Designed by Joseph Urban and Thomas W. Lamb, it opened February 2, 1927, with the musical Rio Rita.

This was short-lived, however, as Rose began to assemble abutting properties for a new real estate project.

[1] "The Ziegfeld was one of those buildings that went just a few years too soon," wrote architectural critic Paul Goldberger.

"[3] A fragment of the Joseph Urban facade, a female head, can be seen in front of the private home at 52 East 80th Street.

[4] The box from the cornerstone and its contents are held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.