The Shubert Organization will renovate and expand Broadway's Cort Theatre, refurbishing the original structure and adding a new 35-foot-wide expansion on the building's west side. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
The plans, which were approved by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2017, include a new, modern structure designed by Kostow Greenwood Architects that will feature a grand staircase, elevator, additional accessible bathrooms, concession areas, lounge, dressing rooms, and rehearsal space.
Improvements to architect Thomas Lamb's original structure, which was built in 1912, include a refurbished façade, expanded wing space, modernized rigging, and new seating to enhance comfort and accessibility, though the theatre's capacity will remain unchanged. These improvements will allow the theatre to present more modern and technically challenging productions. The original proscenium arch will also be restored, including black-lit art glass set in ornamental plaster lattice. The original structure's restoration is being led by architect Francesca Russo, who has restored several other Shubert houses over the past 25 years.
Built in 1912, the Cort Theatre on West 48th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues is one of Broadway's more intimate houses. The historic theatre has been home to such recent productions as Glenda Jackson in King Lear, Indecent, Bright Star, and No Man's Land/Waiting For Godot, with its longest tenant being The Magic Show from 1974 to 1978. The theatre is named for John Cort, a Seattle-based theatre manager who owned the building before the Shubert brothers acquired it in 1927. The façade is inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles.
