Shubert Organization Files Plans to Significantly Expand Midtown’s Imperial Theatre

Broadway is back, and the Shubert Organization, the largest owner of Broadway theaters in New York City, is gearing up for a showstopping performance at its historic Imperial Theatre in Midtown.

Elliot Greene, chief operating officer at Shubert, submitted an application on Tuesday to complete a “substantial rehabilitation and restoration” of the 1923-built theater at 249 West 45th Street, according to a filing with the New York City Department of City Planning.

If approved, the project would include a restoration of the landmarked interior and “major structural changes” to the existing theater, including the construction of “the Annex,” a 29,673-square-foot horizontal addition containing “significant theater amenities and circulation space,” the application said.

The proposed Annex would span five stories and two cellar levels, with the first through third floors, roof and cellar operating as part of the theater, and the fourth and fifth floors containing commercial space for events, according to the application.

The new floors operating as part of the theater would include an entrance area and ticket lobby, audience lounges, concession areas, restrooms, dressing rooms, chorus rooms and event spaces.

Greene wrote in the filing that the construction of the Annex would “alleviate the constraints of the existing theater building by providing a substantial amount of new, programmable space.” He added that the addition would “address the building’s many deficiencies,” which include poor audience amenities, poor audience circulation, and a lack of accessibility for guests and performers with impaired mobility or physical disabilities, according to the application. 

“This work would improve the theatre’s design and commercial viability by enabling the theatre to host a broader range of theatrical and musical productions, by improving theater operations and visibility, and by providing a more accommodating, accessible space for patrons,” Greene wrote in the filing.

Shubert declined further comment.

The proposed Annex addition to the Imperial Theatre would increase the property’s total square footage to around 48,700 square feet, according to Crain’s New York Business, which first reported news of the filing. To complete the renovations, Shubert is seeking a special permit that would enable it to build the additional space.

The Imperial Theatre is one of Broadway’s major musical venues, known for its Adam-style architecture, an 18th century neoclassical style better known in the U.S. as the Federal style. The Imperial has been the venue for iconic Broadway shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Les Miserables” and “Billy Elliot: The Musical.”

News of Shubert’s proposed addition to the venue comes as New York City’s Broadway scene experiences a bit of a revival.

While several Broadway musicals have struggled financially, Broadway’s theaters seem to be doing just fine overall, as its 2024-2025 season had the highest total gross sales in at least 10 years, as well as the highest total attendance over the previous decade except for the 2018-2019 season, Commercial Observer reported in October.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.