The Real Deal New York

Harlem residents are opposing plans by developer Steve Williams of Danforth Development Partners to turn the old Victoria Theater into a 30-story hotel-condo. Williams plans to divide the 1917 burlesque theater into separate small theaters and preserve the facade and sections of the lobby. While opponents want the theater preserved as Thomas Lamb designed it, others say it makes little sense to create a new venue that is bigger than the near y Apollo, which struggles to sell out on most nights. The Harlem Arts Alliance, the Classical Theater of Harlem, and the National Jazz Museum could operate at the new space.