Brook Arts Center
10 Hamilton Street,
Bound Brook,
NJ
08805
10 Hamilton Street,
Bound Brook,
NJ
08805
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The auditorium was totally flooded out again, destroying all the temporary renovations and the organ console (the upper and outer lobby are okay). Rumor has it that this time they will be renovating the auditorium completely (and not just rebuilding the “black box”) with new side curtaining, new seats, etc. Sadly, nothing can be done about flooding in that area.
How did the theatre fare during the recent flood?
I could walk to this theatre easily – just a few blocks away. Was really impressive inside. Went to my very first movie by myself here – saw Frank Langella in Dracula. I think it was 1979.
Bound Brook theater reopens after the flood
After many travails, old building to be reborn as the multiuse, 389-seat Brook Art Center
Sunday, September 17, 2006
BY CHRISTINA JOHNSON
Star-Ledger Staff
For those trying to bring live performance back into the 79-year-old Brook Theatre in downtown Bound Brook, these last few years have played like a Hollywood movie plot.
First, a historic flood sent forth by Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999 filled the cavernous hall with river water, turning it into a fish tank, and wrecking nearly everything that worked. The federal and county governments, in the role of hero, granted the new caretakers $2.6 million to fix it up and lure business back to town. Then three days later the national mood turned mournful following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and critical efforts to raise matching funds for the tired, forlorn theater sunk.
The loans are outstanding, but the perseverance has paid off. Opening night is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. — “the beginning of a happy ending,” said the Brook’s executive director Gerry Appel. A gala black-tie evening with a diverse show is planned. Half the seats are sold. Neighborhood restaurants are readying for patrons, and enthused arts organizations in search of a stage are signing on for the 2006-2007 schedule.
All this excitement, despite the fact that on this Sunday, the black curtains and stage lights have not been delivered and final certificate of occupancy has not been granted.
Appel, who said he is getting by on about 45 minutes of sleep a night, refuses to worry. “I keep thinking of the movie ‘Rocky’ — how Rocky overcomes the obstacles, the Brook is Rocky!” he said, laughing. A portly man with premature white hair and a smooth radio voice, Appel loves his role as coach in the corner.
Without the original site plans or much relevant experience fixing flood-ravaged vaudeville theaters, Appel, 50, of Bound Brook and his business partner George Andersen, an energetic 57-year-old electrical engineer and jack-of-all-trades from Waldwick, the chairman of the board, have taken on the daily role of construction project manager to save money, and overseen the installation of new electric, heating, air conditioning, plumbing and restrooms.
With the advice of a Manhattan theater architect, they’ve yanked out the 900 narrow seats and replaced them with 389 wider models to accommodate today’s ample fannies, and enclosed the audience with temporary smoked glass walls lit from behind, creating a more intimate space within the huge auditorium.
They kept the famous Whisper Dome in the ceiling, an acoustical device that will obediently amplify actors, music and be warned — ringing cell phones — with gusto.
The newly named nonprofit Brook Arts Center’s staff is ambitious, with plans to “grow the arts” by: bringing in local troupes doing famous musicals; introduce undiscovered performance groups; host workshops; electrify the downtown restaurant scene; stage Spanish-English language plays for local children; offer stage readings, poetry readings, cabaret and even 1930s-era silent movies with a genuine, much prized Wurlitzer pipe organ donated by the Garden State Theatre Organ Society. (The tibia keys of the last-donated Wurlitzer were found washed up in a neighboring hobby shop after Floyd.)
The opening Saturday night lineup echoes the eclectic mix. For a $90 ticket, the audience will be treated to: a dance piece set to jazz music by the American Repertory Ballet of New York; a vaudeville-inspired performance by Hillsborough’s “Kids on Tap”; entertainment from Somerset’s ventriloquist Alan Semok, the “Dummy Doctor”; and just added a lesson in the truth from New Jersey’s famous “mentalist,” the Amazing Kreskin.
Other scheduled events through the year will be: the “Little Shop of Horrors,” Oct. 20-Nov. 12; Broadway actress Paige Price in a one-woman Cabaret show about her old boyfriends, called the “The eX-Files” on Nov. 17; and “Winnie the Pooh Christmas Carol,” Dec. 1-2 by the Running Rabbit Family Theatre. See the website for 2007’s events, at www.brookarts.org
“There is nothing like watching a performance with 250-300 people,” said Andersen. “When people can get together in a large group and experience something at the same time, it’s a very human experience.”
The caretakers of the Brook and small army of volunteers have little history of the concrete and brick structure to go on, just a few old photographs and virtually no pieces of memorabilia. Whatever was hiding in the cracks waiting to be rediscovered seems to have floated away. Except memories.
Prior to the flood of Floyd, the hall had been run as a single-screen movie theater. Patti Murtha, 30, a red-haired freelance theater coach who arrived to paint the manager’s office one night recently, recalled her teenage allegiance to the midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show held here, a science-fiction-fantasy cult movie that encouraged talking back to the screen and throwing things like rice and playing cards.
“I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Why is this place just a rundown movie theater?’ It had so much potential.”
On stage, working on maintenance of the Wurlitzer organ was volunteer Glynn Gillette, 80, who grew up in the neighborhoods around the Brook. Eyes squeezed tight, he could recall that a kid could trade in a pint jar of Japanese beetles swimming in kerosene for a free pass to see the Tailspin Tommy serials, in which a comic book hero comes to life. “Oh yeah, this was where we came every Saturday as kids,” he said. “It was a great place.”
Management acknowledges the 1930s tradition, but kindly requests patrons come with money on opening night. “I don’t think we’ll be going the beetles-in-kerosene route,” Appel said.
Christina Johnson works in the Somerset County bureau. She may be reached at or at (908) 429-9925.
Although renovations seem to have slowed down, I have faith that the Brook Theatre on Hamilton St in Bound Brook will one day rise again.
Gerry Appel has worked very hard to give this theatre new life.
The theatre’s capacity is now reduced to under 400, apparently because Gerry plans to focus heavily on workshops, and instructional programs, as opposed to blown-out performances.
SOME HISTORY:
During Prohibition the Brook was run by a gentleman named Meyer Cohen. Cohen also ran the Palace Theatre on Maiden Lane in Bound Brook in the 20’s,as well as a cozy little speakeasy located on the third floor of the Voorhees Building on Main St in Bound Brook.
My first living memory of the Brook was in the early 80’s when owner/operator Phil Petracca aka Phil Neri did large-scale music performances at the Brook, capacity 850, with some big names: Tony Bennett, Chuck Mangione,as well as countless large Heavy Rock acts. Neri then leased the space to Bob Roberts, operator of several other theatre-houses in NJ, who did mainstream movies, art flicks, and Rocky Horror. This would definitely be considered the “dark years” of the Brook, being that Roberts did no maintenance and let the space rot.
Hurricane Floyd came in Sept 99 and wiped Roberts out. Gerry Appel then took the initiative to form a non-profit and buy the theatre from Neri. Shortly after Gerry received the $2.5+Million grant and renovations began, and are ongoing.
The adjoining building, once known as the Morecraft Building, is now named the Petracca Building.
The Palmyra Tea Room that was a few storefronts down from the Brook Theatre is now the Hamilton St Cafe & Stage (capacity 287)(http://www.HamiltonSt.com), which currently runs all types of all-ages performances, and is available for private rental.
-Marc
Listed as part of Skouras Theatres Corp. in the 1961 Film Daily Yearbook.
Listed as an independent theatre in the 1991 International Motion Picture Almanac. Owner is I. Muthu.
Historic preservation grant revives hope Brook Theater will be restored
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
BY NYIER ABDOU
Star-Ledger Staff
It once looked like curtains for the Brook Theater.
Despite a hearty community effort and years of fundraising heroics from Brook Arts Center founder Gerry Appel, the cash-strapped theater still lacks a few necessities — like water.
But a recent $155,000 Somerset County historic preservation grant has given renovation efforts a boost. The money will fund restoration of the theater’s dilapidated facade and distinctive marquee and has infused new vigor in the drive to restore the Brook.
“We feel this will be a great aid in promoting vitality,” said Somerset County historic sites coordinator Tom D'Amico. “It will be a beautiful edifice.”
D'Amico said the theater restoration would enhance redevelopment of Bound Brook’s historic downtown. The town is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
“It will signal to the whole neighborhood that this thing is getting off the ground,” agreed Appel. “It’ll be a central focus of the neighborhood, as it used to be.”
The Brook Theater, a Bound Brook institution since it opened in 1927, was an arts hot spot in its heyday, hosting luminaries of the vaudeville era like Jackie Gleason. The venue lost its luster in later years, however, limping along as a local movie house.
“Bound Brook used to be a major small town,” said Appel. “The Brook was the place to go on a Saturday night.”
Appel’s stake in the theater goes back 10 years, when the venue first piqued his interest as a site for a new arts center. He formed a company to look into purchasing the theater, but just when it looked like the project was under way, Hurricane Floyd hit, flooding the whole downtown.
Appel soldiered on. In 2000, the Brook Arts Center leased the theater. The center’s vision of a local “arts incubator” pleased the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In September 2001, the Brook scored a $2.4 million EDA grant. In October 2003, the theater was purchased for $600,000 and renovations began in April 2004.
Appel says he just wants to “get the doors open and get some good entertainment in front of (audiences).”
A decision to finance the extension of the main water line to supply the theater means the Brook could be ready to open by the end of the year. Appel refuses to tempt fate by booking an opening act.
“Until I have the CO (certificate of occupancy) in my hand, I’m not arranging an opening date,” Appel said. “I don’t want any surprises. I don’t see any, but it’s a big project. I just want to be assured.”
New Jersey American Water will bid out the water line extension project, which will take one month. The work is expected to take another month, after which the theater would be ready for inspection.
Volunteers continue to chip in, showing up to help paint and prepare the theater in the final stretch. A “Dance for the Brook” fundraiser brought Broadway talent together with local dance groups earlier this month.
Appel envisions the Brook turning Bound Brook into a cultural hub, with existing arts organizations setting up shop there.
As a nonprofit group, the theater can take advantage of public funds not available to for-profit venues. Other successful non- profits include the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick and the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.
“It’s going to be an amazing thing when this is finally finished,” said Appel. “It’s like I’m giving away dreams to people.”
Appel is looking for pictures of the outside of the theater to aid in the exterior restoration. Contact the Brook at (732) 469-7700 or by e-mail at
Nyier Abdou works in the Somerset County bureau. She may be reached at or (908) 429-9925.
This was a Skouras house in the 50’s.
Was showing the Rocky Horror picture show on Fri & Sat nights in 1993-1994.
NJ historic trust information & photo:
http://www.njht.org/profiles/brook-theatre.html
Interesting article from today’s Star Ledger. I will paste the entire test as they aricle’s tend to disappear rather quickly:
At old vaudeville houses, curtains rise on renewal
Sunday, February 27, 2005
BY RALPH R. ORTEGA
Star-Ledger Staff
Audiences and the elements were brutal on the palatial theaters that brought vaudeville and the first motion pictures to towns across the state nearly a century ago.
A legacy of sticky floors, leaking roofs, broken-down heating and cooling systems and structural problems was left behind, making the old theaters unwanted and in many cases unusable.
An extreme case of the destructive force of nature came in 1999, when Hurricane Floyd brought flood waters up to the halfway mark on the screen of the 78-year-old theater in Bound Brook. More than 900 seats were destroyed inside an auditorium that smelled damp even before the disaster.
However, the Brook Theater and others haven’t been written off for good.
Non-profit theater companies in search of homes have breathed new life into venues that once would have had a date with the wrecking ball.
And with the economy improving, hopes are high that donations will pay for repairs needed by the theaters and for ambitious plans that would redesign them for multiple productions that keep the seats filled.
“Our purpose is to make sure it’s not dark very often. We have to keep the place running, keep people coming through the doors,” said Gerry Appel, executive director of the Brook Arts Center, which purchased the Brook two years ago with plans to build two stages inside the 1927 vaudeville house.
Theater companies that have made similar moves include the Growing Stage, which took over the 86-year-old Palace Theater in Netcong nine years ago. Most recently, the 12 Miles West Theatre Company moved into the 92-year-old Center Theater in Bloomfield.
Both were converted for multiple uses and re-opened with enough repairs completed to make audiences comfortable.
“We’ve made it look pretty cool, but we don’t want to make it look too good because we’re trying to raise money,” said Lenny Bart, artistic director of 12 Miles West, which has appealed to supporters for $2.3 million for major structural repairs to its theater.
The owners of the Brook, one of eight vaudeville houses left in the state, are seeking funds for its reopening some time later this year. The theater will host a wine tasting in town on Wednesday to attract donors, and potential contributors will be taken on a tour of the Brook to see its current state.
What they’ll see isn’t pretty.
The theater’s auditorium, originally a vaudeville stage that was converted into a movie house and also used for rock concerts, has not been used since the flood.
Until two weeks ago, the 45-foot domed interior was gutted and a 1925 Wurlitzer organ remained in pieces behind the stage. Plaster fell from the ceiling, and columns were missing sections. An empty Goobers box was stuck to a wall that sorely needed a fresh coat of paint.
But after some sprucing up, Appel expects the Brook “will be more than presentable,” thanks to a $2.6 million federal grant and $200,000 from the Somerset County Freeholders that is paying for the reconstruction of the lobby, restrooms and concession stand.
The theater also will construct a 16-foot wall surrounding 375 new seats in front of the stage, with the idea that it will be easier to fill the smaller venue than the entire auditorium.
“In some sense, the theater will be a surprise for people who see it the first time. It’s not a restored theater. It’s a new theater — the room within a room,” said Charles Gifford, the Manhattan architect responsible for the design.
There are plans for an even smaller venue with seating for 75 in the rear of the auditorium, known as a “black box” for experimental productions and readings.
Such drastic changes are possible because the Brook doesn’t fall under historic preservation guidelines. And with a need for more revenue, theaters have been split up into multiple stages with little protest.
“As long as it’s done tastefully, from an economic standpoint, I think it’s very smart,” said John McEwen, executive director of the New Jersey Theater Alliance, a statewide coalition of theaters.
Dorothy Stratford also was willing to go along with the quick fix at the Brook, even though it didn’t bring back the beauty of the theater she knew as a child watching Shirley Temple dance across its silver screen.
“When it first opened, it was top notch, as nice as anything people would see in Newark and other towns that have movie houses,” said Stratford, 80, who lives in town and is secretary for the Somerset County Historical Society.
Having grown up during the Depression, Stratford knew the realities of having little or no money, and was forgiving of the changes planned for the Brook and its rush to get back in business.
“I think if you wait to get a pocket full of money, sometimes you never get it,” she said. “So you make do with what you have and get the show going.”
George Andersen, the Brook’s chairman, expects to firm up an opening date during the tasting at Winemakers of Somerset on Wednesday. But he won’t be able to keep it if the theater doesn’t come up with roughly $300,000 in donations for new stage rigging and a sound and lighting system.
“Right at the moment, our budget doesn’t even include curtains,” said Andersen, who is confident donors will come forward to save one of the last classic theaters in the state.
“So many of them have been destroyed,” he said. “There were once hundreds in New Jersey, and they’ve been turned into parking lots.”
Ralph R. Ortega works in the Somerset County bureau. He can be reached at or at (908) 429-9925.
Here is the history of the organ and some photos:
http://www.gstos.org/brook.htm
I did some research on the state register of historic places. Not many theaters listed, although some are in downtown zones designated as state historic districts. The Brook, however, has its own listing.
View link
See page 2. Hopefully this means that the state will do all it can to assure proper preservation.
I moved to the central New Jersey area in 1997 and used to frequent the Brook Theatre prior to the flood. Attached to the theatre was a great tea room. Most memorable film I saw there was LA Confidential.
ARTICLE FROM THE BOUND BROOK SPECTATOR
The Brook Theatre Starts A New Act
by Ben Auletta, Jr.
The Brook Theatre on Hamilton Street in Bound Brook was first built in 1927 as a vaudeville house. It’s seen the likes of W.C. Fields, Jack Benny, Sophie Tucker, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa and Tony Bennett, to name a few of the notables. Fast-forward to 1997 and the vision of one man, Gerry Appel, the founder and Executive Director of The Somerset County Cultural Arts Center, Inc., also know as the Brook Arts Center. “Our mission was always to purchase and renovate the Brook Theatre, to turn it into a performing arts center and it’s called an arts incubator.†In September of 1999 after running as a movie house for years Appel and his crew were ready to move in. On September 16, 1999 Hurricane Floyd hit Bound Brook and the theatre was flooded. The theatre was not used again till they set up a non-profit 501©3 in 2000. The art center than brought live entertainment and theatre in to the lobby of the Brook Theatre to do shows. With this came the idea for an arts incubator, which is a breading ground for new and existing arts organizations and Jersey artists to create their craft whether it be theatre, dance, music, film, or what have you. “Up till now we have had primarily theatre here, but, it not just theater that we are looking for. As an arts center we want to bring in visual arts as well,†noted Appel.
Fast-Forward once again to October 7, 2003 and the announcement that came “After a long and difficult process, I am proud to announce that the Somerset County Cultural Arts Center dba Brook Arts Center has purchased the Brook Theatre and adjoining warehouse for the purpose of creating a performing arts center and arts incubator in downtown Bound Brook. The closing took place on October 7th in the offices of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority in Trenton,†Proclaimed Appel. The NJDEA supplied the nonprofit with funding for the purchase through a low interest loan from the Community Development Fund. The purchase of the building at a cost of $600,000, which included an adjoining warehouse was nesacery to secure a grant from the US Economic Development Administration.
Not only were plays being presented at the theatre but much as been going on behind the scene to raise money for the theatre. “Up till now we have been going through the process of purchasing the theatre which included negotiation, raising the funding, and going through various paperwork included with the purchase itself and the subdivision.†said Appel. Many grants, loans and donations have been secured for the Arts Center. “We have been fortunate to have raised for the renovation 2.4 million dollars from the USEDA and an additional $200,000 dollars from the Somerset County Freeholders office as well as a low interest loan from the NJEDA.†The NJEDA loan is a special loan fund through funding from GPU Energy and PSE&G. The Brook also got donations from Verizon, Advantis Pharmaceuticals, Colgate-Palmolive, and several others.
The theatre had to be purchased because federal funds cannot be used on privately owned buildings. “The building must be in the name of the nonprofit. So, we could not start renovation till we had purchased the building,†explained Appel. The process to purchase the building was a long and arduous task. “We were approved for the 2.4 million dollar grant at the time of September 11th. It was actually only 4 days before that Congressman Ferguson gave us the call to let us know the grant was approved. So following September 11th was a difficult time to fundraise. We found it was much easier to bring on a mortgage.â€, said Appel. The NJEDA in the first year are allowing the art center a special provision stating that they only have to pay off the interest during the construction phase. “They know our operating expenses will continue but our cash flow will be low till we open our doors,†explained Appel.
Now that the title has been transferred, construction will begin upon selection of a general contractor. What is the future for the Brook Arts Center? “I always said the reason for the lobby shows is to create a marketing study to see what works and what doesn’t work, what draws an audience what doesn’t,†Appel said. The study showed for the most part the Brook could draw a larger audience base for musicals. “Our interest is in creating quality musicals. Some of your favorites, but, some of the more interesting choices.†Appel explained. Also they will add to that a few shows that you normally would not go to like Oleanna and Spinning Butter Into Gold that were performed at the theatre. “It’s good to throw a knuckleball in there every now and than. To throw a show in that people wouldn’t think of going to.†The prime concern for Appel is still and will always be quality of the shows put on. Vaudeville tap dance, Children’s shows in Spanish and English and films will all be apart of the mix. “Frankly, What ever the market will bear is what we will go for,†stated Appel.
For more information on any Brook Art Center happening or updates on the renovation check them out on the web at http://www.brooktheatre.org here you can also sign up for their mailing list.