The Broadway Theater District is one of the most iconic parts of not just New York City, but the entire state of New York. Though it is relatively small amount of space—the larger district runs between West 40th street on the south, West 54th street on the north, and Sixth Avenue on the East and Eighth Avenue on the west—the New York theater district contains 41 professional theaters with 500 or more seats. Then there are the smaller theaters, known as Off-Broadway, that cater to less commercial productions. All together, the district is rivaled by only London’s West End when it comes to the largest density of theaters in the English-speaking world. To learn more about the roots of Broadway in New York, keep reading blow.

The Broadway thoroughfare is iconic, but only three theaters are located on that street proper. The rest are on numbered cross streets.
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The first major theater in New York was established around 1750, mainly to present Shakespeare plays and ballad operas. These productions are the real roots of Broadway. The Revolutionary War stalled development, but by the 1840s, things were rocking again, and the New York theater world began in earnest.
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Starting in 1850, the New York theater world slowly started to move from Downtown to Midtown Manhattan.
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By 1870, Broadway’s center moved to Union Square. By the early-1900s, many theaters moved to Madison Square and Times Square.
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Around this period, street lighting made travel safer and poverty in New York started to slow, which gave the theater community a major jolt.
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This era helped create what we now know as the New York Theater District.
Silas A. Holmes/Wikimedia Commons

The Broadway Theater district has such a rich history, and we think that knowing a bit about it really enriches the experience of taking in a play or a musical. Before going to a show on Broadway in New York, why not check out nearby Ellen’s Stardust Diner, a great 50s-themed diner. For those looking for a place to stay in the area, we recommend Millennium Hotel Broadway, Times Square.

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