The once-proud citadel of Brooklyn's social and political elite has a history as rich in splendor as that of any other theater in the country. In its earliest days, back in the gaslight era, when its audiences were comprised not only of Brooklyn but of Manhattan as well, the house, to theatrical agents, was once of the most desirable bookings in the United States.

Built originally as the Montauk Theater in 1895, it was located at 587 Fulton street and for ten years was one of the cultural centers of the borough. While in those days it cast its shadow up the "great white way," a change of its fortunes came with the building of the Flatbush Avenue Extension and its lights were darkened.

In one of the most colossal buildings feats performed in Brooklyn up to that time, the theater in its entirety was moved from Fulton street to its final Flatbush extension. Its fare changed in those years: from Vaudeville in 1907 under the management William T. Grover to a return to prestige drama with Percy G. Williams (and the name of the New Crescent Theater.)

Thereafter It became the home of various stock companies and a run under B. F. Keith. In 1915, after a completion of a million-dollar transaction, the Crescent was leased to the Triangle Film Corporation for the exclusive showings of its most distinguished motion pictures at a top price of $2 on a schedule of two shows daily.

Along this time the famous Shuberts became interested in the old Montauk, and in 1919 the house, which, with all its ups and downs had maintained its hold upon Brooklyn theatergoers, became the Shubert-Crescent. At first, the famous theatrical entrepreneurs tried vaudeville, but that didn't go. The theater was destined to know its greatest triumph.

It was announced in 1923 that the Shuberts had decided to sell the theater and that it would be converted into a market. The announcement was partly true, but instead of being converted into a market the theater passed into the hands of Louis F. Werba and A.L. Erlanger, theatrical manager. The Theater, after a name contest, was christened Werba's Brooklyn Theater and thereafter until 1929, the year of the financial crash, the greatest stars in theatrical firmament appeared on its stage.

From Eddie Cantor to Geoge White's Scandals, Brooklyn again had stage premieres. During this lush era, Werba's Brooklyn, in the words of its then press agent "packed 'em in." In his opinion, 35 percent of the "carriage trade" in those days was from Manhattan. Then like a nemesis to Werba's came 1929, Mr. Werba went into bankruptcy and the theater was sold to moving picture interests.

Finally, the Minksy Brothers, burlesque impresarios, took a 20-year lease on the old house in 1932 and for a time the curtains which had once parted on the extravagant splendor opened upon "girlie shows," When the burlesque houses were closed in 1937, Werba's Brooklyn Theater, like a forlorn ghost, was boarded up.

In 1939, the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn took over the building on foreclosure of a mortgage and in 1940 the theater's curtain dropped for the last time as workmen pulled it down.

In 1940, it was fully demolished and Brooklyn icon was lost.