NEW YORK – Shawmut demonstrated its expertise in historical preservation and renovation with the completion of the Ziegfeld Ballroom, located at 141 West 54^th St, New York, NY. Previously the Ziegfeld Theatre, Shawmut was hired by Apple Core Holdings to convert the celebrated venue into a multi-purpose event space while ensuring the theater’s legacy and memory were preserved.  

In collaboration with architect Richard Bloch, Shawmut transformed the 21,000-square-foot theater into a three-level venue featuring one of New York City’s largest ballrooms along with green rooms, a kitchen, and five meeting rooms. The art deco-inspired conversion included the installation of structural stairs and openings, custom fabric wall panels, decorative stainless steel, ground and polished floors, and millwork to bring the distinguished venue from past to present.

“We are honored to have helped reimagine this iconic New York City landmark and use our expertise in both multi-purpose builds and historic preservation,” said Randy Shelly, vice president at Shawmut. “Working closely with Apple Core Holdings and Richard Bloch, we were able to successfully repurpose this renowned space into one of Midtown’s only free-standing, street-level event venues.”   

The 9,200-square-foot, column-free ballroom can host up to 1,200 guests and is equipped for cocktail receptions, theater-style presentations and seated dinners. The stage features hydraulic panels while hidden gates on the ballroom mezzanine’s grillwork balustrade allow for expansion. Updated lighting fixtures include fluted, frosted glass torchieres that line the ballroom and two-tiered crystal chandeliers that hang overhead. After the nine-month-long renovation, the multi-purpose event space re-opened to the public in October 2017.  The Ziegfeld ballroom joins Apple Core Holdings’ Gotham Hall as one of the premiere event locations in Manhattan, if not the world.

Ziegfeld Ballroom represents the latest in Shawmut’s work, including NFL Experience and in the Paramount Building, both in Times Square.