The Winter Garden Theatre was originally built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 as the American Horse Exchange. However, the Shuberts had it redesigned by William Albert Swasey as a theatre, which officially opened on Mar. 10, 1911.

The inaugural production was the Jerome Kern musical La Belle Paree. The theatre was remodeled by architect Herbert J. Krapp in 1922. Over its lifespan, the venue has also served as a cinema for both Warner Bros. and United Artists and has hosted the famous vaudeville show Ziegfeld Follies.

 From 2002 to 2007, it was renamed the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre due to a sponsorship agreement between the Shubert Organisation and General Motors.