Long-Empty Times Square Theatre Said To Be Sold To Singapore-Based Oracle Projects International

With its prime location on the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, The Times Square Theatre was rarely unoccupied during the 1920s. Its tenants included premieres of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's THE FRONT PAGE, the Gershwin musical, STRIKE UP THE BAND and Anita Loos and John Emerson's straight play of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES.

But the handsome 1920 creation of architect Eugene DeRosa fell victim to the 1929 stock market crash and was sold to become a movie theatre in 1933. Six years later, the backstage area became a retail store. After closing in 1997, The New 42nd Street, Inc. turned it over to Livent Inc. for theatrical restoration, but plans were cancelled after the company's bankruptcy.

Today the New York Post reports that the Times Square Theatre has been leased to Oracle Projects International, a Singapore-based producer and designer of technology-driven entertainment and multimedia events.

Without confirming more details, Cushman & Wakefield's Bradley Mendelson, the leasing agent for The New 42nd Street says, "We do have a tenant, and what they intend to do will be very cool."

Mendelson did say the "approvals process is complicated" for any new user to adapt the historic, nearly 80-year-old theatre for modern use.

Last week BroadwayWorld reported that The Times Square was one of seven theatre buildings built on 42nd Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue that were removed from a list of sites under consideration by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Designer Marc Ecko leased the theatre for five years without opening anything. Next, in 2012, the theater was leased to "Broadway 4D," which was supposed to be a permanent musical attraction helmed by several Hollywood power players, but nothing came out of that either.

Oracle Special Projects says it specializes in "delivering complete customized turnkey solutions for world-class special events, permanent installations and landmark attractions around the world."

It says its "proprietary 360-degree Video Project Dome venues" have "revolutionized the events and entertainment sphere."

Visit oracleprojects.com.

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