253 West 125th Street

From the time it was built in 1914 until 1975, the Apollo Theater played host to an uncountable multitude of stars: Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Charlie Parker, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder all performed here. The Apollo was converted into a movie theater in 1975, but live performances returned in 1983 and the television program It’s Showtime at the Apollo pushed the theater into the national spotlight. Amateur night at the Apollo, which still occurs on Wednesdays, has helped many struggling performers on the road to fame, including James Brown and the Jackson Five. The audience is still as tough as ever, famously booing performers off the stage—but, as they say, that’s show business.