The Grand Staircase

The Regent on Broadway was built during the Great Depression so every effort was made to create a "Picture Palace" which would take people out of the world of reality and give an air of opulence. Money, however, was still a factor and economies had to be made. For example, the huge grill arches in the Auditorium were not painted behind the drapery and the Grand Staircase, although giving the illusion of being marble, is in fact only marble on the outer edges, beneath the carpet is wood over concrete.