Times Square Theater may sign first tenants in almost 20 years

After sitting vacant for almost two decades, the Times Square Theater is close to signing a tenant, according to the New York Post. The potential leasee, an entertainment attraction known as Broadway 4D, would take over the 30,000-square-foot facility at 217 West 42nd Street, although sources say the deal is far from complete. The theater is a Midtown mainstay — when it opened in 1920, it was the first to show the original “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “The Front Page” productions. Landlord New 42nd Street, a non-profit group, came close to nailing down a long-term tenant in 2004, when designer Marc Ecko signed a lease, only to walk away from the deal a few years after. It was not immediately clear what the asking rent is on the building or which brokers are involved with the deal. [Post, 1st item]