Corner of Washington and Broadway Streets over time.

The southwest corner of Broadway and Washington Streets, prior to 1910. (The site is directly across Broadway
from the Grosvenor Library, now the Buffalo & Erie County Central Library.) This building was constructed in 1866-67
by The Buffalo Savings Bank. The bank moved into its new building at Main and Genesee Streets in 1901.



(Left side of image) The old bank building became the Lyric Theatre and, in 1912, opened as the New Lyric Theatre after
being "entirely rebuilt from the shell of the previous Lyric Theatre." It featured vaudeville and moving pictures. (quotation credit:
Ranjit Sandhu, "Buffalo Theatres Prior to 1930" manuscript at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library).
The building was demolished in 1920 to make way for construction of a new theater.

(Right side of photo) The Lafayette Square Playhouse (later to be known simply as the Lafayette Theater) opened in 1922 at this
location . The 3000-seat theater, designed by Leon Lempert, was said to have the best acoustics and deepest stage of any
downtown theater. The Jazz Singer premiered at the Lafayette in 1927 because it was the only downtown theater equipped
for talking pictures. It always suffered financially because it was the only theater not located on Main Street.*

The Lafayette Theater was torn down in 1962.
The same corner, 2003, now occupied by a Pro Park parking lot. Note: trumpets from the Lafayette Theater organ were installed
in the organ at the Temple Beth Zion on Delaware Avenue.

* Information about the theater quoted from an article by Charles Stein, "Buffalo's Downtown Movie Theaters - A Class Act" which
appeared in the Winter 1999 issue of the WNY Heritage Magazine.

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