New York Hippodrome
Near the New York Public Library, on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Street, the New York Hippodrome loomed over the city. The Hippodrome opened in 1905. With 5,200 seats, it was twelve times larger than any other theater in the world. Audiences flocked to the Hippodrome for vaudeville performances or (after 1925) to watch a motion picture accompanied by a Midmer-Losh 2 manual 5-rank organ. It attracted acts like Harry Houdini and vast circuses. But the facility was expensive to maintain and operate, and with the advent of talking pictures, the audiences weren’t flocking to the Hippodrome’s theater. The Hippodrome went from the shining jewel of amusement to a defunct, extra-large facility. The amusement center closed in 1929, opening briefly for a performance of Billy Rose’s Jumbo circus in 1935. It closed again after six months, rarely opening its doors again. The Hippodrome was demolished in 1939.