The Broadway Theater District: Where the Theaters Are and How to Reach Them

How the district is laid out

"Broadway" names a group of theaters more than a street. Most houses in our theater listings face the numbered side streets around Times Square, not the avenue. Only a few have a Broadway street address: the Winter Garden Theatre at 1634 Broadway, on the block from 50th to 51st Street, the Broadway Theatre at 1681 Broadway, at West 53rd Street, and the Palace Theatre at the corner of Seventh Avenue and West 47th Street.

The edges are easy to remember. The Nederlander Theatre, at 208 West 41st Street, is the southernmost Broadway house in the district, and Studio 54, at 254 West 54th Street, marks the northern end. The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, at 302 West 45th Street, is the only Broadway theater west of Eighth Avenue, on the edge of Hell's Kitchen.

Reading an address

House numbers on the west side streets tell you which block to aim for. Numbers in the 100s fall between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, as with the Belasco at 111 West 44th Street. The 200s run from Seventh Avenue or Broadway to Eighth Avenue, where most Broadway houses stand; the Hayes Theater at 240 West 44th Street is typical. The 300s put you between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, and the 400s between Ninth and Tenth, which is Off-Broadway territory.

41st to 43rd Streets

The New Amsterdam Theatre is at 214 West 42nd Street. The Todd Haimes Theatre, at 227 West 42nd Street, keeps its entrance and lobby on 42nd, while its auditorium stands on a separate lot facing 43rd. The Lyric Theatre is the reverse: its address is 214 West 43rd Street, but two narrow wings reach through to 42nd. The Todd Haimes is its western neighbor, and the New Amsterdam lies across 42nd Street.

One block farther south, the Nederlander is the lone Broadway address on 41st Street. East of Seventh Avenue, the Stephen Sondheim Theatre at 124 West 43rd Street is housed inside One Bryant Park, the tower on the block framed by 42nd and 43rd Streets and Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

44th and 45th Streets: Shubert Alley

Shubert Alley is a private passage linking 44th and 45th Streets. It was created at the same time as the Shubert and the Booth, as an escape route the fire code demanded, and it allowed both buildings to be designed like corner lots. Over the decades it turned into a meeting place for theater people, and the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission treats the theaters around it as the heart of Broadway, in a physical and a symbolic sense.

Seven theaters share the block. On 44th Street are the Shubert Theatre at 225, the Broadhurst Theatre at 235 and the Majestic Theatre at 245. On 45th Street are the Booth Theatre at 222, the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre at 236, the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre at 242 and the John Golden Theatre at 252.

Across 44th Street you will find the Hayes Theater at 240 and the St. James Theatre at 246, with Sardi's next door to the Hayes. Across 45th Street are the Music Box Theatre at 239 and the Imperial Theatre at 249. On the far side of Shubert Alley, the Minskoff Theatre at 200 West 45th Street fills part of One Astor Plaza, built where the Astor Hotel once stood.

East of Seventh Avenue

Three older houses sit between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The Belasco Theatre at 111 West 44th Street and the Hudson Theatre at 141 West 44th Street share a block. The Lyceum Theatre at 149 West 45th Street stands just north of the Hudson, and the Museum of Broadway adjoins it. A few streets up, the James Earl Jones Theatre at 138 West 48th Street is also east of Broadway.

46th to 49th Streets

North of the alley, the houses spread along four side streets. On 46th Street are the Richard Rodgers Theatre at 226, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre at 205 and the Marquis Theatre at 210, which is built into the New York Marriott Marquis hotel. A walkway through the hotel base between 45th and 46th Streets carries the line of Shubert Alley north. The Palace looks onto Duffy Square, the northern tip of Times Square, and its owner gives the address as 160 West 47th Street.

On 47th Street, look for the Lena Horne Theatre at 256, the Barrymore Theatre at 243 and the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre at 261, on the north side nearer Eighth Avenue. On 48th Street are the Longacre Theatre at 220 and the Walter Kerr Theatre at 219. On 49th Street, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre is at 230 and the Ambassador Theatre at 219.

50th to 54th Streets

The northern blocks are looser. The Circle in the Square Theatre at 235 West 50th Street and the Gershwin Theatre at 222 West 51st Street are both inside the Paramount Plaza building, entered from different streets. The Winter Garden is on Broadway itself. On 52nd Street, the August Wilson Theatre at 245 and the Neil Simon Theatre at 250 are neighbors. Farther up are the Broadway Theatre at 53rd Street and Studio 54, close to the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Lincoln Center

The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway house on the Upper West Side, at 150 West 65th Street, on the block of 65th Street that runs from Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue. The nearest stations are 66th Street-Lincoln Center and 59th Street-Columbus Circle, so treat it as a separate trip.

Getting there by subway

Pick the station nearest your theater's street and avenue rather than Times Square by habit. Lines and access notes are as of October 2026; late-night service differs, so check the MTA before you ride.

Times Square-42nd Street and Port Authority

Times Sq-42 St (1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W and the S shuttle) and 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal (A, C, E) form one station complex. It is the natural stop for the southern theaters and the Shubert Alley block. The Nederlander, for example, directs riders on the numbered lines and the N, Q, R and W to Times Square, and A, C and E riders to Port Authority. For the Stephen Sondheim, the 1, 2 and 3 stop at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, the A, C and E at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, and the B, D, F and M at 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue.

49th Street and 50th Street

For theaters on 46th through 52nd Streets, smaller stations are often closer. The 49th Street station (N, R, W) is at Seventh Avenue and West 49th Street. Two separate stations share the 50th Street name: one at Eighth Avenue for the C and E, and one at Broadway for the 1. Make sure you know which one your directions mean.

Sixth Avenue and the north end

Theaters east of Seventh Avenue are often easier from the Sixth Avenue line. 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr (B, D, F, M) runs under Sixth Avenue between 47th and 50th Streets and is one of the nearby stops for the Hudson and the Palace. Farther south, 42 St-Bryant Pk (B, D, F, M) connects with 5 Av on the 7 in a single complex. At the top of the district, the Seventh Avenue station at 53rd Street (B, D, E) and 57th Street-Seventh Avenue (N, Q, R, W) serve Studio 54, the Broadway Theatre and the two 52nd Street houses.

Step-free access

As of October 2026, MTA data shows mixed access for riders who need elevators. The Times Square and Port Authority complex is fully accessible, with elevators that include one at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue and one at 44th Street and Eighth Avenue. 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr has an elevator at 49th Street and Sixth Avenue, and 57 St-7 Av is fully accessible. The 49 St station is step-free for uptown trains only, and the 50 St station on Eighth Avenue for downtown trains only. The 50 St station on Broadway, the 7 Av station and 42 St-Bryant Pk are listed as not accessible. Elevators do go out of service, so check on the day you travel.

Who owns the theaters

As of October 2026, three commercial companies own or operate most Broadway houses, and nonprofit theater companies run several more.

The Shubert Organization

The Shubert list is the longest: the Ambassador, Barrymore, Belasco, Bernard B. Jacobs, Booth, Broadhurst, Broadway, Gerald Schoenfeld, Imperial, James Earl Jones, John Golden, Longacre, Lyceum, Majestic, Music Box, Shubert and Winter Garden. Of all these, the Winter Garden has been in Shubert hands the longest. The Belasco came under Shubert ownership in 1948 and the Lyceum in 1950, and the company became sole owner of the Music Box in 2007 by buying out the share held by Irving Berlin's estate. The Shubert Theatre itself is named for Sam S. Shubert.

The Nederlander Organization

The Nederlander Organization lists nine Broadway theaters: the Gershwin, Lena Horne, Lunt-Fontanne, Marquis, Minskoff, Nederlander, Neil Simon, Palace and Richard Rodgers. It co-owns the Palace with Stewart F. Lane. The Nederlander Theatre took its present name in 1980, honoring David T. Nederlander.

ATG Entertainment

ATG Entertainment runs seven Broadway houses: the Lyric plus the Al Hirschfeld, August Wilson, Eugene O'Neill, Hudson, St. James and Walter Kerr. The U.K.-based Ambassador Theatre Group took over the Lyric in 2013 and gave it its name, and in 2023 it merged with Jujamcyn, the previous owner of the Eugene O'Neill. The Hudson is a special case: ATG operates it, while the building belongs to Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

Nonprofit companies and Disney

Roundabout Theatre Company, a nonprofit, runs three Broadway stages: Studio 54, the Todd Haimes Theatre, its flagship Broadway home since 2000, and the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, inside a Durst Organization tower. Manhattan Theatre Club, also a nonprofit, operates the Samuel J. Friedman and produces Off-Broadway work on two stages at New York City Center. Second Stage bought the Hayes in 2015 and renovated it. Lincoln Center Theater owns the Vivian Beaumont and has run it since 1985. The Circle in the Square company runs the theater of that name, and Disney Theatrical Productions operates the New Amsterdam.

A short history in buildings

Knowing the dates helps you recognize the original names on plaques and old programs.

The first houses, 1903 to 1913

Three theaters still in use opened in the fall of 1903. The Hudson Theatre, by J. B. McElfatrick & Son, opened on October 19, 1903, with Ethel Barrymore in Cousin Kate. The New Amsterdam Theatre followed a week later with A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the Lyceum Theatre opened on November 2, 1903, under Daniel Frohman's management. Herts & Tallant designed both the New Amsterdam and the Lyceum.

The Belasco Theatre opened in 1907 as the Stuyvesant, designed by George Keister. The Globe, now the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, opened in 1910 in a building by Carrère and Hastings. The Winter Garden Theatre, by W. Albert Swasey, opened in 1911 with La Belle Paree, the revue that gave Al Jolson his Broadway debut. In 1912 came the Little Theatre, now the Hayes Theater, by Ingalls & Hoffman, and the Cort, now the James Earl Jones Theatre, by Thomas Lamb. The year 1913 brought the Palace Theatre, a vaudeville house by Kirchhoff & Rose, and three Henry B. Herts designs: the Shubert, the Booth and the Longacre.

Herbert J. Krapp and the 1920s

One architect's name comes up again and again on the side streets: Herbert J. Krapp. His theaters, by opening year:

• 1917: the Broadhurst, which opened with Misalliance, and the Plymouth, now the Gerald Schoenfeld
• 1921: the Ambassador and the Ritz, now the Walter Kerr
• 1923: the Imperial
• 1925: Chanin's 46th Street Theatre, now the Richard Rodgers; the Biltmore, now the Samuel J. Friedman; and the Forrest, now the Eugene O'Neill
• 1926: the Mansfield, now the Lena Horne
• 1927: the Royale, now the Bernard B. Jacobs; the Theatre Masque, now the John Golden; the Majestic; and the Alvin, now the Neil Simon
• 1928: the Barrymore

The Chanins' Majestic, Royale and Masque completed the Shubert Alley block, and in 1930 the Chanins handed all three to the Shuberts.

Other designers filled in the decade. The Music Box, by C. Howard Crane, opened in September 1921 with Irving Berlin's first Music Box Revue. Eugene De Rosa designed both the Broadway Theatre, which opened in 1924 as a movie palace called the Colony, and the Gallo Opera House of 1927, now Studio 54. G. Albert Lansburgh drew the Martin Beck of 1924, now the Al Hirschfeld, and Warren & Wetmore designed Erlanger's Theatre of 1927, now the St. James. Two 1918 houses complete the early group: Henry Miller's Theatre, now the Stephen Sondheim, and the Selwyn, now the Todd Haimes.

Later arrivals

After 1928 new houses came slowly. The Vivian Beaumont, designed by Eero Saarinen, opened in 1965. Circle in the Square's Broadway house, by Allen Sayles, and the Uris, now the Gershwin, by Ralph Alswang, both opened in 1972, and the Minskoff, by Kahn and Jacobs, followed in 1973 with a revival of Irene. The Marquis, by John C. Portman Jr., opened in 1986. The newest is the Lyric: work to join two older 42nd Street theaters began in 1996, the facade of the 1903 Lyric was saved, and the combined house, by Beyer Blinder Belle, officially opened in 1998 with Ragtime.

New names and landmarks

Renaming is common, usually to honor a person, so directions and programs from past decades may use another name:

• Martin Beck: Al Hirschfeld, since 2003
• Virginia: August Wilson, since 2005, the first Broadway house to bear a Black playwright's name
• Plymouth: Gerald Schoenfeld, since 2005
• Biltmore: Samuel J. Friedman, since 2008
• Henry Miller's: Stephen Sondheim, since 2010, marking the composer's 80th birthday
• Alvin: Neil Simon, since 1983
• 46th Street: Richard Rodgers, since 1990
• Brooks Atkinson: Lena Horne, since November 1, 2022
• Cort: James Earl Jones; Royale: Bernard B. Jacobs; American Airlines: Todd Haimes; Uris: Gershwin

Many of the older theaters are New York City landmarks, some for the facade, some for the interior and some for both; the Belasco is protected inside and out. In June 1988 the Shubert, Nederlander and Jujamcyn organizations sued to overturn the designations of 22 theaters, and the designations were upheld in 1992. The Minskoff and the Marquis are not designated landmarks.

Shows that anchor their blocks

As of October 2026, several long-running productions make handy reference points. Wicked plays at the Gershwin on 51st Street, The Lion King at the Minskoff on 45th, Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers on 46th and Chicago at the Ambassador on 49th; the original 1975 Chicago played at the house now called the Richard Rodgers. Aladdin is at the New Amsterdam on 42nd and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric, where its North American premiere opened in April 2018. The Book of Mormon plays at the Eugene O'Neill on 49th, and Hadestown at the Walter Kerr on 48th, where it is the longest-running production in the theater's history.

The cards and show pages carry live dates; for a given night, see the schedule.

Off-Broadway around the corner

Many Off-Broadway stages sit in or beside the district, often west of Eighth Avenue. They have no pages of their own on this site, so start from the Off-Broadway listings or the family shows page. As of October 2026, these are among the closest:

• 42nd Street: the New Victory Theater at 209 West 42nd Street and The Duke on 42nd Street at 229; farther west, Theatre Row at 410, Playwrights Horizons at 416 and the Pershing Square Signature Center at 480
• 43rd Street: Studio Seaview at 305 West 43rd Street and the Westside Theatre at 407, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues
• 46th Street: the Laura Pels Theatre at 111 West 46th Street, east of Times Square
• 50th Street and north: New World Stages at 340 West 50th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues; The Theater Center at 210 West 50th Street; MCC Theater at 511 West 52nd Street; and New York City Center at 131 West 55th Street

Before you walk over

Box offices are at the theaters. The Hadestown box office, for example, is at the Walter Kerr, 219 West 48th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. As of October 2026, the box offices for SIX at the Lena Horne and for The Outsiders at the Bernard B. Jacobs both list hours of 10 AM to 8 PM Monday to Saturday and noon to 6 PM on Sunday. Hours differ by show, so check the official site before you go.

House rules also differ by show and by theater. As of October 2026, & Juliet says late arrivals are usually seated at a suitable break, while other productions set their own policies; confirm on the show's official site. As of October 2026, the Shubert Theatre has no wheelchair-accessible restroom inside: accessible restrooms are on the fourth floor of the Sardi Building across 44th Street, and staff help patrons cross. If you plan to try for day-of seats, our rush and lottery guide explains how those programs work.