The Golden Theater

History and architecture

The Golden Theater survives today as one of the historic theaters that symbolize American theater for both New York and the nation. Built as the Theatre Masque in 1926-27, the Golden was among the half-dozen theaters constructed by the Chanin Organization in the mid-1920s, 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 Theatre Masque as part of a complex on Shubert Alley including three theaters--the Theatre Masque, Royale and Majestic--and a hotel, the Lincoln (now the Milford Plaza). The theaters were of varying sizes, and the Theatre Masque was intended to be a small theater of 800 seats, presenting high-quality, "intimate" drama. The Theatre Masque was renamed the Golden in the 1930s when producer John Golden took control of it.

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

For half a century the Golden 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.