Jones Beach Theater facts for kids
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The Beach
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The exterior of Jones Beach Theater, c. 2007
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| Former names | New Jones Beach Marine Stadium (1952–1953) Jones Beach Marine Theater (1954–1994) Jones Beach Amphitheater (1994–2000) Jones Beach Theater (2000–2002) |
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| Address | 1000 Ocean Parkway Wantagh, NY 11793-4800 |
| Location | Jones Beach State Park |
| Coordinates | 40°36′04″N 73°30′08″W / 40.60101°N 73.50232°W |
| Owner | NYS OPRHP |
| Operator | Live Nation |
| Genre(s) | various |
| Seating type | outdoor ballpark styled chairs |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | October 1949 |
| Opened | June 26, 1952 |
| Renovated |
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| Expanded |
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| Construction cost | $4 million ($49.2 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Robert Moses |
The Jones Beach Theater is a cool outdoor concert and show place. It is located in Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh, New York. This theater is one of the biggest outdoor stages in the New York metropolitan area. Another similar big venue is the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey. Both of these places are managed by a company called Live Nation. A famous person named Robert Moses, who also created Jones Beach State Park, helped design this theater.
Contents
History of the Theater
Early Days and Musicals
The Jones Beach Theater first opened its doors in June 1952. It was originally called the New Jones Beach Marine Stadium. When it first opened, it had 8,200 seats. In its early years, the theater mostly hosted musicals.
Robert Moses had special seating areas reserved for himself and his friends. A popular bandleader named Guy Lombardo often performed there in the early days. The very first show was a big musical called A Night in Venice. This show was produced by film producer Mike Todd. It even had real floating gondolas on the water!
Guy Lombardo's last show at the theater was a musical called Finian's Rainbow in 1977. After Lombardo passed away in 1977, the musical shows continued. In 1978, the theater presented Annie Get Your Gun, starring Lucie Arnaz.
Changing to Concerts
Starting in the 1980s, the main focus of the Jones Beach Theater began to change. Instead of mostly musicals, it started to host more and more concerts. This made it a popular spot for music lovers.
Renovations and Growth
The theater has been updated several times over the years. In 1991 and 1992, it went through a big renovation. A second level was added, and the number of seats grew to 11,200. The seating capacity was made even larger in 1998, reaching 15,000 seats.
New Names for the Theater
In 2002, a clothing company owned by Tommy Hilfiger bought the rights to name the venue. For four years, it was known as "Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater." In 2006, the camera company Nikon took over the naming rights. They renamed it "Nikon at Jones Beach Theater."
In 2009, the theater added a new stage called The Bay Stage. This stage can hold up to 5,000 people. It is located behind the main concession areas.
Hurricane Sandy and Repairs
In October 2012, a very strong storm called Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of damage to the theater. Many parts of the building were destroyed. The lower seating areas were flooded with water, reaching more than halfway up the seats.
But the theater was repaired! It reopened on May 31, 2013. The repairs cost about $20 million to fix everything.
Recent Updates
Starting in January 2017, the Jones Beach Theater began another big renovation project. This included adding energy-efficient LED lights and more cafes. They also made the walkways wider to help with crowding.
Nikon's naming rights contract ended in 2016. In February 2017, a New York health system called Northwell Health bought the naming rights. The theater was then renamed "Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater." This agreement was for three years, with a chance to extend it for two more years.
See also
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
