Arthur Mitchell, Alva Gimbel and Karel Shook

“One day the actress/singer Benay Venuta brought with her Mrs. Alva B. Gimbel. Mrs. Gimbel watched the rehearsal with growing emotion and when it was over, she told Arthur that if he could find a building, she would present it to us. He needed no further motivation, and soon, as the result of a chance conversation with a gypsy cab driver, found an empty garage and warehouse with two stories and an ample basement which was for sale on 152nd Street.”

Karel Shook from “The First Ten Years”