Richard Rodgers Theatre, West 46th Street NYC

The Richard Rodgers Theatre, originally called 46th Street Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan NYC. It opened in 1925 and has 1,319 seats on two levels. The theater is operated by the Nederlander Organization. Both the façade and the auditorium interior were designated New York City landmarks in 1987. The theater has been a house of a long line of famed musicals, including Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Nine, Chicago, and Movin’ Out.

The Times Square area became the center for large-scale theater productions in the first decades of 20th century. The 46th Street Theatre was constructed by Irwin Chanin, head of the Chanin organization, a major construction company in New York. It was designed by Herbert J. Krapp, who designed all the Chanins' theaters.

The façade is divided into two sections. The eastern section, containing the auditorium, is designed in the neo-Renaissance style with white brick and terracotta. The auditorium's ground floor has an entrance under a marquee, above which is a loggia of three double-height arches, as well as a entablature and balustrade at the top. The western section, comprising the stage house, is seven stories high and is faced in buff-colored brick. The auditorium contains neo-Renaissance detailing, steep stadium seating in the orchestra level, a large balcony, and a shallow domed ceiling. There are also box seats near the front of the auditorium on two tiers.

The Chanin's 46th Street Theatre officially opened on February 8, 1925, with a production of Is Zat So? The theater was leased to the Shubert brothers, who purchased the building in 1931. In 1945, the theater was taken over by Robert W. Dowling of the City Investing Company. In 1960, it was purchased by the producer Lester Osterman, who sold it to producers Stephen R. Friedman and Irwin Meyer in 1978. The Nederlander Organization purchased the theater in 1981 and renamed it to honor the composer Richard Rodgers in 1990. Over the years, the Richard Rodgers has hosted eleven Tony Award-winning productions: Guys and Dolls, Redhead, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, 1776, Raisin, Nine, Fences, Lost in Yonkers, In the Heights, and Hamilton.

The theatre was renovated in 2006 and houses the Richard Rodgers Gallery, which displays historic memorabilia from his career.