Built in 1921, the Nederlander is the theater that premiered Rent in its Broadway debut. The Nederlander is located near the heart of the Times Square theater district. The Nederlander was the perfect theater for Rent and the inside was decorated to look just like the East Village.[11] The interior of the building was inspired by the Italian Renaissance. The theater has seen numerous successful plays since its open in the early 1920s and has thrived since then. However, it has not always been called the Nederlander. The theater has had many different names that have changed with the times including the National, the Billy Rose, and the Trafalgar.[12] The closed in 1978 and was reopened with the purchase of the theater by James and Joseph Nederlander and a British firm. However, the theater did not receive the name Nederlander until 1980. While the theater hosted many shows, Rent is one of the most widely known and successful. Immediately, Rent became the hottest play on Broadway and won many awards including a Toy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.[13] The Nederlander was the perfect place to show Rent and to this day is remembered as the theater that started a phenomenon.