Bouwerie Lane Theatre

The story

A cast-iron bank that outlasted its own failure became one of Off-Broadway's most enduring addresses. Built for the Atlantic Savings Bank between 1873 and 1874, the Henry Engelbert–designed Italianate building on Bowery at Bond Street collapsed financially by 1879, then served German immigrants through the Exchange Bank, then stored fabrics for decades. In 1963, Honey Waldman converted it into a theatre, with a young Frank Langella in the first production. The Jean Cocteau Repertory called it home for thirty-two years, staging Stoppard and Brecht before closing with Genet in 2006.