8. The Empire, 1912
The AMC 25 Times Square movie theater was originally a Broadway theater. The theater was built by Al Woods and originally named after impersonator Julie Eltinge. From 1912 to 1931 the venue specialized in showing light comedies including its first production of “Within the Law” in 1912.
During the Great Depression, the theater suffered and became a burlesque theater, then a movie theater in 1942. The venue was renamed the Empire Theatre in 1954. The theater closed in 1986 and was then relocated in 1998. The building was lifted off the ground and moved 170 feet away from its former location on 42nd Street and transformed into the AMC movie theater, reopening in 2000. The 3,700-ton structure was converted into the entrance lobby, and much of the original architecture of the auditorium remains in the entranceway. Due to its expensive alterations, this building was removed is not eligible for landmark consideration.