Under a number of different names and managers, the structure served as a circus, menagerie, theatre, a roller rink, and a branch of the Peniel Mission.

A group of New York businessmen known as the Zoological Institute or the Flatfoots built the structure in 1833 as the site for a menagerie and circus performances.

During the 1852-1853 season, regular acts included the Richard Sands & Co. and John J. Nathans & Co. circuses.

The next season saw a return to equestrian exhibitions under the management of Henry P. Madigan and Den W. Stone.

A succession of managers sustained this mixture until the 1863-1864 season, when the Stadt Theater moved to 45 Bowery, where it remained for 8 years, before returning to its original location.

The New National Circus stayed open for six weeks for its final stint as an entertainment venue.

[citation needed] After the Stadt returned in 1872, the theater gave the first American performance of Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus (in German) on November 21, 1874.