New Victory Theatre

Ed Solero on February 11, 2003 at 7:17 pm

Another stunning restoration on 42nd street (along with the New Amsterdam right across the street). Actually, this restoration preceded Disney’s restoration of the New Amsterdam by a year or two. The theater is a gorgeous little jewel-box that serves as a year-round center for children’s and family oriented entertainment. We take the kids in to about 4 or 5 shows here each year and have never been disappointed. Hard to imagine that this was once a porno theater.

A historical note: Not only was this Broadway’s first burlesque house, but it was the home of the fabled “Minsky’s Follies” until then Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia shut it down during his very public crackdown on vice in the City during the 1940’s. It was renamed Victory in a nod to the groundswell of patriotism felt across the nation during the 2nd World War.