Lena Horne Theatre to be dedicated on Nov. 1

The previously announced renaming of Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre to honor the late entertainer and activist Lena Horne will take place Nov. 1. She is the first Black woman to have a Broadway theater named for her.

The Nederlander Organization, owner of that and eight other New York theaters, said Wednesday that the ceremony at the West 47th Street venue will include performances and remarks by Broadway figures, a block party with a DJ, and the unveiling of the new marquee.

Built in 1926 as the Mansfield Theatre, the building was renamed in 1960 to honor The New York Times' drama critic Brooks Atkinson. In 2020, The Nederlander Organization initiated plans to rename it after a Black theater icon, and chose celebrated singer Horne, who with her starring role in the 1957 musical "Jamaica" became the first Black woman to be nominated for a best actress in a musical Tony Award.

She went on to receive a Special Tony in 1981 for "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music," and her accolades include two Grammy Awards. She twice was nominated for an Emmy Award for TV music specials.

Horne, who died in 2010 at age 92, additionally was an activist against racism in the entertainment industry and racial discrimination in America, earning a place in the federal government's International Civil Rights: Walk of Fame in Atlanta. Upon her death, President Barack Obama in a message of condolence said the entertainer had "worked tirelessly to further the cause of justice and equality."