Lafayette Theatre
97 Lafayette Avenue,
Suffern,
NY
10901
97 Lafayette Avenue,
Suffern,
NY
10901
35 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 902 comments
Will there be periodic up-dates from Phil here as to the transfer of the classic film program to the Ramapo Cultural Center?
Looking forward the new venue.
he Ramapo Cultural Arts Center is the old Spring Valley Theatre, which opened in 1962 and closed in 1988. It spent half it’s life as a porno theatre prior to the town of Ramapo taking it over. The Ramapo Cultural Arts Center has it’s own cinematreasures page, here.
I was last in the Ramapo Arts Center around 10 years ago, so admittedly my comments may be out of date.
At that time they had a professional HD video projector, but it was not DCP compliant, so they could only run films from DVD or Bluray. The screen was the back wall painted white. The sound was set up public address style with a speaker on either side of the screen, totally wrong for motion pictures. If movieguy is correct and they are now using Bose speakers, you could not have picked a worse choice for movie sound due to the way they disperse the sound.
The theatre’s interior is typical of a 1960’s movie theatre, no grandeur but functional. Downtown Spring Valley is no Suffern, not much of interest except the theatre.
The Ramapo Arts Center is also accessible by NJ Transit train. It’s 3 blocks away from the Spring Valley station, on the Pascack Valley line (a different line than the one that takes you to Suffern).
I hope the Classics series finds a new home, but it’s sad to think that the Citizen Kane show I attended on 6/4 was my last classic movie at the beautiful Lafayette, and I never knew it. It was a great 13-year run.
The Lafayette theater is a true movie palace. Built in 1924. With a full balcony opera boxes beautiful neon marquee. 950 seats. The cultural arts Center was a single screen first run theater up until the mid-70s. It does have a good sized screen. The sound system is good with the Bose speakers all around. The seats are comfortable. There are currently Indian Hindi movies being shown at the cultural arts Center. If the classic program Is it re located to this theater by the town of Ramapo in the fall. It’ll be a very good venue for the movies.
The Ramapo cultural arts Center is located in downtown Spring Valley. It is about 15 to 20 minutes away from Suffern. One can take Route 59 from downtown area of Suffern past the Walmart through the downtown area of Munc past the Walmart through the downtown area of Monsey past the shopping center and the sign for that now closed Rockland Drive In. Also pass The Spring Valley high school. When you pass the Finkelstein Library on the left. One gets to an intersection where you can make a left and go down Route 45 into downtown Spring Valley where the cultural arts Center is located
Since my knowledge of the Suffern area is due solely to my visits the the wonderful “Big Screen Classics” program I was wondering… what is the distance factor between the Lafayette and the Ramapo Cultural Center in Spring Valley? (Is there much of a “hike” difference between the two venues ?) And a very big “Thank You” to Phil for your interest and efforts in keeping classic films alive.
Phil Tishi posted up on Facebook that he was very happy to do the film series for 14 years. Everyone should still continue to support the Lafayette theater. He intends on moving the classic series to another venue in the fall. The town owns the ramapo cultural arts Center in downtown Spring Valley. It is now showing Hindi movies seven days a week and doing pretty well. I’m sure there would be room for a classic series on Saturday mornings if that’s where they intend to move the classic series to. They do have a digital projector a Christie digital projector at the cultural arts Center. Along with a very good sound system Bose speakers. Comfortable seats and a big screen. So look forward to possible classic film programming there in the fall
I think the price of digital projectors has come down since the town bought the projector to loan it to the theater in 2010. But they still probably run around $40-$50,000. The longer the throw from the digital projector to the screen the more expensive a projector is because more power is needed to go for a longer throw to the screen. The size of the screen makes a difference as well
Clickable link to the new story Pete posted above, Click Here.
Since the town is pulling their digital projector out of the theatre, I think Ari is going to get a big surprise when he finds out how expensive they are to replace.
Yes the town and the current operator of the theater will not continue their partnership that has gone on since 2003. However the current operator of the theater. Intends to do some classics movies but not with the same frequency as in the past. The theater of course will continue to show first-run movies and explore some other programming options. So while the news is a bit sad. First-run movies and other programming will continue at the theater.
Potentially sad news for fans of the Lafayette:
“A six-year contract between the town of Ramapo and the Lafayette Theatre — which had the town loaning the venue a digital projector in exchange for the movie palace hosting a Saturday morning classic film series each fall and spring — is gone with the wind.
After the Lafayette’s owner and operator, Ari Benmosche, informed the town on June 8 that he did not want to extend the contract that had been signed with a previous operator of the theater, the Town Board voted unanimously Wednesday to remove the projector."
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2016/06/17/lafayette-theatre-pulls-plug/85980124
The Lafayette gave a perfect DCP presentation of Singin' in the Rain yesterday, and for only $3. I was especially impressed with the brightness of the image. Pete and Nelson would have been proud. Looking forward to their showing of Citizen Kane on June 4th.
The wild and scenic film festival third annual wild and scenic film festival will be taking place this Wednesday April 20. Doors open at 6:30 PM. The program 7:30 PM to 10 PM. You can go to several local restaurants calling ahead of time and get takeout food and dining in at the theater starting at 6:30 PM. Tickets $18 it advavance $20 at the door www.suffernfilmfest.com
The entire season will come from DCP. Looks very good just like a first run movie. Hope the attendance will be good the shows upcoming
Good to hear – glad they got things off to a good start this year.
Gone with the wind yesterday DCP. Looks like about 525people. Most of the downstairs filled lot of the balcony as well. Can’t say how many were free senior admissions and how many people paid.
Senior admissions usually varied between 50-150 and if they had to pay, they wouldn’t have come. The Shining had about 150-200 people both times we ran it during the HorrorThon. Only shows that ever did more than 50% capacity on Saturday mornings were Wizard of Oz, It’s a Wonderful Life, Babes in Toyland, Miracle on 34th Street and maybe one or two others.
Only 125? Hard to believe. I recall the theater being at least 80% full for Goldfinger. I could be wrong. Maybe only 125 paying movie-goers and the rest were seniors with free passes?
Theater was also full for Raiders of the lost ark and The Shining if I remember correctly.
Some movies in the classic series had low interest – the theater was only about 40% full.
Makes me wonder if a classic series season consisted of old films with huge demand and everyone had to pay to get in, it could have been more profitable. Just my opinion.
“Packed” definitely a relative term in this case. Biggest paid crowd we had would have been maybe 125 people for Goldfinger.
Hello Pete,
I learned about the classic series a little late (late 2000s). I still saw a couple of James Bond films during the series. Theater was packed both times. Shows how much interest there was. If you had done a Fall or Spring season of just James Bond films, you would have had a packed theater for the entire season. LOL
Hi Pete, I was there for the Bond and Harryhausen presentations during those “Big Screen Classics” weekends… wouldn’t have missed them for the world on the Lafayette’s giant screen. I just think that some of us are hoping that the Bond and Harryhausen films (just to name two of the many film series that had been featured at the Lafayette.) should not be forgotten within the current “scheme” of things.
Where were you guys when we played Bond & Harryhausen between 2003 – 2014? :)
I’ll more than second your suggestion, Sam83 and (as I always do), how about some of the great Ray Harryhausen films?
Would have liked to see some classic James Bond films.
It’s a typo. Gone with the wind is the first movie. Then singing in the rain on April 23. The never ending story on April 30. Field of dreams May 7. The Princess bride May 14. How to train your Dragon May 21. The big short Fried mission May 29. citizen Kane June 4. They’re mixing in some more family films this year. When the kids come out they bring to parents usually and they’re more apt to buy concessions