421 E 161 St
1916-21, Schaefer & Lavelle

Plans for the construction of the Melrose Theater were first announced in 1916, but the onset of World War I caused most construction projects to be put on hold, then delayed due to increased costs over the following years. It was finally completed in 1921. Conceived as a movie theater with a capacity for 1,100 people with a roof garden, it featured a symmetric façade with two entrances marked by pilasters and intricate carved classical ornaments. Designed by local architect Charles Schaefer Jr. and Swiss-born architect Paul La Velle, the theater is the pair's only known collaboration, after which La Velle relocated to White Plains, while Schaefer continued his career designing buildings in The Bronx and Manhattan. In the 1940s, the theatre was converted into the Embassy Ballroom, which became one of the most important venues for the Latin music movement, hosting legends like Tito Puente and Celia Cruz. It is one of the last remaining examples of the borough's Latin clubs. Most recently, the building served as a day care center.