an historic Renovation and Expansion
The first physical expansion in The Apollo’s history includes the opening of The Apollo Stages at The Victoria and the top-to-bottom restoration and renovation of the historic building — which opened its doors in 1914.
Read on to learn more about this exciting time in The Apollo’s evolution as an organization.
The Historic Theater, the Soundstage, and lobby will be renovated and the HVAC system, audio, lighting, and restroom facilities will be upgraded.
While we expect some parts of the Theater to be closed periodically during restoration and renovation, The Apollo will continue to present performances and events at both the Historic Theater and Stages at The Victoria. Any closure impacting performances will be updated on our website and social media.
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria are located just a few steps away from the Historic Theater at 233 W. 125th Street, New York, NY 10027 on the third and fourth floors of the renovated Victoria Theater building.
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria are now open to the public.
The Apollo's evolution
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria, located just a few steps away from the Historic Theater will allow The Apollo to expand its scope of artistic, educational, and community programs. The project is being led by Kostow Greenwood Architects and is located on the third and fourth floors of the Victoria Theater Redevelopment Project. It includes:
99-seat and 199-seat black box theaters, providing space to incubate, collaborate, and workshop new works
Subsidy programs for small and mid-sized, NYC-based cultural organizations, including professional-level technical equipment and theater rehearsal and performance spaces
Administrative offices for The Apollo staff and outside organizations using the space
Rent A Space
The renovation of the Historic Theater will update the lobby, restrooms, and overall audience comfort, enhance backstage facilities for artists, and preserve and renew the iconic exterior of the building. Every aspect of the Historic Theater will be updated to allow for greater versatility.
The project team is led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects + Planners, with theater, acoustics, and digital consultants Charcoal Blue and Flyleaf Creative. Updates include:
An expanded lobby with a newly designed café and bar that will be open to the public throughout the day
Upgrades to the Soundstage with expanded seating and production that are ideal for commercial shoots, private parties, and executive meetings
Expanded and upgraded seating and improved sightlines in the theater
The apollo signature seat campaign
The Apollo’s Signature Seat Campaign offers you the special and unique opportunity to celebrate the opening of The Apollo Stages at The Victoria.
Make a gift and dedicate a seat to your family, business, or a special occasion. A plaque recognizing your generosity will be attached to the seat for a maximum of 25 years.
Be among the first to leave a lasting tribute and make The Apollo Stages at The Victoria part of your legacy today!
Join THE A-LIST
Support The Apollo
Celebrate the past, present, and future of Black art and creativity. Your generosity enables The Apollo to fulfill its mission and sustain its legacy of excellence.
FAQ
The theaters at The Victoria are two new, flexible performance spaces, one with 99 seats and the other with 199 seats, as well as office space for The Apollo and partner cultural organizations. The theaters are within the “Victoria Theater Redevelopment Project,” a public/private partnership, which also includes residential units, retail space, and a hotel. The Apollo will serve as the operator and manager for the theaters. Separate developers will manage the commercial aspects of the building.
“The Victoria Redevelopment Project” is located at 233 W. 125th Street, and the theaters within The Victoria are located on the third and fourth floors of the building. The Apollo is managing the theater space.
Building on its longstanding position as an anchor in Harlem and as a nonprofit cultural institution, The Apollo was selected by the State of New York through an open Request for Proposal (RFP) process to operate, fund, and manage the cultural space for use by The Apollo, artists, students, audiences and cultural partners, extending its role and mission to create a new American performing arts canon for the 21st century and supporting artistic creation and collaboration in Harlem.
When the State of New York put out an RFP, The Apollo felt a sense of responsibility to preserve the cultural character of the community and applied. Chosen by the State, the redevelopment of The Victoria Theater offered The Apollo the opportunity to lead the cultural aspects of the project. Through the theaters at The Victoria, The Apollo continues its role as a commissioner and presenter, while also providing the opportunity to partner with other Harlem and New York nonprofits, aligning their resources and offering additional artistic opportunities.
The 25,000-square foot facility will feature two black-box theaters, with 99 and 199 seats. It will also serve as additional office space for The Apollo.
The theaters at The Victoria will expand The Apollo’s artistic programs allowing the theater to work with emerging and established artists from Harlem and around the globe. The Apollo will also have the opportunity to increase its educational programs for thousands of NYC school students, and its community-wide programs. The Apollo is in discussion with local arts organizations to program performing arts presentations, workshops, and artistic collaborations. Space within the theaters will be rented out to non-profits for use, ensuring an active, vibrant cultural center. The details of the rental program will be announced at a later time.
Apollo programs will be guided by our mission of supporting artists of color across disciplines, serving as an artistic, educational, and civic community resource, and activating our legacy to inform contemporary creativity. Specific programs are in the planning stages and will be announced in the coming months.
The Apollo will be adding additional staff to manage the theaters at The Victoria and the expanded programming in these spaces.
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria are now open.
The Apollo is in the process of developing a number of programs, including a subsidized rental initiative for eligible organizations to address the need for space for the creation and performance of artistic work and community-centered initiatives. Details will be announced at a later date. Please email vrl@apollotheater.org for more information on renting space.
The historic and landmarked Apollo Theater at 253 W. 125th Street has two stages that are available to rent. To learn more, please visit us here online.
The Apollo Stages at The Victoria will be an important part of the economic fabric of Harlem, providing a balance between the longstanding community legacies and the growing tourism in the neighborhood, and building on the Apollo’s continued role as an anchor with a mission to support artists of the African diaspora. The Apollo will be the steward of this vibrant center for community engagement in Harlem, which will enable the Apollo to continue to support the community with a broader range of public forums, educational programs, master classes, and digital broadcasting, amplifying its impact and that of a variety of arts organizations.
The Victoria Theater was most recently a movie theater until it was vacated in 1997. It was originally built as a vaudeville house in 1917, and was one of four contiguous venues on 125th Street, alongside the Apollo Theater, the Harlem Opera House, and the Alhambra Theater known as Harlem’s Opera Row. The building was not maintained and suffered. This project restores the landmarked historic façade and builds out the interior to serve as a cultural resource and economic driver for the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, the building suffered from neglect and most of the original interior was lost. The exterior has been restored, including animation of a new marquee that will be used to project the arts programs activating the spaces inside, amongst other things.
Yes, The Apollo is raising funds to support the operation and expanded programming. When not in use for Apollo-produced programs, The Apollo will rent the theaters to local non-profit arts and community organizations, which will ensure a diversity of programming.
Gifts and grants from a variety of public and private funders helped to make the theaters at The Victoria possible, including Booth Ferris Foundation, Empire State Development, the Harlem Community Development Corporation, The New York Community Trust – LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ).
The full “Victoria Theater Redevelopment Project” is a multi-million dollar project sponsored by the Harlem Community Development Corporation. It is financed by Goldman Sachs, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, and the Empire State Development Corporation. The project is being managed by Exact Capital.
To learn more visit www.ApolloTheater.org/VictoriaTheater. To sign up for The Apollo’s A-List to receive news and information from The Apollo, visit apollotheater.org/offers.