Wender·Vista
Apollo Theater Harlem marquee
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew York
on West 125th Street, in Harlem

Apollo Theater Harlem marquee

— the marquee that turned amateurs into names.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The marquee on 125th Street between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevards. The building opened in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theatre and became the Apollo in 1934, when Frank Schiffman and Leo Brecher opened the stage to Black audiences and performers. Amateur Night has run almost every Wednesday since. Ella Fitzgerald won it in November of that first year, James Brown a generation later. from the studio

from the studio
Apollo Theater Harlem marquee
— bring it home

Apollo Theater Harlem marquee, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Apollo Theater Harlem marquee

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Apollo Theater stands at 253 West 125th Street in Harlem, between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The neo-classical building was completed in 1914 to designs by George Keister, opened as Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theatre, and reopened as the Apollo in 1934 under Frank Schiffman and Leo Brecher. The auditorium seats about 1,500. The Apollo was designated a New York City landmark in 1983 and added to the National Register of Historic Places the same year.

— the year

Amateur Night at the Apollo has run almost every Wednesday since 1934. Ella Fitzgerald won it at seventeen in November of that year; Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Lauryn Hill, and D'Angelo followed in their turns. The audience holds the right to cheer or boo a performer off stage, and the tradition of the Executioner sweeping the loser into the wings is older than most of the careers it shaped. The theatre hosts a separate program of touring acts the rest of the week.

— the visit

Box office hours run Monday through Friday from noon to six, with extended hours on show nights; tickets are sold online through the Apollo's site and through Ticketmaster. The 125th Street stop on the A, B, C, and D lines is one block east of the marquee; the 2 and 3 trains stop at Lenox Avenue two blocks east. Amateur Night runs most Wednesdays at 7:30 and remains one of the longest-running weekly programs in American entertainment history.

— informed by Apollo: Visit
— where
United States · Harlem, Manhattan, New York
— elevation
14 m · 46 ft
— position
40.8099° N · 73.9504° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Studio Museum in Harlem
museum
at the lake
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building
office building
at the lake
Hotel Theresa
historic hotel
1 km E
Marcus Garvey Park
park
1 km N
Sylvia's
restaurant
N
Apollo Theater Harlem marquee
Studio Museum in Harlem
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building
Hotel Theresa
Marcus Garvey Park
Sylvia's
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Apollo Theater Harlem marquee — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

253 West 125th Street in Harlem, Manhattan, between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The 125th Street stop on the A, B, C, and D lines is one block east of the marquee.

The building opened in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theatre. It reopened as the Apollo Theater in 1934 under Frank Schiffman and Leo Brecher, who opened the auditorium to Black audiences and performers.

Almost continuously since 1934, making it one of the longest-running weekly programs in American entertainment. Ella Fitzgerald won the November 1934 contest at seventeen; James Brown, Lauryn Hill, and many others followed in their turns.

The auditorium seats roughly 1,500 between the orchestra and the balcony. The stage and proscenium have been restored several times, most recently in the early 2000s, while the original 1914 sightlines have been preserved.

Yes. The Apollo was designated a New York City landmark in 1983 and added to the National Register of Historic Places the same year. The 125th Street marquee has been a protected feature of Harlem's main commercial street since.

The Apollo Theater Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, has operated the theatre since 1991. The foundation runs the year-round performance schedule, Amateur Night, and an education program for Harlem schools.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The marquee is the single image most Harlem households recognise on sight, and a Medium or Large carries the block: recognition for a neighbour, a memory for someone who moved away.

The red, gold, and night-blue palette suits Jewel-tone Maximalist, Art-Deco-revival, and warm Mid-century rooms. It holds a wall well in a music room, a library, or a deep-painted entryway.

A single Large reads above a console up to six feet. Above a sofa, a four-tile Mural carries the full marquee; a nine-tile Mural suits a stairwell or a tall entryway wall.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and unaffected by humidity, so a Small or Medium fits well in a powder room or above a range.

A microfibre cloth and plain water. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish and will not lift, fade, or scratch under ordinary cleaning.

Yes. Every piece is painted in the studio's stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language by Reid Wender, then slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure in Knoxville.

— if this one stayed with you

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