{"nrhp_refnum":"85002427","name":"Yiddish Art Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"189 Second Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.73097284800008,"lon":-73.98622244499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former Yiddish theatre at 189 Second Avenue, on the southwest corner of East 12th Street in Manhattan's East Village, built in 1926 to a design by architect Harrison G. Wiseman for patron Louis N. Jaffe.","why_significant":"It is described as the only theatre on the Lower East Side built expressly for a Yiddish theatre company and the home of Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre, the longest-running Yiddish repertory company in New York. It is also the sole intact surviving theatre of its period on the Lower East Side. Its Moorish-inspired exterior and interior, including a dome with a Star of David, add architectural significance.","narrative":"Built in 1926 at the corner of Second Avenue and East 12th Street, this Manhattan theatre was designed for Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre company. Louis N. Jaffe, a patron of the company, commissioned architect Harrison G. Wiseman, who had also planned the Manhattan Opera House and the John Golden Theatre. The form describes it as the only theatre on the Lower East Side built expressly for a Yiddish troupe, on a stretch of Second Avenue once called the Jewish Rialto. The Second Avenue facade is cast stone made to resemble pink sandstone, with a three-story arch above the entrance and six storefronts below. Inside, the 1143-seat auditorium has a molded plaster proscenium, flanking boxes, a balcony and a domed ceiling with a Star of David, all in Moorish-inspired patterns. Schwartz's company ran for thirty-two years, and the building is the only intact theatre of its era surviving on the Lower East Side. The form reports no major alterations.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1926)","architect_builder":"Harrison G. Wiseman","architectural_style":"Moorish Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in entertainment use; the form states there have been no major alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.201692-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85002427.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002427/e1e31e4ac5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002427/e1e31e4ac5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Village_East_former_Yiddish_Arts_Theatre.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Village_East_former_Yiddish_Arts_Theatre.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"74001276","name":"St. Mark's Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/st-marks-historic-district-74001276/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320076","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_East_by_Angelika","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q29097592"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/yiddish-art-theatre-85002427/"}