Fourteenth Street Theatre
Trademark
UnclaimedA historic Manhattan theatre that operated under several names from 1866 until its demolition in 1938.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Fourteenth Street Theatre was a historic performing-arts venue at 107 West 14th Street, just west of Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City. It opened in 1866 as the Theatre Français, a venue intended for French-language drama and opera. Over the course of its life, the building changed names, managers, artistic purposes, and forms of entertainment, reflecting the shifting theatrical and popular-culture landscape of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century New York. The theatre was designed by Alexander Saeltzer. In 1871 it was renamed the Lyceum. In 1879, producer J. H. Haverly took control and renamed it Haverly's 14th Street Theatre. By the middle of the 1880s, the venue was generally known simply as the Fourteenth Street Theatre. Under that name it hosted a mixture of melodramas, comedies, musical entertainments, popular plays, and touring productions. Among the productions associated with the venue were Sam'l of Posen; or, The Commercial Drummer in 1881, Evangeline! during the 1885–1886 season, The Still Alarm and The Old Homestead in 1887, A Romance of Athlone in 1889 and 1890, Blue Jeans in 1890, Mavourneen in 1891, Palmer Cox's Brownies in 1894, and The Errand Boy in 1904. By the middle of the 1910s, the building was being used as a movie theatre, indicating a transition from a conventional stage venue toward the expanding commercial cinema business. A major later chapter began in 1926, when actress Eva Le Gallienne made the theatre the home of her stage company. She renamed it the Civic Repertory Theatre and used it as a base for a repertory operation that also included acting classes. During its tenure, the company mounted 34 productions and became associated with ambitious repertory programming for New York audiences. The Civic Repertory Theatre's notable productions included Le Gallienne's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, presented in 1932–1933 for 127 performances; Peace on Earth, presented in 1933–1934 for 126 performances; Waiting for Lefty in 1935; and Let Freedom Ring, presented in 1935–1936 for 108 performances. The repertory venture was ultimately undermined by the economic conditions of the Great Depression and ended in 1934 as an operating enterprise, although productions connected with the company and the building continued to be documented into the mid-1930s. The building was demolished in 1938. It therefore survives primarily through theatrical records, production histories, archival collections, and references such as the Internet Broadway Database and the Civic Repertory Theatre records held by Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Because it was a physical theatre rather than a continuing commercial company, the Fourteenth Street Theatre is best understood as a historical venue and theatrical institution rather than an active consumer brand.
History
The theatre was designed by Alexander Saeltzer and opened in Manhattan in 1866 as the Theatre Français. Its original role was to present French-language dramas and opera. In 1871, the building was renamed the Lyceum, marking the first of several changes in identity during its long theatrical history. In 1879, producer J. H. Haverly took over the venue and gave it the name Haverly's 14th Street Theatre. By the mid-1880s, the shorter name Fourteenth Street Theatre had become established. The house presented a varied program rather than remaining tied to one dramatic genre. Its recorded productions included Sam'l of Posen; or, The Commercial Drummer in 1881, Evangeline! in 1885–1886, The Still Alarm and The Old Homestead in 1887, A Romance of Athlone in 1889 and 1890, Blue Jeans in 1890, Mavourneen in 1891, Palmer Cox's Brownies in 1894, and The Errand Boy in 1904. These titles illustrate the venue's participation in the commercial stage culture of late nineteenth-century New York, including melodrama, musical entertainment, popular fiction adaptations, and touring theatrical productions. By the middle of the 1910s, the building had been converted or adapted for use as a movie theatre. This phase reflected the growing importance of cinema as an alternative to live performance and the changing economic uses of urban entertainment buildings. The venue entered a significant new phase in 1926 when actress Eva Le Gallienne established her stage company there. She renamed the house the Civic Repertory Theatre and used it not only for performances but also for acting classes. The company pursued repertory programming and mounted 34 successful productions at the theatre. Its work included an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, which ran for 127 performances during 1932–1933, and Peace on Earth, which ran for 126 performances during 1933–1934. Other documented Civic Repertory Theatre-associated productions include Waiting for Lefty in 1935 and Let Freedom Ring during 1935–1936, the latter reaching 108 performances. The Great Depression brought the Civic Repertory Theatre venture to an end in 1934. The building nevertheless remained part of the documented New York theatrical landscape for several more years. It was demolished in 1938. No successor company or continuing operation is identified in the supplied reference material. Today, the theatre's history is preserved through theatre histories, production databases, and archival holdings, including the Civic Repertory Theatre Records in the Yale Collection of American Literature at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
- 1938
Demolition
[1]The Fourteenth Street Theatre building was demolished.
- 1934
Civic Repertory Theatre venture ends
[1]The Great Depression ended the Civic Repertory Theatre venture after the company had mounted 34 productions at the venue.
- 1926
Eva Le Gallienne establishes the Civic Repertory Theatre
[1]Eva Le Gallienne made the venue the home of her stage company, renamed it the Civic Repertory Theatre, and conducted acting classes there.
- 1915
Use as a movie theatre
[1]By the middle of the 1910s, the building was being used for motion-picture exhibition.
- 1880
Adoption of the Fourteenth Street Theatre name
[1]By the middle of the 1880s, the theatre was generally known as the Fourteenth Street Theatre.
- 1879
Haverly takes over the theatre
[1]Producer J. H. Haverly assumed control and renamed the venue Haverly's 14th Street Theatre.
- 1871
Renamed the Lyceum
[1]The venue adopted the name Lyceum.
- 1866
Opening as the Theatre Français
[1]The building designed by Alexander Saeltzer opened at 107 West 14th Street as the Theatre Français, presenting French-language drama and opera.
Products and positioning
A centrally located Manhattan theatre that evolved from a French-language stage venue into a broad popular-theatre house, later serving as a repertory theatre and, for a period, a movie theatre.
Stage production · 1885
Evangeline!
A theatrical production presented at the Fourteenth Street Theatre during the 1885–1886 season. It is recorded as having received 252 performances, making it one of the venue's longest-running documented productions.
Stage production · 1887
The Old Homestead
A production by George W. Ryer and Denman Thompson presented at the theatre in 1887. It received 155 performances and represents the venue's late-nineteenth-century popular stage programming.
Stage production · 1894
Palmer Cox's Brownies
A production associated with Palmer Cox and Malcolm Douglas, presented at the theatre in 1894. The production received 98 performances.
Repertory theatre production · 1932
Alice in Wonderland
Eva Le Gallienne's adaptation was presented by the Civic Repertory Theatre during 1932–1933. It ran for 127 performances and formed part of the company's repertory program at the renamed venue.
Repertory theatre production · 1933
Peace on Earth
A play by George Sklar and Albert Maltz presented by the Civic Repertory Theatre in 1933–1934. It ran for 126 performances.
Repertory theatre production · 1935
Let Freedom Ring
A Civic Repertory Theatre-associated production presented during 1935–1936. It received 108 performances after the company's principal venture had ended.
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