Weber and Fields’ Music Hall, designed by architect William A. Swasey and located at 216 W. 44th Street, was established in 1912. Established by the Shuberts, the theatre was named after the comedic duo Weber and Fields. When Weber and Fields split up a year later, the theatre was renamed the 44th Street Theatre. It presented Al Jolson in Big Boy, Song of the Flame by George Gershwin, then the Marx Brothers in Animal Crackers. Weber and Fields’ Music Hall changed its names nine times, but was perhaps best known as the Nora Bayes Theatre, after the popular musical actress. The building was later purchased by the New York Times, and the former Weber and Fields' Theatre was torn down in 1945.