The American Music Hall opened as the American Theatre on May 22, 1893, under the management of T. Henry French, the son and partner of play publisher Samuel French. It was designed by architect Charles C. Haight and located at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. The American Theatre’s first show, The Prodigal Daughter, was the first show to feature a steeplechase, in which ten horses ran diagonally across the stage. Another notable production, The Voyage of Suzette, featured Maxine Elliott and Harry Davenport. The American Theatre was the first theatre to escort patrons to their balcony and roof garden seats via elevators, which were then considered a novelty. In 1908, the theatre was renamed the American Music Hall by its new owner, booking agent William Morris, and housed vaudeville and burlesque acts. On December 8, 1930, a fire broke out; the doors of the American Music Hall never opened again, and the building was demolished in 1932.