RKO Keith's Theatre
135-35 Northern Boulevard,
Flushing,
NY
11354
135-35 Northern Boulevard,
Flushing,
NY
11354
44 people
favorited this theater
Showing 351 - 375 of 1,352 comments found
That’s similar to what is happening to the Ridgewood Theater. It was an operating theater just 2 or 3 years ago, and now they claim it is “in shambles” or “beyond home or repair” it’s maddening.
I am with you, Jeffrey & Dave. The photos in the Queens Courier are precisely what it looks like now. Not so bad afterall. The developers tend to exaggerate about condition to generate an excuse for demolition of what they want, and also say that something intact is in shambles to make it appear as if they are actually doing something. This is one such case study. Observe it citywide, and we will all see for ourselves.
OMG what great pictures, to bad they are so tiny, I am sure that is exactly what the foyer looks like now. DAMN i wish i could be in there to take some pictures. Why do they post such small images? It is impossible to fully appreciate them.
Unfortunately, the text does nothing to explain what the pictures show, saying only they are “interior photos of the theater and renderings of how it will look after development.” If those are indeed simply “interior photos of the theater” then the lobby is actually in EXCELLENT shape, except for the streaks of white water damage on one portion of the blue ceiling and the sections of lower wall that have been stripped. I find that hard to believe.
Meanwhile Thompson keeps claiming that the building will be a “classic bookend” to Main St. What is classic about it? It looks like another big apartment building, albeit with some quirky angles. The glass curtain in the renderings appears nearly opaque, with a feeble excuse for a marquee that makes no attempt to recreate either the original or later one on the Keith’s. It will be virtually impossible for anybody to tell there was ever a theater there if they’re not standing right in front of it. What a joke.
Article that accompanied previously linked images:
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Those are very odd images — they obviously combine actual photos of the ruined interior with renderings of the restoration. Are the walls shown in their current plain white plaster with graffiti simply to show the contrast, or because they’re not planning to restore those areas? They also leave open the question of how one will be able to view the restored high ceiling if the whole thing is enclosed in glass, since you’d have to be able to walk through it to look up!
Images from the current issue of Queens Courier, which also has a major article about the project:
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Let’s have a demonstration in front of the theater, we’ll all bring cameras and stand out front and demand to be let in to inspect the ticket lobby and foyer which are landmarked, and should be available for public inspection and photography. Wealthy developers and their finance/business pals have too much power and should be taken down a few notches.
Sorry…my sarcasm meter must be on the fritz. I think Patrick Thompson encased it in glass.
The current issue of the weekly Queens Tribune reports:
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I am reminded of comments several years ago about this glass curtain…if the lobby (I assume they mean the foyer that the ticket lobby leads to), is going to be visible from the street through a curtain of glass, then the landmarked structure over the ticket lobby (the plaster gallery with the polychromed pillars and ceiling) and the three baroque-style arches above the foyer entrance will have to be removed to clear the sight-line. This cannot be done if these portions of the structure are part of the landmarked room. I don’t think the developers really know what they are working with or what they are talking about, and are simply regurgitating old info.
I believe the ticket lobby and foyer are both landmarked and therefore must be accessible to the public for viewing and inspection. It stinks that the theater, mezzanine and office building will be demolished but if the foyer is restored, it had better be available to those of us in the public who wish to view it! I imagine the developers will turn it into a mall, with shops on the first floor and second floor on a new mezzanine level.
This appears on the Rego-Forest Preservation Council Blog:
“Coming Attraction: Nightmare At The RKO Keith’s Theatre”
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It takes into account the History At Sake segment with an article in Crain’s, & David He’s quintessential peace capturing sentiments & the vision of members of Rego-Forest Preservation Council & Friends of The RKO Keith’s Flushing Theatre.
Shall we settle for a Landmark or a glass high-rise rental with a curtain-wall lobby? Post a comment on the blog link, & spread the word!
I think larry1 was being sarcastic.
“Big deal”? “Big deal”? Who ARE you people???
Wonderful old theater with perhaps a lobby remaining. Big deal!
Oh, puh-lease! Where are you new guys suddenly coming from? I don’t mean to seem rude, but could you take the time to actually read some of what has already been posted before jumping in?
Well, at least the lobby will survive:
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On December 8 DaveBazooka posted a comment which quotes the landmark law as saying interior landmarks have to be open to the public on a regular basis. The NY Post article sounds like the lobby will be visible through a glass curtain or wall. Is thiis considered ‘open to the public’?
I have vivid memories from my childhood of when the New York Post was actually a “newspaper” rather than simply a venue for unadulterated public relations crap from developers. What a load!
If there is one thing that Flushing needs less of it is more congestion and rental/condos. To convert the RKO into 357 rental units while at the same time developing Flushing Commons' 620 condos with the Macedonia Plaza’s 140 “affordable” units, also adding another 652 condos to the existing 448 condos at ‘Sky View Parc’(how are they doing these days?), not to mention the 72-unit Prince Plaza, the Victoria Tower, 38-30 Parsons Boulevard and converting the YMCA into more condos (so that they can move into Flushing Commons) in a three year construction phase is something that Flushing will never recover from.
I still don’t understand why it is “too late” for the Keith’s Flushing. Is Flushing any less in need or less deserving of a community performing space than are any of those other communities? I suppose you could say “yes” to the latter, since it appears the immediate community has never generated much support or enthusiasm for the restoration effort. Is the auditorium so completely beyond repair that any thought of restoration is unrealistic? Not according to the numerous reports posted above, which indicate many of the architectural details either remain or could be recreated using the detailed architectural drawings that exist. Is it absolutely essential that the auditorium be demolished in order to do anything with this site? The article quotes Council member Koo as saying the community is dismayed by the building’s “abhorrent” condition. But since nobody can even see what it looks like inside, what makes its condition a problem is that it is an entire block of empty, boarded up stores with a facade that has been systematically dismantled. Is it completely beyond anyone’s architectural and structural engineering capabilities to utilize the air rights above the auditorium without actually demolishing the auditorium? Is the extra effort and expense that would entail so totally outrageous that there is no possible way it could be achieved, or is it simply that it’s easier and cheaper to knock it down? The building has already sat empty for decades; why is it necessary that construction begin now, when the economic and real estate climate is at such an all-time low that anything requiring added expense is laughed at? Would it not be possible to build above and around the theater, leaving its rehabilitation for a time when there are more resources? I’m asking these questions because I’m not sure where the “it’s too late” verdict is suddenly coming from.
The fact I disagree with is the need to limit what you can save. Putting tax credits, grants, subsidies, and low-interest loans aside (as helpful as they are), in many cases, incorporating existing features (restored over the long-term or not) into a new use for the space will prove to be more economical than the high cost of demolition and new construction, particularly in this economy. As a preservationist, you should strive for all remnant theaters, since there are far fewer these days to save. That is my philosophy, and we should do all that we can before any bulldozers potentially come. Thank you for your compliments in regard to my work. I am impressed with the rundown of theaters you mentioned, and hope many more will be saved.
I very much appreciate all of your efforts to save the Ridgewood, but I am not sure what you are disagreeing with. It is a simple fact that not all of the old movie palaces can or could be saved. There were simply too many of them. Real estate is worth a lot in this city. Restoration costs a lot of money and we cannot expect private developers to just throw money out the window just because they’re nice. In these bad economic times you also cannot rely on government grants and tax benefits. So what do we do? You try to save the most promising and most beautiful of the old theaters. After 30 years, we have finally saved the Loews Kings (along with the Uptown in Chicago) probably the most spectacular unrenovated theater in the country. This DID come with city tax breaks, but this theater is extraordinary and deserved them. The Brooklyn Paramount has the advantage of being held by LIU and so I have great hope that this will someday be restored. The Loew’s Canal is now held by an investor who wants to create a community performing arts center for Chinatown. The Loew’s Shore is in the rapidly developing entertainment area of Coney Island and may be able to serve as a concert venue and performance space. The Jackson is now held by an Indian businessman who hopes to cater to his community while at the same time restoring this special theater. The RKO Richmond Hill, though incredibly, substantially intact, is in a poor location to serve as an arts venue. It’s hard to see how this theater could ever be restored without significant outside help. The Ridgewood you know very well. I have greatly admired your work. It is too late for the RKO Keiths Flushing, but I am grateful that a piece of it will remain. I also worry long term about theaters like the Paris (a very special gem) and the Ziegfeld which in my opinion should be landmarked as the epitome of the modern Movie Palace in addition to its illustrious history as the home to an incredible amount of movie premieres and engagements. Again, kudos to you NativeForestHiller for your passion and your persistence.
I disagree. We should aim for the preservation and restoration &/or reconstruction of as much as possible from square 1, and do all we potentially can proactively & in the moment when necessary. Smaller scale theaters can be considered miniature palaces. America’s foremost theater architect Thomas Lamb’s greatest works in Queens include the RKO Keith’s Flushing Theatre & the Ridgewood Theatre; the latter of which is his earliest extant theater design. If you were in the theater in the late 70s, you would clearly recall the auditorium’s smaller scale palatial feel. The proscenium has since been unveiled. Never consider anything a lost cause. There are no bulldozers. Stand up for what the majority believes in! Even if the Ridgewood becomes a supermarket, there’s no reason a performing arts space can’t co-exist, likely increasing the building’s revenue. The supermarket can be built around the original architectural features(restored or not or restored over the long-term), giving the site a more distinctive environment with a historic customers for customers and die-hard theater preservationists & patrons.
No Larry, I do not, but….My passion is for the architecture of these palaces. If the lobby is truly restored and saved, then that is a wonderful thing. All that is left of the Loew’s Triboro, another spectacular theater, is the shell. Everything was lost. Would you rather lose everything here? Not me. At least here, the incredible lobby will still be here and a piece of Flushing history will be preserved. We have to pick our battles. Not every theater can be saved. The best of the remaining theaters that can be saved are the Loews Kings (already in progress), the Brooklyn Paramount (a fairly good chance as it is held by LIU), the Loews Canal (newly landmarked), the Loews Shore (newly landmarked) and the RKO Keiths Richmond Hill (who knows) and the Jackson (currently under new ownership and claims of renovation. The Ridgewood is also apparently a lost cause as it is becoming a supermarket, but this was the least “palace like” of all of the the aforementioned theaters.