Gate Theatre (New York City)

The Gate Theatre once occupied the street level of the building at 162 Second Avenue, carved directly out of the former Second Avenue Baptist Tabernacle in 1957. Founded by Lily Turner, this Off-Broadway venue turned the old church quarters into a pair of stages, with the Gate on the ground floor and its sister venue, the Cricket Theatre, located in the basement. It opened with a production of The Brothers Karamazov, signaling the start of a run that brought experimental and serious drama to the East Village for over a decade.