming era.
- 1933
Theater changes name after Roxy trademark dispute[1]
Lawsuit · Other
A lawsuit by the owners of the original Roxy Theatre led the Rockefeller Center venue to abandon the Roxy name and operate as the RKO Center before becoming Center Theatre.
- 1932
Center Theatre opens as the RKO Roxy Theatre[1]
Other
The new Rockefeller Center theater opened with the film The Animal Kingdom and a live stage presentation.
Sources1 sources
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