The American Airlines Theater on Broadway is renamed Todd Haimes

Roundabout Theater Company, the nonprofit with the largest footprint on Broadway, has decided to rename its flagship theater, currently known as American Airlines, in honor of its recently deceased and transformative leader, Todd Haimes.

The theater, on West 42nd Street, is a 740-seat house that opened in 1918 as the Selwyn. It was renamed American Airlines in 2000, when Roundabout took over operations and raised money by entering into a sponsorship deal with the airline.

The airline’s naming rights expire in early 2024, according to a Roundabout spokesperson, and the nonprofit’s board decided to rename the building after Haimes, who had an extraordinary impact on the company: He joined Roundabout in 1983 as general manager and ended the declining fortunes; he held several titles over the years and at his death in April he was both artistic director and general manager.

Roundabout, now one of the largest nonprofit theaters in the United States, has five performance spaces in Midtown Manhattan: three Broadway houses, including the Stephen Sondheim and Studio 54, as well as the American Airlines Theater, plus the Laura Pels Theater, an Off Broadway venue and the Roundabout Underground black box theater, which is Off Off Broadway, both at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center.

On Thursday night, the lights of all Broadway marquees in Haimes’ honor were dimmed. Another ceremony will be held next spring to dedicate the Todd Haimes Theater.

American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.