Hammerstein Ballroom
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| Type | Music |
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| Opened | 1906 |
| Location | New York, NY |
| Owner | Unification Church |
| Renovated | 1997 |
| Capacity | 2,500 (Reception/Theater Style) 1,000 (Seated Dinner) 3,400 (Standing/Concerts) |
| Website | www.mcstudios.com/mc-studio-events/the-hammerstein.php |
The Hammerstein Ballroom is a two-tiered, 12,000 square feet (1115 m2) ballroom located within the Manhattan Center Studios on 311 West 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America. It is known for its elegant appearance and excellent acoustical design. The capacity of the ballroom is dependent on the configuration of the room; the ballroom seats 2,500 people for theatrical productions and musical performances, and several thousand for events held within a central ring. The two main balconies - which are unusually close to the ground and gently sloped - seat a total of 1,200. There are six shallow balconies which are normally used for celebrity guests. The floor slants down to the stage area to enable those in the back rows to see easily.
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[edit] History
The Manhattan Center was constructed in 1906 by Oscar Hammerstein as the Manhattan Opera House, an alternative to the popular yet comparatively expensive Metropolitan Opera. In 1910, the Metropolitan Opera paid Hammerstein $1.2 million USD to stop operating the Manhattan Opera House as an opera venue for ten years. This led to the elaborately decorated theater being used for a variety of events, including vaudeville performances.
The ownership of the center changed hands multiple times over the next few decades, with the theater being converted into a large ballroom and being used as a Freemason's temple in the 1930s and a trade union headquarters in the 1940s before falling into disuse in the 1970, before being bought by Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, the ballroom's current owner. The building was renamed Manhattan Center Studios in 1986, and in 1997 the former theater was renamed the Hammerstein Ballroom and underwent extensive renovation, with the hand painted ceiling being completely restored.
[edit] Events
The Hammerstein Ballroom has seen performances from a wide variety of musical acts, including 311, Pet Shop Boys, Kraftwerk, Yes, Foo Fighters, Jack's Mannequin, Switchfoot, Tiesto, Jethro Tull, The Mars Volta, Morrissey, Motörhead, Mike Doughty, Kylie Minogue, Franz Ferdinand, KoRn, Veruca Salt, Fatboy Slim, Hanson, HIM, Marilyn Manson, Oasis, O.A.R., Counting Crows, Nine Inch Nails, Trey Anastasio, The Offspring, Incubus, Coheed and Cambria, Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest, Jay-Z, Radiohead, 30 Seconds to Mars, Stone Temple Pilots, R.E.M. (see here), Bryan Adams, Arctic Monkeys, Regina Spektor, The Goo Goo Dolls, Avenged Sevenfold, Moby, Tiësto, Tool, the Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang Clan, No Doubt, PJ Harvey, Kelly Clarkson, Iron Maiden, Kanye West, O-Town, The Strokes, the Pixies, Shoshana Bean, The Disco Biscuits, Rammstein, Gov't Mule Evanescence, Muse, Matt White, Bob Dylan, Cafe Tacuba, Enrique Iglesias, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Danity Kane, Donna Summer and Britney Spears.
In 2002, NASCAR held its annual end-of-season awards ceremony in the Ballroom, the only time since 1985 the end-of-season awards ceremony was not held in the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom.
In addition, the ballroom has also been used to host conventions, art exhibitions and formal dinners.
On May 6, it was announced that pop music icon, Kylie Minogue will tour North America for the first time in her 20 years in music. The last show being in the Hammerstein Ballroom on October 11, 2009,[1] with two more dates being added for October 12 and 13 due to popular demand.
In 2009, the Hammerstein Ballroom hosted auditions for America's Got Talent.
In October 2009, Paramore will be performing at the Hammerstein Ballroom for their Brand New Eyes Tour as well as Kelly Clarkson for her All I Ever Wanted Tour.
In December 2009, Furthur Project, consisting of Grateful Dead veterans Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, John Kadlecik, Joe Russo, Jay Lane, Jeff Chimenti, will perform at the Hammerstein Ballroom for a two night special engagement.
On November 18th 2009, the annual breakdancing competition Red Bull BC One will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
[edit] Professional wrestling
The professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) staged some of its events from the Ballroom. Starting in August 2000 ECW staged two back to back shows, on the first night a one night tag title tournament was held when the titles were vacated in May 2000. They would then hold two pay-per-views one called ECW Massacre on 34th Street in December 2000 and then the next month they held ECW Guilty as Charged PPV, which would be the last Paul Heyman owned ECW pay-per-view. The Ballroom then hosted the first two WWE owned ECW One Night Stand pay-per-views, in June 2005 and June 2006. On one notable occasion, an audience member scaled down the gilded balcony and tried to assault a performer who had repeatedly goaded him. World Wrestling Federation regularly held its early episodes of Monday Night Raw at the Grand Ballroom on the other side of Manhattan Center. Independent promotion Ring of Honor started running shows in the Grand Ballroom in 2006, even hosting their annual Glory by Honor, and Final Battle shows there. They would successfully move down to the main ballroom in May 2008.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (December 2007) |
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 40°45′10″N 73°59′39″W / 40.7529078°N 73.9941886°W
