The Broadway theatre district is populated by 41 operating theatres. Many of these grand spaces have been housing theatrical productions, films, and even dance clubs (in the case of Studio 54) since the early 1900s, but they haven't always gone by the names you can find on their marquees today. As ownership has changed hands throughout the years, many of the theatres have received at least one update to their name.
Can you identify these still-operational theatres, pictured under their previous names in historical photographs from the New York Public Library's archives.
The Martin Beck Theatre (pictured here in 1999) opened in 1924. It operated under that name until....
....it was renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in 2003, commemorating the famous celebrity cartoonist.
Marc J. Franklin
The Selwyn Theatre (pictured here in 1935) opened in 1918. Initially built for theatrical productions, it was one of many houses later converted into movie theaters. Eventually, the Selwyn became....
....the American Airlines Theatre, named so in 2000 after the principal sponsor of Roundabout Theatre Company's renovations when it took over the space. It is one of three Broadway theatres operated by the company.
The Virginia Theatre (pictured here in 2000, during the run of the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe) was originally built as the Guild Theatre in 1925. It was later renamed....
....the August Wilson Theatre, after the late playwright.
Marc J. Franklin
The Stuyvesant Theatre opened in 1907, built for a prominent figure in the arts at the time. In 1910, he renamed the theatre for himself; thus it became....
....the Belasco Theatre (pictured here in 2016 during the Broadway run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch), said to be haunted by the ghost of impresario David Belasco to this day!
Monica Simoes
The Royale Theatre (pictured here in 1997) was opened in 1927. It was later renamed....
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre Marquee
The Plymouth Theatre (pictured here in 1942) was built in 1918 to mirror the architecture of two nearby theatres, the Booth and the Shubert. It was later renamed....
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Marquee
The Theatre Masque (also known as the Masque Theatre) was built in 1927. It was later bought by another impresario who named it for himself....
John Golden Theatre Marquee
The Alvin Theatre was built in 1927. It operated under that name for 56 years, before becoming....
New York Public Library
the Neil Simon Theatre in 1983.
Here, Neil Simon is pictured with director Mike Nichols in front of the Biltmore Theatre, then housing their production of Simon's Barefoot in the Park. The Biltmore was later renamed....
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Marquee
Henry Miller's Theatre was built in 1918. It operated under this name until 2010, when it was renamed....
....the Stephen Sondheim Theatre by Roundabout Theatre Company in 2010, after the Tony-winning composer-lyricist. (Roundabout's third Broadway theatre is Studio 54; while these theatres host the company's Broadway productions, they are also periodically rented out to other productions.)
Monica Simoes
