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HB Studio at 120 Bank Street in New York City was previously a stable. The conversion to the building to make it a home for theatre artists was designed by Victor Gruen.
Gruen (1903-1980) was an important architect known for his designs of early shopping malls, and his work on urban revitalization. His book, The heart of our cities: The urban crisis: diagnosis and cure (1965) is a classic in the field. Born in Vienna, he emigrated to the United States in 1938.
In Vienna, he ran the Naschmarkt theatre cabaret and wrote a number of socialist-inspired works for the cabaret which gradually moved from separate acts to one-act plays. Herbert Berghof was one of the members of the group.
Victor Gruen photo used with permission from Victor Gruen Papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Born in Germany, Uta Hagen moved to Madison, Wisconsin, at the age of six. With the exception of several interruptions for study in Europe, Ms. Hagen received most of her schooling in Madison, her home until age sixteen. After training briefly at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, she made her professional debut in 1937 in Dennis, Massachusetts, as “Ophelia” in Eva Le Gallienne’s production of Hamlet.
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