Palladium Times Square (formerly PlayStation Theater, Best Buy Theater and Nokia Theatre Times Square)[1] is an indoor live events venue in New York City, located in One Astor Plaza, at the corner of Broadway and 44th Street. It was designed by architect David Rockwell and opened in September 2005. The venue has a large standing room orchestra section, combined with a large area of seating towards the rear of the auditorium.[2]
.jpg) Exterior of the venue when it was PlayStation Theater | |
 | |
| Former names | Nokia Theatre Times Square (2005–10) Best Buy Theater (2010–15) PlayStation Theater (2015–19) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1515 Broadway New York City, NY United States |
| Location | Times Square, Manhattan |
| Public transit | New York City Subway:              at Times Square–42nd Street NYCT Bus: M7, M20, M34A SBS, M42, M104 Port Authority Bus Terminal |
| Type | Concert theater |
| Capacity | 1,800 (2005–2020) 2,150 (2020–present) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 26, 1974 (as movie theatre) |
| Rebuilt | October 1, 2005 (as live performance venue) |
| Construction cost | $21 million |
| Website | |
| palladiumtimessquare | |
The venue was originally built as the Loews Astor Plaza Theatre, a movie theater operated by Loews Theatres, which opened in 1974 and closed in August 2004.[3] The space was leased by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), who converted it to a live-event venue at an estimated total cost of $21 million.[4]
Due to the expiration of its lease, the PlayStation Theater closed on December 31, 2019, after a set of shows by Philadelphia trance fusion band Disco Biscuits.[5] The venue reopened in 2020 as Palladium Times Square.[6]
Features
editWith a capacity of 2,100, the theater features an 85-foot-long (26 m) LED screen that is one of the largest marquees on Broadway. The venue is also capable of presenting live footage from the stage or anywhere else in the theater. The theater's marquee sign was directly connected to MTV Studios and allowed for live footage from there to be displayed.[2][7]
The building also includes two private mezzanines, several dressing rooms, and a green room for up to 30 people.[4] The theater hosts concerts, event parties, live television, web broadcasts, and award shows,[2] including the Heisman Trophy ceremony, which took place at the theater from 2005 to 2019.
Gallery
edit-
Exterior of the venue when it was Best Buy Theater -
Exterior of the venue when it was Nokia Theatre Times Square
References
edit- ^ Waddel, Ray (October 8, 2015). "Best Buy Theater Is Now the PlayStation Theater". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c "About NOKIA Theatre Times Square". NOKIA Theatre Times Square. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "PlayStation Theater in New York, NY". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ a b http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4379406-1.html [dead link]
- ^ Aswad, Jem (August 20, 2019). "New York's PlayStation Theater to Close (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ "Palladium Times Square, New York NY Official Site". Retrieved January 24, 2022.
- ^ "Best Buy Theater". Goldstar. Retrieved December 8, 2019.