Shubert, Booth, New Victory, And Palace Theatre Receive Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award

The New York Landmarks Conservancy just announced the winners of the 2025 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards, the Conservancy's highest honors for excellence in preservation. The Award recipients demonstrate outstanding and challenging preservation projects that occur throughout the City. 

Shubert Theatre at 225 West 44th Street and Booth Theatre at 222 West 45th Street in Manhattan; The New Victory Theater at 209 West 42nd Street in Manhattan and Palace Theatre at 1568 Broadway in Manhattan will receive the Awards at a ceremony on April 22nd at 6:00 pm at the Edison Ballroom. The ceremony attracts an audience of more than 500 every year.

“The ‘Lucy's' celebrate amazing preservation projects from throughout the City that might otherwise remain unheralded,” said Peg Breen, President of The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “It's a lively evening showcasing the vision, determination and love people have for their historic properties.”

Shubert & Booth Theatres

At the Shubert and Booth Theatres, a façade restoration revealed the depths of a unique plaster technique and improved the exteriors of these two theaters.  Lee and J.J. Shubert built the two theaters concurrently between 1912-1913.  They stand next to each other along Shubert Alley, meeting at their respective stage houses, and appearing from the outside as one seamless unit.  The Venetian Renaissance style façade features distinct ornament that differentiates the two theaters.

This extensive exterior project cleaned and repaired the three brick and terra cotta facades, and the Booth's sheet metal cornice.  Façade Maintenance and Design was the architect and engineer.

But the most compelling work was restoration of the decorative sgraffito. This technique, where multiple layers of tinted plaster are applied to a surface and then scratched down in certain areas to reveal a design, was rarely used in New York. Over time, concrete patches and painting had dulled and hidden the theatres' sgraffito so that original designs were illegible from the street.  As those treatments were removed, sgraffito figurative elements emerged, along with an unexpected third color that added depth to anticipated two-toned elements. Artisans color-matched the historic shadow palette and developed a strategy to add back this detail to nearly all the sgraffito sections.  This successful project is likely the largest sgraffito reclamation in New York. Located in the heart of the historic theatre district, this award-winning architectural splendor shines another spotlight on Broadway.

The New Victory Theater

Throughout 125 years of changes at the New Victory Theater, one thing has remained the same, the ring of angelic sculptures lining the ceiling dome and looking down on the stage and audience.  This project has restored that dome and secured the little angels.

The New Victory opened in 1900 and is New York's oldest continually operated theater.  But in that time, it lived many lives, reflecting the evolution of Times Square.  It has shown live plays, musicals, burlesque, movies, and most notoriously, was New York's first and only xx-rated theater.  In the 1980s and 90s, it was part of the renaissance of the theater district, and re-opened in 1995, as Broadway's only theater for children. 

While the uses changed, and the façade altered, the interior remained largely the same.  Easton Architects has been working with the Theater since 2008 and oversaw this project.  As a plan for restoring the proscenium arch developed, it became clear that failures at the massive ceiling dome needed to be addressed first.  Ornamental plaster details had large cracks and severe displacement.  A piece of plaster came loose and fell onto the stage.

The repairs included installation of fiber reinforcement across the dome's flat plaster; re-securing the angelic sculptures at the dome's perimeter, providing new structural framing and anchorage for the dome medallion, installation of a new painted canvas cove cover and consolidation of all dome ribs. Access to the ceiling also allowed for the installation of upgraded lighting.  Teams of ten worked around the clock for 57 days or 13,977 hours. They ensured that the curtain would rise again, in time for the next production. 

Palace Theatre

The Palace Theatre, originally constructed in 1913, is an iconic part of Broadway and an interior landmark.  In an extraordinary feat of engineering and preservation, the 14-million-pound interior has been lifted 30 feet and reinstalled with its full array of opulent historic features intact.  PBDW Architects was the project architect.

This unprecedented accomplishment required innovative stabilization methods, including a web of scaffolding, precision monitoring of the plasterwork, cutting-edge engineering and a vast team of consultants and peer reviewers to safeguard the historic integrity of the building during the lift.  

Extensive research and planning were integral. Non-destructive testing, such as infrared thermography, minimized unnecessary removals, while material analysis and paint stratigraphy ensured authenticity.  Early stabilization measures, carried out prior to the lift, addressed existing design flaws and reinforced parts of the theater.  Preventative measures included making plaster molds of every ornamental element and cataloging salvaged items for future preservation. The four-month lift required precise vibration monitoring, constant tracking of temperature and humidity, and managing water infiltration and leaks.

The results combine preservation with contemporary functionality.  Existing structures, such as super-columns and historic plaster, were preserved, while updated finishes replaced those that had changed over time.  The double balcony, proscenium boxes, and orchestra-level promenade retain their original splendor, adorned with high-relief plasterwork, Siena marble knee walls, and intricately designed cast iron staircases. Missing plaster elements were recast to match existing details, and decorative paints were recreated and applied, with glazes added for an authentic finish. 

The result is a transformed theater, with 10,000 square feet of new space, including expanded front-of-house amenities, twice as much bathroom space, state-of-the-art back-of-house facilities, and improved accessibility and safety systems. 

New York Landmarks Conservancy

The Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards recognize individuals, organizations, and building owners for their extraordinary contributions to the City.  The Conservancy is grateful for the support of the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, which makes the Awards possible.

The 2025 Lucy G. Moses Preservation Project Award recipients include: 7 South Portland Avenue, Brooklyn; 1450 Pacific Street, Brooklyn; Brooklyn Bridge; Edward Mooney House; The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of the City of New York; National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York; The New Victory Theater; New York City Housing Authority Exodus and Dance Frieze at Kingsborough Houses, Harlem River Houses and Nivola Horses at Stephen Wise Towers; New York Stock Exchange; Palace Theatre; Powell Building; Shubert & Booth Theatres; Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch; St. Raphael Roman Catholic Church and The Twenty Two.

Susan Olsen will receive the 2025 Preservation Leadership Award in honor of her lifetime of work in cultural resource management and preservation education.  She has served as Director of Historical Services at Woodlawn Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, for 22 years.  Ann-Isabel Friedman will receive the 2025 Special Award for Preservation Service in honor of her career in preservation and over two decades of service as The New York Landmarks Conservancy's Director of the Sacred Sites Program.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private non-profit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City's architectural legacy for more than 50 years.  Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $62 million, which has leveraged almost $1 billion in restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus, and supporting local jobs.  The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations, and individuals.  The Conservancy's work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York's distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations.  For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.