St. George Theater

The story

When it opened in 1929, the St. George Theatre outshone even Manhattan's Capitol Theater on Broadway. Solomon Brill, who already owned 15 theaters across greater New York, built it as his showpiece rival to the city across the water. Architect Eugene De Rosa and designer Nestor Castro gave it a Spanish and Italian Baroque interior so lavish it seated 2,800 people inside what felt like a palace. Renovated in 2004 and now holding 1,903 seats, it still hosts Broadway touring companies, concerts, film shoots, and children's shows on Staten Island's North Shore.