Bijou Theatre
1239 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10001
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Architects: Thomas White Lamb, W.G. Masarene, John Bailey McElfatrick
Previous Names: Theatre Brighton, Wood's Theatre, Bijou Opera House
Nearby Theaters
The Theatre Brighton was a conversion of a former saloon and opened in 1873. It was later renamed St. James Theatre. It was rebuilt in 1883 to the plans of architect John McElfatrick and opened in December 1883 as the Bijou Opera House. Originally built as a playhouse, the Bijou Theatre had alterations made in 1908 to the plans of architect Thomas Lamb. Further alterations were to the plans of architect W.G. Masarene in June 1910 when it converted into a movie theatre. The Bijou Theatre was closed in 1914 to a construction company and the building was demolished shortly afterwards.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The April 2, 1913, issue of The American Architect said that Philadelphia architects Stuckert & Sloan had filed plans for alterations to a five-story moving picture theater on Broadway at 31st Street in New York City. The project was budgeted at $15,000 and the client was the Joseph Weschler estate.
According to an index card in this PDF from the Theatre Historical Society, the Theatre Brighton opened in 1873 in a building converted from a saloon. It was later renamed the St. James Theatre. The house was rebuilt in 1883 to plans by John McElfatrick, and opened on December 5 as the Bijou Opera House.
Alterations were made by architect Thomas Lamb in 1908, and additional alterations designed by architect W. G. Masarene in 1910. The building was demolished in 1914, and the card doesn’t mention any alterations by Stuckert & Sloane, so perhaps their 1913 project was for the only other theater on Broadway near 31st Street, Gane’s Manhattan.
The July 2, 1910 issue of Moving Picture World had a few words to say about the Bijou, recently converted to a movie house, and they were not entirely complementary: