The Crown New York Twin has also showcased a fair amount of Disney/Touchstone product in recent months, including ‘Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen’ and ‘Raising Helen’. (Continuing in that vein, Disney’s ‘The Incredibles’ is scheduled to open there this upcoming Friday, the 5th.)
The Cinema 1 & 2 closed sometime around 1982 or 1983. I used to go there all the time with my parents between the ages of 5 and 7, seeing mostly Disney flicks there (‘The Fox and the Hound’, ‘Peter Pan’, and ‘Tron’, just to name a few) and remember the interior being fairly modern, which I later learned was the result of a major renovation in the late 1960s, in which most of, if not all, the interior’s original architectural elements were either stripped away or covered up and the theatre was twinned.
What ultimately killed it, I suspect, were a few factors: the then-new multiplex which opened its doors a few miles away at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville in 1981 (operated at the time by Sack Theatres and in the present day by Loews) and immediately began siphoning away first-run bookings, and both the Assembly Square Mall and the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, which gradually killed most of Medford Square’s foot traffic and most of the retail businesses which resided within it (including the Cinema 1 & 2). Stormship, a communications design firm, occupies at least the former balcony/upstairs auditorium space of the Cinema 1 & 2 space, while the former lobby (which, during the time I went there, housed the box office, to the right a couple of arcade games and a small concession stand, and, to the left, the downstairs auditorium, and, to the far right, the staircase leading to the upstairs theatre) was, when I took a look during a weekend back home visiting family in January of 2003, serving as a storage area for a furniture store located next door to the right; the former orchestra or downstairs auditorium, I suspect, houses part of the Elizabeth Grady day spa located most prominently in the retail space to the left of the old lobby area.
When I was growing up in Boston, my family and I used to go to City Point Beach in the summer and we’d regularly pass by the Broadway which, to my knowledge, closed its doors sometime around 1982. I recall it having a flat marquee, with ‘Broadway Theater’ in white lettering against an orange background and the steel grate covering the entrance decorated with painted images of classic movie scenes and performers; what’s become of the property since or the state it’s in now I’d be curious to find out…
The Clarett Group is still listing Place 57 as a forthcoming project on its web site; perhaps the crew responsible for preparing the Sutton’s interior for demolition were in the building at the time…
It was Frank Rowley, the former programmer of the Regency and the Biograph, who ran the Gramercy during its brief run as a rep house in ‘93-'94. If I were Albert Bialek, the owner of the soon-to-reopen Metro Twin, I’d track Frank down, see if he’s interested in getting back in the game (that is, if he’s fully been out of it), and, if he is interested, give him free reign with one of my two screens.
Cineplex Odeon gave up this house, which is located just down the street from the legendary LA hot dog joint Pink’s, sometime around 1999-2000, at which point it became a Regent venue.
As a Crown house, the New York Twin is still booked as a combo art house/general release house, the former consisting mostly of obscure releases and the latter generally being Paramount and Miramax product, along with a notable share of move-overs from other Midtown East sites. (For the record, after the New York Twin closed as a Loews venue in May of 2002, wrapping up with extended runs of ‘Changing Lanes’ and ‘Gosford Park’, it reopened on October 11, 2002 with ‘Below’ and ‘Knockaround Guys’.)
One of the best of the stadium-seating theatres in NYC. The Astoria sixplex on Steinway Street, which, for a time after the Kaufman Astoria opened and following the Regal buyout of UA, shared initial-release product, but the Astoria eventually became a mostly move-over house with an occasional exception (i.e., ‘The Wash’ with Snoop Dogg and the Ed Burns film ‘Sidewalks of New York’) and, with a subsequent dramatic drop-off in business, closed for business on December 27, 2001.
The seven-plex William makes mention of remains open for business, under the ownership of Laemmle Theatres, showcasing both major studio and art house offerings.
I don’t see where the Jackson Triplex showing its films with Spanish subtitles is an issue; hell, we live in a multi-ethnic city (and a multi-ethnic nation) and part of that, along with integrating American culture into the ethnicities of everyone who calls this city and this nation home, is retaining a sense of one’s culture and, above all else, a sense of personal comfort. Otherwise – and I know I may get shouted down for this and urge those who’d do the shouting to think for a moment before they do so – most of that fine line that divides our society with that of a certain European country in the 1930s and ‘40s would be erased…
Even though I was never a big Cineplex Odeon ‘fan’ – charging for squirts of butter, offering the same major studio product at each of their venues… and the layouts of some of those C.O. houses (i.e., the First & 62nd), among other faults – I think Garth Drabinsky, for the most part, operated under the best of intentions… the best of intentions, though… well, we know how those sometimes go…
The Crowne Plaza Holiday Inn is one block north; an office building, 1585 Broadway, which serves as a home for Morgan Stanley, among other tenants, has occupied the former Strand site since 1989.
I’ve always been curious about this theatre, because of its location and because of someone’s decision to build a single-screen movie theatre which is open to the public within an apartment tower. About when did it initially open its doors and what type of business does it do?
Neo, I doubt the current owners – the inflexible sorts they seem to be, unless ‘bqe’ knows differently – if they had any info that could be relevant towards the goal of saving the Commodore, would be willing to pass whatever they had along. Landmarking the property is the only argument that seems likely to have any bite to it and, in order to do that, official proof needs to be found as to who the architect responsible for the Commodore was, and time for that to happen is running out…
Back on February 24th, someone with the member tag ‘bqe’ (I’m guessing an initialization of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and a possible resident of the area near the Commodore and/or someone who works nearby) posted the following message: ‘I am currently working at one of the major new real estate developments in w'burg,and as such direct line to the current owner of the property at 329 broadway. Reopening the commodore would be of tremendous cultural benefit to the area, .’ If this individual is legitimate, perhaps they’re worth contacting… (Also, just out of curiosity: a) why did the new owners wait two years to begin work – or, at least, visible work – on the property; and, b) would any department within City Hall – i.e., the Buildings Commission, for starters – have records of who the architect of the Commodore was?)
While watching last night’s Yankees-Red Sox ALCS Game Six, I saw the new spot for the Nissan Altima, which features a brief exterior glimpse of the shuttered Olympic Theatre in downtown LA, and had a thought: isn’t it ironic how, in current advertisements, films, and television programs, it’s the old single-screen houses and movie palaces – the most-endangered of movie theatres – which are used far more often as a shooting location than the modern-day multi- and mega-plexes?
Oops, my mistake… ‘Team America’ is showing at the National; the Festival, which appears to mostly be a move-over house, is currently screening ‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’, with ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ scheduled to open Friday.
I can’t imagine that part of 3rd Avenue without the Variety Theatre; it’s an unofficial neighborhood landmark, it’s been a familiar sight on many a weekday morning on my way to work and many a Friday and Saturday night, stumbling home after having a BIT too much fun (as usual :–), and most definitely should be saved.
The 86th Street East and Park & 86th were indeed separate theatres, Robert. I always thought the four main 86th Street theatres of recent vintage, from the 1980s to the present, were (or, obviously in some cases, are): City Cinemas' East 86th Street Cinemas, the Loews Orpheum, the RKO 86th Street East, and the Park & 86th.
I read in the mid-90s somewhere that some part of the interior of the Paradise (the lobby and/or what were then the four theatre auditoriums) had been painted green. Looking at Roger’s photographs, that seems unlikely; can anyone confirm or refute this?
The Crown New York Twin has also showcased a fair amount of Disney/Touchstone product in recent months, including ‘Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen’ and ‘Raising Helen’. (Continuing in that vein, Disney’s ‘The Incredibles’ is scheduled to open there this upcoming Friday, the 5th.)
The Cinema 1 & 2 closed sometime around 1982 or 1983. I used to go there all the time with my parents between the ages of 5 and 7, seeing mostly Disney flicks there (‘The Fox and the Hound’, ‘Peter Pan’, and ‘Tron’, just to name a few) and remember the interior being fairly modern, which I later learned was the result of a major renovation in the late 1960s, in which most of, if not all, the interior’s original architectural elements were either stripped away or covered up and the theatre was twinned.
What ultimately killed it, I suspect, were a few factors: the then-new multiplex which opened its doors a few miles away at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville in 1981 (operated at the time by Sack Theatres and in the present day by Loews) and immediately began siphoning away first-run bookings, and both the Assembly Square Mall and the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, which gradually killed most of Medford Square’s foot traffic and most of the retail businesses which resided within it (including the Cinema 1 & 2). Stormship, a communications design firm, occupies at least the former balcony/upstairs auditorium space of the Cinema 1 & 2 space, while the former lobby (which, during the time I went there, housed the box office, to the right a couple of arcade games and a small concession stand, and, to the left, the downstairs auditorium, and, to the far right, the staircase leading to the upstairs theatre) was, when I took a look during a weekend back home visiting family in January of 2003, serving as a storage area for a furniture store located next door to the right; the former orchestra or downstairs auditorium, I suspect, houses part of the Elizabeth Grady day spa located most prominently in the retail space to the left of the old lobby area.
When I was growing up in Boston, my family and I used to go to City Point Beach in the summer and we’d regularly pass by the Broadway which, to my knowledge, closed its doors sometime around 1982. I recall it having a flat marquee, with ‘Broadway Theater’ in white lettering against an orange background and the steel grate covering the entrance decorated with painted images of classic movie scenes and performers; what’s become of the property since or the state it’s in now I’d be curious to find out…
The Clarett Group is still listing Place 57 as a forthcoming project on its web site; perhaps the crew responsible for preparing the Sutton’s interior for demolition were in the building at the time…
It was Frank Rowley, the former programmer of the Regency and the Biograph, who ran the Gramercy during its brief run as a rep house in ‘93-'94. If I were Albert Bialek, the owner of the soon-to-reopen Metro Twin, I’d track Frank down, see if he’s interested in getting back in the game (that is, if he’s fully been out of it), and, if he is interested, give him free reign with one of my two screens.
Duane Reade and Raggazine Children’s Shoes are among the tenants in the building which formerly housed the UA Astoria.
Cineplex Odeon gave up this house, which is located just down the street from the legendary LA hot dog joint Pink’s, sometime around 1999-2000, at which point it became a Regent venue.
As a Crown house, the New York Twin is still booked as a combo art house/general release house, the former consisting mostly of obscure releases and the latter generally being Paramount and Miramax product, along with a notable share of move-overs from other Midtown East sites. (For the record, after the New York Twin closed as a Loews venue in May of 2002, wrapping up with extended runs of ‘Changing Lanes’ and ‘Gosford Park’, it reopened on October 11, 2002 with ‘Below’ and ‘Knockaround Guys’.)
One of the best of the stadium-seating theatres in NYC. The Astoria sixplex on Steinway Street, which, for a time after the Kaufman Astoria opened and following the Regal buyout of UA, shared initial-release product, but the Astoria eventually became a mostly move-over house with an occasional exception (i.e., ‘The Wash’ with Snoop Dogg and the Ed Burns film ‘Sidewalks of New York’) and, with a subsequent dramatic drop-off in business, closed for business on December 27, 2001.
The seven-plex William makes mention of remains open for business, under the ownership of Laemmle Theatres, showcasing both major studio and art house offerings.
I don’t see where the Jackson Triplex showing its films with Spanish subtitles is an issue; hell, we live in a multi-ethnic city (and a multi-ethnic nation) and part of that, along with integrating American culture into the ethnicities of everyone who calls this city and this nation home, is retaining a sense of one’s culture and, above all else, a sense of personal comfort. Otherwise – and I know I may get shouted down for this and urge those who’d do the shouting to think for a moment before they do so – most of that fine line that divides our society with that of a certain European country in the 1930s and ‘40s would be erased…
Even though I was never a big Cineplex Odeon ‘fan’ – charging for squirts of butter, offering the same major studio product at each of their venues… and the layouts of some of those C.O. houses (i.e., the First & 62nd), among other faults – I think Garth Drabinsky, for the most part, operated under the best of intentions… the best of intentions, though… well, we know how those sometimes go…
The Crowne Plaza Holiday Inn is one block north; an office building, 1585 Broadway, which serves as a home for Morgan Stanley, among other tenants, has occupied the former Strand site since 1989.
I’ve always been curious about this theatre, because of its location and because of someone’s decision to build a single-screen movie theatre which is open to the public within an apartment tower. About when did it initially open its doors and what type of business does it do?
I don’t have time to do a search, either; perhaps someone within the five boroughs, Jersey, or Connecticut does (or knows someone who does)…
Neo, I doubt the current owners – the inflexible sorts they seem to be, unless ‘bqe’ knows differently – if they had any info that could be relevant towards the goal of saving the Commodore, would be willing to pass whatever they had along. Landmarking the property is the only argument that seems likely to have any bite to it and, in order to do that, official proof needs to be found as to who the architect responsible for the Commodore was, and time for that to happen is running out…
Back on February 24th, someone with the member tag ‘bqe’ (I’m guessing an initialization of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and a possible resident of the area near the Commodore and/or someone who works nearby) posted the following message: ‘I am currently working at one of the major new real estate developments in w'burg,and as such direct line to the current owner of the property at 329 broadway. Reopening the commodore would be of tremendous cultural benefit to the area, .’ If this individual is legitimate, perhaps they’re worth contacting… (Also, just out of curiosity: a) why did the new owners wait two years to begin work – or, at least, visible work – on the property; and, b) would any department within City Hall – i.e., the Buildings Commission, for starters – have records of who the architect of the Commodore was?)
The former Williamsburg Theatre space currently houses a 99-cent store.
While watching last night’s Yankees-Red Sox ALCS Game Six, I saw the new spot for the Nissan Altima, which features a brief exterior glimpse of the shuttered Olympic Theatre in downtown LA, and had a thought: isn’t it ironic how, in current advertisements, films, and television programs, it’s the old single-screen houses and movie palaces – the most-endangered of movie theatres – which are used far more often as a shooting location than the modern-day multi- and mega-plexes?
Oops, my mistake… ‘Team America’ is showing at the National; the Festival, which appears to mostly be a move-over house, is currently screening ‘Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’, with ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ scheduled to open Friday.
First-run Hollywood product, Robert; their current offering is ‘Team America: World Police’.
Any idea what condition the X 1 & 2’s interior (and, for that matter, the exterior) is in?
I can’t imagine that part of 3rd Avenue without the Variety Theatre; it’s an unofficial neighborhood landmark, it’s been a familiar sight on many a weekday morning on my way to work and many a Friday and Saturday night, stumbling home after having a BIT too much fun (as usual :–), and most definitely should be saved.
The 86th Street East and Park & 86th were indeed separate theatres, Robert. I always thought the four main 86th Street theatres of recent vintage, from the 1980s to the present, were (or, obviously in some cases, are): City Cinemas' East 86th Street Cinemas, the Loews Orpheum, the RKO 86th Street East, and the Park & 86th.
I read in the mid-90s somewhere that some part of the interior of the Paradise (the lobby and/or what were then the four theatre auditoriums) had been painted green. Looking at Roger’s photographs, that seems unlikely; can anyone confirm or refute this?