Rent Retail 3560-3568 Broadway

The building at 3560-3568 Broadway in Manhattan, known as the Hamilton Theatre, was constructed in 1912-13 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture theater. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, a prominent theater architect of the period, and commissioned by B.S. Moss and Solomon Brill, leading figures in New York City's early 20th-century vaudeville theater industry.

Originally intended to be called the Lafayette Theatre, the name was changed to Hamilton before its opening. The structure embodied an imposing three-story design clad in white terra cotta atop a polished granite water table, featuring grand bronze and glass marquees and majestic two-story arched windows supported by cast iron caryatids. The facade was crowned with a terra cotta cornice adorned with theatrical masks.

The Hamilton Theatre had a large seating capacity of 1,857 and was equipped with a pipe organ from the M. P. Moller Pipe Organ Company. Vaudeville performances initially took center stage, supported by an in-house orchestra, before motion pictures became more dominant in the 1920s.

In 1928, the Hamilton was sold to Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) Radio Pictures, Inc., becoming one of New York City's first movie theaters to show talking pictures. The theater continued operation until 1958, after which its auditorium was repurposed for sports events like boxing, a discotheque, and eventually by a church that purchased the building in 1965. The storefronts continued to be leased out during these periods.

The building's original ornate lobby was modernized in 1954, reflecting the declining era of movie theaters at the location. The church vacated the property around 1989, and it was sold to real estate developer Alex DiLorenzo. Proposals in 2020 by developers Omni New York and Brisa Builders suggested demolition of the theater's interior while preserving the facade (facadism) to build affordable housing, acknowledging that rehabilitating the auditorium was not cost-effective. The fate of the historic interior structure remains undecided.

The Hamilton Theatre's terra-cotta facade remains a significant architectural reminder of the important role vaudeville houses and movie theaters played in New York City's early 20th-century neighborhoods and stands as a tribute to Thomas W. Lamb's architectural legacy.

3560-3568 Broadway in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood is the historic Hamilton Theatre building constructed in 1912-1913 by vaudeville promoters Benjamin S. Moss and Solomon Brill. Designed by theater architect Thomas W. Lamb, the four-story structure features white terra cotta cladding and original theatrical elements.

Key Details

• Location: Northwest corner of Broadway & W 146th Street
• Building Class: Commercial/Residential (B)
• Size: 25,629-35,000 SF (sources vary)
• Zoning: R7 - Medium-density residential/commercial

Historical Timeline

Architectural Features

• Polished granite base with cast iron caryatids
• Original marquees on Broadway and 146th Street
• Ornate terra cotta cornice with theatrical masks

Current Status

The 4-story structure faces potential redevelopment with competing proposals for 14-18 story towers while preserving portions of the original façade.

Currently, there is limited information available about specific office tenants at 3560-3568 Broadway in Manhattan, NYC. The building is a mixed-use property with storefront retail and office spaces, constructed in 1912, and classified as a Class B building. It has a total area of 25,629 square feet and stands at four stories high, with about 21% of its space currently leased.

Historically, the location was once home to the Hamilton Theatre, with various commercial tenants over the years, including Foot-Rite shoe store, Wafex, Inc., and the Cushman Bakery. By the 1980s, tenants such as Broadway Fried Chicken operated from the site.

In recent years, plans for redevelopment have been proposed, though no specific office tenants are mentioned in these developments.