BAM Harvey Theater

Website: www.bam.org

Address

651 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11217

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Public Transport

By Subway:
#2, 3, 4, 5 to Nevins St
By Bus:
B25, 26, 38, 52

Accessibility

Wheelchair Info

Four locations. Two areas in aisle of orchestra. Can accommodate two wheelchairs each.
Elevator\Escalator

Elevator: Automatic. Accesses orchestra level (2nd floor only). Raised lettering.
Passenger Loading Zone

Front.
Parking

Lots: Two, both marked BAM across street. Spaces on street close to main entrance can be reserved.
Curb Ramps

Corner of Ashland Pl. & Fulton St.
Entrance

Double doors in series: 1st set (each 28.5) has one pair of automatic doors from 44th St. to Ticket Lobby with push-button control. 2nd set (each 28", attended by ushers) to inner lobby. Doors wide and heavy, but usually open during performances. Marked with large lettering.
Box Office

Ticket Lobby. Counters 38.5", 41.5", 47". Accessible pass-through with writing shelf at 32". Assistance available.Main level. Counter less than 48".
Restroom

Womens: 1st floor. Outer door wider than 32". Stall door 29". Stall size less than 60". Commode 18". Grab bars.Mens: 1st floor. Outer door wider than 32". Stall doors 31". Stall size less than 60". Commode 18". Grab bars.
Water Fountain

Main Lobby. Spouts 36" and 44".Ask usher for cups.
Telephone

Ticket lobby. Coin slot 46". Cord 29". With TTY and electric outlet.
Assisted Listening System

yes
Visual Assistance

None.

Theater Description

History of the BAM Harvey Theater

The venue we enjoy as the "Harvey" first opened in 1904 as the Majestic Theater, one of the many theaters in this bustling entertainment district. The Majestic showed a variety of dramas, light opera, musicals, and vaudeville, with stars such as Katherine Cornell, and it became an important trial theater for productions headed to Broadway, including Noel Coward's Home Chat.

In 1942, the Majestic was transformed into a first-run movie house in elegant European style by a Parisian and his two sons, wealthy showmen who had fled the Nazis. By the 1960s, however, the advent of television and a shift in the population resulted in the closure and repurposing of theaters in the district.

The Majestic sat abandoned for nearly two decades. BAM President and Executive Producer Harvey Lichtenstein was looking for a place to stage the acclaimed British theater director Peter Brook's nine-hour production of The Mahabharata when he decided to investigate the derelict building he passed on his way to BAM. It was just what he was looking for, similar to alternate spaces being repurposed in Europe, such as Brook's Parisian venue, Les Bouffes du Nord.

Lichtenstein raised funds for what was an award-winning renovation of the theater, completed in 1987. Retaining original architectural elements, the theater's design maintained an aged look that creates a visceral bridge between the past and the future. In 1999, the Majestic was renamed in honor of retiring leader Harvey Lichtenstein.