Strand Theatre

Strand Theatre was an early and influential movie palace at 1579 Broadway, on the northwest corner of Broadway and 47th Street in Manhattan's Times Square. It opened in 1914 as part of the theater chain established by brothers Mitchel and Moe Mark and became one of the earliest grand theaters built specifically for motion-picture exhibition rather than adapted from a conventional stage venue. Its reported construction cost was approximately $1 million, an exceptional investment for the period. Architect Thomas W. Lamb designed the building, whose scale, ornamentation, auditorium arrangement, and presentation style helped establish the model for the lavish movie palaces that spread across the United States during the following decades. The Strand's importance was not limited to its architecture. Mitchel Mark personally recruited Samuel Rothafel, widely known as Roxy, to manage the theater. Rothafel developed a highly orchestrated form of movie presentation combining film, music, stage effects, lighting, ushers, and elaborate audience service. The approach helped transform film exhibition from a relatively simple screening into a major entertainment event. Rothafel later became associated with the Capitol and Roxy theaters and became one of New York's best-known motion-picture showmen. Favorable coverage of the Strand's opening in The New York Times further reinforced its reputation as a major cultural and commercial attraction. During its early years, the theater operated under contract and showed many films distributed by Paramount Pictures. In 1928, Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the venue to provide a prominent Times Square outlet for Warner releases, and the building was renamed the Warner Strand. The name was shortened to Warner Theatre in 1951. After a renovation, it reopened in 1953 as the Warner Cinerama Theatre with This Is Cinerama, a presentation designed to demonstrate the immersive widescreen Cinerama process. Through the remainder of the 1950s, the venue was a principal New York showcase for Cinerama productions. In 1963, it received a still larger screen for selected 70mm presentations, including It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The theater was substantially divided in 1968 by RKO Stanley Warner Theatres. The original main floor became the approximately 1,000-seat Warner Cinerama, the former balcony was converted into the approximately 1,200-seat Penthouse Theatre, and the former stage house became the Cine Orleans, which had an entrance on 47th Street. During the 1980s, the Cinerama and Penthouse operations were renamed the RKO Warner Twin. The building closed permanently on February 8, 1987, and was demolished later that year to make way for the Morgan Stanley Building as part of the redevelopment of Times Square. The Strand's legacy survives in accounts of American movie-palace architecture, the history of film exhibition, the development of widescreen presentation, and the career of Roxy Rothafel.

The Strand Theatre was constructed at 1579 Broadway at 47th Street in Manhattan and opened in 1914. It was created by Mitchel and Moe Mark, whose theater chain helped expand the scale and commercial importance of motion-picture exhibition in New York. The building was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and cost about $1 million. Rather than functioning primarily as a stage theater that occasionally showed films, it was conceived as a sumptuous venue dedicated to motion pictures. This distinction made it an important early example of the movie-palace format. The Strand also became an important laboratory for the presentation of films. Mitchel Mark recruited Samuel Rothafel, known as Roxy, to manage the theater. Rothafel introduced an elaborate showmanship style in which films were supported by music, lighting, staging, staff choreography, and formal audience service. His work at the Strand helped define the theatrical character of early large-scale cinema exhibition. He later applied and refined these methods at the Capitol and Roxy theaters. The Strand's opening received favorable treatment in the New York Times, contributing to its status as a leading Broadway attraction. Its design and reputation influenced other theaters, including a later Strand theater in Hobart, Tasmania, which was initially intended to echo the New York building. For much of its early operation, the Strand was contractually associated with Paramount Pictures and presented films distributed by that company. The theater changed ownership and identity in 1928, when Warner Bros. Pictures acquired it for the exhibition of Warner films in Times Square. It became the Warner Strand and was eventually renamed the Warner Theatre in 1951. This transition reflected the growing integration of film production, distribution, and exhibition during the studio era. A further transformation followed a renovation completed in the early 1950s. The venue reopened in 1953 as the Warner Cinerama Theatre with This Is Cinerama, a landmark widescreen presentation. Cinerama used a multi-projector format and a deeply curved screen to create a more immersive image than standard theatrical projection. The Warner became the principal New York home for Cinerama films during the latter part of the 1950s. In 1963, the theater installed a larger screen for 70mm productions, including the engagement of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Changing exhibition economics and audience patterns led to another major alteration in 1968. RKO Stanley Warner Theatres subdivided the original complex. The main floor retained the Warner Cinerama name and seated about 1,000 people; the former balcony became the approximately 1,200-seat Penthouse Theatre; and the old stage-house area was converted into the Cine Orleans, reached through a separate entrance on 47th Street. The Cinerama and Penthouse names were later replaced in the 1980s by RKO Warner Twin, reflecting the building's final multiplex-style configuration. The entire complex closed on February 8, 1987. The building was demolished later that year to make way for the Morgan Stanley Building during the redevelopment of Times Square. Although no longer extant, the Strand remains historically significant for its role in the birth of the American movie palace, its association with Roxy Rothafel, its use as a showcase for Cinerama and 70mm films, and its connection with the changing commercial landscape of Broadway cinema.

1. 1987Closure and demolition

   The RKO Warner Twin closed on February 8, and the building was demolished during Times Square redevelopment.

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2. 1968Complex divided into three cinemas

   RKO Stanley Warner Theatres created the Warner Cinerama, Penthouse Theatre, and Cine Orleans within the former theater complex.

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3. 1963Larger screen installed for 70mm presentations

   The theater upgraded its screen to present large-format productions such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

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4. 1953Cinerama conversion

   After renovation, the theater reopened as the Warner Cinerama Theatre with This Is Cinerama.

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5. 1951Renamed Warner Theatre

   The venue adopted the shorter Warner Theatre name.

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6. 1928Warner Bros. acquires the venue

   Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the Strand for use as a prominent outlet for its films and renamed it the Warner Strand.

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7. 1914Strand Theatre opens

   The Mark Brothers opened the purpose-built movie palace at Broadway and 47th Street in Times Square.

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8. 1914Samuel Rothafel becomes manager

   Mitchel Mark hired Samuel Rothafel, whose elaborate presentation methods helped establish the theater's reputation and influenced later movie-palace showmanship.

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Historic luxury movie palace and high-profile Times Square exhibition venue

• Main movie palaceMovie theater1914

  The original Strand was a grand purpose-built cinema designed for large-scale motion-picture exhibition. Its auditorium, lobby, balcony, boxes, and presentation systems represented the emerging American movie-palace model and made the venue a destination as much as a place to watch a film.

• Warner Cinerama TheatreWidescreen cinema1953

  After its early-1950s renovation, the theater became a major New York showcase for Cinerama, an immersive widescreen process associated with multi-projector presentation and a deeply curved screen. It opened this phase with This Is Cinerama and continued showing major format-driven productions.

• RKO Warner TwinTwin cinema complex1980

  The venue's final configuration used the former Strand building as a multi-screen operation. The main-floor Cinerama and balcony Penthouse cinemas were renamed RKO Warner Twin in the 1980s, while the former stage-house area had operated as the Cine Orleans.

• 1987Closure and redevelopmentOther

  The historic theater occupied a valuable Times Square site during a period of major commercial redevelopment.

  What changed. The RKO Warner Twin closed and the building was demolished to make way for the Morgan Stanley Building.

  Aftermath. The Strand ceased to exist as a cinema, while its site became part of the rebuilt Times Square business district.

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• 1968Subdivision into multiple cinemasStrategy

  The large single-auditorium movie-palace model faced changing exhibition economics and demand for more flexible programming.

  What changed. RKO Stanley Warner Theatres divided the building into the Warner Cinerama, Penthouse Theatre, and Cine Orleans.

  Aftermath. The site continued operating in a multiplex-style form before its final RKO Warner Twin identity and eventual closure.

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• 1953Conversion to Cinerama presentationGeneration change

  The theater was renovated during the postwar period when exhibitors sought new technical attractions to distinguish cinema from television and other forms of entertainment.

  What changed. The venue reopened as the Warner Cinerama Theatre and launched its new format with This Is Cinerama.

  Aftermath. It became a principal New York venue for Cinerama films during the remainder of the 1950s.

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• 1987Theater closes and is demolished

  The RKO Warner Twin operation closed on February 8, 1987. The building was subsequently demolished for the Morgan Stanley Building and broader Times Square redevelopment.

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• 1968Strand is divided into multiple cinemas

  RKO Stanley Warner Theatres converted the building into the Warner Cinerama, Penthouse Theatre, and Cine Orleans cinemas.

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• 1953Venue reopens as Warner Cinerama Theatre

  Following renovation, the theater reopened with This Is Cinerama and became a principal New York venue for Cinerama films.

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• 1928Warner Bros. acquires and renames the theater

  Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the venue as a Times Square showcase for its films, leading to the Mark Strand name being replaced by Warner Strand.

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• 1914Strand Theatre opens on Broadway

  The Mark Brothers opened the Strand as a large purpose-built movie palace in Times Square. Its architecture and presentation concept attracted favorable contemporary attention.

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1. Strand Theatre (Manhattan)