The theatre opened as the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on January 26, 1998 with a musical version of E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime", with over 1,900 seats- making it one of the largest theaters on Broadway at the time. "Ragtime" was intended by Livent to run indefinitely, but with Livent's bankruptcy and dissolve in 1999, the show was forced to close in early 2000. The venue was completely renovated and renamed the Hilton for the US premiere of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".