In a half-full theater of donors and reporters, Apollo staff and board members announced a temporary curtain call for the historic venue on June 30 before a full-scale renovation begins. The project, which broke ground earlier this year, will update the lobby, restore murals, install a new HVAC system, modernize safety and staging equipment, reinvigorate both the Historic Theater and the smaller Soundstage, refresh the restrooms, and create a new bar and café that will be open to the public during the day.
Ultimately, the renovation aims to expand the Apollo’s capacity to generate revenue, grow its programming, and remain a cultural cornerstone for the neighborhood. The theater will close for a little over a year and is expected to reopen in summer 2026.
“It took a village [to build the Apollo], and it will take a village to renovate the theater,” said Apollo President and CEO Michelle E. Banks.
The renovation will cost approximately $65 million, funded through a mix of donors and public- and private-sector organizations. Major contributions come from the Empire State Development Corp., Harlem Community Development Corp., J.P. Morgan, National Trust Community Investment Corp., New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City Economic Development Corp., New York City Neighborhood Capital Corp., Octagon Finance LLC, Sirius XM Holdings Inc., United Fund Advisors LLC, and Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corp.
Renderings for Apollo’s lobby. (Courtesy of Charcoalblue, Flyleaf Creative, and Beyer Blinder Belle) 
Modernization does not mean romantic aspects of historic theater, like red velvet curtains, gold filigree details, will go away. Team hopes to retain as much historic detail as possible. (Marielle Argueza photo) 
Modernization does not mean romantic aspects of historic theater, like red velvet curtains, gold filigree details, will go away. Team hopes to retain as much historic detail as possible. (Marielle Argueza photo) 
Apollo fans won’t have to wait a whole year for shows and talks — programming continues at Victoria. (Photo credit Marielle Argueza) 
Dietrice Bolden sings her rendition of Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” (Marielle Argueza photo) 
Dietrice Bolden sings her rendition of Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.” (Marielle Argueza photo) 
Renderings for Apollo’s lobby. (Courtesy of Charcoalblue, Flyleaf Creative, and Beyer Blinder Belle)
Thanks to the theater’s status as a historic landmark at the local, state, and national levels, the project is also supported by Historic Tax Credits.
The renovation is part of a larger $200 million investment in two relatively new cultural districts: El Barrio in East Harlem and the Harlem Cultural District, to which the Apollo belongs, according to New York State Sen. Cordell Cleare. “There is no Apollo without Harlem. There is no Harlem without the Apollo. We feel it belongs to us,” she said in her speech at the June 30 event.
The curtains won’t remain drawn for long. In 2022, before the current renovation, the Apollo team reopened the Victoria down the street. Responding to an RFP in 2015, they transformed the once-derelict movie theater — nearly as old as the Apollo — into an auxiliary venue. During the main stage’s closure, programming will continue at the Victoria.
Concerns that the Apollo’s new facilities would contribute to gentrification were quickly addressed. Among the speakers were those with deep personal ties to the theater, not just as patrons but as former staff.
“I grew up in this theater,” said Manhattan Deputy Borough President Keisha Sutton-James,
granddaughter of civil rights attorney Percy E. Sutton, who helped buy and renovate the Apollo in the 1980s and played a key role in securing its historic landmark designation. She shared memories of scraping gum from under seats and working in the gift shop under the watchful eye of current board chair Charles “Mr. Apollo” Phillips.
“This is the love we give to the theater. This was the cradle, the Mecca of Black culture,” she said. “This is about building collective resilience through culture.”