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Coordinates: 40°50′21″N 73°56′26″W / 40.83917°N 73.94056°W / 40.83917; -73.94056
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{{short description|Former theater and ballroom in Manhattan, New York}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
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{{coord|40|50|21|N|73|56|26|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
[[File:2014 Audubon Ballroom and Lasker Biomedical Research Building.jpg|thumb|350px|Audubon Ballroom: in the foreground is the [[Shabazz Center]], in the background, rising above the original building, is [[Columbia University Medical Center]]'s Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building, the location of the Audubon Business and Technology Center]]
[[File:2014 Audubon Ballroom and Lasker Biomedical Research Building.jpg|thumb|350px|The former Audubon Ballroom: In the foreground is the [[Shabazz Center]], in the background, rising above the original building, is [[Columbia University Medical Center]]'s Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building, the location of the Audubon Business and Technology Center.]]
⚫
The '''Audubon Theatre and Ballroom''', generally referred to as the '''Audubon Ballroom''', was a theatre and ballroom located at 3940 [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] at [[165th Street (Manhattan)|West 165th Street]] in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] neighborhood of [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]. It was built in 1912 and was designed by [[Thomas W. Lamb]]. The theatre was known at various times as the '''William Fox Audubon Theatre''', the '''Beverly Hills Theater''', and the '''San Juan Theater.''' The ballroom is noted for being the site of the [[Assassination of Malcolm X|assassination]] of [[Malcolm X]] on February 21, 1965. It is currently the '''Audubon Business and Technology Center''', which is part of [[Columbia University]]'s Audubon Research Park.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sussell|first=Abbey|date=May 2, 2017|title=Lessons from Audubon Ballroom {{!}} Columbia Public Health|url=https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/lessons-audubon-ballroom|access-date=August 26, 2021|website=www.publichealth.columbia.edu|language=en}}</ref>

⚫
The '''Audubon Theatre and Ballroom''', generally referred to as the '''Audubon Ballroom''', was a theatre and ballroom located at 3940 [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] at [[165th Street (Manhattan)|West 165th Street]] in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] neighborhood of [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]. It was built in 1912 and was designed by [[Thomas W. Lamb]]. The theatre was known at various times as the '''William Fox Audubon Theatre''', the '''Beverly Hills Theater''', and the '''San Juan Theater''', and the ballroom is noted for being the site of the [[assassination]] of [[Malcolm X]] on February 21, 1965. It is currently the '''Audubon Business and Technology Center''' and the '''[[Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center|Shabazz Center]]'''.


==History==
==History==
The Audubon Ballroom was built in 1912 by [[film producer]] [[William Fox (producer)|William Fox]], who later founded the [[20th Century Fox#Fox Film Corporation|Fox Film Corporation]]. Fox hired [[Thomas W. Lamb]], one of the foremost American [[theater]] [[architect]]s, to design the building. The building contained a theatre with 2500 seats, and a second-floor ballroom that could accommodate 200 seated guests.<ref name=nypap>[http://www.nypap.org/content/audubon-ballroom "Audubon Ballroom"] on the New York Preservation Archive Project website</ref> During its history, the Audubon Ballroom was used as a [[vaudeville]] house, a [[movie theater]],<ref name="TRR-20170406">{{cite web |last=West |first=Ashley |title=Radley Metzger’s Beginnings: The Audubon Ballroom |url=http://www.therialtoreport.com/2017/04/06/audubon-ballroom/ |date=April 6, 2017 |work=[[The Rialto Report]] |accessdate=April 6, 2017 }}</ref> and a meeting hall where [[political activist]]s often met.<ref name=nypap /><ref name=Guide/>
The Audubon Ballroom was built in 1912 by [[film producer]] [[William Fox (producer)|William Fox]], who later founded the [[20th Century Fox#Fox Film Corporation|Fox Film Corporation]]. Fox hired [[Thomas W. Lamb]], one of the foremost American [[theater]] [[architect]]s, to design the building. The building contained a theatre with 2500 seats, and a second-floor ballroom that could accommodate 200 seated guests.<ref name=nypap>[http://www.nypap.org/content/audubon-ballroom "Audubon Ballroom"] on the New York Preservation Archive Project website</ref> During its history, the Audubon Ballroom was used as a [[vaudeville]] house, a [[movie theater]],<ref name="TRR-20170406">{{cite web |last=West |first=Ashley |title=Radley Metzger's Beginnings: The Audubon Ballroom |url=http://www.therialtoreport.com/2017/04/06/audubon-ballroom/ |date=April 6, 2017 |work=[[The Rialto Report]] |access-date=April 6, 2017 }}</ref> and a meeting hall where [[political activist]]s often met.<ref name=nypap /><ref name=Guide/>


In the 1930s, Congregation Emes Wozedek, a synagogue whose members were predominantly immigrants from [[History of the Jews in Germany|Germany]], began to use basement rooms of the Audubon Ballroom to conduct its [[Jewish services|religious services]].<ref name=Lowenstein>Lowenstein, Steven M. ''Frankfurt on the Hudson: The German-Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933-1983, Its Structure and Culture'' (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991) {{ISBN|0-8143-2385-5}}. pp. 109-110</ref> At around the same time, several trade unions, including the Municipal Transit Workers, the IRT Brotherhood Union, and the [[Transport Workers Union of America|Transport Workers' Union]], utilized the meeting rooms.<ref name=nypap /> In 1950, the congregants purchased the building,<ref name=Guide/> and they continued to hold services there until 1983.<ref name=Renner>Renner, James, [http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/audubon_ballroom_73.html "History of WaHI: Audubon Ballroom"], Washington Heights & Inwood Online (May 2003)</ref>
In the 1930s, Congregation Emes Wozedek, a synagogue whose members were predominantly immigrants from [[History of the Jews in Germany|Germany]], began to use basement rooms of the Audubon Ballroom to conduct its [[Jewish services|religious services]].<ref name=Lowenstein>Lowenstein, Steven M. ''Frankfurt on the Hudson: The German-Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933–1983, Its Structure and Culture'' (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991) {{ISBN|0-8143-2385-5}}. pp. 109–110</ref> At around the same time, several trade unions, including the Municipal Transit Workers, the IRT Brotherhood Union, and the [[Transport Workers Union of America|Transport Workers' Union]], utilized the meeting rooms.<ref name=nypap /> In 1950, the congregants purchased the building,<ref name=Guide/> and they continued to hold services there until 1983.<ref name=Renner>Renner, James, [http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/audubon_ballroom_73.html "History of WaHI: Audubon Ballroom"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060528162938/http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/audubon_ballroom_73.html |date=May 28, 2006 }}, Washington Heights & Inwood Online (May 2003)</ref>


[[Image:Audubon Ballroom WTM wikiWhat 050.jpg|thumb|225px|left|Entrance to the [[Shabazz Center]]]]
[[Image:Audubon Ballroom WTM wikiWhat 050.jpg|thumb|225px|left|Entrance to the [[Shabazz Center]]]]
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After [[Malcolm X]] left the [[Nation of Islam]] in 1964, he founded the [[Organization of Afro-American Unity]] (OAAU), whose weekly meetings were held at the Audubon Ballroom. It was at one of those meetings, on February 21, 1965, that Malcolm&nbsp;X was assassinated as he was giving a speech.<ref name=nypap />
After [[Malcolm X]] left the [[Nation of Islam]] in 1964, he founded the [[Organization of Afro-American Unity]] (OAAU), whose weekly meetings were held at the Audubon Ballroom. It was at one of those meetings, on February 21, 1965, that Malcolm&nbsp;X was assassinated as he was giving a speech.<ref name=nypap />


Because of non-payment of property taxes, New York City took possession of the theatre in 1967. Nevertheless, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Ballroom operated as the '''San Juan Theater''', showing films which catered to the increasingly Hispanic neighborhood. It closed in 1980, and the building remained vacant and the exterior deteriorated.<ref name=nypap />
Because of non-payment of property taxes, New York City took possession of the theatre in 1967. Nevertheless, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Ballroom operated as the '''San Juan Theater''', showing films which catered to the increasingly Hispanic neighborhood. It closed in 1980, and the building remained vacant and the exterior deteriorated.<ref name=nypap />


===Adaptive reuse===
===Adaptive reuse===
{{See also|Shabazz Center}}
{{See also|Shabazz Center}}


In 1989, [[Columbia University]], with the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] as a partner,<ref name=nypap /> reached an agreement with the city,<ref name=nypap /> and in 1992 it began the process of [[Demolition|demolishing]] the Audubon Ballroom to replace it with a medical research facility.<ref name=nypap /> Although many city officials, including Mayor [[David Dinkins]], were strongly in favor of the project because of the jobs and economic impetus it would bring to the area, which had suffered greatly in the economic downturn of the 1970s,<ref name=nypap /> community activists and Columbia University students &ndash; who [[Occupation (protest)|occupied]] [[Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)|Hamilton Hall]] on campus &ndash; protested the planned demolition, and [[historic preservation]] groups unsuccessfully sued to prevent it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDA173FF930A35756C0A966958260 |title=A Proposal to Raze Audubon Ballroom Causes Controversy |accessdate=2008-04-14 |last=Buder |first=Leonard |date=May 3, 1990 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> They were also unable to persuade the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] to hold a hearing on giving the building landmark status.<ref name=nypap />
In 1989, [[Columbia University]], with the [[Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]] as a partner,<ref name=nypap /> reached an agreement with the city,<ref name=nypap /> and in 1992 it began the process of [[Demolition|demolishing]] the Audubon Ballroom to replace it with a medical research facility.<ref name=nypap /> Although many city officials, including Mayor [[David Dinkins]], were strongly in favor of the project because of the jobs and economic impetus it would bring to the area, which had suffered greatly in the economic downturn of the 1970s,<ref name=nypap /> community activists and Columbia University students – who [[Occupation (protest)|occupied]] [[Hamilton Hall (Columbia University)|Hamilton Hall]] on campus – protested the planned demolition, and [[historic preservation]] groups unsuccessfully sued to prevent it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/03/nyregion/a-proposal-to-raze-audubon-ballroom-causes-controversy.html |title=A Proposal to Raze Audubon Ballroom Causes Controversy |access-date=April 14, 2008 |last=Buder |first=Leonard |date=May 3, 1990 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> They were also unable to persuade the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] to hold a hearing on giving the building landmark status.<ref name=nypap />


Eventually a compromise was reached, at least in part due to pressure brought by [[Manhattan Borough President]] [[Ruth Messinger]] and Malcolm X's widow, [[Betty Shabazz]], who both favored [[adaptive reuse]] of the building. They were supported by a report on its structural integrity produced by a ''pro bono'' team of architects assembled by the [[New York Landmarks Conservancy]] and the [[Municipal Art Society]].<ref name=nypap /> The compromise allowed Columbia to build on the northern part of the building their research facility &ndash; now the '''Audubon Business and Technology Center''' in the Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building, part of the Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park<ref>[http://www.auduboncenter.org/documents/FACTSHEET2_002.pdf "Fact Sheet"] on the Audubon Center website</ref> a [[public-private partnership]] between [[Columbia University Medical Center]] and the New York [[New York (state)|state]] and [[New York City|city]] governments. In return, 2/3rds of the Audubon Ballroom's original facade &ndash; the part along Broadway and West 165th Street &ndash; would be preserved and restored. In addition, a portion of the interior ballroom where Malcolm X was killed was restored and protected,<ref name=nypap /><ref>Perry, David C. and Wievel, Wim. ''The University as Urban Developer: Case Studies and Analysis'' Lincoln Institute, 2005 pp. 54 ff.</ref> to be made into a museum honoring him.
Eventually a compromise was reached, at least in part due to pressure brought by [[Manhattan Borough President]] [[Ruth Messinger]] and Malcolm X's widow, [[Betty Shabazz]], who both favored [[adaptive reuse]] of the building. They were supported by a report on its structural integrity produced by a ''pro bono'' team of architects assembled by the [[New York Landmarks Conservancy]] and the [[Municipal Art Society]].<ref name=nypap /> The compromise allowed Columbia to build on the northern part of the building their research facility – now the '''Audubon Business and Technology Center''' in the Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building, part of the Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park<ref>[http://www.auduboncenter.org/documents/FACTSHEET2_002.pdf "Fact Sheet"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211194030/http://www.auduboncenter.org/documents/FACTSHEET2_002.pdf |date=February 11, 2012 }} on the Audubon Center website</ref> a [[public-private partnership]] between [[Columbia University Medical Center]] and the New York [[government of New York (state)|state]] and [[government of New York City|city]] governments. In return, two-thirds of the Audubon Ballroom's original facade – the part along Broadway and West 165th Street – would be preserved and restored. In addition, a portion of the interior ballroom where Malcolm X was killed was restored and protected,<ref name=nypap /><ref>Perry, David C. and Wievel, Wim. ''The University as Urban Developer: Case Studies and Analysis'' Lincoln Institute, 2005 pp. 54 ff.</ref> to be made into a museum honoring him.


[[File:2014 Aubudon Ballroom Neptune statue side view.jpg|thumb|225px|right|The statue of [[Neptune (god)|Neptune]] on a ship above the entrance]]
[[File:2014 Aubudon Ballroom Neptune statue side view.jpg|thumb|225px|right|The statue of [[Neptune (god)|Neptune]] on a ship above the entrance]]


In 2005, the [[Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center]] opened in the lobby to commemorate the contributions Malcolm X made to the civil rights movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/05/05/malcolm.html |title=Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center Launches |date=May 17, 2005 |publisher=[[Columbia University]] |accessdate=May 5, 2010 }}</ref>
In 2005, the [[Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center]] opened in the lobby to commemorate the contributions Malcolm X made to the civil rights movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/05/05/malcolm.html |title=Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center Launches |date=May 17, 2005 |publisher=[[Columbia University]] |access-date=May 5, 2010 }} {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100623163325/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/news/05/05/malcolm.html |date=June 23, 2010}}</ref>


==Architecture==
==Architecture==
Architect Thomas Lamb, who later would design the nearby eclectic [[United Palace]], was an advocate of the use of ornamentation and color on his building's exteriors. He would write: ""Exotic ornaments, colors and scenes are particularly effective in creating an atmosphere in which the mind is free to frolic and becomes receptive to entertainment."<ref>.{{Citation| last = Dunlap| first =David W.| author-link =| title =Xanadus Rise to a Higher Calling| newspaper =The New York Times| pages =| date =April 13, 2001| url =https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E2DE1531F930A25757C0A9679C8B63 }}</ref> In line with this philosophy, the facade of the Audubon Ballroom presents [[terra-cotta]] glazed [[polychromy]], encrustations and [[cornice]]s.<ref name=aia>{{cite aia5}}, p.564</ref> Its ornamentations include brown foxes between the windows on the second floor, intended to flatter Fox,<ref name=Guide>[http://www.wahichamber.org/pdf/guidebook.pdf "Discovering Northern Manhattan: Guide to Washington Heights and Inwood"], Chamber of Commerce of Washington Heights and Inwood</ref> and, most prominently, a colorful protruding three-dimensional statue of [[Neptune (god)|Neptune]] on a ship.<ref name=nypap />
Architect Thomas Lamb, who later would design the nearby eclectic [[United Palace]], was an advocate of the use of ornamentation and color on his building's exteriors. He would write: "Exotic ornaments, colors and scenes are particularly effective in creating an atmosphere in which the mind is free to frolic and becomes receptive to entertainment."<ref>.{{Citation| last = Dunlap| first =David W.| title =Xanadus Rise to a Higher Calling| newspaper =The New York Times| date =April 13, 2001| url =https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/13/movies/xanadus-rise-to-a-higher-calling.html }}</ref> In line with this philosophy, the facade of the Audubon Ballroom presents [[terra-cotta]] glazed [[polychromy]], encrustations and [[cornice]]s.<ref name=aia>{{cite aia5|page=564}}</ref> Its ornamentations include brown foxes between the windows on the second floor, intended to flatter Fox,<ref name=Guide>[http://www.wahichamber.org/pdf/guidebook.pdf "Discovering Northern Manhattan: Guide to Washington Heights and Inwood"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071129045308/http://www.wahichamber.org/pdf/guidebook.pdf |date=November 29, 2007 }}, Chamber of Commerce of Washington Heights and Inwood</ref> and, most prominently, a colorful protruding three-dimensional statue of [[Neptune (god)|Neptune]] on a ship.<ref name=nypap />


Alterations to the building in 1996 were made by the architecture firm of Davis Brody Bond, who also designed Columbia University's new building, while the restoration of the facade was handled by preservation specialist Jan Hird Pokorny.<ref name=aia />
Alterations to the building in 1996 were made by the architecture firm of Davis Brody Bond, who also designed Columbia University's new building, while the restoration of the facade was handled by preservation specialist Jan Hird Pokorny.<ref name=aia />
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
<!--chronological order-->
<!--chronological order-->
* {{cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDA173FF930A35756C0A966958260 |title=A Proposal to Raze Audubon Ballroom Causes Controversy |accessdate=2008-04-14 |last=Buder |first=Leonard |date=May 3, 1990 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/03/nyregion/a-proposal-to-raze-audubon-ballroom-causes-controversy.html |title=A Proposal to Raze Audubon Ballroom Causes Controversy |access-date=April 14, 2008 |last=Buder |first=Leonard |date=May 3, 1990 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D91E39F930A1575BC0A964958260 |title=Once and Future Audubon |accessdate=2008-04-14 |last=Muschamp |first=Herbert |date=August 23, 1992 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/23/arts/architecture-view-once-and-future-audubon.html |title=Once and Future Audubon |access-date=April 14, 2008 |last=Muschamp |first=Herbert |date=August 23, 1992 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE2DD1F3FF932A25755C0A963958260 |title=Research Park Rising on Site of Audubon Ballroom |accessdate=2008-04-14 |last=Rozhon |first=Tracie |date=June 11, 1995 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/11/realestate/research-park-rising-on-site-of-audubon-ballroom.html |title=Research Park Rising on Site of Audubon Ballroom |access-date=April 14, 2008 |last=Rozhon |first=Tracie |date=June 11, 1995 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/nyregion/thecity/02malc.html |title=Where Tragedy Struck, a Memorial Will Rise |accessdate=2008-04-14 |last=Kugel |first=Seth |date=January 2, 2005 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/02/nyregion/thecity/02malc.html |title=Where Tragedy Struck, a Memorial Will Rise |access-date=April 14, 2008 |last=Kugel |first=Seth |date=January 2, 2005 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/21/nyregion/remembering-malcolm-x-in-the-place-where-he-fell.html |title=Remembering Malcolm X in the Place Where He Fell |accessdate=2018-04-21 |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=February 21, 2005 |work=The New York Times }}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/21/nyregion/remembering-malcolm-x-in-the-place-where-he-fell.html |title=Remembering Malcolm X in the Place Where He Fell |access-date=April 21, 2018 |last=Kilgannon |first=Corey |date=February 21, 2005 |work=The New York Times }}


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Audubon Ballroom (Shabazz Center, Lasker Building)|Audubon Ballroom}}
{{commons category|Audubon Ballroom (Shabazz Center, Lasker Building)|Audubon Ballroom}}
*[http://www.auduboncenter.org/ Audubon Business and Technology Center]
* [http://www.auduboncenter.org/ Audubon Business and Technology Center]
*[http://www.theshabazzcenter.org/ Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center]
* [http://www.theshabazzcenter.org/ Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center]
* [https://audubonartgallery.com/ Audubon Art Gallery]

{{Broadway (Manhattan)|state=collapsed}}
{{Columbia University}}{{Broadway (Manhattan)|state=collapsed}}
{{Malcolm X}}
{{Malcolm X}}
{{Authority control}}


⚫
[[Category:1912 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Assassination sites]]
[[Category:Ballrooms in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Ballrooms in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Malcolm X]]
[[Category:Broadway (Manhattan)]]
[[Category:Columbia University campus]]
[[Category:Assassination of Malcolm X]]
[[Category:Theatres completed in 1912]]
[[Category:Theatres completed in 1912]]
[[Category:Washington Heights, Manhattan]]
[[Category:Washington Heights, Manhattan]]
[[Category:Broadway (Manhattan)]]
⚫
[[Category:1912 establishments in New York (state)]]

Latest revision as of 12:56, 7 May 2024

40°50′21″N 73°56′26″W / 40.83917°N 73.94056°W / 40.83917; -73.94056

The former Audubon Ballroom: In the foreground is the Shabazz Center, in the background, rising above the original building, is Columbia University Medical Center's Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building, the location of the Audubon Business and Technology Center.

The Audubon Theatre and Ballroom, generally referred to as the Audubon Ballroom, was a theatre and ballroom located at 3940 Broadway at West 165th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1912 and was designed by Thomas W. Lamb. The theatre was known at various times as the William Fox Audubon Theatre, the Beverly Hills Theater, and the San Juan Theater. The ballroom is noted for being the site of the assassination of Malcolm X on February 21, 1965. It is currently the Audubon Business and Technology Center, which is part of Columbia University's Audubon Research Park.[1]

History

[edit]

The Audubon Ballroom was built in 1912 by film producer William Fox, who later founded the Fox Film Corporation. Fox hired Thomas W. Lamb, one of the foremost American theater architects, to design the building. The building contained a theatre with 2500 seats, and a second-floor ballroom that could accommodate 200 seated guests.[2] During its history, the Audubon Ballroom was used as a vaudeville house, a movie theater,[3] and a meeting hall where political activists often met.[2][4]

In the 1930s, Congregation Emes Wozedek, a synagogue whose members were predominantly immigrants from Germany, began to use basement rooms of the Audubon Ballroom to conduct its religious services.[5] At around the same time, several trade unions, including the Municipal Transit Workers, the IRT Brotherhood Union, and the Transport Workers' Union, utilized the meeting rooms.[2] In 1950, the congregants purchased the building,[4] and they continued to hold services there until 1983.[6]

Entrance to the Shabazz Center

Among the many events held at the Ballroom was the annual New York Mardi Gras Festival.[2]

After Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam in 1964, he founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), whose weekly meetings were held at the Audubon Ballroom. It was at one of those meetings, on February 21, 1965, that Malcolm X was assassinated as he was giving a speech.[2]

Because of non-payment of property taxes, New York City took possession of the theatre in 1967. Nevertheless, in the 1960s and 1970s, the Ballroom operated as the San Juan Theater, showing films which catered to the increasingly Hispanic neighborhood. It closed in 1980, and the building remained vacant and the exterior deteriorated.[2]

Adaptive reuse

[edit]
See also: Shabazz Center

In 1989, Columbia University, with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as a partner,[2] reached an agreement with the city,[2] and in 1992 it began the process of demolishing the Audubon Ballroom to replace it with a medical research facility.[2] Although many city officials, including Mayor David Dinkins, were strongly in favor of the project because of the jobs and economic impetus it would bring to the area, which had suffered greatly in the economic downturn of the 1970s,[2] community activists and Columbia University students – who occupied Hamilton Hall on campus – protested the planned demolition, and historic preservation groups unsuccessfully sued to prevent it.[7] They were also unable to persuade the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold a hearing on giving the building landmark status.[2]

Eventually a compromise was reached, at least in part due to pressure brought by Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger and Malcolm X's widow, Betty Shabazz, who both favored adaptive reuse of the building. They were supported by a report on its structural integrity produced by a pro bono team of architects assembled by the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Municipal Art Society.[2] The compromise allowed Columbia to build on the northern part of the building their research facility – now the Audubon Business and Technology Center in the Mary Woodard Lasker Biomedical Research Building, part of the Audubon Biomedical Science and Technology Park[8] a public-private partnership between Columbia University Medical Center and the New York state and city governments. In return, two-thirds of the Audubon Ballroom's original facade – the part along Broadway and West 165th Street – would be preserved and restored. In addition, a portion of the interior ballroom where Malcolm X was killed was restored and protected,[2][9] to be made into a museum honoring him.

The statue of Neptune on a ship above the entrance

In 2005, the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center opened in the lobby to commemorate the contributions Malcolm X made to the civil rights movement.[10]

Architecture

[edit]

Architect Thomas Lamb, who later would design the nearby eclectic United Palace, was an advocate of the use of ornamentation and color on his building's exteriors. He would write: "Exotic ornaments, colors and scenes are particularly effective in creating an atmosphere in which the mind is free to frolic and becomes receptive to entertainment."[11] In line with this philosophy, the facade of the Audubon Ballroom presents terra-cotta glazed polychromy, encrustations and cornices.[12] Its ornamentations include brown foxes between the windows on the second floor, intended to flatter Fox,[4] and, most prominently, a colorful protruding three-dimensional statue of Neptune on a ship.[2]

Alterations to the building in 1996 were made by the architecture firm of Davis Brody Bond, who also designed Columbia University's new building, while the restoration of the facade was handled by preservation specialist Jan Hird Pokorny.[12]

Further reading

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  • Buder, Leonard (May 3, 1990). "A Proposal to Raze Audubon Ballroom Causes Controversy". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  • Muschamp, Herbert (August 23, 1992). "Once and Future Audubon". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  • Rozhon, Tracie (June 11, 1995). "Research Park Rising on Site of Audubon Ballroom". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  • Kugel, Seth (January 2, 2005). "Where Tragedy Struck, a Memorial Will Rise". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  • Kilgannon, Corey (February 21, 2005). "Remembering Malcolm X in the Place Where He Fell". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018.

References

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  1. ^ Sussell, Abbey (May 2, 2017). "Lessons from Audubon Ballroom | Columbia Public Health". www.publichealth.columbia.edu. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Audubon Ballroom" on the New York Preservation Archive Project website
  3. ^ West, Ashley (April 6, 2017). "Radley Metzger's Beginnings: The Audubon Ballroom". The Rialto Report. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Discovering Northern Manhattan: Guide to Washington Heights and Inwood" Archived November 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Chamber of Commerce of Washington Heights and Inwood
  5. ^ Lowenstein, Steven M. Frankfurt on the Hudson: The German-Jewish Community of Washington Heights, 1933–1983, Its Structure and Culture (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1991) ISBN 0-8143-2385-5. pp. 109–110
  6. ^ Renner, James, "History of WaHI: Audubon Ballroom" Archived May 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Washington Heights & Inwood Online (May 2003)
  7. ^ Buder, Leonard (May 3, 1990). "A Proposal to Raze Audubon Ballroom Causes Controversy". The New York Times. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  8. ^ "Fact Sheet" Archived February 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine on the Audubon Center website
  9. ^ Perry, David C. and Wievel, Wim. The University as Urban Developer: Case Studies and Analysis Lincoln Institute, 2005 pp. 54 ff.
  10. ^ "Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center Launches". Columbia University. May 17, 2005. Retrieved May 5, 2010. Archived June 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ .Dunlap, David W. (April 13, 2001), "Xanadus Rise to a Higher Calling", The New York Times
  12. ^ a b White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 564. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
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