Bway, the page that opens at that link shows not the UA Lefrak, but the former Bowl-A-Way bowling alley along the LIE, which was also for a time in the mid- to late-70s an annex for Newtown High School. To see the former UA Lefrak, scroll over to the left a few blocks along the LIE — you’ll see the Lefrak City sign over the roof of the 99th street shopping center, right where the pedestrian bridge crosses the LIE. The former theater is the raised portion of the building.
NOW look what you’ve done! You’ve driven him away! First he was overcharged in 1977, and now this…
Sorry, LittleParkwiththeTrees. (Are you Native American, by the way?) Porn theater afficianados are apparently very protective of their turf. I think you stepped over the line when you implied there was a pervert in the men’s room 30 years ago. Next time, just say you had a warm, comfortable, lovely experience at a reasonable price, and you’ll be welcome.
Gol darn it, what is this world coming to? It’s getting so you can’t even believe stories told by anonymous posters hiding behind screen pseudonyms about their first porn theater experience in the 70s anymore.
Why in my day, we’d keelhaul the poor feller, but now they’ll probably pin a medal on ‘im and put him on the tee vee.
Perhaps this article offers a clue to what’s happening with the development plans for the RKO Keith’s. It certainly leads one to believe that things aren’t looking up as much as was hoped in Flushing — and confirms that developers can’t be trusted: View link
Thanks for that tidbit, Warren. Apparently she had four movies released in 1949, and then never did another film. Why, it’s enough to make you want to down a pink non-alcoholic cocktail…
Warren, that ad is ironic for two more reasons: The second feature at the Manhattan RKO co-starred Gale Storm, who would find much greater fame with her own TV sitcom in the 50’s…and the fact that what was possibly one of Berle’s last movie personal appearances took place in Flushing, when it’s a well-known bit of historical trivia that such a huge audience tuned in to his TV show, the water pressure actually dipped when it broke for commercials because so many people were “flushing” at once!
NativeForrestHiller, that’s quite a valuable site resource. Note that the 1998/99 permit was for:
ALT3 – GEN CONSTRUCT
HEREWITH FILED ALTERATION APPLICATION TO RMOVE “PREEMPTORY VACATE ORD
PLASTER AND METAL FROM CELING AND COLUMNS,PATCH HOLES IN FLOOR,REMOVING
LOOSE FIREPROOFING FROM COLUMNS.NO CHANGE OF USE,EGREE OR OCCUPANCY
That certainly would cover a broad area; any number of the architectural elements we see were destroyed could have been covered under "remove plaster and metal from the ceiling and columns."
But also note that LANDMARK STATUS is simply L – Landmark, making no distinction between the lobby and the entire building!
Aha! Ian, you’re right. Looking at them closely, I can see pipes attached.
This is quite peculiar. Usually, when a building is stripped by vandals or demolition/renovation crews, things like antique radiators and pipes are the first to go. Yet these are still in place. Why would anyone destroy architectural details, yet leave pipes? Really sick.
Warren, I looked at that photo more closely as well. Are those blacked-out windows in the rear brick wall? Why were they ever put there in the first place?
That IS the auditorium? But what about the ceiling — are there holes? Are there holes in the floor? Are there holes in the walls? Just because the seats are gone doesn’t mean it isn’t salvagable, especially if the structural integrity and remnants of the decorations are still there! I can’t wait to see the other pictures.
asphoto, these are quite remarkable. They show that things are in bad shape — but still within the realm of possibility to restore.
But could you please explain HOW you got inside and took these photos? If you’ve been following this thread AT ALL, you’ll know that this has been discussed ad infinitum, especially in the last couple of months — and supposedly, the place was sealed as of the first of the new year. If you actually have shots taken inside the auditorium, a lot of folks are going to be quite agitated if they have to wait to see them!
In the second photo (KeithsFacade) you can see the words STEEL TRUSS ROOF spray painted on the ruined facade between the second and third floor windows. I wonder what that refers to?
That is very ominous sounding, Dave. I certainly hope all they were doing was removing debris from the stores and not from the theater portion of the building. I’d hate to have the year end on that kind of note, especially when we were all getting so gung-ho about prospects for preservation.
“a lady by the name of Jessica who is looking for a property to save in the Long Island area”…
Well, Ken, that’s certainly not the kind of person you stumble across everyday!
Donald Trump? Please! What landmarks has he preserved? My memory told me that Trump’s family had a hand in the demolition of Steeplechase in Coney Island; I was right. As found on the rcdb.com (rollercoaster database) website:
After Steeplechase Park closed the Tilyou family sold the land to Fred C. Trump (Donald Trump’s father). Trump had wanted to build high-rise apartments on the land, but was unable to gain the requisite planning permission. Trump then leased the land to Norman Kaufman in 1967 to use as a parking lot.
But wait — there’s more. Excerpted from “A History of The Coney Island Parachute Jump” by Seth Kaufman, at bayridge.com:
Steeplechase Park itself closed after the 1964 season, bought and razed by Fred C. Trump for housing that was never built. But the Parachute Jump survived, presumably saved by the ever increasing cost of demolition that had kept it at Coney since 1941. The Jump continued to operate until 1968, part of a group of small scale rides operated on the now nearly vacant lot.
From 1968 on, the Jump was essentially left to rust in the salt air. …Plans were prepared for its demolition. … the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce filed a proposal calling for landmark status and conversion of the tower to “A Beacon of Welcome, the Steeplechase Parachute Light.” … On July 12, 1977, the Jump was declared a city landmark. Unfortunately, the city Board of Estimate overturned the designation, concerned that preservation of structure was “a luxury we can not afford.” Threats of demolition were once again made, but a price tag of $250,000 and public outcry scuttled the idea.
… In 1988, the Parachute Jump was declared a city landmark for a second time, surely some sort of record. This time the designation stuck, but by then the structure had deteriorated even further, …
The nineties brought new threats of demolition. … Fred C.Trump, apparently intent on finishing the destruction he had started 25 years before, offered $400,000 if the Jump was torn down. But the city had no choice; the structure was a landmark and had to be preserved. Work began in early 1992. …And with its new coat of paint, fresh steel and landmark status, the Steeplechase Parachute Jump seems ready for another 25 years.
In short, the history of the Parachute Jump nearly parallels the history of the RKO Keith’s â€" and the Trump family hardly seems likely to be a champion of preservation! (Even if he can change the name to TRUMP THEATER!)
Sorry for going so far off the track, but Happy New Year to all.
mike69 and bobosan, you’re covering a lot of old ground — note this post you can find above from way back in January 2004:
The last motion picture I saw there was a “buddy-picture” called “Running Scared”. It starred Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, …with Jimmy Smits as the heavy. I think it may have been the last film screened there because, when they shut the joint down the posters for said film were still up. I can remember passing by the theatre and seeing them fading from the sunlight. I saw some fun movies there over the years(Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Airplane,etc.) It was a shame to see it just waste away. I hate passing by that place whenever I’m in town.
posted by Chester37a on Jan 16, 2004 at 9:36am
Okay then, say it’s $24 million. Then we’d need the cost of restoration…I’ll just pick a round number out of a hat…say, $10 million. That’s $34 million. Now, if there were only 10 of us, we’d each need $3,400,000. But if there were 100 of us, we’d each need only $340,000. And if there are a thousand of us CT fans, we’d each need a mere $34,000. That’s right, we could buy and renovate the RKO Keith’s for the cost of a fully-loaded new car.
Okay, maybe we need to come up with a broader base of support. Somewhere between a million people donating $34 each, and 10,000 people donating $3,400 each ought to do it.
They’re putting it up for sale again “because of all the b.s.”? Considering they’re RESPONSIBLE for most of the b.s., I wonder what she meant by that? Is all the bad publicity finally getting to them? There certainly doesn’t seem to have been any official interference with their plans. So let’s see — if it’s for sale, how much would we each have to contribute to buy the place? I’ve got about $42.00….
Well, it isn’t necessarily ALL bad news, except as far as access for photos is concerned. If they replaced the wall, it may mean they aren’t intent on imminent demolition. On the other hand, if it is a black plastic, that could indicate they are actually “sealing up” the area from which they need to remove asbestos. At any rate, it at least seems to show that they’re not simply ripping everything out indescriminately.
Bway, the page that opens at that link shows not the UA Lefrak, but the former Bowl-A-Way bowling alley along the LIE, which was also for a time in the mid- to late-70s an annex for Newtown High School. To see the former UA Lefrak, scroll over to the left a few blocks along the LIE — you’ll see the Lefrak City sign over the roof of the 99th street shopping center, right where the pedestrian bridge crosses the LIE. The former theater is the raised portion of the building.
Knock it off, guys. You’ve gotten pretty far off-topic here.
posted by Patrick Crowley on Feb 27, 2007 at 12:14pm
You finally noticed!
Ahh, how restful. There’s nothing quite like discussing the preservation of old movie theaters.
NOW look what you’ve done! You’ve driven him away! First he was overcharged in 1977, and now this…
Sorry, LittleParkwiththeTrees. (Are you Native American, by the way?) Porn theater afficianados are apparently very protective of their turf. I think you stepped over the line when you implied there was a pervert in the men’s room 30 years ago. Next time, just say you had a warm, comfortable, lovely experience at a reasonable price, and you’ll be welcome.
Gol darn it, what is this world coming to? It’s getting so you can’t even believe stories told by anonymous posters hiding behind screen pseudonyms about their first porn theater experience in the 70s anymore.
Why in my day, we’d keelhaul the poor feller, but now they’ll probably pin a medal on ‘im and put him on the tee vee.
I obviously need some sleep.
Perhaps this article offers a clue to what’s happening with the development plans for the RKO Keith’s. It certainly leads one to believe that things aren’t looking up as much as was hoped in Flushing — and confirms that developers can’t be trusted:
View link
Thanks for that tidbit, Warren. Apparently she had four movies released in 1949, and then never did another film. Why, it’s enough to make you want to down a pink non-alcoholic cocktail…
Warren, that ad is ironic for two more reasons: The second feature at the Manhattan RKO co-starred Gale Storm, who would find much greater fame with her own TV sitcom in the 50’s…and the fact that what was possibly one of Berle’s last movie personal appearances took place in Flushing, when it’s a well-known bit of historical trivia that such a huge audience tuned in to his TV show, the water pressure actually dipped when it broke for commercials because so many people were “flushing” at once!
By day, it’s Aladdin and his Magic Lamp!
By night, he rubs and rubs and rubs the lamp…
What the heck is this? A post that’s NOT about the RKO Keith’s Flushing?
NativeForrestHiller, that’s quite a valuable site resource. Note that the 1998/99 permit was for:
ALT3 – GEN CONSTRUCT
HEREWITH FILED ALTERATION APPLICATION TO RMOVE “PREEMPTORY VACATE ORD
PLASTER AND METAL FROM CELING AND COLUMNS,PATCH HOLES IN FLOOR,REMOVING
LOOSE FIREPROOFING FROM COLUMNS.NO CHANGE OF USE,EGREE OR OCCUPANCY
That certainly would cover a broad area; any number of the architectural elements we see were destroyed could have been covered under "remove plaster and metal from the ceiling and columns."
But also note that LANDMARK STATUS is simply L – Landmark, making no distinction between the lobby and the entire building!
Aha! Ian, you’re right. Looking at them closely, I can see pipes attached.
This is quite peculiar. Usually, when a building is stripped by vandals or demolition/renovation crews, things like antique radiators and pipes are the first to go. Yet these are still in place. Why would anyone destroy architectural details, yet leave pipes? Really sick.
Warren, I looked at that photo more closely as well. Are those blacked-out windows in the rear brick wall? Why were they ever put there in the first place?
That IS the auditorium? But what about the ceiling — are there holes? Are there holes in the floor? Are there holes in the walls? Just because the seats are gone doesn’t mean it isn’t salvagable, especially if the structural integrity and remnants of the decorations are still there! I can’t wait to see the other pictures.
asphoto, these are quite remarkable. They show that things are in bad shape — but still within the realm of possibility to restore.
But could you please explain HOW you got inside and took these photos? If you’ve been following this thread AT ALL, you’ll know that this has been discussed ad infinitum, especially in the last couple of months — and supposedly, the place was sealed as of the first of the new year. If you actually have shots taken inside the auditorium, a lot of folks are going to be quite agitated if they have to wait to see them!
In the second photo (KeithsFacade) you can see the words STEEL TRUSS ROOF spray painted on the ruined facade between the second and third floor windows. I wonder what that refers to?
That is very ominous sounding, Dave. I certainly hope all they were doing was removing debris from the stores and not from the theater portion of the building. I’d hate to have the year end on that kind of note, especially when we were all getting so gung-ho about prospects for preservation.
“a lady by the name of Jessica who is looking for a property to save in the Long Island area”…
Well, Ken, that’s certainly not the kind of person you stumble across everyday!
Very, very well stated, Ken.
Donald Trump? Please! What landmarks has he preserved? My memory told me that Trump’s family had a hand in the demolition of Steeplechase in Coney Island; I was right. As found on the rcdb.com (rollercoaster database) website:
After Steeplechase Park closed the Tilyou family sold the land to Fred C. Trump (Donald Trump’s father). Trump had wanted to build high-rise apartments on the land, but was unable to gain the requisite planning permission. Trump then leased the land to Norman Kaufman in 1967 to use as a parking lot.
But wait — there’s more. Excerpted from “A History of The Coney Island Parachute Jump” by Seth Kaufman, at bayridge.com:
Steeplechase Park itself closed after the 1964 season, bought and razed by Fred C. Trump for housing that was never built. But the Parachute Jump survived, presumably saved by the ever increasing cost of demolition that had kept it at Coney since 1941. The Jump continued to operate until 1968, part of a group of small scale rides operated on the now nearly vacant lot.
From 1968 on, the Jump was essentially left to rust in the salt air. …Plans were prepared for its demolition. … the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce filed a proposal calling for landmark status and conversion of the tower to “A Beacon of Welcome, the Steeplechase Parachute Light.” … On July 12, 1977, the Jump was declared a city landmark. Unfortunately, the city Board of Estimate overturned the designation, concerned that preservation of structure was “a luxury we can not afford.” Threats of demolition were once again made, but a price tag of $250,000 and public outcry scuttled the idea.
… In 1988, the Parachute Jump was declared a city landmark for a second time, surely some sort of record. This time the designation stuck, but by then the structure had deteriorated even further, …
The nineties brought new threats of demolition. … Fred C.Trump, apparently intent on finishing the destruction he had started 25 years before, offered $400,000 if the Jump was torn down. But the city had no choice; the structure was a landmark and had to be preserved. Work began in early 1992. …And with its new coat of paint, fresh steel and landmark status, the Steeplechase Parachute Jump seems ready for another 25 years.
In short, the history of the Parachute Jump nearly parallels the history of the RKO Keith’s â€" and the Trump family hardly seems likely to be a champion of preservation! (Even if he can change the name to TRUMP THEATER!)
Sorry for going so far off the track, but Happy New Year to all.
Apparently they booked “Running Scared” thinking it was the third part of a horror trilogy!
mike69 and bobosan, you’re covering a lot of old ground — note this post you can find above from way back in January 2004:
The last motion picture I saw there was a “buddy-picture” called “Running Scared”. It starred Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, …with Jimmy Smits as the heavy. I think it may have been the last film screened there because, when they shut the joint down the posters for said film were still up. I can remember passing by the theatre and seeing them fading from the sunlight. I saw some fun movies there over the years(Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Airplane,etc.) It was a shame to see it just waste away. I hate passing by that place whenever I’m in town.
posted by Chester37a on Jan 16, 2004 at 9:36am
Okay then, say it’s $24 million. Then we’d need the cost of restoration…I’ll just pick a round number out of a hat…say, $10 million. That’s $34 million. Now, if there were only 10 of us, we’d each need $3,400,000. But if there were 100 of us, we’d each need only $340,000. And if there are a thousand of us CT fans, we’d each need a mere $34,000. That’s right, we could buy and renovate the RKO Keith’s for the cost of a fully-loaded new car.
Okay, maybe we need to come up with a broader base of support. Somewhere between a million people donating $34 each, and 10,000 people donating $3,400 each ought to do it.
They’re putting it up for sale again “because of all the b.s.”? Considering they’re RESPONSIBLE for most of the b.s., I wonder what she meant by that? Is all the bad publicity finally getting to them? There certainly doesn’t seem to have been any official interference with their plans. So let’s see — if it’s for sale, how much would we each have to contribute to buy the place? I’ve got about $42.00….
Well, it isn’t necessarily ALL bad news, except as far as access for photos is concerned. If they replaced the wall, it may mean they aren’t intent on imminent demolition. On the other hand, if it is a black plastic, that could indicate they are actually “sealing up” the area from which they need to remove asbestos. At any rate, it at least seems to show that they’re not simply ripping everything out indescriminately.