After many unsuccessful shows, the theater was leased to the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project from 1936 to 1939, then served as a CBS and NBC broadcasting studio.

The Walter Kerr Theatre is on 219 West 48th Street, on the south sidewalk between Eighth Avenue and Broadway, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City.

The Walter Kerr shares the block with the Eugene O'Neill Theatre to the north and Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan to the east.

[7] Theatrical historian William Morrison described the design scheme as "utilitarian in the extreme", decorated only by fire escapes in front of the facade, as well as brickwork laid in a diamond pattern.

[9] A marquee hangs above the entrance at ground level, and a large sign is mounted on the right side of the facade, facing east.

[46] Also that year, Al Jolson's Coolidge-Dawes Theatrical League was established at the theater,[47] and the venue staged the John Galsworthy play Old English with George Arliss.

[65] Subsequently, the theater hosted Broken Dishes, which opened in November 1929 and featured Donald Meek and Bette Davis.

[76][77] The Elizabeth McFadden melodrama Double Door occupied the Ritz during late 1933,[78][79] while Mildred Natwick and Frank Lawton starred the next year in The Wind and the Rain.

[80][81] Other shows of the period included Petticoat Fever in 1935 with Leo G. Carroll and Dennis King,[82][83] as well as Co-Respondent Unknown in 1936 with Peggy Conklin and Ilka Chase.

[84][85] In December 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA)'s Federal Theatre Project hosted a week-long run of its dance program, The Eternal Prodigal, at the Ritz after eleven months of preparation.

[86][87] The theater hosted Power, a show produced as part of the WPA's Living Newspaper series, the following February;[88][89] it lasted for five months.

[102][103] Among other things, the NBC studio was used for taping the TV program 21 Men and a Girl,[104] as well as a speech by 1940 U.S. presidential candidate Wendell Willkie.

[114] The Blue Network studio was used to broadcast Radio Hall of Fame, the first regular-network show to be recorded by television cameras,[115] as well as such events as a concert recital by Thomas Beecham.

[116] The Hattie Hill estate sold the theater to the Simon brothers in March 1945; at the time, it was a broadcast studio for WJZ-TV (later WABC-TV).

[128][129] In turn, Minary sold the theater to real-estate investor Joseph P. Blitz that December; at the time, the venue was reported as having 600 seats.

[136] Scott Fagan and Martin Duberman's rock musical Soon was booked for the Ritz, marking the first legitimate production at the theater in nearly three decades,[137] but Soon soon flopped with three performances in January 1971.

[154][155] The RFK Children's Theater neglected to pay rent and, in 1976, it was evicted from the Ritz under an action brought by the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia.

[157] Carter won the auction, but he sold the theater to Jujamcyn for $1.7 million,[158] keeping its air rights for the construction of a skyscraper called Ritz Plaza.

[157] The Ritz had to continue presenting legitimate shows in exchange for the air rights, but Carter had intended to build apartments above the theater.

[160] Jujamcyn announced it would reopen the Ritz to counterbalance the impending demolition of the Helen Hayes and Morosco theaters two blocks south.

[189] The Shuberts, the Nederlanders, and Jujamcyn formed the Broadway Alliance in June 1990, wherein each company set aside one of its theaters to present dramas and comedies at reduced ticket prices.

[213] Martin McDonagh's off-Broadway play The Beauty Queen of Leenane moved to the Walter Kerr in 1998,[214][215] followed the next year by Conor McPherson's The Weir.

[216][217] Coward's Waiting in the Wings had its first Broadway production at the Walter Kerr in December 1999,[218][219] relocating three months later to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

[224][225] Next, the comedy Take Me Out opened in February 2003 and ran for a year,[226][227] This was followed in April 2004 by the short-lived drama Sixteen Wounded,[228][229] then in December 2004 by Wilson's Gem of the Ocean.

[235][236] Subsequently, the musical Grey Gardens opened in late 2006 for a 307-performance run,[237][238] and Chazz Palminteri's solo show A Bronx Tale launched at the theater in 2007.

[228] In 2009, Roth acquired a 50 percent stake in Jujamcyn and assumed full operation of the firm when Landesman joined the National Endowments of the Arts.

[247][248] The Walter Kerr then hosted the plays Clybourne Park, The Heiress, and The Testament of Mary over the next two years,[13][14] as well as a revival of the Forever Tango dance special in mid-2013.

[249] The musical comedy A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder opened in November 2013,[250][251] and it stayed for almost 1,000 performances through the beginning of 2016, having nearly failed early on.

[268] Jujamcyn and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) agreed to merge in early 2023; the combined company would operate seven Broadway theaters, including the Walter Kerr.

[269][270] In July 2023, Jordan Roth sold a 93 percent stake in Jujamcyn's five theaters, including the Walter Kerr Theatre, to ATG and Providence Equity.