TSX Broadway is a 46-story, 550,000-square-foot tower under construction that will bring experiential retail, integrated signage, and cutting-edge entertainment spaces to the corner of 47th Street and 7th Avenue in the heart of Times Square. One of the most unique and highly anticipated aspects of the project is the lifting of the historic Palace Theatre, one of the oldest and most iconic Broadway theaters in Times Square. The Theatre is currently being lifted 30 feet above Times Square, where it will undergo a $50 million renovation and restoration project spearheaded by PBDW Architects.
The Palace Theatre was opened in 1913 and was originally founded by Martin Beck, a vaudeville entrepreneur. The Theatre has been housed inside three separate buildings, and most of the original theater was demolished in 1988. The auditorium, the only section of the original building which remains, was designated a city landmark. The Theatre housed 1,743 seats, and it was the flagship location of the organization led by Benjamin Franklin Keith and Edward Albee II. The original building was replaced in 1991 by the DoubleTree Suites Times Square Hotel, which was itself demolished to make way for the TSX Broadway project.
The lifting of the Palace Theatre involves a structural steel shoring post and hydraulic jacks to free the structure from the ground. The space currently occupied by the auditorium and the hotel’s 1987 lobby can be replaced with over 75,000 square feet of experiential retail space extending three stories below ground level and 4,000 square feet of outdoor entertainment space. Upon completion of the project, the auditorium will actually be located on the third story of the building.
After the lifting is complete, the Palace Theatre will undergo a $50 million preservation and renovation to modernize while preserving history. Every inch of its original ornate plaster will be refurnished, painted cream and gold. Improved changing rooms will also be added, as well as other modern amenities.
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