Theatre Design & Technology - May 1970 - 3

UBROADWAY REFASHIONED"
THE IDEA
The amendment under discussion represents
the New York City Planning Commission's
response to the fact that the demand for
new office space in midtown Manhattan has
set off a construction boom against which
the legitimate theatre cannot compete financially. In order to inject new life into
the district without discouraging the construction of these office buildings (which
yield the city far more in taxes than the old
two and three-story theatre buildings), the
Planning Commission has sought to induce
the developers in the area to include legitimate theatres in their buildings. The inducement is simply the allowance of a floor area
bonus if they do so.
Much has been made of this amendment and
the new theatres which it has sponsored.
However, there appears to be confusion
about who actually instigated this amendment, and whom it will ultimately benefit.
Perhaps a brief summary of the amendment
itself will help to clarify the intentions of
the amendment:
,. To promote and preserve Broadway's special character as the location of the world's
foremost concentration of legitimate theatres.

mum limits set forth in the main body of
the Resolution, which already grants special bonuses in square footage for the provision of plazas and arcades at street level.
(The term "floor area ratio"-F.A.R. -is
defined as the ratio between the square
footage constructed on a given parcel of
land, and the square footage of the parcel
itself.)
In order to encourage builders to ease New
York's congested streets and sidewalks by
providing plazas and arcades at street level,
and to encourage the design of buildings
more elegant than the glass and brick wedding cakes of the late 1940's and 1950's,
the existing zoning resolution already authorizes the construction of over 20% additional square footage as a bonus to those
developers who give up valuable square footage to the public at street level. The mechanics of the Theatre District Amendment
are the same. Any builder who includes a
legitimate theatre on his premises can be
authorized to build a bonus square footage
of 20% above and beyond whatever hemay
receive for plazas and arcades. Therefore,
the total bonus can be as high as 44 %.

3. To preserve the related commercial and
recreational facilities in the area.

In determining the extent of the bonus, the
Planning Commission considers whether the
proposed theatre is of a size and type
capable of achieving a balance of facilities
responsive to the needs of the district. As
a help in the evaluation of each proposed
design a special Theatre Projects Committee (appointed by the Mayor, funded by the
Ford Foundation, and led by Robert Hale)
works closely with developers and the Commission.

4. To perpetuate and hopefully to improve
the special employment conditions in the
area, generated by the presence of the
theatre industry. These might otherwise
become diffused outside the city to the
mutual detriment of the city and the industry.

The Commission in deciding the extent of
the bonus, also considers whether the proposed facility is adequate to handle required
needs. In this area, Actors' Equity Association has supplied for the Commission an elaborate series ofrecommended optimum specifications for stage and backstage facilities.

5. To conserve land and building values and
thus to protect, and hopefully to augment,
the city's tax revenues.

Finally, the Commission considers whether
the developer has included sufficient open
space at street level, subway connections,
restaurants, and other amentities useful in
the district-and whether the distribution of
the bulk of the total complex permits adequate access of air and light to surrounding
streets and properties.

2. To develop a much-needed circulation network to, from, and within the district by
encouraging the provision of open spaces,
mid-block connections, arcades, and similar facilities.

The resolution states that after public notice,
and subject to the action of the City Board
of Estimate, the Commission may grant
special permits authorizing an increase in
permitted floor area ratio for any building
or development containing a legitimate theatre or theatres. The increase shall be at the
discretion of the Commission· but it will
not exceed by more than 20% the maxi-

LESUE CORTESI,
Chairman
Theatre Architecture Committee
of the U.S.!. T. T.

AN EXPLANATION
A memorandum from the New York City
Planning Commission to the Secretary of the
City Board of Estimate, dated November "
1967, gives the reasons for the Commission's successful campaign to provide space
rewards for new theatres in office buildings
in mid-town New York City.

New York, as a center of both business and
cultural life, historically has supported a vigorous legitimate theatre, the nation's strongest, a showplace for ideas, spectacle, wit and
passion. While the theatres have depended
for patrons on the overall magnetism of the
city, the theatre district itself is a potent
magnet to attract people to the city. It attracts not only vacationers and tourists, but
also travell ing businessmen-and their business. Within its own professional operation
th e theatre provides employment for all ied
endeavors in other entertainment fields such
as television and motion pictures. It is, in
short, an essential part of New York City
both culturally and financially.
The Commission has, in the past, recognized
the theatre district by according it appropriatecommercial zoning. In the theatre district,
permitted uses include legitimate theatres,
movie houses, restaurants, cabarets, penny
arcades, shops and hotels-and also residences, office buildings and department
stores.
In practice, actual land use is dictated by
the most profitable disposition of the land.
Recently it has become clear that the continuing demand for conveniently located midtown office space is setting off an office
building construction boom against which
the I egitimate theatre cannot compete financially.
This is confirmed by the fact that no new
legitimate theatres have been put up in the
theatre district for decades, even though
many of the existing theatres are inefficient and uncomfortable both for actors and
audiences. There are, in fact, less than half
the number of legitimate theatres today
than before the depression.
The proposed amendment to the zoning resolution is the Commission's response tothis
situation: to inject new life into the theatre
district without discouraging the building of
needed new offices. In short, the Commis-

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