Columbia Theatre (New York City)
Columbia Amusement Company Building and Columbia Theatre in 1910
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| Address | 701 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan, New York New York City United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°45′33″N 73°59′03″W / 40.759237°N 73.984139°WCoordinates: 40°45′33″N 73°59′03″W / 40.759237°N 73.984139°W |
| Owner | Columbia Amusement Company |
| Capacity | 1,385 seats |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 10 January 1910 |
| Closed | 1928 |
| Architect | William H. McElfatrick |
The Columbia Theatre was an American burlesque theatre on Seventh Avenue in New York, adjacent to Times Square, operated by the Columbia Amusement Company between 1910 and 1927. It specialized in "clean", family-oriented burlesque, similar to vaudeville. Many stars of the legitimate theater or of films were discovered at the Columbia. With loss of audiences to cinema and stock burlesque, the owners began to offer slightly more risqué material from 1925. The theater was closed in 1927, renovated and reopened in 1930 as a cinema. It went through various subsequent changes and was later renamed the DeMille Theatre. Nothing is left of the interior.
What would be called the "Home of Burlesque De Luxe" was built on the northeast corner of Seventh Avenue and 47th Street in Manhattan. A photograph from May 1909 before construction began shows the site was occupied by typical four- and five-story brownstone buildings. Construction by the Thompson–Starrett Co. took seven months from the start of demolition to completion of the job. The building had ten stories above ground and was 39 metres (128 ft) high. It held the headquarters of the Columbia Amusement Company, or Columbia Circuit, one of the largest of the burlesque circuits.
The theater was designed by William H. McElfatrick and had a capacity of 1,385. It occupied the ground floors of the new office building. The decor was a form of Beaux Arts. There was a mural painted by Arthur Thomas above the proscenium arch called "The Goddesses of the Arts." There were two balconies, as was common with theaters designed by McElfatrick. The theater was one of the first to have a ventilation system that partially cleaned the air of tobacco smoke.
The Columbia Amusement Company opened the Columbia Theatre on 10 January 1910. The opening was well publicized and was attended by various dignitaries. The opening was also attended by actors and managers from the worlds of vaudeville and legitimate theater. The Columbia Circuit was a leader in offering clean burlesque, family-style entertainment that resembled vaudeville. The main difference was that burlesque shows had an overall theme, a carry-over from the old minstrel show format, while vaudeville was a series of unconnected individual acts.
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