Lin-Manuel Miranda Buys 100-Year-Old New York City Bookshop That Was Under Threat

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, has bought a century-old New York City bookshop after its survival came under threat. Miranda bought the Drama Book Shop with three of his Hamilton collaborators—the Theater District shop sells scripts, sheet music, and other stage-related reading materials. The store struggled to cope with the Times Square real-estate market and recently announced it was being forced to move from its current location. The Hamilton team pledged to find the store an affordable space in Midtown—it will close at its current location, on West 40th Street, on Jan. 20. “It’s the chronic problem—the rents were just too high, and I’m 84 years old—I just didn’t have the drive to find a new space and make another move,” said owner Rozanne Seelen. Miranda confirmed the report, saying: “As a teen, I went to the @dramabookshop on 47th. Spent hours reading plays. Felt made for me, a place to go. In 2002, I met with Tommy Kail in the Drama Book Shop. It gave us a place to go. Proud to be part of this next chapter. A place for you to go.”