Teatro Puerto Rico

Teatro Puerto Rico

Teatro Puerto Rico - 1950s
Location	490 East 138th Street, at the corner of Brook Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, New York City
Coordinates	40°48′28″N 73°55′09″W / 40.807801°N 73.919209°W / 40.807801; -73.919209
Owner	Ansel family
Type	Indoor theatre
Capacity	2,300
Opened	February 1923
Closed	1996

The Teatro Puerto Rico was music hall focused into the Latino community in the South Bronx section of New York City. During the 1940s to 1950s it precented la farándula, a vaudeville-style package of Spanish-language events, and attracted entertainers from all over Latin America. In the late 1960s, the neighborhood where the theater was located was in decline and the theater closed its doors until 1994. That year a real estate developer invested funds in renovations. After two years in operation, a political scandal involving misappropriated public funds forced the permanent closure of the theater as such. The building which the theater once occupied, however, is now being used as a place of religious worship.

Located at 490 East 138th Street, at the corner of Brook Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, the theater was built in 1917. It opened its doors in February 1923, under the name of the Forum Theater. The theater, which had 2,300 seats, was a popular gathering spot which provided vaudeville shows and later movies, first for the German immigrant families who lived in the area and then for the Irish and Italian families who came after them. The Forum Theater, which was owned by the Ansel family, struggled to survive and compete with the arrival of the larger modern movie theaters such as Loew’s and RKO.

Three factors contributed and led to what became known as "The Great Puerto Rican Migration" to New York. These were the Great Depression, World War II, and the advent of air travel. The Great Depression which spread throughout the world was also felt in Puerto Rico. Since the island's economy had been made dependent on that of the United States, the U.S. economic crisis was felt on the island, as well. Unemployment rose steeply and, consequently, many families fled to the U.S. mainland in search of jobs.

The outbreak of World War II opened the doors to many of the migrants who were searching for jobs. Since a large portion of the male population of the U.S. was sent to war, there was a sudden need of manpower to fulfill the jobs left behind. Puerto Ricans, both male and female, found themselves employed in factories and ship docks, producing both domestic and warfare goods. The new migrants gained the knowledge and working skills which in the future would serve them well. The military also provided a steady source of income.