RKO Keith's Theatre

Bway… I have a better photo of the old faded sign on the side of the building here in my photobucket album for the Keith’s. It’s the last photo in the top row.

The sign reads “RKO FLUSHING” in huge letters and beneath that in smaller print, “The finest theater on the North Shore”.

Jeffrey1955… I’ll see if I can get down there with my camera and snap some shots of the rear. As big as it is, the structure doesn’t run all the way back to the rear street, and there are some structures along that street that partially obscure the view. However, I have driven down the side street (Farrington) and have caught glimpses of the theater’s rear stage wall, which appears to be intact. Judging by what can be seen from the street, the roof also appears to be largely intact, but there may be sufficient gaps in the surface or at the seams to allow for water seepage. I don’t think there are any gaping holes in the outer walls or roofing that expose the auditorium to sunlight and weather. The partial demolition referred to above was done by the previous owner, Thomas Huang, who apparently had a field day (or two) with a demolition crew on some of the theater’s interior elements.

Lost, thanks for posting those photos. From the photo linked here below:
View link
..it appears that the word “Flushing” was at one time painted on the side of the building. Was the word “Flushing” ever in the official Theater title? Such as for example, “RKO Keiths Richmond Hill”?

This website has some 2004-05 photos of the RKO Keith’s Theater. Click each one to expand it.

Please excuse me if the answer to my question is discussed above. I haven’t read this section for a while. Is the theatre still sitting there? Have they started to tear it down?

I doubt that Boymelgreen could suddenly change its plans without getting permission from the Flushing authorities. Turning it into an entertainment center would draw more people and cars into the area and turn downtown Flushing into even more of a traffic nightmare than it is now.

I think that the writer of the article probably used “hall” as a synonym for “lobby,” not realizing that there can be a major difference between the two. While a lobby could be described as a hall, “hall” is usually reserved for auditoriums, ala Carnegie Hall or Radio City Music Hall.

I wonder if the print version of the article was less slipshod, Jeffrey, in its identification of the projects depicted. Still, your last point lands well. The author certainly stands in the minority with respect to her assessment of the Mets' new home, indicating her haste to work personal opinion into the piece rather than report objectively. I still think there is some manipulation of language being perpetrated by Boymelgreen and their pocket politicians when it comes to the project, designed to throw the casual preservationist off the scent. As far as I can decipher from all of this, only the landmarked portions of the Keith’s will be preserved. And those portions are limited to the grand foyer and mezzanine. Furthermore, a portion of that landmarked space will have to be destroyed in order to facilitate the undulating glass facade that is proposed to allow passers-by a peak inside from the sidewalk. It’s really quite a farce. If I’m wrong, then I’ll be very pleasantly surprised. I’ll be the first to sing Boymelgreen’s praises. But I don’t plan on clearing my throat any time soon.

This isn’t the first time we’ve been given the vague impression that the RKO Plaza project might include a full restoration of the theater. I think the politicians, beaurocrats and developers involved in the deal have purposely phrased any discussion of the project in such a way as to result precisely in this sort of confusion. We’ve been dissecting the semantics and political rhetoric in various articles, websites and Op-Ed letters for about a year – check back to a lot of the posts in October through January in particular and you’ll find the same questions as those posed by Warren just today.

According to an article in the latest issue of New York Magazine, the re-development project is a potential 2016 landmark sitting at the end of Main Street, “where the former RKO Keith’s Theater, now a darkened hulk, is to be transformed into the RKO Plaza— its exuberant hall preserved as the center of an entertainment and residential complex to top off the street.” Have I gone nuts, or is this an incorrect report of Boylmelgreen’s plans for the site? By “hall,” could the article actually mean “lobby?” Or is the auditorium being re-built and returned to entertainment use? In any case, the article claims that “no completion date” is available.

To Jeffrey1955:

“The Elephant Man” was rated PG

Came across an old copy of Newsday I saved from the time just after John Lennon’s murder. I also have copies of the NY Post and Daily News from this time and it seems that only in Newsday did theater chains like RKO run these sort of throwback block ads:

RKO block ad

Elsewhere in the paper, RKO also had a smaller block for its bargain-priced third run cinemas (at the time priced at “80 cents at all times”) such as the Mineola, Valley Stream and Hempstead Theaters.

The Ink Spots on stage:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/inkperson.jpg

I appreciate it. Thank you very much for sharing them!!!