New Amsterdam Theatre

In the early 1990’s the 42nd Street Development Corporation was formed to rejuvenate the theatres of Times Square. The New Amsterdam was in the worst shape by far as decades of abuse and neglect left her thoroughly dilapidated. Having recently opened its first his musical, Beauty and the Beast, The Walt Disney Company was looking for a permanent home on Broadway for its future theatrical enterprises, making it an ideal partner for the restoration. The task however, seemed insurmountable. The boxes on either side of her proscenium had been torn out. The ceiling had collapsed and years of rain and snow had deposited over two feet of standing water in the basement. Mushrooms the size of dinner plates were growing throughout the house, and once spectacular murals and sculptures were marred beyond recognition. It took a team of over 400 expert engineers, plasterers, painters, and technicians to restore the theatre back to her origional glory.