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Landmark Hudson Theatre Makes Short List For National Historic Register

By Maya Rajamani | September 29, 2016 11:54am | Updated on September 30, 2016 5:05pm
 The Hudson Theatre at 145 W. 44th St., between Broadway and Sixth Avenue.
The Hudson Theatre at 145 W. 44th St., between Broadway and Sixth Avenue.
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Facebook/Hudson Theatre

TIMES SQUARE — A landmark Broadway theater gearing up for its grand reopening could soon land on the the National Register of Historic Places, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

The state’s Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding the Hudson Theatre at 145 W. 44th St., between Broadway and Sixth Avenue to the state and national registers, Cuomo's office said in a release on Wednesday.

Properties that make the registers can become eligible to receive state grant and tax credits, among other perks.

“New York’s history is this country’s history, and with the nomination of these landmarks and sites, we will help ensure these parts of the state’s rich heritage are maintained and preserved for generations to come,” Cuomo said in a statement, while recommending that another 21 state sites be included in the register. 

The Beaux-Arts Hudson Theatre, built for legendary Broadway producer Henry B. Harris between 1902 and 1904, became a city landmark in 1987, records show.

It operated as a Broadway theater for six decades, but went back and forth between showing adult films and “legitimate” theater from 1963 until the late 1970s. It also operated as a disco called the Savoy for a short time, Playbill reported.

The Britain-based Ambassador Theatre Group recently purchased the theater and will officially reopen it next year with a production of Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the theater's website shows.

A state historic preservation officer will have to approve the Board for Historic Preservation's recommendation before the theater can be listed on the state Register of Historic Places, Cuomo said.

If the theater makes that list, it will have the chance to be nominated, reviewed and approved for National Register status, the release added.