Designed by architect John B. McElfatrick, it was built in 1889 by Oscar Hammerstein; it was his first theater in the city.

An early work at the house was The Charlatan, an operetta with music and lyrics by John Philip Sousa and a book by Charles Klein,[1] which transferred from the Knickerbocker Theatre.

[3] The venue featured a wide and a grand staircase and balcony of polished Italian marble.

The auditorium offered blue seats, and the boxes were arranged in three tiers on either side of the stage.

The curtain was made by E. T. Harvey and was decorated with an image of Shakespeare reading one of his plays to Queen Elizabeth and some members of her court; it was painted in bright colors.