Built in 1912, The Cort is modeled on the Petit Trianon built by Louis XV in the mid-eighteenth century at Versailles, and the only theater on Broadway whose design can be traced to a specific European precedent.

The interior contains a marble bust of Marie Antoinette—a smaller replica of the original—and a mural over the proscenium of a “Minuet Dance in the Garden of Versailles,” continuing the eighteenth-century theme. It was originally built for Broadway producer John Cort, who came to New York from Chicago and at one time owned the greatest number of legitimate theaters in the United States. In 1927, the theater was taken over the Shubert Organization and many important actresses including Jane Fonda, Grace Kelly, and Katharine Hepburn launched their theatrical careers at the Cort.