The
Hotel Langwell (now AKA Times Square) at 123 West 44th Street, in New York City,
between Sixth Avenue and Broadway. Photograph by Wurts Bros. shows buildings on
the north side of West 44th Street, looking west towards Broadway. Source:
Collection of photographs of NYC, New York Public Library.
This landmark hotel opened in 1894 originally as Gerard Hotel, built by William Rankin and Alexander Moore. The 13-story building was designed by George Keister in a combination of Romanesque and Northern Gothic with Renaissance elements. It was renamed Hotel Langwell after it was sold in February 1920. The hotel was renovated in 2007 and became the AKA Times Square.
The historic Belasco Theatre at 111 West 44th Street, is on the right. It was constructed in 1907 as the Stuyvesant Theatre and renamed after David Belasco in 1910. In the photo, Belasco Theatre shows the silent film Tiger Rose starring actress Lenore Ulric (1892-1970). The movie was produced by David Belasco and released on December 9, 1923.
The photograph also shows and the 7-story Hotel Lenox at 149 West 44th Street, demolished in 1985. The Rubicon (1922) with actress Violet Heming (1895-1981) is advertised in the historic Hudson Theatre, on the left. The old Hotel Astor built in 1904 is seen in the distance, on the corner of Broadway. It was demolished in 1967 to make way for the Minskoff Building.
