Beacon Theatre

Walter W. Ahlschlager, the architect behind the old Roxy near Times Square, designed the Beacon as a movie palace when it opened on Broadway at 74th Street in 1929, building acoustics for live orchestras accompanying silent films. Two 30-foot Greek goddess statues still flank the proscenium arch, and the marble lobby keeps its original bronze doors. The city landmarked the interior in 1979, a decade after the theater had already shifted from movies to touring rock and pop acts. It now runs concerts, comedy shows and podcast tapings under an immersive surround-sound system.