Flatbush Pavilion to Become Swimming Pool

posted by dailyheights on March 18, 2005 at 8:20 am

BROOKLYN, NY — The Flatbush Pavilion, which closed in May 2004, is going to become a swimming pool, according to a health club employee I spoke with. (Read this Daily Heights article for more information.)

There was some hope that the Pavilion—which opened in 1912 as the Bunny Theatre and at one time was repurposed as a mini-golf course—might find new life. But my source said the health club that bought the theater plans to build a swimming pool in the space.

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Comments (8)

JimRankin
JimRankin on March 18, 2005 at 2:35 pm

Sad to say, there is a precedent for this as also seen in New York. In Buffalo the former LOVEJOY theatre on Lovejoy street, became the Lovejoy Community Swimming Pool, as seen on pages 90 and 91 of the book SILENT SCREENS. In that situation the building was completely gutted with the auditorium floor removed and a large swimming pool in its place, and the sight of the roof trusses with skylights cut through the roof above them. There is a photo of the BUNNY on page 26 of AMERICAN PICTURE PALACES.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on March 19, 2005 at 4:14 am

Jim,
The Bunny Theatre pictured in “American Picture Palaces' book is the other Bunny Theatre located on Broadway in upper Manhatten. It closed about 4 years ago and is currently retail. The ‘bunny rabbit’ faces and name are still on the facade of the building today.

JimRankin
JimRankin on March 19, 2005 at 6:21 am

Ken, thanks for the correction. I’ve got to learn to keep my rabbits all in a row. Glad to know that one is still hopping down the bunny trail, even if it is now a different ‘burrow’ in a different borough.

Ron Newman
Ron Newman on March 19, 2005 at 8:47 am

Oh no, they’re going to kill the wabbit!

uncleal923
uncleal923 on March 20, 2005 at 11:59 pm

Tear down that cute Marquis? I was never to the Pavilion, but I remember the marquis that had very little splash, but looked elegant with an art deco flare. To take that down, that would ruin a block of Flatbush Avenue.

dailyheights
dailyheights on March 21, 2005 at 12:29 pm

Looks like the Daily News picked up on my lead. Story today in the “Boroughs” section.

br91975
br91975 on March 21, 2005 at 3:48 pm

…and then there’s this mistakenly posted ‘non-theatre’ – /theaters/10174/

frankie
frankie on June 30, 2005 at 11:59 am

This theater was the old Plaza Theater that went from a single to a double, and was then bought by the owner of the Pavilion Park Slope. The auditorium was strangely skewed, but the place used to do pretty good business. Sad to lose another neighborhood theater, but it’s not exactly a lost treasure. frankie from Brooklyn

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