Caffe Cino
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 Interactive map of Caffe Cino | |
| Address | 31 Cornelia St. New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°43′52.6″N 74°00′10.5″W / 40.731278°N 74.002917°W |
| Operator | Joe Cino |
| Type | Off-Broadway theatre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1958 |
| Closed | 1968 |
| Website | |
| caffecino | |
Caffe Cino | |
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| Location | 31 Cornelia St., New York, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°43′53″N 74°00′09″W / 40.73139°N 74.00250°W[2] |
| Area | 0.03 acres (0.012 ha) |
| Part of | South Village Historic District (ID14000026) |
| NRHP reference No. | 100001802[1] |
| NYSRHP No. | 06101.019267 |
| NYCL No. | 2635 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 2017-11-09[3] |
| Designated NYSRHP | 2017-09-20[3] |
| Designated NYCL | 2019-06-18 |
Caffe Cino was an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1958 by Joe Cino. The West Village coffeehouse, located at 31 Cornelia Street, was initially conceived as a venue for poetry, folk music, and visual art exhibitions. The plays produced at the Cino, however, became most prominent, and it is now considered the "birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway".[4]
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 2017.[5] It was made a New York City designated landmark in 2019.[6]
Beginnings and early productions
[edit]
Joe Cino was born into an Italian-American family, and moved from Buffalo, New York to be a dancer in New York City. After 10 years, he used his $400 in savings and opened the Caffe Cino Art Gallery.[7] Initially, Cino encouraged his friends to hang their artwork on the walls. That led to poetry readings, which led to staged readings and eventually to productions of plays.[8]
During the early days of the Cino, plays were produced on the floor. A makeshift 8x8-foot stage was later created using milk cartons and carpet remnants. Productions were initially limited to 30 minutes, and the audience could stand anywhere. The space was only 18x30-feet, and audience members often perched atop the cigarette machine.[7] Admission was one dollar, and audience members were offered a coffee and an Italian pastry along with the show.[8]
Fire and Cino's death
[edit]
On Ash Wednesday, March 3, 1965, a fire destroyed the interior of the Cino. The building's structure was not affected. A new lighting system had been installed, along with the fireproofing of the Caffe's ceiling, which prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the tenement building.[9] The official cause of the fire was a gas leak, but some suspected that Cino's lover set the fire. The community raised money by staging benefit performances while the Caffe was closed for renovations.[4] Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, offered Cino and his staff a space to continue Caffe Cino productions on Sunday and Monday nights at her theater.[9]
Joe Cino died three days after repeatedly stabbing himself in 1967.[7]
Notable contributors
[edit]The Caffe Cino was an incubator for first-time directors, playwrights, actors, and lighting or set designers. Many continued to work in stage, screen, or both after the Cino closed. Notable contributors include:
- John Guare
- Sam Shepard
- Al Pacino
- Robert Dahdah
- Bernadette Peters
- Robert Heide
- Bette Midler
- Johnny Dodd
- Doric Wilson
- Jean-Claude van Itallie
- Rosalyn Drexler
- Marshall W. Mason
- Tom O'Horgan
- Charles Kerbs
- Magie Dominic
- Irene Fornes
- William Hoffman
- Tom Eyen
- Paul Foster
- Leonard Melfi
- Ondine
- H.M. Koutoukas
- David Starkweather
- Michael Warren Powell
- Mari-Claire Charba
- Robert Patrick
- Lanford Wilson
- Andy Milligan (playwright)[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 24, 2025.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. August 28, 2024.
- ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Steven McElroy (December 7, 2001). "Portal to Off Off Broadway's Early Days". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "National Register Information System – Caffe Cino (#100001802)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ^ "The Caffe Cino". HDC. July 15, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ a b c Natasha Frost (February 9, 2018). "The Gay Coffeehouse Where Off-Off Broadway Theater Was Born". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ a b Dusica Sue Malesevic (December 2, 2015). "'Magic Time' at the Caffe Cino". The Villager (Manhattan). Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ a b Tony Ortega (September 10, 2009). "Caffe Cino Goes Up in Smoke". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ Jimmy McDonough (2001). The Ghastly One: The Sex-Gore Netherworld of Andy Milligan. Chicago: A Cappella. ISBN 9781556524950.
External links
[edit]
- Caffe Cino on La MaMa Archives Digital Collections
- James Gossage photographs, 1965–1975 Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Robert Patrick papers, c. 1940–1984 Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Magie Dominic collection of Caffe Cino and Off-Broadway materials Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Lanford Wilson Collection at the University of Missouri Libraries
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- Historic district contributing properties in Manhattan
- 1958 establishments in New York City
- Arts organizations established in 1958
- Former theatres in Manhattan
- Organizations disestablished in 1968
- Off-off-Broadway
- West Village
- New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan
- Historic district contributing properties in New York City
- Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New York (state)
- Drinking establishments on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan
- New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County