The Shubert Organization has filed an application with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for a renovation and expansion of Broadway’s Imperial Theatre. Located on West 45th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, the Imperial is one of Shubert’s 17 Broadway houses. The Imperial’s application was included on the agenda for a Dec. 17 public hearing.
According to the presentation materials provided for the hearing, the improvements include expanding the Imperial lobby as well as a renovation of the auditorium interior, which in 1987 was designated a New York City landmark.
The proposed lobby expansion would include an Imperial Theatre annex in the currently vacant lot located directly west of the theater. The multi-level annex would have a new physical and digital marquee, as well as two floors of commercial space, an event space and a rooftop terrace.
The proposed auditorium renovations would see the removal of a sound and light lock (an intermediary space used in theaters to prevent lobby sound and light from spilling over into the house), which currently creates a bottleneck for theatergoers. Additionally, seating/chairs would be restored and various auditorium doors would receive new ornamentation.
Kostow Greenwood Architects designed the project. The architectural firm also designed the recent renovations for another Shubert-owned house, the James Earl Jones Theatre, as well as the newly added lounge atop the St. James Theatre.
No decision nor timeline is announced for the proposal, but as with any capital improvements, these processes for approval (let alone actual construction) can take time.
The 101-year-old Imperial is the recent home of “Water for Elephants,” which closed on Dec. 8. As previously announced, the Susan Stroman-helmed “Smash” will begin previews on March 11, 2025 and open on April 10 at the Imperial.
