Loew's Paradise Theatre
2413 Grand Concourse,
Bronx,
NY
10468
2413 Grand Concourse,
Bronx,
NY
10468
62 people
favorited this theater
Showing 351 - 375 of 666 comments
Looking at the photos, um, they spelled Loew’s as Lowes on the ticket… either they are being sponsored by a hardware chain or someone there is not on the ball.
Comparing the old photos of the sunburst sign and the new photos, I would guess that it is tin, that the outlines of the original sunburst were visible even on a fuzzy photo from a couple of years ago, and that the new paint job extends the paint down an extra foot or two beyond where it originally went, nevermind being sloppy and amateurish. Granted, they may not have a ton of money to spend, but this is exterior paint here, folks. It shouldn’t cost that much to pay someone a day or two pay to do it right.
I wish them nothing but success, but with no events lined up, how do they expect to pay the rent? The heating and electric bill on that place has got to be around 2k a month, at least, even while closed.
An article on the Paradise reopening, with some pictures, including some of the exterior lit up at night, may be found here:
http://www.backinthebronx.com/paradise.html
The exterior “sunburst” looks much better with the illuminated theatre name, BTW.
Here’s a link to the Paradise’s cinematour page which features an array of photos taken while renovations were still in progress back in August 2004. Please forgive if this is a duplicate of an earlier post, but there are so many comments to sift through on this page I thought it’d be useful to take a look at them now that the theater is open again:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=16520
I wonder if they have any plans to install a replica of the original flat marquee above the entrance? And given that the word “Loew’s” was maintained in the restoration of the big sign on the facade, would it also be used in the marquee?
Just maybe,they restored the inside first,make some cash then restore the outside. How about that?. Rome was not restored in one day either. GIVE THEM A CHANCE
Given that the owners of this theater will likely have an uphill financial battle to keep this theater afloat, I doubt there’ll be a lot of attention spent on attempting to re-paint the exterior sunburst to appease our sensibilities. It is a shame, however, that after dedicating so much time and money towards renovating this great palace (an effort that I enthusiastically applaud), it seems as if they spent all of about $35 bucks on this particular element of the original design! This is what folks traveling up and down the Concourse will notice first and foremost as they look at the theater. Hideous is the perfect word, Warren. Embarrassing comes in a close 2nd.
Thanks Brian! I’ve uploaded the pictures you sent me into my webshots gallery.
View link
Here, I found it. Page 103 of Ben Hall’s “The Best Remaining Seats”. Chris, if you send me an email I can scan in the photos from this book and you can post them. There’s a closeup of the sidewall, a view of the proscenium and asbestos curtain, a full-color rendering of the interior, and the exterior view I mentioned.
I commented on this last July, as did others. I tried to be kind, but the truth is that the blue and yellow sunburst doesn’t look historically correct or appropriate at all.
Warren, it would be great if such a thing could get them in deep trouble with the authorities, but the city’s priorities with respect to the Grand Concourse have not generally been what they should be. For instance, decades of unenforced zoning regulations for ground floor apartments have transformed what was intended to be an entirely residential boulevard (except for the segment roughly between 183rd Street and Fordham Road) into something quite different in character.
I saw a black and white photo of it at some point; I thought it was in “The Best Remaining Seats” but I can’t seem to find the photo at the moment. Anyway, I could see that it was originally multicolored, maybe three or four colors, each ray was the same width. That’s probably the main problem; the spacing is narrow in spots and wide in others, it looks sloppy. I don’t doubt that the colors were vivid though.
Could it be that was the original color-scheme, and over the many years it became bleached and faded by the sun?
What is that sign made of? The first time I saw a photo of it I thought it was mosaic tile. The photo at the heading of this page shows it as plain beige.
I walked over to the theatre yesterday (through all the snow and slush) to take some pictures of the facade since people were curious about its current appearance. I’ve added them to my webshots gallery.Take a look.
View link
Did anyone make it to the HOT 97 event on Nov 25th? I was away but they were having
some good bands.For all the talk about the Paradise opening agaon for the past few years,
there has to some people on this site who have gone to the last two events.
Hopefully thre will be moe in the spring/summer
I’ve seen a photo of the “restored” marquee, and the Loew’s sign is still there. Unfortunately, the dark blue background makes it hard to see the lettering at all in the daytime, or when it’s not lit.
Sorry, I just can’t remember where I saw the photo. If I can locate it I’ll post the url.
Even though they are calling it ‘Paradise Theater’ (and understandably not using the Loew’s name to spare confusion) I am assuming they still restored the neon sign on the front marquee to say “Loew’s Paradise Theatre”. Can one of you confirm this? Any pictures of the exterior since the reopening floating around out there? Google image search doesn’t seem to find any.
What happened to Divinity? The Paradise Theaters biggest supporter has been MIA since 10/27!
What a grand day for movie palace lovers!
It’s too bad the new owners have said that there will be no movies, just live concerts and sports events. Still, it’s great to have the magnificent old dame back.
Well, I was outside the Paradise that evening and can attest to the fact that people entered. I could also hear the salsa music near one of the exits that was partially open. The line of people was about two blocks long. A coworker of mine attended the concert and said it was sold out and was quite good. The question is, what’s next?
Didn’t ANYBODY on this forum go to the grand re-opening of this magnificent showplace?
Yes, please. For those who were not able to attend, we would like to read a complete report of the gala re-birth of our beloved Paradise!
How was the Grand Opening on Oct 29th? I did not get a chance to go.Were there a lot of local
politions Local media (CBS,NBC,ABC,NY1,post NY Daily News,NYT) How was the attendence?
500,1000 1500+? How was the VIP affair before the concert? How were the preformers?
I am supprised that Divinity has not yet shared his experiences of opening night with
your fellow theatre buffs.
I could not M make it to the Paraide for the Grand Re-Opening.How did the show go?
Were there a lot of local politions? Was it well attended,what are the future shows.
Thankfully, the reopening of Loews Paradise did get some more local media coverage in the past week. There were articles in the Daily News and the Post plus a story on NY1 news, our local 24-hour cable news channel.
The NY1 segment had brief interviews with Adolfo Carrión (Bronx Borough President) and Lloyd Ultan, a historian who’s written extensively on Bronx history. The shots weren’t too great, though. They showed the marquee, the lobby, and the balcony. You couldn’t even see the entire proscenium, so the auditorium wasn’t shown to its best advantage.
I’m wondering if the lack of a traditional marquee could at this point hamper the prosperity of the Paradise, simply because there’s no place to advertise upcoming acts. Would the installation of tracks to hold letters, or some other tasteful kind of signboard, be feasible in the lower half of the scroll? (Or could it even be possible given that the exterior is landmarked?)
Finally, is anyone familiar enough with the renovation of the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles to know if it is considered a success? I know that the Orpheum has hosted a couple of movie premieres, but when I’ve visited their website www.laorpheum.com it hasn’t seemed like much was going on there and that the programs have been fairly few and far between. I mention this just because there are some similarities between the Orpheum and Paradise projects, and because another poster had expressed reservations about the prospects for enough bookings to keep the Paradise open.
I grew up in the Bronx, and attended movies at the Paradise many times (also the RKO Fordham, the Valentine, the RKO Marble Hill, the Bainbridge, the Dale, the Riverdale, and so on. The Paradise was of course the king. (I also graduated from high school there.) I remember seeing films like Rosemary’s Baby on its first run, and the ‘69 revival of Gone With the Wind, which, in spite of aspect ratio issues, was stunningly gorgeous on the huge screen. DVD is a joke compared to this, and I find it amazing that so many of my era who have SEEN films projected to huge size can accept what passes for the moviegoing experience today.
After the Paradise was split up, I attended less frequently, though I do recall seeing Serpico in the upper half of the duplex. Still, I remember being turned away for the dreadful remake of King Kong in 1976â€"they were sold out!
I plan to return to the Paradise as soon as I’m able, but pleeeeeze…some movie nights?
I was at the Paradise one time during the early 1970’s. I was impressed by the beauty and grandeur of one of the largest atmospheric theatres. Many of the people I know in New York are anxcious to go the Paradise, now that it is reopening. I wish all those concerned in its operation much success.