An image from 1915 shows the West End Theatre as it originally stood between St. Nicholas and Morningside Avenue. This was a time when 20th Century Harlem was considered the new neighborhood in New York City and many grand theater palaces lined 125th Street. The majority of them shuttered by the mid century as the neighborhood went into decline and would eventually be converted into churches. A more current photo of the old show palace reveals that it pretty much looks the same but some of the crowning ornamental details have been removed along with the grand awning at the entranceway.
Archival photo courtesy the Museum of the City of New York
If I'm not mistaken, this was the second West End Theatre--the first was at 124th and Seventh and was Harlem's first proper theater.
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