Shubert & Booth Theatres

Constructed in 1913, the Shubert and Booth Theatres are cornerstone venues of New York’s theater district, designed as an interconnected complex along the famed Shubert Alley. Developed by the Shubert brothers and designed by Henry B. Herts, the larger Shubert Theatre serves as a memorial to Sam S. Shubert, while the more intimate Booth Theatre is named in honor of the renowned actor Edwin Booth.

The two houses share a cohesive brick and terracotta façade with curved corners that engage the flow of Broadway. Their exterior is distinguished by sgraffito—an uncommon decorative technique in which layers of tinted plaster are scraped back to reveal intricate patterns and designs—representing the last known surviving example of this once-popular European finish in New York City. Executed in a Venetian Renaissance style, the façades remain a rare and defining feature within the Times Square streetscape.

Over time, the sgraffito had been patched with concrete, dulled, and painted over so that the original designs were illegible from the street. EverGreene was engaged to restore Shubert & Booth’s unique historic exterior.

The first phase centered on discovery—documenting existing conditions, analyzing materials, and developing mockups to guide the work ahead. Patterns were traced and new colors meticulously matched, ensuring that every intervention would align with the original design intent. The second phase brought the façades back to life. Layers of overpaint were stripped away, surfaces cleaned, and incompatible patches removed. Stains were reduced, cracks stabilized, and the plaster consolidated. Missing sections of sgraffito were then skillfully recreated and integrated through inpainting, restoring continuity to the design.