Loew's Paradise Theatre

Well, the orchestra was filled completely…which is 2300, plus about another few hundred in the mezz. and balcony. No upcoming shows yet, but they seem to average about two events per month.

As promised, I will give the lowdown on my trip to the Paradise Theatre last night. I went to the concert with my sister from New Jersey. The show consisted of five early 70’s soul groups, the featured act being The Stylistics. We arrived about an hour before the scheduled start time of 8:00, and found a parking spot on the street about two blocks away. Many people were parking in public lots in the area, one of which was charging $18.00 for the evening. Upon entering the theatre, we had to pass through metal detectors, with the ladies going through one and the men going through another. I assumed the reason for the seperation was that if a body frisk was required, it would be done by staff of the same sex. I guess nowadays, any large venue would be crazy not to have metal detectors due to terrorism. Once inside, we had some wine at the bar that was in the main lobby. We went to the second level wher some tables and chairs were set up, and relaxed for awhile. The show started about 9:00, and ended about 12:30. Our seats were good (about 10th row orchestra.) All of the acts were from a similiar mold, that being of something like The Temptations…matching suits, synchronized moves etc. As for security, the Paradise or maybe the musical groups had there own security, in addition, there were four uniformed cops outside the theatre for the entire evening. The crowd, however, was quite mellow, with the average age being somewhere around 50. I was somewhat concerned when leaving the theatre, not knowing what to expect on the Grand Concourse at 12:30am. However, the crowd exiting, in addition to the police presence alleviated any fears, and it was uneventful. All in all, it was a very pleasant evening.

Orlando Lopes, New York Metro Director of the Theatre Historical Society of America (THSA), is coordinating a volunteer effort for the Loewâ€\s Paradise. There will be a series of events and shows where help is needed, starting this Saturday, February 11, 2006.

This is a wonderful opportunity to become part of the excitement of this beautifully revived Cinema Treasure. Orlando and the Paradise management have some great plans in store for all movie theatre and film fans.

Please contact Orlando at (631) 225-7071 after 9PM or email him at There will be a name list, so you cannot show up unannounced.

Thank you all.

Cuba junior is the actor. Cuba senior is the singer (“Everybody Plays the Fool…”).

It sounds strange, but they might not update the web site regularly. This New Year’s celebration was not there. It wouldn’t surprise me if they succeed in spreading the word through other means.

But, to be fair, the theatre could also be foundering.

P.S. Since this may be my last comment this week (you never can tell), please let me wish any readers here a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, or a joyous holiday. Whichever you may prefer.

I compliment EdSolero; he put it so very nicely.

No need for noses to get bent out of shape… I think it’s obvious that the most important factor here – overwhelmingly – is not just that the Paradise is still standing, but that the theater has been lovingly and painstakingly restored to its former beauty. Is it the $70 million dollar nook-and-cranny polishing that Radio City Music Hall received a few years back? No… but somehow I’m even more impressed because it doesn’t have that sort of corporate backing.

Still… I think it’s very much in the spirit of this site to use this forum to discuss and debate and, yes, even nit-pick over details. While we celebrate the marvelous work to restore this grand theater and the efforts to keep it going as the great showplace for the people of the Bronx it was intended to be, surely there is room enough for us to point out where we feel the project might have incongruously missed the mark. Perhaps it is precisely because the rest of the restoration has been going along so respectfully and tastefully that some of us were jarred by the sloppy splatter of bright yellow and blue paint on the building’s facade. I think it’s a fair point of criticism. Just as I think it’s fair to criticize the decision to refurbish the 1930’s era art moderne New Amsterdam marquee while rhapsodizing over the otherwise splendid restoration of the theater’s original 1903 Art Nouveau architecture. Or to appreciate the Ziegfeld Theater’s spacious single-screen auditorium while taking exception to its – in my opinion – tacky 1960’s decor.

I know it wasn’t everyone’s intention to run stevebob off this site, and I hope he finds it within himself to come back and continue contributing to the Cinema Treasures mosaic.

You’re welcome to comment here, Stevebob, but you must do so in a civil manner.

We’ve removed your last two comments because they violated our terms of use (i.e. off-topic, included personal attacks, and/or obscene).

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Thanks,
Patrick

Lets hope they get some bookings now!

Agreed. I grew up in the Paradise, and I can tell you that it looked far worse than this in 1969. Its chief competitor, the RKO Fordham, was demolished. Now THAT’s something to feel bad about.

I have to confess, really don’t understand all this concern over a sign and what color it’s painted. I’ve passed this building and from the outside it looks fantastic, and best of all, it’s still standing and it’s reopened! What color do you all want it to be? A slightly different shade of blue or yellow? If it means that much to you, talk to the owner and maybe they’ll let you repaint it.
Perhaps it’s just me, but coming from an area where any building like this was torn down years ago, I’m just happy to know it’s still standing. Judging from the photo’s posted earlier, whoever re-opened this treasure deserves tremendous credit for the amount of work done to restore this building.
I can’t believe someone who loves theaters actually wrote “an enshrinement of mediocrity and incompetence” to describe the workmanship on a sign. For God’s sake, it’s a sign! Did you see the lobby to this place?! They even have the original chandeliers working!
Let’s keep our priorities straight.

It would be tempting to excuse that wretched sign as a “Bronx thing”, as though patrons there wouldn’t be discerning enough to know or care or don’t deserve better. The truth, though, is that there’s a woeful lack of standards of good workmanship in New York City generally. I wonder if it’s the same in the rest of the country (or the world), or if it reflects the skills possessed (not!) by NYC’s current immigrant population compared to that of the past.

Let me be clear that I am NOT referring to rarefied projects where cost is no object. The superrich have access to quality materials and contractors who employ craftsmen who know what they are doing, just as they always have had. They have standards, and their standards are enforced. For regular folks, though, it’s a world of band-aid repairs and appallingly sloppy work. Your typical New York City apartment building handyman cannot paint a straight line and would paint right over electrical outlets rather than remove switchplate covers. To do otherwise is simply not in his ken.

When we recognize the splendid monuments of the past, we tend to acknowledge that the materials and workmanship of that era can’t be easily duplicated. You couldn’t ask for a more vivid example than that sign! For as much work as was apparently put into polishing the inside of the Paradise, that sign couldn’t even be reproduced with sunbeams that are symmetrical and spaced evenly.

As long as people don’t care or don’t notice or make excuses, these are the standards that will prevail. Not too many posters have taken issue with that ghastly sign; as one previous poster pleaded, “GIVE THEM A CHANCE.” It’s basically an enshrinement of mediocrity and incompetence, and it shouldn’t be acceptable â€" even in the Bronx. I’m hopeful that the Landmarks Commission will compel a re-redesign.