From LW!'s 2009 "Unsung Heroes", when the community group "Save the Beacon Theatre" was honored.

Though it is truly a wonder to behold, the majestically restored and recently reopened Beacon Theatre is no "Miracle on 74th Street." This world-famous performance space at 2124 Broadway was saved not by chance, but by the sustained efforts of the citizen-advocates of Save the Beacon Theatre. Their mission: to preserve the Landmark interior of one of New York's original "movie palaces." Planned as the Roxy Midway Theatre and opened in 1929, the future Beacon was the brainchild of theatrical impresario Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel (who later helped create Radio City Music Hall) and planned as part of the Roxy Circuit. Chicago architect Walter Ahlschlager designed the Beacon in an opulent pastiche of historical styles intended to transport audiences wherever entertainment and their imaginations might take them. The interior was renowned for its flawless acoustics and became a coveted venue for musical superstars. It was designated as an official NYC Interior Landmark in 1979. Still, its future was not secure.

In 1986, Save the Beacon Theatre formed in swift response to a developer's proposal to carve out the space for a discotheque. The group campaigned against the jackhammer and, after the disco proposal was incredibly approved by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, won a major court victory overturning the Commission's decision. While keeping destruction at bay, Save the Beacon Theatre created a broad network of support for preserving the interior. The tide turned. Madison Square Garden Entertainment acquired the theater in 2006 and soon after commissioned a sevenmonth restoration by the architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle. Today, the Beacon shines once more!