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Landmarks
245 West 52nd Street, August Wilson Theater, application for a proposed new exterior sign.
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, January 13, 2022, the following resolution passed with a vote of 37 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, The August Wilson Theatre (f/k/a the Guild Theatre, the ANTA Theatre and the Virginia Theatre) is a Broadway theater owned and operated by Jujamcyn Theaters LLC (the “Applicant”) and located within the Theatre Subdistrict at 245 West 52nd Street; and
WHEREAS, The theater was designed by C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim in the style of a 15th Century Tuscan villa, and built as a subscription playhouse for the Theater Guild in 1925; and
WHEREAS, The theater “survives today as one of the historic theaters that symbolize American theater for both New York and the nation,” and was designated one of the first Broadway theaters designated as a New York City Landmark on August 6, 1985; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes the installation of a non-illuminated, frameless and rectangular exterior sign, measuring approximately 16’6” long, 7’6” wide and 2” deep, composed of graphic film applied directly to the Western wall of the theater (the “Sign”); and
WHEREAS, Signs similar in nature to such Sign presently exist or have existed on other buildings in the District located at 249 W 45th Street, 227 West 46th Street and 461 Park Ave South; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes to use such Sign to advertise:
(a) Broadway shows and other live attractions/events;
(b) companies providing products or services related to Broadway, live attractions/events, filmed version of live attractions/events or event ticketing;
(c) companies providing products or services to the Applicant or another theater owned and/or operated by the Applicant; and/or
(d) companies with sponsorships arrangements with the Applicants or an attraction or event in a theater owned and/or operated by the Applicant; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes to change the advertisements which shall appear on such Sign no more than approximately one (1) time each year; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five has concerns about the Applicant using such Sign to advertise products or services unrelated to the Broadway theater industry; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the application by the Applicant to install the Sign, unless the Applicant restricts the advertisements which appear on such Sign to legitimate theatrical productions produced by the Applicant and/or its affiliates in Broadway theater(s) and/or presented in Broadway theater(s) owned and/or operated by the Applicant (collectively, “Theatrical Productions”) and/or its affiliates and/or the exploitation of any allied, ancillary or subsidiary rights with respect thereto; and for the avoidance of doubt, the Applicant shall be permitted to include ancillary references to any sponsors of such Theatrical Productions, provided that such references are in the form of a logo rather than a product, and do not appear in the aggregate on more than one-fifth (1/5) of such Sign.