Hippodrome Theatre, Former theatre in Midtown Manhattan Theater District, US
The Hippodrome Theatre stretched across an entire block along Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets, seating 5697 people in Manhattan. The performance area measured approximately 30 by 60 meters (100 by 200 feet) and offered unusually large space for elaborate productions with live animals and big casts.
The venue opened on April 12, 1905, with a production titled A Yankee Circus on Mars and went on to present large spectacles with animals, acrobatics, and illusions for decades. In August 1939, the house closed for good, and the building was replaced with an office complex in 1952.
The stage regularly transformed into a kind of circus arena with hundreds of performers and live animals moving through elaborate scenes. Houdini performed here with his spectacular illusions, including a famous act in which an elephant disappeared before the audience.
The house stood in the Midtown Manhattan Theater District until August 16, 1939, when an office building took its place. Visitors today can only find the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 43rd Street as a reference point, with no visible remains of the old venue.
A huge glass water tank held approximately 30000 liters (8000 gallons) and could rise through hydraulic pistons from under the stage floor, allowing shows with swimmers and boats. This setup enabled real water scenes in the middle of the theatre, which was technically unusual at the time.
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