Comments about Coliseum Cinemas in New York, NY

Warren G. Harris on July 19, 2006 at 3:54 am

For those trying to remember what the Coliseum used to look like, check above for images in my post of 7/20/2005, which was almost exactly a year ago.

Ace on July 19, 2006 at 1:19 am

My fault, the guy who claimed to have been behind all of the Coliseum’s renovations among many (says he was a pioneer in twinning theatres back in the ‘70’s) posted in the Loew’s Plaza page (another theater which he twinned). His name is “wobbly”.

YMike on July 18, 2006 at 4:31 am

The main entranceto the theatre was on the corner of Broadway and 181st street. The balcony had a seperate entrance which is still used today. Retail stores replaced the orchestra section. Since the balcony had a seperate entrance it was easy to retain the balcony as a seperate theatre.

YMike on July 18, 2006 at 1:52 am

The orschestra section was closed sometime in the late 1970’s. By 1986 the balcony had been twinned and would become a quad in 1991.

Ace on July 17, 2006 at 5:34 pm

Great photos KenRoe! Looking at them the memories are slowly starting to come back to me. Both the inside and outside of theater look considerably better than my time frequenting the theater in the ‘90’s.

So, going by the info I’ve gathered all over:

Autumn ‘89: The theater was closed and eventually twinned. (Specifically: How so? Balcony/Orchestra or just the balcony?
July 1991: The theater reopened as a quad in the configuration present to this day.

I’d like to know more of how the theater was chopped up from its original configuration until now. When were the corner marquee and vertical signs eliminated? I read in one of the posts here that one of the vertical signs were still around up until a couple of years ago, but I never saw it (perhaps because I was so oblivious back then)……

RobertR on July 17, 2006 at 1:08 pm

It looks great thanks for sharing these pics.

KenRoe on July 17, 2006 at 10:29 am

Two exterior photographs I took in July 2003 when the Coliseum had been closed for a year:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/191897951/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/191912748/

The building was clean and tidy and well maintained. Although I did not have the time to sit and watch a movie, I saw a couple of the screens which had begun their programmes and the picture quality, presentation and sound were very good. Definately a cinema to patronise if you are in the Washinton Heights area, or want a trip away from your local multiplex!

fred1 on June 29, 2006 at 12:06 am

Creative Entertainment was the booker for several indepenant theaters , Much like Lesser. THEy do not own or manage the theatres.

longislandwally75 on June 28, 2006 at 8:19 pm

who runs 181..now?

wally75

AnthonyS1957 on May 10, 2006 at 6:10 am

I was curious if this Creative Entertainment company was the same company who owned the Creative’s Chopin Theater which was located at 910 Manhattan Avenue in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York?

Ed Solero on November 14, 2005 at 3:56 am

CConnoly… your post way back about the theater on Broadway in the 160’s… Try the Loew’s Rio on this page: /theaters/6713/

Warren G. Harris on August 22, 2005 at 4:23 am

A corner of the original RKO marquee, which remained into the multiplex era:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/135-3503_IMG.jpg

stevebob on August 1, 2005 at 12:13 am

YankeeMike, that theater was called the Heights and has an entry on this site: /theaters/11135/

YMike on July 31, 2005 at 4:08 pm

Does anyone know anything about a small theatre that was located about a block from the Coliseum at 150 Wadsworth Ave? It was showing porno films until the mid-nineties but I know this theatre had been showing films since about 1915. There is a store in the theatre building now but the original facade is still intack.

jays on July 26, 2005 at 8:53 am

Wow! once again you Wowed me and probably every one on this site with your photos Warren. were they from THS. and if so do they have blueprints of these old theatres in there original form or is it possible to get blueprints of theatres of there oroginal or later forms.

stevebob on July 21, 2005 at 2:58 am

Doesn’t 3,095 refer to the original seating capacity, not the current overall capacity of the “multiplex”? If you look at the picture Warren posted of the original auditorium, it doesn’t seem at all implausible to me.

By the way, Warren, thanks for posting those great pictures. I had no idea that the Coliseum had a marquee that wrapped around the corner, or that there was a vertical sign on Broadway as well as 181st Street. (The vertical on the 181st St. side was still in place until just a few years ago.)

joemasher on July 21, 2005 at 2:38 am

3462 is the correct number of seats—-that’s what it had when B.S. Moss opened it in 1920.

Currently, the four theatres now housed in the former balcony seat around 250 each.

Warren G. Harris on July 21, 2005 at 2:35 am

The Coliseum opened on September 23, 1920, with a reported 3,462 seats, including 1,800 on the ground floor, 1,262 upstairs, and 400 in boxes. When the boxes were closed in the “talkies” era, that reduced the seating capacity by 400. The 1954 FDYB lists 3,125. Figure!

longislandmovies on July 21, 2005 at 1:26 am

no way this theater has 3095 seats

Warren G. Harris on July 20, 2005 at 5:29 am

Here are two 1944 images. The marquee lists a current double feature of “Wing and a Prayer” & “Moonlight and Cactus.” The auditorium ceiling was starting to show dirt smudges, probably from tobacco smoking in the balcony:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/127-2777_IMG.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/127-2760_IMG.jpg

RobertR on June 24, 2005 at 1:46 am

The Dave Clark 5 toured the RKO circuit with their film “Having a Wild Weekend"
View link

br91975 on December 2, 2004 at 11:20 am

The engagement of ‘Santo Domingo Blues’ at the Cinema Village on 12th Street (according to Cinema Village’s web site) has been pushed back until February 4, 2005; I suspect the same is true for its run at the Coliseum, Julio and Divinity. To confirm that, my best advice would be to shoot an e-mail to Mambo Media, the company releasing ‘Santo Domingo Blues’, at

y2julio on December 2, 2004 at 11:05 am

dont know, but acorrding to the website of the documentary (http://www.santodomingoblues.com) this theater is showing it:
http://santodomingoblues.com/upcoming.html
so im not sure whats up.

Divinity on December 1, 2004 at 10:20 am

Hello Julio,
The telephone number of the New Coliseum is 212 740-1545.
Do they regularly play documentaries? It sounds interesting.

y2julio on December 1, 2004 at 9:54 am

hey, anyone know about a documentary called “Santo Domingo Blues” being played there??? also can i get the number for this place?

Coliseum Cinemas

4260-4261 Broadway, New York, NY 10033

4260-4261 Broadway,
New York, NY 10033