Manhattan Center Company Profile

Theater impresario Oscar Hammerstein I begins our story with the debut of the Manhattan Opera House in 1906. Built “to bring opera to the people,” the Manhattan Opera House quickly rivaled the Metropolitan Opera in popularity, drawing both audiences and star performers to this exciting new venue. When Hammerstein accepted a payment of $1.2 million from the Metropolitan Opera for a 10-year moratorium on opera performances in 1910, the new lessees, the Shubert Brothers, brought vaudeville shows and popular music concerts to the Manhattan Opera House. Renaming the building Manhattan Center in 1920, the Freemasons, new owners of the building, built the Grand Ballroom on the roof of the existing opera house, and unintentionally created an acoustical masterpiece. It has become the venue of choice for performances and recordings ever since. In 1926, it was used as the scoring stage for Warner Brothers Studio’s Don Juan, the film industry’s first motion picture with a synchronized, pre-recorded musical soundtrack. World-renowned artists, decade after decade, have performed and recorded at Manhattan Center. From Arturo Toscanini in the ‘30s to Grammy Award-winning recordings by Leonard Bernstein, Itzhak Perlman, Placido Domingo, to today’s Oscar-winning film composers such as Eliot Goldenthal for Frida, the legend continues. Today, Manhattan Center is New York’s celebrated destination for extraordinary performances and unforgettable special events. It is the premiere mid-size venue for corporate galas, charity fundraisers, award shows, rock concerts, and fashion shows. With its unique location in the heart of midtown, Manhattan Center proudly serves New York as a world-class facility where media and entertainment come together.