Brook Arts Center

Brook Theater
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Brook Arts Center 2014
Location	10 Hamilton Street, Bound Brook, New Jersey
Coordinates	40°33′43″N 74°31′48″W / 40.56194°N 74.53000°WCoordinates: 40°33′43″N 74°31′48″W / 40.56194°N 74.53000°W
Built	1926
Built by	Alexander Morecraft[1]
Architect	William E. Lehman
NRHP Reference #	14000190[2][3]
Added to NRHP	5 May 2014

Brook Arts Center, formerly Brook Theatre (opened 19 January 1927), is a historic theater in Bound Brook, New Jersey.^[4] It was designed by William E. Lehman.^[5] Originally a 1,300-seat vaudeville house, the theater was the hub of a theater district serving surrounding towns and counties. As motion pictures took over in the 1930s, the theater became a performing arts center and first-run movie house, operating until the floods of 1999 and 2007 required extensive rebuilding.^[3]

The theater is notable for its contributions to Bound Brook and remains the only surviving vaudeville theater in Somerset County.^[3] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.^[2]

The theater has suffered flood damage, and no longer puts on its own productions, although it does rent out its space. The theater now has a total of 630 seats, less than half of its original capacity.

References

1. Kat Cannelongo (January 2014). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Registration Form: The Brook Theater" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-06-03. Includes photos, drawings, and maps.
2. "Weekly List - National Register of Historic Places Official Website". National Park Service. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
3. "National Register of Historic Places Program: Brook Theater". National Park Service. 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-05.
4. "The History of the Brook". brookarts.org. Somerset County Cultural Arts Center. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014.
5. "Movie Theaters Designed by William E. Lehman". cinematreasures.org. Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 18 December 2013.