The Astor Opera House, also known as the Astor Place Opera House and later the Astor Place Theatre, was an opera house in Manhattan, New York City, located on Lafayette Street between Astor Place and East 8th Street. Designed by Isaiah Rogers, the theater was conceived by impresario Edward Fry, the brother of composer William Henry Fry, who managed the opera house during its entire history.
The Astor Opera House in 1850
This 11-story building, now condominiums, replaced the opera house building in 1890.
Lafayette Street is a major north–south street in New York City's Lower Manhattan. It originates at the intersection of Reade Street and Centre Street, one block north of Chambers Street. The one-way street then successively runs through Chinatown, Little Italy, NoLIta, and NoHo and finally, between East 9th and East 10th streets, merges with Fourth Avenue. A buffered bike lane runs outside the left traffic lane. North of Spring Street, Lafayette Street is northbound (uptown)-only; south of Spring Street, Lafayette is southbound (downtown)-only.
The Public Theater, formerly the Astor Library
Colonnade Row (1832)
Commercial Romanesque: the Schermerhorn Building (Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, 1888) at 3rd Street
The firehouse at 87 Lafayette at White Street (Napoleon LeBrun, 1896) is now the Downtown Community Television Center