St. James Theatre 5.09

The St. James Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 246 W. 44th St. (between 7th & 8th Avenues) in New York City.HistoryIt was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger. Upon Erlanger's death in 1930, control of the venue was taken over by the Astor family, who owned the land on which the theatre stood. The Astors renamed it the St. James Theatre.The theatre was taken over by the Shuberts in 1941. They were forced to sell it to William L. McKnight in 1957 following the loss of an antitrust case. McKnight renovated the St. James and reopened it in 1958. In 1970, McKnight then transferred the theatre to his daughter Virginia and her husband James H. Binger, who had formed Jujamcyn Theaters.The St. James Theatre is expected to undergo renovations to extend its stage by 10 feet into the alley between the Helen Hayes Theatre and the St. James. This is part of a surge in Broadway theatre renovations. The bigger stage is expected to accommodate the 2018 Broadway run of the Disney musical Frozen.