Davenport Theatre

• 1984–2004 – Primary Stages
• 2007–2012 – 45th Street Theatre (some overlap with Primary Stages)
• 2013 – New Theatre at 45th Street[4]
• 2014– 2018 – Davenport Theatre
• 2019 – New York City Tango

The five-story building was built in 1915 as an electric substation by the United Electric Light & Power Company which promoted alternating current in the war of the currents while New York Edison was promoting direct current. Although the direct current standard lost to ac in the war Edison had continued to electrify lower Manhattan with direct current and accounted for 90 percent of the electric power at the time against United's 10 percent. The substation in particular was aimed at providing reliable power to Broadway theatres and Times Square signs at a time when most theatres had direct current.[5] In 1928 New York Edison began the process to adopt the AC standard and by 1935 had totally acquired United.[6][7]

After the building was decommissioned as a substation it became a Masonic Lodge. The masonic emblem with the inscription "Gran Logia de Lengua Española Vales De Nueva York" still hangs over the entrance and the abbreviation ALGDGADU is also above the entrance.[6] The abbreviation is interpreted from Spanish "A La Gloria Del Gran Arquitecto Del Universo" to say "to the Glory of the Great Architect of the Universe."[8][9]

According to the building's certificate of occupancy from 1959, the space was intended to be used as offices and a recording studio [10] and had been used illegally as a theater space for several decades.[11]

As of September 2019, the theater portion of the building was converted to the New York City Tango dance hall.

Selected productions at the Davenport Theatre.[1][12]

• Official website