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5 More Broadway Theaters Classified as Landmarks

5 More Broadway Theaters Classified as Landmarks
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November 5, 1987, Section B, Page 1Buy Reprints
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Five Broadway theaters were granted landmark status yesterday by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, almost doubling in one afternoon the number of houses designated in the theater district.

In an extraordinary session, nine separate designations were voted unanimously by the landmarks panel: the exteriors and interiors of the Brooks Atkinson, Martin Beck, Belasco and Booth Theaters and the exterior of the Barrymore Theater.

The session amounted to the biggest single step in the effort to create landmarks out of Broadway's legitimate theaters since the process began more than six years ago.

Representatives of the Shubert Organization, Nederlander Organization and the Jujamcyn Theaters Corporation, whose theaters were affected, said the owners would not decide whether to contest these actions until they had the chance to review them. Under city law, a designation can be overturned by the Board of Estimate within 90 days.

Voting to grant landmark status to the five Broadway theaters yesterday were Gene A. Norman, chairman of the commission, and David F. M. Todd, Adolf K. Placzek, George S. Lewis, Gaston Silva and Thomas J. Evans.

In those cases in which the six commissioners present could not reach agreement - the interior of the Barrymore and the exterior of the Biltmore - discussion was tabled. The six composed a bare quorum. Descriptions of Theaters

Here are descriptions of the theaters and what the landmarks commission said about them:

* Brooks Atkinson, 256-262 West 47th Street, an 1,100-seat theater owned by Nederlander. Completed in 1926. Designed by Herbert J. Krapp for the Chanin Organization. Named for the actor Richard Mansfield; renamed for a former drama critic of The New York Times.

''Its facade is an excellent example of the romantic, eclectic 'modern Spanish' style.'' ''Its interior, reflecting the supervision of Roman Melzer, formerly architect to Czar Nicholas II of Russia, is an unusually handsome design.''

* Barrymore, 243-251 West 47th Street, an 1,100-seat theater owned by Shubert. Completed in 1928. Designed by Herbert J. Krapp for the Shuberts. ''Its facade is an exceptionally handsome design, featuring an unusual giant terra-cotta grillework screen and fine Beaux-Arts style ornament.''

* Martin Beck, 304-314 West 45th Street, a 1,300-seat theater owned by Jujamcyn. Completed in 1924. Designed by G. Albert Lansburgh for the producer Martin Beck.

''A designer primarily of movie palaces, Lansburgh created for Beck a fantastic Moorish-inspired theater, among the most lavishly decorated in the Broadway area.'' ''Its interior is an unusual Moorish design, unlike any other Broadway theater.''

* Belasco, 111-121 West 44th Street, a 1,000-seat theater owned by Shubert. Completed in 1907. Designed by George Keister for the impresario David Belasco.

''An elegant neo-Georgian style reminiscent of town house architecture and specifically intended to suggest the intimate drama presented by Belasco within.'' Its interior ''represents an early monument in the development of the 'little theater' movement.''

* Booth, 222-232 West 45th Street, an 800-seat theater owned by Shubert. Completed in 1913. Built for the Shuberts.

''The Venetian-inspired design by Henry B. Herts is particularly distinguished and responsive to its prominent site'' on Shubert Alley. Its interior ''is especially notable for its wood paneling, which enhances the acoustical qualities of the space.'' Previous Decisions

Before yesterday's vote, six theaters in and around Times Square had been granted landmark status: the Ambassador (interior only), the Lyceum (exterior only), the Neil Simon (exterior and interior), the New Amsterdam (exterior and interior), the Palace (interior only) and the Virginia (exterior only).

The landmarks commission is making its way through a list of more than 40 theaters, for the most part operating in alphabetical order.

Speaking for both the Nederlander and Jujamcyn concerns yesterday evening, Ethan Geto said he was ''disappointed'' that theaters were being treated ''as if they are museums with art work hanging on the walls rather than performance spaces which must retain maximum flexibility and fluidity.''

''The ramifications of this approach,'' Mr. Geto said, ''are heavy additional costs to owners and producers in maintaining and operating their theaters.''

Speaking for the Shubert Organization, Lee Silver, said that the landmarks panel ought to reduce the number of architectural and decorative elements that are singled out for protection in designation reports.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 1 of the National edition with the headline: 5 More Broadway Theaters Classified as Landmarks. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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