Other theatres in the Interboro Ciruit included the Canarsie, Park, Kismet, Bershire, Coliseum, Sumner, State, Harbor, Ritz & the Lincoln as well as the Fortway. The tagline for the Interboro Circuit Brooklyn Theatres was “Always The Best In Entertainment”.
Went by the Fortway tonight, it’s gone for sure. The side Marquee signs that read Cineplex Odeon Fortway have been taken down & the front of the marquee where the Cineplex Odeon letters and Fortway name were have been taken off and painted an ugly gray color to obsure the name. The marquee now basically sits blank, it does not even say “CLOSED”.
All of the poster cases outside and in the lobby are now empty, as is the mylar sign above the entrance doors that used to give you the name of the films playing and their repective showtimes. The security gates in front of the theatre were rolled up & all the lights were on.
As I walked around the building I saw two men working inside carrying theatre equipment into a car, I guess what ever can be salvaged is going to either the Alpine or Kings Plaza, the only two Loews Cineplex theatres left in Brooklyn. Pretty soon you will never be able to tell the Fortway was ever a Movie Theatre at all. I wonder if the Marquee will be kept in the new design?
Farewell Fortway, Thanks for entertaining generations of Brooklyn movie fans, we will miss you!
What is to be the fate of the Former Cineplex Odeon Fortway theatre, here is the listing straight from the [url=http://consumeralertsystem.com/cas/zx-hclick.php?hid=32]Massey Knakal website/url], it is as follows:
6720 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY (On the Corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street) Under Contract
Commercial Buildings,Special Use,Outer Boroughs
Rent is competitive!!A two story, 33' theatre delivered vacant located on the corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street. The 21,866 SF building is zoned C1-1 overlay of a R5 zone. The FAR is 1.25. This former movie theatre is being converted into first class retail/office space. On-site, underground parking will be provided. The space is available immediately; units from 1,000 to 40,000 square feet are being offered either as shell space or on a build to suite basis. Asking Price: Competitive Rent Representative/s: Timothy D. King
It is with great sadness that I inform everyone here that the Cineplex Odeon Fortway Theatre has closed. I spoke with Loews Cineplex directly, they said it’s no longer their property and the lease was up so they had to leave. In the final months they only showed movies on weekdays in the evenings and one of the upstairs theatres was closed for repair.
The last films that played here were: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, The Honeymooners, The Longest Yard & The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Another Brooklyn movie theatre is nothing but a memory now. Now all that we have is the Alpine and with the pending merger who knows how long that will last?
At least I have all my great memories of seeing great movies at the Fortway. Farwell Fortway, may you Rest In Peace!
There actually was a permit filed with the NYC Dept. of Buildings for the Repair and Upgrade Of the Existing Marboro Theatre back in June 2003 by the same design firm that handled the retrofit of the Sheepshead Bay, so I do believe it was on the drawing board at one point. Probably after carefull consideration they decided that it was just better to sell this property than to do the upgrade. It’s really a shame, Bensonhurst now will have no movie theatres at all.
During the demolition process the Kingsway owners also could not keep their property secure. The side doors on Coney Island Avenue would just be flapping open in the wind. Don’t property owners realize just how dangerous these abandoned theatre really are? The New York City Department of Buildings have a special phone number set up just for these type of dangerous buildings.
I finally heard from Regal Entertainment Group yesterday. They now claim that they have dropped their plans to redevelop the Marboro Theatre site into a modern day multiplex, the property is now up for sale. Regal claims that the new owner of the property can still make this into a movie theatre, but I doubt that will happen. I guess we will either get another drug store, or it will be turned into condos.
Of the four Loew’s Wonder theatres in NYC, the Valencia in Queens & the Paradise in the Bronx both have landmark designation status. I think for the Paradise it may only include the terra cotta facade, because it was quaded at one point. Both the Kings and Valencia were never multiplexed, I hope this fact works in our favour.
I would like to help save the Loew’s Kings as well, you can contact me on my member info page. I’ve actually met Bruce in person at the Brooklyn Historical Society Fair a few years back, he is a really great guy committed to saving the Loew’s Kings.
The side door to this place is just swinging in the wind, not secure at all. Anyone can basically walk in and really hurt themselves badly. Can’t Regal keep this place secure, so people can’t get hurt?
In the Star Wars Trilogy Bonus Material DVD, there is a documentary called: “The Force is With Them – The Legacy of Star Wars. In this documentary is a shot of the Loews Astor Plaza Marquee with a huge line of people waiting to see the first Star Wars film. The Marquee shows the name "LOEWS” all in caps on top, with the original Star Wars logo underneath. It must have been an awesome experience for the folks waiting on this line in 1977. It’s a shame we won’t have the same pleasure of seeing Episode III Revenge of the Sith at the Loews Astor Plaza.
It seems like the original Loew’s Marquee might be hidden under all that metal sheeting that is currently covering it up. The way the light bulbs are arranged underneath is exactly in the same type of pattern as the Loew’s Oriental on 86th Street. The only difference is the 46th street marquee was in the shape of a trapezoid and the Oriental was a rectangle.
Thanks for the info RobertR, I hope too much damage wasn’t done when it was quaded in the mid 80’s right before it closed. I know there was a proposal for landmark status that did not get passed.
One day in September of 1997 I was walking by the front of this theatre, and was horrified to see a construction crew gutting the entire main floor. There was a dumpster full of old theatre seats from the Loew’s Oriental right outside the front entrance, everything that existed on that level was clearly being torn out in the conversion to retail.
I did get to take one of those staircases once when I asked a guard if I could use the bathroom, the staircase was the same as I remember only painted a different color, the bathroom also seemed to be in the same place when it was a theatre. I tried to look around for any other signs of the former theatre, however I could not find any, only a bunch of rooms for the sales staff. Someone once mentioned to me that the Walker on 18th Avenue has its balcony mainly intact so one can only hope about the Oriental. I also wonder how much of the original marquee is left under the Marshall’s sign, they look like they are the same exact size & location.
I have a copy of a photo of the Loew’s Oriental, the movie playing at the time was “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” from 1974 according to the IMDB, the two stores on the right side of the theatre entrance were: Oriental Movers & Food “N” Stuff, I remember later in the early 90’s a bagel store right next door to the theatre.
All this talk of the Loew’s Oriental is really making me nostalgic. For me, as a child it was always such a treat going to a palace like this to see movies, I still remember the huge line for Star Wars back in the summer of 1977, twenty years later they were tearing the place apart!
Didn’t they also use the old shoe repair shop next door to the theatre to build part of the new structure? It really is hard to recognize this as once being a movie theatre now. The old Texaco station next door has been gone for a long time as well. The Deluxe always seemed so small in comparison to the other Bensonhurst theatres like the Oriental, Marboro, Walker etc.
Touro College now occupies the entire second floor space, where the balcony and bathrooms used to be in the former RKO Century Kingsway Theatre. It looks like the entire building is now fully occupied, it’s a shame we don’t have a theatre to go to anymore.
Theatre 3 is currently closed off from showing movies, one of the theatre employees had told me the roof over that auditorium had sprung some leaks and the ceiling tiles had started to fall down on the patrons. I also noticed scaffolding going up against the back wall of the theatre, so perhaps they are doing emergency roof repairs. My guess is they will not be able to find a buyer for this building if the roof is still leaky, they must shore up the leaks if they want to get the 4.5 million asking price.
It wasn’t until March of 2004 that the Fortway finally switched over from the old Pacer-Cats system to the much newer Radiant touch screen terminals, they even kept issuing the old Cineplex Odeon tickets for years after the merger with Loews in May of 98. When Loews Cineplex still had their contract with Moviefone, you were not able to pick up your moviefone tickets at the Fortway’s Box Office, but you could at the Alpine.
Passed by the Marboro yesterday it was still boarded up but one of the side doors looked unlocked, I guess there were squaters inside. The walls of the theatre have really become something of an eyesore because of all of the graffiti all over the walls, Regal painted over it once and now the graffiti is back.
I spoke with a former Loew’s State employee who now works at the Lincoln Square, she said the State will definitely be closing this summer, that is part of the reason she was transferred over to the Lincoln Square.
Times Square only remaing Loews Theatre will be the Ewalk on 42nd Street, which is one of their cash cows. When the State closes this summer it will only have been open to show movies for nine years, is that some sort of record for the shortest time a theatre was in operation?
Another article on the pending closure in the March 5, 2005 Home Reporter and Sunset News, The title reads: “It May Be ‘The Last Picture Show’ For Fortway if $4.5 Million Asking Price Attracts Developers”.
This is really a nice theatre that was chopped up into a multiplex in the 70’s and 80’s. Three auditoiums on the main floor and two more upstairs in the former balcony. It retains some of its original charm in the downstairs theatres. It’s a shame the upstairs theatres have ceiling panels hiding the original atmospheric elements. The Alpine on the other hand has none of its original elements left in any of the seven theatres, it must have been totaly gutted when the subdivision took place in a sad and ugly way.
The Fortway is also in a lot better shape than a lot of the other theatres to close recently in Southern Brooklyn, such as the Oriental, Kingsway & Marboro. The seats are in good condition, carpeting not ripped of stained, walls not crumbling away. This theatre may not have all the bells and whistles associated with newer theatres such as stadium seating, etc. it still was a pretty decent place to catch a flick on a Saturday night.
In one of the top windows above the doors is a New York City Buildings Department Permit, unfortunately it’s posted up too high to make out what it says.
Other theatres in the Interboro Ciruit included the Canarsie, Park, Kismet, Bershire, Coliseum, Sumner, State, Harbor, Ritz & the Lincoln as well as the Fortway. The tagline for the Interboro Circuit Brooklyn Theatres was “Always The Best In Entertainment”.
Went by the Fortway tonight, it’s gone for sure. The side Marquee signs that read Cineplex Odeon Fortway have been taken down & the front of the marquee where the Cineplex Odeon letters and Fortway name were have been taken off and painted an ugly gray color to obsure the name. The marquee now basically sits blank, it does not even say “CLOSED”.
All of the poster cases outside and in the lobby are now empty, as is the mylar sign above the entrance doors that used to give you the name of the films playing and their repective showtimes. The security gates in front of the theatre were rolled up & all the lights were on.
As I walked around the building I saw two men working inside carrying theatre equipment into a car, I guess what ever can be salvaged is going to either the Alpine or Kings Plaza, the only two Loews Cineplex theatres left in Brooklyn. Pretty soon you will never be able to tell the Fortway was ever a Movie Theatre at all. I wonder if the Marquee will be kept in the new design?
Farewell Fortway, Thanks for entertaining generations of Brooklyn movie fans, we will miss you!
What is to be the fate of the Former Cineplex Odeon Fortway theatre, here is the listing straight from the [url=http://consumeralertsystem.com/cas/zx-hclick.php?hid=32]Massey Knakal website/url], it is as follows:
6720 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY (On the Corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street) Under Contract
Commercial Buildings,Special Use,Outer Boroughs
Rent is competitive!!A two story, 33' theatre delivered vacant located on the corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street. The 21,866 SF building is zoned C1-1 overlay of a R5 zone. The FAR is 1.25. This former movie theatre is being converted into first class retail/office space. On-site, underground parking will be provided. The space is available immediately; units from 1,000 to 40,000 square feet are being offered either as shell space or on a build to suite basis. Asking Price: Competitive Rent Representative/s: Timothy D. King
It is with great sadness that I inform everyone here that the Cineplex Odeon Fortway Theatre has closed. I spoke with Loews Cineplex directly, they said it’s no longer their property and the lease was up so they had to leave. In the final months they only showed movies on weekdays in the evenings and one of the upstairs theatres was closed for repair.
The last films that played here were: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D, The Honeymooners, The Longest Yard & The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Another Brooklyn movie theatre is nothing but a memory now. Now all that we have is the Alpine and with the pending merger who knows how long that will last?
At least I have all my great memories of seeing great movies at the Fortway. Farwell Fortway, may you Rest In Peace!
Fortway Theatre 1927-2005
There actually was a permit filed with the NYC Dept. of Buildings for the Repair and Upgrade Of the Existing Marboro Theatre back in June 2003 by the same design firm that handled the retrofit of the Sheepshead Bay, so I do believe it was on the drawing board at one point. Probably after carefull consideration they decided that it was just better to sell this property than to do the upgrade. It’s really a shame, Bensonhurst now will have no movie theatres at all.
During the demolition process the Kingsway owners also could not keep their property secure. The side doors on Coney Island Avenue would just be flapping open in the wind. Don’t property owners realize just how dangerous these abandoned theatre really are? The New York City Department of Buildings have a special phone number set up just for these type of dangerous buildings.
I finally heard from Regal Entertainment Group yesterday. They now claim that they have dropped their plans to redevelop the Marboro Theatre site into a modern day multiplex, the property is now up for sale. Regal claims that the new owner of the property can still make this into a movie theatre, but I doubt that will happen. I guess we will either get another drug store, or it will be turned into condos.
Bruce,
How where they able to cart stuff out of there, I thought currently NYC EDC is in charge of what happens to the Loew’s Kings?
Theaterat,
Of the four Loew’s Wonder theatres in NYC, the Valencia in Queens & the Paradise in the Bronx both have landmark designation status. I think for the Paradise it may only include the terra cotta facade, because it was quaded at one point. Both the Kings and Valencia were never multiplexed, I hope this fact works in our favour.
I’ve gone to the fan favorites as well, for free you can’t beat it. I think Loews Cineplex does this in other cities like Chicago, Boston & DC.
I would like to help save the Loew’s Kings as well, you can contact me on my member info page. I’ve actually met Bruce in person at the Brooklyn Historical Society Fair a few years back, he is a really great guy committed to saving the Loew’s Kings.
The side door to this place is just swinging in the wind, not secure at all. Anyone can basically walk in and really hurt themselves badly. Can’t Regal keep this place secure, so people can’t get hurt?
In the Star Wars Trilogy Bonus Material DVD, there is a documentary called: “The Force is With Them – The Legacy of Star Wars. In this documentary is a shot of the Loews Astor Plaza Marquee with a huge line of people waiting to see the first Star Wars film. The Marquee shows the name "LOEWS” all in caps on top, with the original Star Wars logo underneath. It must have been an awesome experience for the folks waiting on this line in 1977. It’s a shame we won’t have the same pleasure of seeing Episode III Revenge of the Sith at the Loews Astor Plaza.
That Russian lady is no help whatsoever, I believe they have a different manager working on the weekends, that may have a nicer attitude.
It seems like the original Loew’s Marquee might be hidden under all that metal sheeting that is currently covering it up. The way the light bulbs are arranged underneath is exactly in the same type of pattern as the Loew’s Oriental on 86th Street. The only difference is the 46th street marquee was in the shape of a trapezoid and the Oriental was a rectangle.
Thanks for the info RobertR, I hope too much damage wasn’t done when it was quaded in the mid 80’s right before it closed. I know there was a proposal for landmark status that did not get passed.
One day in September of 1997 I was walking by the front of this theatre, and was horrified to see a construction crew gutting the entire main floor. There was a dumpster full of old theatre seats from the Loew’s Oriental right outside the front entrance, everything that existed on that level was clearly being torn out in the conversion to retail.
I did get to take one of those staircases once when I asked a guard if I could use the bathroom, the staircase was the same as I remember only painted a different color, the bathroom also seemed to be in the same place when it was a theatre. I tried to look around for any other signs of the former theatre, however I could not find any, only a bunch of rooms for the sales staff. Someone once mentioned to me that the Walker on 18th Avenue has its balcony mainly intact so one can only hope about the Oriental. I also wonder how much of the original marquee is left under the Marshall’s sign, they look like they are the same exact size & location.
I have a copy of a photo of the Loew’s Oriental, the movie playing at the time was “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” from 1974 according to the IMDB, the two stores on the right side of the theatre entrance were: Oriental Movers & Food “N” Stuff, I remember later in the early 90’s a bagel store right next door to the theatre.
All this talk of the Loew’s Oriental is really making me nostalgic. For me, as a child it was always such a treat going to a palace like this to see movies, I still remember the huge line for Star Wars back in the summer of 1977, twenty years later they were tearing the place apart!
Didn’t they also use the old shoe repair shop next door to the theatre to build part of the new structure? It really is hard to recognize this as once being a movie theatre now. The old Texaco station next door has been gone for a long time as well. The Deluxe always seemed so small in comparison to the other Bensonhurst theatres like the Oriental, Marboro, Walker etc.
Touro College now occupies the entire second floor space, where the balcony and bathrooms used to be in the former RKO Century Kingsway Theatre. It looks like the entire building is now fully occupied, it’s a shame we don’t have a theatre to go to anymore.
Theatre 3 is currently closed off from showing movies, one of the theatre employees had told me the roof over that auditorium had sprung some leaks and the ceiling tiles had started to fall down on the patrons. I also noticed scaffolding going up against the back wall of the theatre, so perhaps they are doing emergency roof repairs. My guess is they will not be able to find a buyer for this building if the roof is still leaky, they must shore up the leaks if they want to get the 4.5 million asking price.
It wasn’t until March of 2004 that the Fortway finally switched over from the old Pacer-Cats system to the much newer Radiant touch screen terminals, they even kept issuing the old Cineplex Odeon tickets for years after the merger with Loews in May of 98. When Loews Cineplex still had their contract with Moviefone, you were not able to pick up your moviefone tickets at the Fortway’s Box Office, but you could at the Alpine.
Passed by the Marboro yesterday it was still boarded up but one of the side doors looked unlocked, I guess there were squaters inside. The walls of the theatre have really become something of an eyesore because of all of the graffiti all over the walls, Regal painted over it once and now the graffiti is back.
I spoke with a former Loew’s State employee who now works at the Lincoln Square, she said the State will definitely be closing this summer, that is part of the reason she was transferred over to the Lincoln Square.
Times Square only remaing Loews Theatre will be the Ewalk on 42nd Street, which is one of their cash cows. When the State closes this summer it will only have been open to show movies for nine years, is that some sort of record for the shortest time a theatre was in operation?
Another article on the pending closure in the March 5, 2005 Home Reporter and Sunset News, The title reads: “It May Be ‘The Last Picture Show’ For Fortway if $4.5 Million Asking Price Attracts Developers”.
This is really a nice theatre that was chopped up into a multiplex in the 70’s and 80’s. Three auditoiums on the main floor and two more upstairs in the former balcony. It retains some of its original charm in the downstairs theatres. It’s a shame the upstairs theatres have ceiling panels hiding the original atmospheric elements. The Alpine on the other hand has none of its original elements left in any of the seven theatres, it must have been totaly gutted when the subdivision took place in a sad and ugly way.
The Fortway is also in a lot better shape than a lot of the other theatres to close recently in Southern Brooklyn, such as the Oriental, Kingsway & Marboro. The seats are in good condition, carpeting not ripped of stained, walls not crumbling away. This theatre may not have all the bells and whistles associated with newer theatres such as stadium seating, etc. it still was a pretty decent place to catch a flick on a Saturday night.
In one of the top windows above the doors is a New York City Buildings Department Permit, unfortunately it’s posted up too high to make out what it says.