John Golden Theatre

John Golden Theatre

Theatre Masque
Address	252 West 45th Street Manhattan, New York City United States
Coordinates	40°45′31.5″N 73°59′16.6″W / 40.758750°N 73.987944°W / 40.758750; -73.987944
Public transit	Subway: Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal
Owner	The Shubert Organization
Type	Broadway
Capacity	802
Production	Stereophonic
Construction
Opened	February 24, 1927
Years active	1927–1946, 1948–present
Architect	Herbert J. Krapp
Website
Official website
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 17, 1987[1]
Reference no.	1335[1]
Designated entity	Facade
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 17, 1987[2]
Reference no.	1336[2]
Designated entity	Auditorium interior

The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in a Spanish style and was built for real-estate developer Irwin S. Chanin. It has 800 seats across two levels and is operated by the Shubert Organization. Both the facade and the auditorium interior are New York City landmarks.

The facade is designed in a Spanish style with golden brick, terracotta, and stone. The ground floor, which contains the theater's entrance, is clad in rusticated blocks of terracotta above a granite water table. Above are a set of three double-height arches, as well as two terracotta plaques. The facade is topped by a loggia. The auditorium contains Spanish-style detailing, a large balcony, and a rib-arched ceiling. Due to the theater's small size, it lacks box seats. The balcony, proscenium arch, and exit arches are ornately decorated, with geometric panels and twisting colonettes.

The Golden, Majestic, and Bernard B. Jacobs theaters, along with the Lincoln Hotel, were all developed by Chanin and designed by Krapp as part of a theater/hotel complex. The Masque opened on February 24, 1927, and was the second of the three theaters to open. The Shubert family took over the Masque in 1930 but subsequently went into receivership, and producer John Golden leased the theater in 1936. Golden renamed the theater after himself in 1937, and the Shuberts regained full control in 1945. The Golden has mostly remained in legitimate use since then, except from 1946 to 1948, when it was used as a cinema. Over the years, the Golden has largely been used for productions with small casts, as well as revues.