I knew something was “wrong” when I went a few days without getting any “someone responded to your comment” emails…so checked the site news and saw that it’s being upgraded! Was eagerly awaiting, the whole weekend, and can’t wait to see it when the bugs are cleared out. One question….we won’t have to make a comment in every theater we want to be “informed of new comments” again will we? The “someone made a comment” emails are a lifesaver of keeping track of all the theaters interested in to see if new comments were made.
If not, it would be nice to have a box to check (without necessarily making a comment) that says something to the effect of, “get updated when someone makes a comment on this theater. That’s how I keep current!
It’s a real shame, as I don’t see how a vacant lot will be much better than the shambles of a building there now. Across the street they “removed blight” too when they tore down the old True Value hardware store, and now that the “blight” is gone we have a chain link fence with a pile of sand in the middle and supports holding up the last remaining wall of the torn down building next to the Salvation army building. Yeah, “much” better….
I have no problem with churches taking over the theaters. In some cases they actually saved the theaters from being gutted, or worse, destroyed completely. I much rather have a church in the old theaters than being gutted for retail. Church conversions are generally quite kind to the integrity of the theater buildings, everything basically remains, the seats and everything….just the stage becomes an altar.
It’s much better having a church in a theater, and in turn maintaining the building, than for the building to sit vacant and fall into shambles.
In some cases, the theater even becomes a theater again, post church. We have the old Loews Wonder Theater, the 175th St Theater in Upper Manhattan that became a church in the 60’s or 70’s, and it has been beautifully maintained and restored. In recent years, it’s even been opened up back to theater activities, they have had concerts of some big bands there.
When I drove by the Plaza the other day there’s a poster with the rendition of the “Plaza” in your proposal. I was hoping they would consider it, but if they are tearing it down, doesn’t sound like it.
Too bad. With all the work they have been doing to East Main Street….new sidewalks, trees, lamp posts, and sewer system, this would seem to be taylor made for the new Main St.
They also held church services on Sundays at the former Patchogue Multiplex untill it closed. It’s a good way for extra money, and the church services are usually held in the morning before the movie theater opens anyway.
That other large building on the corner of Wyckoff and Myrtle was the terminal station for the Lutheran Cemetery steam “Dummy” Railroad which ran between that station and Metropolitan Ave on the street level, on the ROW that became the el for the M train we know today.
I also get email updates from the plaza group, about their screenings upstairs at the Brickhouse Brewery, and thought that the Brickhouse was just sort of their temporaty place until the Plaza could be used. But this is sort of strange it’s not mentioned at all in the article.
Yes, I don’t entirely understand the whole thing either. I did attend one of the Plaza events at the Brickhouse Brewery, and really did think that they were supposed to go into the Plaza when it was taken over by the town. But there’s not even a mention of it in the article. Any update would be appreciated.
At LONG last, The Plaza Theater is after a LONG battle, and a very long time, in the hands of the Town. The Plaza Arts Center can now move forward….
This blight from East Main Street can finally be turned into a viable property again.
I haven’t been there since it first reopened as the Nokia Theater shortly after it closed as the Astor Plaza. Too bad, as it was nice back then, but then again it was pretty new yet when I was there. Now it sounds like a typical club with sticky floors.
Peter, I remember that toy store at Catalpa and Myrtle, it went out of business in the early 70’s some time. It had to be later than 1973, but it was close to that, perhaps 74 or 75. It was actually on Catalpa Ave, although that group of stores almost feel like they face Myrtle.
Sorry, my message above got messed up, ignore my above message, this is the way it was supposed to be typed:
Yes, the address should be changed to the proper address, as in the index, as that is what the address of the building is currently to. Perhaps the number listed at the top was the address for the adjoining airdrome?
In any event, I agree that this theater probably should be called the “Irving Theater” as opposed to the Mozart which it was for barely a year, while the whole life, the theater was the Irving Theater.
The policy of the site (for better or worse – I can see it both ways) is to name the theater title for the current or last operating name of a theater. It’s for consistency. That unfortunately means that some very WELL known names for their past namkes of the theater, are not the name listed, but the current, or last known operating name of the building.
That means that a theater that is now a Performing Arts Center, and operating as a theater would be found as it’s current name, but is good, but the side effect of that would be places like the famous Wonder Theater, the 175th Street Theater in Manhattan is listed as the “United Palace Theater”, the Mayfair Theater in Times Square is listed as the Embassy 2 3, and they modest Irving Theater is listed as the Mozart.
It’s sort of a shame that a theater like the Mayfair or 175th St Theater have to be delegated to their much less known names, but for consistency, it has to be this way. Again, I can see it both ways, but the list can be beneficial either way too with this policy.
Wonder Theater, the 175th Street Theater in Manhattan is listed as the “United Palace Theater”, the Mayfair Theater in Times Square is listed as the Embassy 2 3, and they modest Irving Theater is listed as the Mozart.
It’s sort of a shame that a theater like the Mayfair or 175th St Theater have to be delegated to their much less known names, but for consistency, it has to be this way. Again, I can see it both ways, but the list can be beneficial either way too with this policy.
I didn’t know there was a public hearing about the theater the other day. I would have considered going, as I was in Ridgewood that day. And why wouldthey have it in Williamsburg? Shouldn’t they have had it in Ridgewood somewhere, or at least in Bushwick?
Here is perhaps one of the best interior photos of the former palatial lobby of the RKO Madison that I have seen to date. It just boggles the mind that they decided it would be a good idea to destroy this beauty in the 1980’s:
I love trees, but I still find it absolutely amazing that they thought it was a good idea to plant a tree right up against a theater marquee! It’s so crazy!
I knew something was “wrong” when I went a few days without getting any “someone responded to your comment” emails…so checked the site news and saw that it’s being upgraded! Was eagerly awaiting, the whole weekend, and can’t wait to see it when the bugs are cleared out.
One question….we won’t have to make a comment in every theater we want to be “informed of new comments” again will we? The “someone made a comment” emails are a lifesaver of keeping track of all the theaters interested in to see if new comments were made.
If not, it would be nice to have a box to check (without necessarily making a comment) that says something to the effect of, “get updated when someone makes a comment on this theater.
That’s how I keep current!
Very cool! Thanks!
It’s a real shame, as I don’t see how a vacant lot will be much better than the shambles of a building there now. Across the street they “removed blight” too when they tore down the old True Value hardware store, and now that the “blight” is gone we have a chain link fence with a pile of sand in the middle and supports holding up the last remaining wall of the torn down building next to the Salvation army building. Yeah, “much” better….
I have no problem with churches taking over the theaters. In some cases they actually saved the theaters from being gutted, or worse, destroyed completely. I much rather have a church in the old theaters than being gutted for retail. Church conversions are generally quite kind to the integrity of the theater buildings, everything basically remains, the seats and everything….just the stage becomes an altar.
It’s much better having a church in a theater, and in turn maintaining the building, than for the building to sit vacant and fall into shambles.
In some cases, the theater even becomes a theater again, post church. We have the old Loews Wonder Theater, the 175th St Theater in Upper Manhattan that became a church in the 60’s or 70’s, and it has been beautifully maintained and restored. In recent years, it’s even been opened up back to theater activities, they have had concerts of some big bands there.
/theaters/44/
Here’s also a link to their own website with wonderful photos of the place. It even still has movie capability.
http://www.revike.org/history.asp
Haha, it is reversed! Someone printed the negative the wrong way….
When I drove by the Plaza the other day there’s a poster with the rendition of the “Plaza” in your proposal. I was hoping they would consider it, but if they are tearing it down, doesn’t sound like it.
Too bad. With all the work they have been doing to East Main Street….new sidewalks, trees, lamp posts, and sewer system, this would seem to be taylor made for the new Main St.
They also held church services on Sundays at the former Patchogue Multiplex untill it closed. It’s a good way for extra money, and the church services are usually held in the morning before the movie theater opens anyway.
Wouldn’t that be great!?
That other large building on the corner of Wyckoff and Myrtle was the terminal station for the Lutheran Cemetery steam “Dummy” Railroad which ran between that station and Metropolitan Ave on the street level, on the ROW that became the el for the M train we know today.
I also get email updates from the plaza group, about their screenings upstairs at the Brickhouse Brewery, and thought that the Brickhouse was just sort of their temporaty place until the Plaza could be used. But this is sort of strange it’s not mentioned at all in the article.
Yes, I don’t entirely understand the whole thing either. I did attend one of the Plaza events at the Brickhouse Brewery, and really did think that they were supposed to go into the Plaza when it was taken over by the town. But there’s not even a mention of it in the article. Any update would be appreciated.
At LONG last, The Plaza Theater is after a LONG battle, and a very long time, in the hands of the Town. The Plaza Arts Center can now move forward….
This blight from East Main Street can finally be turned into a viable property again.
See more below, from the Long Island Advance:
Click here for Article
LOL! I just saw the Valencia name, and said, “Wow, it’s a long time since I saw that one come up in my email updates!”
I haven’t been there since it first reopened as the Nokia Theater shortly after it closed as the Astor Plaza. Too bad, as it was nice back then, but then again it was pretty new yet when I was there. Now it sounds like a typical club with sticky floors.
Indeed! They even cut some of the lower branches off that ridiculous tree!
Peter, I remember that toy store at Catalpa and Myrtle, it went out of business in the early 70’s some time. It had to be later than 1973, but it was close to that, perhaps 74 or 75. It was actually on Catalpa Ave, although that group of stores almost feel like they face Myrtle.
Sorry, my message above got messed up, ignore my above message, this is the way it was supposed to be typed:
Yes, the address should be changed to the proper address, as in the index, as that is what the address of the building is currently to. Perhaps the number listed at the top was the address for the adjoining airdrome?
In any event, I agree that this theater probably should be called the “Irving Theater” as opposed to the Mozart which it was for barely a year, while the whole life, the theater was the Irving Theater.
The policy of the site (for better or worse – I can see it both ways) is to name the theater title for the current or last operating name of a theater. It’s for consistency. That unfortunately means that some very WELL known names for their past namkes of the theater, are not the name listed, but the current, or last known operating name of the building.
That means that a theater that is now a Performing Arts Center, and operating as a theater would be found as it’s current name, but is good, but the side effect of that would be places like the famous Wonder Theater, the 175th Street Theater in Manhattan is listed as the “United Palace Theater”, the Mayfair Theater in Times Square is listed as the Embassy 2 3, and they modest Irving Theater is listed as the Mozart.
It’s sort of a shame that a theater like the Mayfair or 175th St Theater have to be delegated to their much less known names, but for consistency, it has to be this way. Again, I can see it both ways, but the list can be beneficial either way too with this policy.
Wonder Theater, the 175th Street Theater in Manhattan is listed as the “United Palace Theater”, the Mayfair Theater in Times Square is listed as the Embassy 2 3, and they modest Irving Theater is listed as the Mozart.
It’s sort of a shame that a theater like the Mayfair or 175th St Theater have to be delegated to their much less known names, but for consistency, it has to be this way. Again, I can see it both ways, but the list can be beneficial either way too with this policy.
I didn’t know there was a public hearing about the theater the other day. I would have considered going, as I was in Ridgewood that day. And why wouldthey have it in Williamsburg? Shouldn’t they have had it in Ridgewood somewhere, or at least in Bushwick?
Here is perhaps one of the best interior photos of the former palatial lobby of the RKO Madison that I have seen to date. It just boggles the mind that they decided it would be a good idea to destroy this beauty in the 1980’s:
View link
Click below for the full page on the Madison:
View link
Here are the photos GTB sent me. They are GREAT!
Click here for Photo1
Click here for Photo2
Click here for Photo3
Click here for Photo4
I can host the photo online if you have a scanned photo of it. My mail is myrtlebway at hotmail dot com
Someone else I know claims to have also used the theater in the 40’s, so it’s not really clear when it closed.
Great photos, well great to see them, not the depressingness of what was allowed to happen to the place. Thanks so much!
I love trees, but I still find it absolutely amazing that they thought it was a good idea to plant a tree right up against a theater marquee! It’s so crazy!