Walking east from the 125th 8th Avenue Line station I can begin to make out the world- renowned marquee of the Apollo Theatre with the word “Apollo” spread vertically along the facade of the famed landmark. The Apollo Theatre is one of the oldest and culturally significant music halls in the United States. On that special occasion I was going to a rendition of wednesday “Amateur Night,” a longstanding tradition at the theatre whereby local talent come to grace the same stage where the likes of Elle Fitzgerald once performed on a regular basis.
Situated at 253 W. 125th St., the Apollo Theatre has been serving the largely African American neighborhood of Harlem since the mid 19th century. Originally founded as dancehall and ballroom by former Union General Edward Ferrero, the building changed ownership several times, until 1914, when it was converted into a burlesque theatre aptly named “Hurtig and Seamon’s New Burlesque Theatre.” In 1934, it again changed ownership into the hands of Sidney Cohen and Morris Sussman. The new ownership decided to change the format of the theatre completely, focusing on African-American influenced entertainment. The change reflected the demographic of the changing neighborhood, and cut costs because African-Americans were much cheaper to hire.
The Apollo Theatre become one of the centerpieces of the Harlem Renaissance; a cultural and artistic movement of African-American expression which spanned between the Great World Wars. The theatre ignited the careers of great African-American entertainers such as Billie Holiday, James Brown, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, and many more. The theatre became emblematic of African-American pride and heritage, developing into a vivid symbol of the rich culture African-Americans possessed throughout the twentieth century.
The Apollo Theatre fell into a general decline during the 1960s and 70s, becoming a movie theatre in 1975. Though, it began to witness a revival when Inner City Broadcasting bought and reopened the theatre in 1983. Since then the theatre has seen a steady resurgence in popularity, and once again sees itself as one of the great cultural institutions of African-American entertainment. By 1991, the theatre had been recognized in the National Register of Historic Places, and was bought by New York State. This is what brought me to the theatre last week as I pushed my seat back and prepared for an evening of entertainment.
Work Cited
“Apollo Theatre History”. http://www.apollotheater.org/about/history
“Apollo Theater”, Britannica Online Encyclopedia, 2009
“National Register Information System”. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007
Jackson, Kenneth T, editor, The Encyclopedia of New York City, Yale University Press, p.40
