Hammerstein Ballroom is one of the historic facilities located inside Manhattan Center Studios. It was named after Oscar Hammerstein who built the facilities as Manhattan Opera House in 1906. Hammerstein built the opera house with the bold intention to take on the established Metropolitan Opera by featuring cheaper seats for the ordinary New Yorker.
 

The name of the building was changed to Manhattan Center in 1940, helping to attract many other types of events. The Manhattan Center became a hot spot for “big band” dances as well as trade shows, union meetings and other social functions. Among the diverse events held here throughout the decades that followed were radio broadcasts, recordings, and performances by the likes of Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte, Perry Como, Leonard Bernstein, The Grateful Dead and Bob Marley.
 

Manhattan Center Studios was formed in 1986 to develop the Manhattan Center into a venue capable of hosting multimedia events. MCS expanded the audio recording facilities when Studio 4 was opened in 1993. Studio 7 was rebuilt in 1996 to become a state-of-the-art control room capable of servicing all types of recordings and live events in the Ballrooms.
 

Beginning in 1997, the Hammerstein Ballroom underwent a major face-lift to accommodate the demands for a premier event venue in midtown Manhattan. Today, clients include top business professionals and the best of the entertainment and cultural world. The beautifully renovated decor, superb acoustics and high level technical services are only a few of the attributes that contribute to the success.
 

Powerhouse staff produced a concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in 2007 featuring marquee Korean performers, Lee Hyori, Epik High, SG Wannabe and Seeya.