Helen Hayes Theatres

Helen Hayes Theatres (New York). The famous actress has had her name attached to two Broadway theatres, which seems only right for one of the American theatre's most beloved stars. The first was a structure on West 46th Street that opened in 1911 as a restaurant‐theatre called the Folies‐Bergère, but the plan to copy the famous Paris attraction quickly failed, so it was remodeled into a legit theatre called the Fulton a few months later. The Henry Herts‐ and Tallant‐designed playhouse had only 1,000 seats and featured a pastel‐colored interior that was deemed one of the loveliest on Broadway. Although it switched to films a few times during the Depression, the Fulton was a favorite venue for plays, and it was renamed after Helen Hayes in 1955. Despite many protests, the old theatre was torn down in 1982 to make way for the Marriott Marquis Hotel, which included a new, larger theatre for musicals. The developers offered to name the new venue after Hayes, but she politely declined the offer. Instead the Little Theatre on West 44th Street was renamed after her in 1983, and it remains the Helen Hayes Theatre today. The Little was built by Winthrop Ames in 1912 as a small space (299 seats) in the colonial style for new and innovative plays. The venture failed and a balcony was added in 1916 to make it a more traditional Broadway house. With twice as much seating, the Little found tenants until it became a lecture hall in 1931 and a television studio in 1959. It returned as a legit house in 1963 and was renamed the Winthrop Ames Theatre for two years. Today the intimate little space is ideal for small or one‐person shows and has been frequently booked.