Is the Marquis Theatre the Only Broadway Theater Inside a Hotel? What Was Torn Down to Build It

By Solomon Rokowsky

The Marquis Theatre marquee and the Marriott sign on Broadway during Evita, May 2012. Photograph by OptimumPx, via Wikimedia Commons. CC0.

Is the Marquis Theatre the only Broadway theater inside a hotel?

Possibly, but the claim comes from a secondary source. Wikipedia describes the Marquis as "the only Broadway theater entirely within a hotel." The official sources this article read say something narrower. Broadway Direct, whose page lists the Marquis among the Nederlander Organization's theaters, says the Marquis opened in 1986, is "located inside the Marriott Marquis Hotel" and is "one of the newest theatres to be built on Broadway." The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) lists it at 1535 Broadway with a built date of 1986. Neither calls it the newest, and neither says it is the only one, so this article does not either. The Hudson Theatre on West 44th Street also sits beside a hotel, but the sources describe it as connected to the Millennium Broadway Hotel, not inside it.

The address is written two ways. IBDB and the Broadway League's Broadway.org give 1535 Broadway, the hotel's address. Broadway Direct gives 210 West 46th Street. The theater is on the third floor of the hotel, reached by escalators from a ground-level box office, according to Wikipedia.

The Marquis marquee at night during Thoroughly Modern Millie, 2003. Photograph by Andreas Praefcke, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 3.0.

What was torn down to build the Marriott Marquis?

Five theaters. IBDB says the Gaiety, Astor, Helen Hayes (on West 46th Street), Morosco and Bijou theatres were razed "amidst a storm of protest" to make way for the Marriott Marquis hotel and theater. The New York Preservation Archive Project (NYPAP), which documents the fight, says the developer John C. Portman Jr. announced his plans in 1973 and that the Koch administration brought him back to the project in 1978.

NYPAP says the Helen Hayes and Morosco theaters were found eligible for the National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1978. The two houses were not the oldest on the block. The Helen Hayes opened on April 27, 1911 as the Folies Bergere, a design by Herts and Tallant, and the Morosco opened on February 5, 1917, designed by Herbert Krapp with 905 seats, according to NYPAP. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) calls the Folies Bergere "another of Broadway's handsomest theaters" in its Hudson Theater report, and notes it was built for the producer Henry B. Harris, who also built the Hudson.

The Morosco Theatre on West 45th Street in 1917, with a sign announcing its opening play, Canary Cottage. Unknown photographer, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

How did the demolition start?

The New York Times reported on March 23, 1982 that demolition began after the Supreme Court lifted a stay. NYPAP says demolition began on March 22, 1982, that about 170 demonstrators were arrested, and it names Richard Gere, Tammy Grimes, Michael Moriarty and Treat Williams among those who protested. According to NYPAP, the wall of the Bijou was pulled down first, by a backhoe protesters nicknamed "Godzilla." On June 9, 1982, two thirds of the front facade of the Helen Hayes collapsed, NYPAP says.

The fight did not save these buildings, but it changed what happened next. NYPAP says the LPC designated the Neil Simon, Virginia and Ambassador theaters on August 7, 1985. It says that by 1987 twenty-five Broadway theaters were landmarks. The architect Lee Harris Pomeroy had proposed an alternative design that kept the theaters, according to NYPAP, but the hotel went ahead as designed.

The Helen Hayes Theatre at 210 West 46th Street, December 1979, before it was demolished for the Marriott Marquis. Photograph by Robert E. Meadows, via Wikimedia Commons, where the file is titled "Fulton Theater." Public domain.

When did the hotel and theater open?

The hotel opened in September 1985, but the sources disagree on the day. NYPAP says September 4, 1985, and Wikipedia says September 3, 1985. The theater followed. IBDB gives the Marquis Theatre's first night as July 9, 1986, with a concert by Shirley Bassey. IBDB lists John C. Portman Jr. as the architect, who also designed the hotel.

The hotel is large. Wikipedia says it has 1,971 rooms and describes a 51-story tower rising 574 feet, with Host Hotels & Resorts as owner and Marriott International as operator. The Marquis Theatre is a small part of that structure.

The theater lobby level with show posters and a merchandise stand, September 2025, during Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Photograph by Epicgenius, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

What is the theater like inside, and why was it criticized?

Broadway Direct says the Marquis was designed "to provide maximum comfort for audiences and actors while conveying a feeling of intimacy," with an expansive backstage, high ceilings, wide aisles and ample restrooms. Wikipedia reports a more mixed record. It says the auditorium has an orchestra and a balcony and was originally decorated in rose and burgundy with boxes along each side. It also says the wings beside the proscenium are smaller than city code requires, that there is no freight elevator, no dedicated restroom facilities and small hallways. It adds that the design features were highly criticized, even by some of the hotel's supporters. Broadway Direct's accessibility page notes that the orchestra aisles are stepped, not ramped, with 22 steps between row X and row AA.

The stage and proscenium of the Marquis Theatre, September 2025. Photograph by Epicgenius, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

How many seats does the Marquis have?

The sources differ by a few seats. IBDB lists approximately 1,612. Broadway Direct says 1,611. The difference is one seat, so check the seating map for the show you are seeing.

What has played at the Marquis?

IBDB's production list for the theater starts with Me and My Girl, which ran from August 10, 1986 to December 31, 1989. Later entries include Gypsy (April 28 to July 28, 1991), Man of La Mancha (April 24 to July 26, 1992), The Goodbye Girl (March 4 to August 15, 1993), Damn Yankees (March 3, 1994 to August 6, 1995), Victor/Victoria (October 25, 1995 to July 27, 1997), Peter Pan (November 23, 1998 to January 3, 1999), Annie Get Your Gun (March 4, 1999 to September 1, 2001) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (April 18, 2002 to June 20, 2004). IBDB also lists The Drowsy Chaperone (May 1, 2006 to December 30, 2007), Follies (September 12, 2011 to January 22, 2012), Evita (April 5, 2012 to January 26, 2013), On Your Feet! (November 5, 2015 to August 20, 2017), Tootsie (April 23, 2019 to January 5, 2020) and Beetlejuice (April 8, 2022 to January 8, 2023).

The current show is Stranger Things: The First Shadow. IBDB lists it from April 22, 2025 to January 3, 2027. Broadway Direct says Damn Yankees is up next, and the two sources disagree on the start date. Broadway.org says March 24, 2027, and IBDB says April 20, 2027. Dates in a production listing can move, so check the theater's own box office.

Where can you eat or drink at the Marquis Theatre?

Inside the theater, Broadway Direct says there are three bars on the orchestra level and one on the mezzanine level, serving alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks and snacks beginning 30 minutes before curtain and again at intermission. Outside food and drink are not permitted, except where medically necessary. Bottled water and drinks with secure tops are allowed in the auditorium. There is no cloakroom.

The hotel has its own restaurants, and Broadway Direct points theatergoers to them. Marriott's dining page for the New York Marriott Marquis lists the following, as seen when this article was prepared. The View Restaurant, Bar and Lounge is on the 47th and 48th floors and was listed Monday to Saturday from 4 PM to 12 AM and Sunday from 10:30 AM to 2 PM and 4 PM to 12 AM. The Broadway Lounge was listed daily from 5 PM to 12 AM. Revel and Rye Bar and Restaurant was listed daily from 6:30 AM to 1 AM. The Perch Outdoor Terraces were marked "closed for the season." Hours and seasonal closures change, so confirm on Marriott's page before you go.

Who owns the Marquis Theatre today?

The Nederlander Organization runs it, according to Broadway Direct, which counts it among Nederlander's nine Broadway theaters. Wikipedia lists Host Hotels & Resorts as the hotel's owner. None of the official sources this article read says who holds title to the theater space itself, so this article does not say.

Sources

• Internet Broadway Database, Marquis Theatre
• Broadway Direct, Marquis Theatre
• Broadway League, Broadway.org, Marquis Theatre
• New York Preservation Archive Project, Helen Hayes and Morosco Theatres
• The New York Times, Court Stay Lifted and Demolition Begins at Two Broadway Theaters (March 23, 1982)
• NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Hudson Theater designation report, LP-1340 (November 17, 1987)
• Marriott, New York Marriott Marquis dining
• Wikipedia, Marquis Theatre (secondary source)
• Wikipedia, New York Marriott Marquis (secondary source)