An interesting note I just remembered about this theater. Several years after it closed a local synagogue was damaged by fire, and the owners of the theater let the congregation use the now closed theater for a while for their services. I remember all the local news stations had crews down there filming the good deed.
From what I can remember this theater was way smaller than most in Brooklyn. It possibly could have been twined, but it would have been pretty small. No way Quad. The Brook, kings, Canarsie and Walker theaters were way larger. However, it’s only from memory and it’s been close to 30 since I’ve been in there!
Years before it closed there was a major gas explosion that occured I believe in the Pizza store next store. It caused major damage to the theater and the whole strip of stores on that side. I’m pretty sure it blew out all the front windows, and caused a major water leak. They had to rip up the carpets in the theater, and I don’t think they ever replaced them before they closed the theater forever several years later. The Theater then became a Consumer Distributing store, and several drug stores after that.
Surprised that more people aren’t talking about this theater. I believe it closed around 1983. The building sat empty for years, then it became a furniture store, and now it’s a gym. This theater was always crowded back in the 70’s with long lines waiting to get in all the way down Nostrand Ave. Some of the movies I can remember seeing there were “The Goodbye Girl”, “Heaven Can Wait” “Used Cars”, and a bunch of “G” movies, like “Mary Poppins”, and “Lady and the Tramp”. This theater most definitely had that “old movie theater smell”. I can close my eyes and still remember it. I guess it was a stale air mix of popcorn and smoke back then, lol! This was also one of the last theaters I can remember in brooklyn with a working curtain, that would open and close with each film. The original marquee in that 1976 photo was replaced by a new modern one around 1979-80. It most likely closed because it wasn’t large enough to turn into a twin, and the parking situation was always pretty bad. Anybody have pictures of the inside of the gym? Would love to see what it looks like in there now.
An interesting note I just remembered about this theater. Several years after it closed a local synagogue was damaged by fire, and the owners of the theater let the congregation use the now closed theater for a while for their services. I remember all the local news stations had crews down there filming the good deed.
From what I can remember this theater was way smaller than most in Brooklyn. It possibly could have been twined, but it would have been pretty small. No way Quad. The Brook, kings, Canarsie and Walker theaters were way larger. However, it’s only from memory and it’s been close to 30 since I’ve been in there!
Years before it closed there was a major gas explosion that occured I believe in the Pizza store next store. It caused major damage to the theater and the whole strip of stores on that side. I’m pretty sure it blew out all the front windows, and caused a major water leak. They had to rip up the carpets in the theater, and I don’t think they ever replaced them before they closed the theater forever several years later. The Theater then became a Consumer Distributing store, and several drug stores after that.
Surprised that more people aren’t talking about this theater. I believe it closed around 1983. The building sat empty for years, then it became a furniture store, and now it’s a gym. This theater was always crowded back in the 70’s with long lines waiting to get in all the way down Nostrand Ave. Some of the movies I can remember seeing there were “The Goodbye Girl”, “Heaven Can Wait” “Used Cars”, and a bunch of “G” movies, like “Mary Poppins”, and “Lady and the Tramp”. This theater most definitely had that “old movie theater smell”. I can close my eyes and still remember it. I guess it was a stale air mix of popcorn and smoke back then, lol! This was also one of the last theaters I can remember in brooklyn with a working curtain, that would open and close with each film. The original marquee in that 1976 photo was replaced by a new modern one around 1979-80. It most likely closed because it wasn’t large enough to turn into a twin, and the parking situation was always pretty bad. Anybody have pictures of the inside of the gym? Would love to see what it looks like in there now.