Lafayette Theatre (Harlem)

About

The Lafayette Theatre (1912–1951), known locally as "the House Beautiful", was one of the most famous theaters in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was an entertainment venue located at 132nd Street and 7th AvenueM. The first major theatre in New York to desegregate, in its early history the theatre was home to the African American repertory theatre company the Lafayette Players. This group was originally founded by Anita Bush as Anita Bush Stock Company in 1914 and became a part of the Lafayette Theatre in 1916 when the theatre bought the stock company. The Lafayette Players was a successful company from the 1910s through the 1930s; after which the company floundered. In 1951 the theatre closed and was sold to the Williams Institutional Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. The structure was demolished in 2013.