Brooks Atkinson Theater

History and architecture

The Brooks Atkinson Theater survives today as one of the historic theaters that symbolize American theater for both New York and the nation. Built during the mid-1920s, the Brooks Atkinson was among the half-dozen theaters constructed by the Chanin Organization, to the designs of Herbert J. Krapp, that typified the development of the Times Square/Broadway theater district.

Founded by Irwin S. Chanin, the Chanin organization was a major construction company in New York. During the 1920s, Chanin branched out into the building of theaters, and helped create much of the ambience of the heart of the theater district. Chanin built the Brooks Atkinson in honor of one of America's most famous 19th century actors, Richard Mansfield, for whom the theater was originally named.

Herbert J. Krapp, who designed all the Chanins' theaters, was the most prolific architect of the Broadway theater district. Having worked in the offices of Herts & Tallant, premier theater designers of the pre-war period, Krapp went on to design theaters for the two major builders of the post-war era, the Shubert and Chanin organizations.

The Brooks Atkinson represents a typical and important aspect of the nation's theatrical history. Beyond its historical importance, its facade is a handsome design, and the first of the Chanin theaters to depart from the traditional neo-Classical style for a more romantic, eclectic style which Chanin and Krapp called "modern Spanish."

For half a century the Brooks Atkinson Theater has served as home to countless numbers of the plays through which the Broadway theater has come to personify American theater. As such, it continues to help define the Broadway theater district, the largest and most famous concentration of legitimate stage theaters in the world.