Brooks Atkinson Theatre to Be Renamed for Lena Horne; First Broadway Theatre to Be Named After a Black Woman

The New York Times has reported that The Nederlander Organization will be renaming the Brooks Atkinson Theatre for Lena Horne. Horne will be the first black woman to have a theater named after her.

The Brooks Atkinson Theatre is currently home to Six on Broadway. This theatre originally opened as the Mansfield (in honor of the distinguished actor Richard Mansfield) on February 15, 1926. In 1960, it was rechristened the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in tribute to the influential and Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times drama critic.

Last year, an agreement was reached between Black Theater United and all three major Broadway landlords, that at least one of their theaters would be named for a Black artist. Jujamcyn Theaters has a theater named after August Wilson, and The Shubert Organization will rename the Cort Theater after James Earl Jones.

Horne was an American dancer, actress, Grammy-winning singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned over 70 years, appearing in film, television, and theater. Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of 16 and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood.

Horne advocated for human rights and took part in the March on Washington in August 1963. Later she returned to her roots as a nightclub performer and continued to work on television, while releasing well-received record albums. She announced her retirement in March 1980, but the next year starred in a one-woman show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which ran for more than 300 performances on Broadway. She then toured the country in the show, earning numerous awards and accolades. Horne continued recording and performing sporadically into the 1990s, retreating from the public eye in 2000. Horne died on May 9, 2010, at the age of 92.

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