Richard Blinder and Peter Kofman, architects. The Ford Center came about after Canadian producer Garth Drabinsky's Livent, Inc. purchased two 42nd Street theatres, the Lyric and the Apollo. The new theatre incorporated elements of both earlier theatres. It was named for the Ford Motor Company, which offered significant financial assistance. Soon after the 1998 opening, Livent declared bankruptcy and the theatre was purchased by a media company, SFX, which was later subsumed by Clear Channel. In 2005, Live Nation was formed as a spin-off of Clear Channel and currently owns and manages the theatre.
