Apollo Theater

The stage where Ella Fitzgerald got her start and James Brown sang, the heart of musical Harlem

Local name: Apollo Theater

Collection: Harlem and Upper Manhattan · USA · Open in OpenStreetMap

The Apollo’s facade and sign on 125th Street · Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The story

Before you is the Apollo Theater on 125th Street, the heart of Harlem. The building with its white terra-cotta front was built in 1913 and 1914 to a design by George Keister. At first it was Hurtig and Seamon’s burlesque theater, and Black people were allowed neither in the audience nor on the stage. In 1933 a campaign against burlesque began in the city, and the theater closed. On the twenty-sixth of January 1934 the Apollo reopened, now for Black Harlem. Amateur Nights began that same year. The audience picks the winner by cheering or booing. A losing act was chased off the stage by the “executioner” with a broom. By tradition, contestants rub a tree stump called the Tree of Hope for luck before they go on. The tree itself once grew in the middle of Seventh Avenue. Amateur Night winners included Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. And Luther Vandross was booed off four times before he won. In 1962 James Brown recorded his famous live album here. From 1935 the Schiffman and Brecher families ran the theater for decades. In January 1976 the Apollo closed, and in 1981 it was bought by the lawyer and politician Percy Sutton. In 1983 the theater became a city and state landmark. When James Brown died in 2006, tens of thousands of people came to say goodbye to him on this stage. Under the marquee is the Walk of Fame, with bronze plaques honoring great performers.

Visiting

253 West 125th Street, Harlem. Subway: the A, B, C or D train to 125th Street. The Walk of Fame is on the sidewalk under the marquee. Since July 1, 2025, the historic building has been closed for a major renovation; shows and Amateur Night are held for now at the nearby Apollo Stages at The Victoria, 233 West 125th Street. Check apollotheater.org for when the theater reopens.