The History
The story of the Theater District began in 1836 when the then-Mayor of New York City started promoting the newly opened 42nd Street to encourage city expansion in that particular region. In 1883, the Metropolitan Opera House and Broadway started operating from the Theater District. More theatrical groups and related businesses began paying attention to the neighborhood, and in the years that followed, many of them moved there after realizing the potential of being there.
As the accessibility to the area improved with the introduction of electric trolley lines in 1899 and the New York Subway Station in 1904, businesses in the area started expanding rapidly. This district is also an essential part of US history as it was one of the first areas to see electric light installations.
During the 1970s, the Theater District area was predominantly filled with seedy illegal businesses like peep shows, grindhouses, and X-rated movie houses. The 1990s saw tremendous rehabilitation efforts, often including law enforcement agencies cracking down on these illicit operations. Many of these businesses were forced to close on their own as legal multiplex movie houses, theatres, dining areas, and tourist spots began to flourish without illegal activities.
Throughout its colorful history, the Theatre District has been called “the Rialto,” “the Broadway,” or simply “the Main Street,” but now it is referred to as “the Street.”
