Theatre Row

Theatre Row serves as a direct result of a bold urban experiment launched in the late nineteen seventies to reclaim West Forty Second Street. At that time, this specific block was defined by an economy of peep shows and adult bookstores. The Forty Second Street Development Corporation, led by founder Fred Papert and supported by figures like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, initiated a plan to systematically replace those businesses with nonprofit theaters, rehearsal spaces, and performance venues. This project effectively transformed a center of illicit trade into an anchor for the Off Broadway community, creating a dedicated home for experimental work and emerging artists.