Julian Eltinge, the man behind the name.

The theater was lifted off it's foundation and rolled to fit into the "new 42nd street".

The mural on the sound board above the proscenium by Arthur Brounet.

During the burlesque era.

The Eltinge soon after opening.

This is a picture of the front of the Eltinge, renamed Empire in 1954. After it's use as a legit house, the Eltinge went burlesque. It is backstage at this theater where Abbott met Costello. In 1941, after Mayor LaGuardia outlawed burlesque, this house was renamed Laffmovie and showed comedy features and shorts, sound and silents, on an almost 24 hour basis.

In this photo: Add a description This is the architectural elevation for the facade of the Eltinge Theater on 42nd street. The architect was Thomas W. Lamb. This theater, with an intimate seating capacity of 880, was named after Julian Eltinge, the most famous of the early 20th century cross dressing performers.  The theater was renamed the Empire and was moved 150 feet to the west to become the lobby for the AMC 25, which has been bedbug free for 6 months.