The curtain is up and as everyone takes their seats, not a hush, but awe is heard. The crowd at the recently completed Henry Miller Theatre located in New York’s Bryant Park/Times Square is doting over New York's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) theatre.

The Broadway house holds more than one thousand and sits inside the Bank of America building. Standing as the only recently reconstructed theatre in over 20 years, the Henry Miller is a tribute to historic preservation. Doors, wrought iron, and pieces of the decorative modeling and other facade features from the previous theatre were incorporated, preserving the history of the original theatre.

Projects that reuse any material are inherently green and one of the many ways a building can earn LEED points. Reusing materials from the previous building is a true tribute to the environment as it prevents the need for raw materials. The recycled timber continues the contribution of a tree long since chopped down in a historic and aesthetic context, and because it prevents the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation of would-be new products.

A few other green features of the theatre include use of environmentally-sensitive construction materials like sustainably harvested wood, recycled content wall paneling, waterless restroom facilities, and slag-laden concrete.

The theatre is looking to achieve gold certification and the building is looking to achieve platinum.

President and CEO of Empire State Development Corporation, Marisa Lago, puts it best by saying, Henry Miller's Theatre is a perfect example of the type of transformational project that we can achieve when the State, City, and the business and non-profit communities work together; one that preserves the city's history and the environment.