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Astor Library Building

The Astor Library Building is a theater and former library building at 425 Lafayette Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, US. It was built in stages between 1854 and 1881 for the Astor Library, which later merged with the Tilden and Lenox collections to become the New York Public Library. The library was built by William B. Astor, son of the library's founder, John Jacob Astor. The original structure was constructed to designs by Alexander Saeltzer, while subsequent additions by Griffith Thomas and Thomas Stent followed Saeltzer's original design.

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New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater
Astor Library Building / Public Theater Building
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Location425 Lafayette Street, New York, New York
Coordinates40°43′41″N 73°59′33″W / 40.728056°N 73.992501°W / 40.728056; -73.992501 (Astor Library Building)
Built1854 (1854)
ArchitectAlexander Saeltzer, Griffith Thomas, Thomas Stent
Architectural styleRundbogenstil
NRHP reference No.700004241
NYSRHP No.06101.000364
NYCL No.0016
Significant dates
Added to NRHP1970-12-022
Designated NYSRHP1980-06-232
Designated NYCL1965-10-26

The Astor Library Building (also known as the Public Theater Building and Joseph Papp Public Theater) is a theater and former library building at 425 Lafayette Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, US. It was built in stages between 1854 and 1881 for the Astor Library and, since 1967, has housed the Public Theater. The library was built by William B. Astor, son of the library's founder, John Jacob Astor. The original structure was constructed to designs by Alexander Saeltzer, while subsequent additions by Griffith Thomas (in 1856–1869) and Thomas Stent (in 1879–1881) followed Saeltzer's original design. The building is made of brick and stone and is mostly three stories high, except for the central section, which rises four stories.

The original portion of the building opened for limited use on January 9, 1854, and was opened to general use on February 1, 1854. Partly due to the presence of the Astor Library, bookbinding and publishing firms such as The De Vinne Press and J.J. Little & Co. settled around Lafayette Place. The Astor Library later became part of the New York Public Library, which abandoned the building in 1911, when the books were moved to the newly constructed New York Public Library Main Branch by Bryant Park. In 1920, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society purchased it. By 1965 it was in disuse and faced demolition. The Public Theater (then the New York Shakespeare Festival) persuaded the city to purchase it for use as a theater, and it was converted for theater use by Giorgio Cavaglieri, reopening in October 1967. The building was renovated in the early 2010s.

The building was designated a New York City Landmark in 1965; it was one of the first buildings to be recognized as such by the newly formed New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.3 It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.1

Site

The Astor Library (Public Theater) Building is at 425 Lafayette Street,456 in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, US.7 The New York City Department of City Planning cites the rectangular land lot as measuring 29,670 square feet (2,756 m2), with a frontage of 249+1⁄12 feet (76 m) on Lafayette Streeta and a depth of 155+1⁄6 feet (47 m).9 The Astor Place Tower is on the same block to the north, while the De Vinne Press Building, Merchant's House Museum, and Samuel Tredwell Skidmore House are to the south.9 The former Astor Opera House is diagonally across Lafayette Street and Astor Place to the north.10 Other nearby buildings include the Colonnade Row directly across Lafayette Street to the west;11 the Cooper Union to the east; and the Schermerhorn Building to the south.9

The building's site was historically part of the estate of German-American businessman John Jacob Astor, who acquired the land in 1803 between present-day Astor Place and Great Jones Street.12 Astor subsequently built his mansion and horse stable nearby.13 In the 1830s, the wealthiest New Yorkers started to relocate northward from the present-day Financial District of Manhattan,13 and settled along Lafayette Place (now Lafayette Street).1415 At the time, the area surrounding Lafayette Place was still mostly undeveloped.1316 Residential development in the area peaked at that time before moving northward in the 1840s and 1850s.17 The surrounding area became a printing hub after the American Civil War,15 and there were over 20 publishers nearby by the 1880s.18

Architecture

The Astor Library Building was built by William B. Astor, son of the library's founder, John Jacob Astor. German-born architect Alexander Saeltzer, who had been the architect of the Anshe Chesed Synagogue,1920 designed what is now the southern section of the building in 1851–1854.62122 The original building spanned 65 by 120 feet (20 by 37 m), with a height of about 70 feet (21 m).2324 The center section was designed by Griffith Thomas in 1856–1869, and the north section was designed by Thomas Stent in 1879–1881;62122 both expansions followed Saeltzer's original design.2125

Contemporary sources characterized the building as a Byzantine-style structure.252627 The building has also been described as Italianate,2528 Venetian,29 Florentine,30 Romanesque Revival,31 round-arched Rundbogenstil,3233 or German Renaissance in style.32 Much of the interior design dates to a 1966–1967 renovation by Giorgio Cavaglieri.212231

Exterior

The building's facade seen from the northwest source ↗

The primary elevation of the facade, to the west, consists of two protruding sections flanking a recessed section.346 The recessed central section rises four stories, while the protruding side sections are three stories. The openings are grouped into fifteen bays.3435 There are loading docks, doors, and windows on the secondary elevations, which face west and east.36

The facade rests on a stone foundation34 and is made of rusticated blocks of brownstone on the ground floor.346 There is an entrance within the brownstone base;34 the entrance was built as part of the first, late-1850s expansion.37 Above the ground floor, the facade is made of brick. The upper-story windows have brick arches trimmed with brownstone. There is a cornice with strapwork motifs and a frieze in the Ionic order just below the roofline.346 A parapet runs above the roof6 and is topped by urns.34 On the western elevation, the central section's fourth story has arched sash windows. Above the fourth story is a cornice with brackets, along with a parapet containing finials.34 The flat roof is paved in asphalt, with some chimneys.34

Interior

The Astor Library Building's three portions were constructed using different methods; the older portions of the building are constructed using masonry, while later portions were built with an iron frame.25 The Astor Library Building was one of several late-19th-century buildings in New York City with interior ironwork, at a time when masonry load-bearing walls were still popular.38 The floor plan is irregular, and there is a basement in addition to the above-ground stories.34 The modern-day building includes six stages for the Public Theater.39 Many of the lobby spaces were preserved as part of the 1960s redesign, while the remainder of the theater was renovated to accommodate the stages.31 The interior retains its elaborate cornices, moldings, columns, and skylights.34 Other decorations were designed to blend with the historical architecture, including moldings that were treated to resemble wood.40

Ground floor

The ground (first) floor of the original building had reading rooms on either side and a lecture room at the rear.41 The original section of the library had a marble staircase with 362742 or 38 steps, ascending to the skylit reading room on the second floor.8 When the first annex (later the central pavilion) was constructed, the ground floor had a reading room in the front and a lecture room in the rear.37

After the building became the Public Theater, the rear of the ground floor was initially used as offices.4344 The lower section of the building contains the Newman Theater,45 which, with 299 seats, is the building's highest-capacity stage.46 The Newman Theater has a stage measuring 45 by 40 feet (14 by 12 m) across, comparable in size to a Broadway theater stage.47 Joe's Pub, a 160-seat, double-tier dining and performance venue with its own street entrance,43 is accessed from the building's lobby.4849 Added to the rear of the building in 1998,44 Joe's Pub replaces some offices and storage areas.48 An expanded lobby mezzanine50 and an LED chandelier, displaying text from Shakespeare's plays, date from the 2010s renovation.51 Since 2012, a lounge called the Library has been located within the mezzanine.5253 The lounge, designed by David Rockwell, includes bookshelves with mementos relating to the Public Theater's previous productions.53

Reading room

The reading room when the building was in use as a library source ↗

As built in 1854, the second floor originally had a double-height reading room, which measured 150 by 60 feet (46 by 18 m) across, with a ceiling 50 feet (15 m) high.4142b The ceiling had an iron-framed skylight measuring 54 by 14 feet (16.5 by 4.3 m) across.41 it was curved at the edges, creating a coved ceiling.31 The ceiling was supported by 26 cast-iron columns.8 Behind the columns were galleries measuring 14.5 feet (4.4 m) wide.24 Much of the space in the galleries was taken up by balconies and book-storage alcoves,4155 which were stacked on two levels, separated from the center of the room by railings.42 There were seven such alcoves on either side of the room, each with a reading table, along with a 2.5-foot-wide (0.76 m) hallway alongside the wall.2754 Originally, the alcoves had capacity for 100,000 volumes.2354 Patrons read their books at the center of the room,42 with additional natural light coming from windows to the west and east.27 The original reading room was capable of holding about 500 library patrons.56

Additional alcoves to the north (within what is now the center part of the building) were built as part of the 1859 expansion, arranged in groups of six to eight.57 A passage led from the original reading room to this section.58 When the building was converted for theatrical use, the reading room became the Anspacher Theater,3159 later known as the Barbaralee Theater.60 The Barbaralee Theater has about 275 seats,46 which are arranged in steeply raked rows on three sides of the reading room, facing a stage on the fourth side.328 The theater retains the rooms' columns, its skylight, and the balconies' original white balustrades.32 The cast-iron columns in the reading room were covered in gold leaf with the theater's construction.328 The promenade behind the columns is used by performers.47

Other upper-floor spaces

When the Public Theater opened, the building also had an experimental theatre venue with between 150 and 175 seats. There was also a green room.47 The building contains two arched halls,59 known as the South Hall and the North Hall.61 These halls are used for dance and music performances, respectively.47 The third floor originally was known as Martinson Hall before becoming a 208-seat cabaret venue in 1977.62

History

Astor Library

Development and opening

Sketch of the building circa 1852 source ↗

The Astor Library (Public Theater) Building's original tenant was the Astor Library.663 The library's founder John Jacob Astor had set aside $350,000 for a future library,I6566 later increased to $400,000.II6354 In 1838 he directed librarian Joseph Cogswell to use the funds to amass a collection.6566 John Jacob Astor died in 1848.5567 The library's trustees obtained a 65-by-125-foot (20 by 38 m) plot of land on Lafayette Place for the library building that September;68 this site was selected for its central location between Broadway and the Bowery, two major thoroughfares in the area.27 Cogswell began acquiring volumes for the collection soon afterward.6769 The library was incorporated in January 18497071 and originally was located in a rented house at 32 Bond Street.687269

On March 28, 1849, the trustees began soliciting plans for the construction of a purpose-built library building, collecting 30 proposals. Alexander Saeltzer was hired to design the building that December.69 The library trustees set a budget of $75,000, which was under no circumstances to be exceeded.III6869 Construction contractors Bogert & Herriot began preliminary work for the building in January 1850,23 and the cornerstone of the building was laid on March 14, 1850.4166 The building was originally supposed to be completed in early 1853, and the library's lease on their existing property was to expire that May. Due to delays in the new building's construction, when the existing lease expired, the books were packed up and stored in the basement of the existing building.73 Construction was finished by July 1853;7441 the building remained closed for several more months to allow the masonry to dry.75 It took more than six months to arrange the books on the shelves.74

The building opened on January 9, 1854, for observation only,7476 and book usage began on February 1, 1854.747741 The Astor Library was the first large publicly accessible library in the city,78 open to all people over age 16.79 The building originally had between 80,000 and 100,000 volumes.c The building functioned as a reference library rather than a circulating library,848385 since the nearby New York Mercantile Library was intended to fulfill the function of a circulation library.86 Access to books was by application only;4155 readers were not admitted into the alcoves to take down books for examination themselves, and books could not be taken from the building for any purpose.4155 The building also closed before sundown because there was originally no artificial illumination,25 shuttering at 4:00 p.m. daily;886 as such, it could not be readily used by the working-class public.55 The collection focused more on American history, bibliography, and "practical history" than on medical or legal volumes.5484 The books were classified using the system in Brunet's Manuel du Libraire.54 Partly due to the presence of the Astor Library,87 bookbinding and publishing firms such as The De Vinne Press and J.J. Little & Co. settled around Lafayette Place.1418 Literary figures such as the editor Richard Watson Gilder moved to the area as well.82

1850s to 1870s changes

The northernmost pavilion, completed as part of the second expansion source ↗

John Jacob Astor's son William Backhouse Astor Sr. transferred title to three land lots to the Astor Library's trustees in 1855.8889d Astor also announced plans to construct the building's first expansion on the site.57 Griffith Thomas was hired to design the first annex62122 in a similar style to the existing structure.5791 Work on the building's annex began in 1856.92 Additional alcoves were built within the annex, providing space for history and literature volumes, while arts and literature volumes remained in the original reading room.5793 The main entrance was also moved to the annex.37 The building was temporarily closed during mid-1859 to allow the volumes to be moved.57 The expansion was opened to the public on August 29, 1859,5791 allowing the building to accommodate 250,000 volumes.94 The annex gave the property a total length of 130 feet (40 m).9230

By the late 1860s, the library had 100,000 annual visitors and about 140,000 volumes. The original building was known as the south library, and the first annex was known as the north library.30 A card catalog was added in 1876, initially with 8,000 cards.85 In 1880, the Astor family transferred ownership of a 100-by-52.5-foot (30.5 by 16.0 m) plot of land to the Astor Library's trustees for the development of the second annex.95

1880s to 1910s

By 1894, researchers were allowed to browse the stacks, and parts of the collection had been moved to the public open stacks.55 The Astor Library was subsumed into the New York Public Library (NYPL) in 1895.9697

The NYPL vacated the building on April 15, 1911,98 after its New York Public Library Main Branch opened in Midtown Manhattan.77 All 900,000 volumes in the building were then moved to the new library.98 The closure of the Astor Library Building led to a decline in the area's literary trade, and the area's residences became more commercial.99 The edifice was little-used for nine years after the NYPL moved out,100 and the main facade's decorations were cut back in 1912 as part of a project to widen Lafayette Street.101 In 1914, the social-service group Brotherhood Welfare Association expressed interest in leasing the building.102 The Astor Library Building was leased in March 1919 by the United States Army's 77th Division as a temporary clubhouse with 450 beds.103104 The club planned a permanent building there in the long run, hiring Warren and Wetmore to design a new structure,103105 but ultimately relocated to 25th Street instead.106 By December 1919, the building was instead being used as a retail store for the Army.107108

HIAS use

The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) purchased the building for $325,000IV109110 in December 1919, having outgrown their existing building on the Lower East Side.111 HIAS planned to operate dormitories and a school for prospective citizens at the building,110 which required that the Army store vacate the property.112113 After the U.S. government left that May, HIAS immediately began remodeling the structure,113 hiring Benjamin Levitan to renovate the interiors. The reading room was split up into multiple levels, and the stacks were removed.55 HIAS launched a fundraising drive for the building in September 1920, at which point 20,000 people had already contributed half the renovation and building costs.111 The building officially opened June 5, 1921, with a dedication ceremony featuring remarks by President Warren G. Harding.114115

HIAS used 425 Lafayette Street as an immigrant intake facility for over four decades,5522 during which the building accommodated a quarter-million visitors.99 HIAS held its annual meetings in the building,116 and it also hosted events there, such as bazaars,117 exhibits,118 and Passover Seder meals.119 Newly arrived Jewish immigrants in New York City, if were not received by a relative already in the United States, were transported to 425 Lafayette Street, where they were assisted and sent off to other cities.120121 By the 1930s, the first floor had an office where prospective immigrants' relatives could provide documents for their family members' journeys, while the second floor had an employment office and several classrooms.122 The building also included dormitories, a dispensary, a nursery, a synagogue, and kosher kitchens.123

The exodus of Jews from Nazi Germany in the 1930s led to increases in HIAS's business.122124 The building was nicknamed the "door of hope", especially as Nazi Germany's persecution of Jews continued during World War II.125 After the war, the building continued to house Jewish immigrants and refugees who had no other place to live.126 In 1948, Nettie Berg and Jacob Lesser donated funds for a children's playroom at 425 Lafayette Street.127 That year, HIAS set up an office at the building to assist undocumented Jewish immigrants in gaining legal status.128 The building's other offices included a missing-relative service to help Jews locate long-lost family members.123 After the United Service for New Americans was merged into HIAS in 1954, the combined organization was headquartered at 425 Lafayette Street.129130 HIAS stayed in the building until 1965.228 Joseph Papp, leader of the theatrical group New York Shakespeare Festival (later the Public Theater), wrote that when his group took over the building a decade later, HIAS was operating two kitchens, a synagogue, and dormitories there.131

Public Theater

1960s: Preservation and renovation

The building's main entrance source ↗

By the 1960s, the Astor Library Building was in disuse and faced demolition.978 HIAS sought to sell the property, which was under consideration as a city landmark.132 After unsuccessfully attempting to find a buyer who wanted to preserve the building, HIAS decided to sell it to the real-estate developer Lithos Properties by 1965;25 the buyer planned to replace the Astor Library Building with an apartment block.133134 That September, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) offered the building to the Shakespeare Festival25 after Joseph Papp had written to the LPC, asking about abandoned buildings where the Shakespeare Festival could perform.135 Papp admired the building's architecture and its large interior spaces,51136 and his grandfather, a Jewish immigrant, had once stayed there.137 He said the building was in such poor condition, "it looked like there had been a pogrom in the place".51 The LPC designated the Astor Library Building as a landmark on October 26, 1965,6138 despite opposition from HIAS.25139 The Astor Library Building was one of the first designations ever made by the LPC,140 which had gained legal powers to enforce the city's landmark law in early 1965.141

The Shakespeare Festival announced in January 1966 that it would buy the building.140136142 The group assumed Lithos's contract and paid about $560,000,V140 the same amount Lithos had agreed to pay HIAS.134 At the time, Lithos had already paid HIAS several thousand dollars.136 The Shakespeare Festival also planned to spend $1.8 millionVI converting the old library into a facility with an auditorium, classrooms, and other theatrical facilities.143140 Papp was also searching for a donor to help defray the renovation costs,140 and it planned to rename the Astor Library Building the Shakespeare Building.144 The Shakespeare Festival committed $475,000VII to the restoration after the city government offered to eventually buy the building back from the organization.145 Shortly after the purchase, a member of the festival's board committed $250,000 for the project,VIII143 and the Shakespeare Festival hosted a fundraiser for the renovation.144146 Giorgio Cavaglieri was hired to lead the Astor Library Building's renovation.2122 The building's city-landmark designation applied only to the exterior, so theoretically the interior could be gutted and completely renovated.328 The exterior was modified less drastically; it still bore HIAS's acronym twenty years after Papp's group moved in.131

Papp's original plan had called for two auditoriums of 200 and 800 seats each,142147 but these plans would have required demolishing the main reading room, something Papp sought to avoid.32 To save the reading room, Papp announced in August 1966 that he would instead build a 150-seat auditorium on the first floor and a 300-seat auditorium on the second floor.148 This delayed the renovation's completion.45 By late 1966, the lower theater was to be named after major donor Estelle A. Newman;45 the other theater was subsequently named after Florence Sutro Anspacher.61 Papp later modified the plans to include a third stage for experimental theatre.61 The Shakespeare Festival dedicated the structure as the Public Theater on October 10, 1967;149150 the Public Theater Building had been the first building to be adaptively reused under the new landmarks law.14031 The Anspacher Theater was opened on October 30, with a performance of Hair.32151 Because of a lack of funding, some decorations were left unfinished;32 as late as 1969, the Newman Theater still needed $500,000 in additional funding.IX152 Papp moved his office into the building, which also came to encompass four auditoriums.153154 The Public Theater Building's renovation was one of several such projects that helped revitalize the area around Astor Place.155 Other theaters and restaurants opened in the area after the renovation was completed,156 and the Public Theater Building became what The Washington Post called "the cultural nucleus of the district".28

1970s: City purchase and further changes

View of the Astor Library (Public Theater) Building toward the north source ↗

Papp's primary operation, the free-admission Shakespeare in the Park program, had never been profitable, but the purchase of the Public Theater Building worsened his deficits, as revenue from the Public Theater's ticket sales was insufficient to cover the deficits. After attempting to raise money through other sources such as newspaper advertisements, Papp contacted city parks commissioner August Heckscher II in 1969 and offered to sell the city the building for $3.56 million.X152 By 1970, Papp owed over $400,000 toward the Public Theater Building's renovation.XI153157 As such, construction contractor Yorke Construction Corporation threatened to place a lien on the property that June.157 The city proposed taking over the Public Theater Building, allowing the organization to focus on Shakespeare in the Park,158 and the state offered the city $250,000XII in matching funds for the purchase.159 By then, Papp wanted $5.1 million for the building,XIII but the New York City Board of Estimate initially rejected the offer.160161

After the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1970,162 the proposed purchase became eligible for federal funding.160 That month, Papp halved his asking price,160163 and a committee headed by theatrical manager Roger L. Stevens was formed to raise money for the building.145164 The organization was still in danger of defaulting on the building's mortgage loan, which came due on January 31, 1971.145 That March, after reconsidering Papp's offer,32 the Board of Estimate agreed to pay $2.6 millionXIV for the building and to lease it back to the Shakespeare Festival for a nominal fee of $1 annually.165166 The leaseback agreement was delayed by bureaucratic city procedures, requiring the Shakespeare Festival to borrow large amounts just to remain operational.153 In June 1972, the state government signed legislation allowing the leaseback agreement to proceed.167 The city's purchase of the building helped reduce the organization's financial deficits.168

Meanwhile, the Newman Theater opened in 1970,157169 and Anthology Film Archives opened the Invisible Cinema, an auditorium for film screenings, later that year.170171 The film auditorium, occupying the northern section of the ground floor,170 screened films in repertory.172171 Papp received $250,000 in city funds for the building's renovation in late 1972.173 By that decade, the Public Theater Building comprised one venue for film screenings and five or six stages for live theatre.e174175 It hosted a variety of stage productions, including new plays, revivals of classics, and some musicals.176 Due to space limitations, the Shakespeare Festival had opened additional venues across the street by the mid-1970s.174177 When the Anthology Film Archives moved out around that time, the Shakespeare Festival repurposed the film screening space as the Little Theater.178 This space hosted events such as experimental theatre workshops179 and screenings of limited-distribution films.178 Papp renovated the Public Theater Building's top floor in 1977, converting Martinson Hall into a cabaret venue.62180

1980s and 1990s

Interior of one of the stages source ↗

The Shakespeare Festival's costume shop was relocated out of the building across the street by the mid-1980s.181 During that time, most of the live-theater stages were closed for repairs, leaving the film auditorium and one of the live-theater stages open.182 The Public Theater's presence in the building continued to attract local businesses.183 By the end of its second decade as a theater, the Public Theater Building hosted about 300 separate productions.184 In the late 20th century, the Public Theater made various upgrades to the Public Theater Building. For instance, the North Hall's lower level was rebuilt, and a mezzanine was added to provide more space for backstage functions.55

After Papp's death in 1991, the Public Theater Building was officially renamed the Joseph Papp Public Theater in April 1992.185186 The theatrical organization was still legally the New York Shakespeare Festival, but the Papp and Public names were sometimes used for the organization as well.187 When he died, Papp had been negotiating a 99-year lease for the building,186 which was finalized by Mayor David Dinkins in June 1993.188189 That year, Papp's successor George C. Wolfe converted one of the live stages to the LuEsther Lab, an experimentation space closed to the public.190 Wolfe also sought to raise $50 million for a campaign to renovate the building.191 By then, the New York Shakespeare Festival had staged almost 400 live theatrical works at the building.188 Joe's Pub, a small performance space and dining establishment, opened at the building in October 1998.192 The renovation of Joe's Pub cost around $2 million.f43193 The next year, the Public Theater Building was designated by the LPC as part of the NoHo Historic District.194

2000s to present

By the early 21st century, the Public Theater Building was one of several theaters in NoHo, along with the Gene Frankel Theater, Lynn Redgrave Theater, and Astor Place Theatre.195 The organization had also raised $20 million toward the building's renovation by 2000.191 Under the directorship of Mara Manus between 2002 and 2007, the Public Theater hosted an increasing number of programs, which increased patronage at the Public Theater Building.196 By the mid-2000s, the Public Theater Building had five stages in addition to Joe's Pub;197 by then, the organization itself had formally become the Public Theater (or colloqually the Public).187 When Manus resigned in 2008, the Public was planning to raise $6 million for renovations at the building.196 The city government had agreed to give another $19 million for the renovation,196 later increased to $22 million.50198 In 2009, the Public commenced a campaign to raise funds for the building's renovation.50199 This project marked the Public Theater Building's first major modifications since the organization had moved in four decades prior.198199 Ennead Architects was hired to design the renovation.200201 Since the building was a city landmark, the LPC, the community board representing the area, and the New York City Department of Transportation were required to review the plans.50

A groundbreaking ceremony for the project occurred on March 9, 2010, attended by figures such as Liev Schreiber and Philip Seymour Hoffman.202 The project involved restoring the exterior; adding a balcony, coat check, and restrooms; and expanding and restoring the lobby.50201 A canopy and stoop were added outside the entrance.198199 A mezzanine was added to the lobby, allowing the space to accommodate up to 690 patrons,50 and the Library cafe was added to the mezzanine.49203 The project included a direct connection to Joe's Pub;49 this required the pub to be closed for three months of renovations in mid-2011.204 The renovation contractors also upgraded the mechanical systems,201 aiming to earn a LEED green building certification for the building.49 During the project, the renovation campaign received another $2 million from the Ford Foundation205 and part of a $4 million gift from the Spitzer Trust (founded by the parents of former Governor Eliot Spitzer).206 The Public Theater Building reopened on October 4, 2012,200 with attendees such as Schreiber, Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Redgrave, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.207208 The project had cost $40 million,3951200 two-thirds of which came from city funds.208

Joe's Pub, which had not been extensively modified during the 2010s renovation, received a new audiovisual system in 2014.209 In 2026, after Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel's foundation donated funds for a renovation of the Anspacher Theater, that stage was renamed the Barbaralee Theater.60

Reception

Upper stories of the center of the facade source ↗

When the building opened in 1854, the New York Observer and Chronicle wrote that it was "simple in style, but admirably adapted to the purpose for which it was designed",54 and the New-York Tribune also commented that the building was "inornately decorated".210 The New York Times wrote that the building was a "noble monument to the rich old gentleman whose name it bears".211 Contemporary sources also praised the interior as well-organized.5486210 A writer for The United States Magazine said the original building's relatively small size put it at a disadvantage but that, even so, "the architect has made the most of his prescribed front elevation".27 A writer for the Chicago Press and Tribune said in 1860 that the building held valuable items inside despite its "singularly plain and undemonstrative" exterior.93

The New York Herald Tribune wrote in 1940 that, when the Astor Library Building had opened, the site was described as "having a refined and classic air".85 Mark Wischnitzer wrote in 1957 that, despite the uninviting appearance of the building, inside were "human beings, whose perspective for happiness was rejuvenated by the men and women of HIAS".212 Newsweek magazine retrospectively called the building "one of New York's architectural glories".213

When the building was sold to the Shakespeare Festival in 1966, architectural writer Ada Louise Huxtable described its preservation as "the miracle on Lafayette Street".25 The renovation was widely praised;214 Huxtable wrote that observers could "call [the building] anything, but call it a success",32 and historian Gerard Wolfe wrote that the building "is an ideal example of adaptive reuse".22 Newsday writer Allan Wallach said in 1971 that the building was "redolent of a more leisurely era" and that its "Victorian charm" contrasted with the aggressive personality of Papp, its savior.177 Oskar Eustis, a later artistic director of the Public Theater, wrote that the building's history "dovetails with what Joe decided to do with it", saying that the Astor Library Building's original purpose was particularly prescient because Papp, a child of immigrants, had learned English at a public library.215

Retrospectively, Wolfe wrote in 1994 that the Public Theater Building was a "lovely Italian Renaissance palazzo" with an intact entrance and lobby, even though the interiors had largely been split up into theaters.22 Francis Morrone wrote in 2002 that it was an "excellent example of the Rundbogenstil" because the style was appropriate for the small lot size, contrasting with the large parcel occupied by the New York Public Library Main Branch, which allowed that building to have a more monumental design.33

See also

See also

References

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

  1. Another source cites the building as measuring 220 feet (67 m) along Lafayette Street.8
  2. Another source cites dimensions of 100 by 64 feet (30 by 20 m).54
  3. Sources variously cite the library as holding 80,000,80425556 90,000,81 or 100,000 volumes.5482 Some later sources give a drastically different figure of 200,000 volumes.883 However, a contemporary source from 1850 stated that the building was initially able to accommodate only 120,000 volumes.23 The reading room could fit 100,000 of these volumes.2354
  4. This plot is variously cited as measuring 80 feet (24 m)9088 or 85 feet (26 m) wide.89 Its depth is variously cited as 100 feet (30 m)90 or 120 feet (37 m).8889
  5. Sources from the 1970s variously cite the Public Theater Building as having five174 or six stages.175 Another source from Papp's death in 1991 cites the building as having had five stages.176
  6. The project is variously cited as costing $1.7 million193 or $2.35 million.43

Inflation figures

  1. Equivalent to $10.2 million in 202464
  2. Equivalent to $11.7 million in 202464
  3. Equivalent to $2.2 million in 202464
  4. Equivalent to $3.8 million in 202464
  5. Equivalent to $4.1 million in 202464
  6. Equivalent to $13.3 million in 202464
  7. Equivalent to $3.5 million in 202464
  8. Equivalent to $3.5 million in 202464
  9. Equivalent to $3.3 million in 202464
  10. Equivalent to $23.3 million in 202464
  11. Equivalent to $2.5 million in 202464
  12. Equivalent to $1.6 million in 202464
  13. Equivalent to $31.7 million in 202464
  14. Equivalent to $15.4 million in 202464

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