Trylon Theater
98-81 Queens Boulevard,
Rego Park,
NY
11374
98-81 Queens Boulevard,
Rego Park,
NY
11374
15 people
favorited this theater
Showing 151 - 175 of 209 comments found
While the screen was definitely bigger in the 90’s than seen here, other than that, Warren’s photos look just like I remember the theater.
Several color photos of the exterior taken in 2004 can be found in the new article about Queens Boulevard (aka “The Boulevard of Death”)at www.forgotten-ny.com
The whole front and orchestra was draped and the new screen was slightly in front of the proscenium with Austrian drapes that went up and down. The opening for the fire doors (the doors were set way back) had the drapes crisscrossed to allow people to walk in and out and also the air conditioning return ducts were back there so you could feel a breeze when you sat in the front. The scope picture was created from a top masking that came down and was really quite small. The flat picture was decent.
The stage level might have been raised and extended forward so that a wide screen could cover the murals on both sides, but I’m only guessing. My only visit to the Trylon was in 1949 to catch up with a double bill of “The Barkleys of Broadway” & “Big Jack,” which I’d somehow missed when it played the Loew’s circuit. Believe it or not, I was a Wallace Beery fan and that was his final movie. He died just around the time of its release.
In NYC there is a fee for having an illuminated sign on a building. This theater is still being billed for that sign as of 2005. Maybe they should turn off the sign and save some money. :) Billing history since closing in 1999:
BILL DATE AMOUNT BILLED TO
03/17/2005 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/02/2004 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/02/2003 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
03/21/2002 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/26/2001 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/10/2000 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
05/10/1999 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
I’d bet that one change must have widened the proscenium to acommodate CinemaScope in ‘53. That’s one of the narrowest (but handsomest) prosceniums I’ve ever seen. Widening it would have been difficult, because the exit doors close in so tightly upon it. Does anyone know what they did to widen the screen?
I don’t know. But there might have been some cosmetic changes over that period of 60 years.
Did the auditorium retain its original appearance until the 1999 closing?
Here are three 1939 images. The center curve of the marquee was reserved for the next attraction. The auditorium’s orchestra is below street level. The vertical stripes on the side walls were considered radical for the time. Usually, decorators used horizontal stripes to direct attention towards the screen:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/136-3646_IMG.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/136-3639_IMG.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/136-3642_IMG.jpg
I thought this would be of interest. Please follow this link, and help me, the founding member of the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater, to halt the theater from further demolition.
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Similar articles have been published in the Queens Ledger, Queens Courier, Queens Chronicle, Forest Hills Times, Leader/Observer, Glendale Register, & the LIC – Astoria – Jackson Heights Journal.
Anyone interested in joining the committee, please e-mail Preservationist/Journalist, Michael, at Thank you!
***It is not too late too call Councilwoman Melinda Katz at (718) 544-8800 or e-mail her at .ny.us to encourage her to change her mind & preserve “what’s left” of the Trylon’s 1939 Art Deco/Moderne facade. The more people contacting her, the greater the chance of her convincing the owners to keep the facade intact, instead of renovating it. The committee to save the Trylon encourages you to please act ASAP!!!
Please follow this Queens Chronicle link:
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Please read this: “While John Jurayj of the HDC accused City Councilwoman Melinda Katz of not supporting landmarking, her office said the issue has not yet come up for a vote.” HMMMM……
Also, according to the article, it says that the Trylon’s inlaid mosaic tile floor is intact, which is a misprint.
Here is a website about saving the Trylon Theater.
It’s sort of ironic that the only movie I have ever seen in this great gem of a theater is “A Stranger Among Us”, considering they are turning it into a Bukharian Center….
I saw it there around 1994 (give or take), and it was like walking into a timewarp. The interior was beautiful, and they still opened and closed the curtains between the previews and the movies, and at the end of the movie.
I always wanted to go back, but it wasn’t to be.
What a tragedy.
What a tragedy. Unfortunately, it appears it is just about too late, if the jackhammers have begun. Unrepairable damage appears to have already been done.
I really enjoyed this theater, it’s a real shame that this is happening. Apparently with each passing day, the poor Trylon is falling deaper and deaper into the world of no return like so many other theaters have seen in their fate.
VERY URGENT/PRESERVATION ALERT: Community Calls for A Halt To Further Demolition of The Trylon Theater:
A 1939 Worldâ€\s Fair Historic Gem!!!
FOREST HILLS, N.Y. (August 10, 2005) â€" Members of the community of Forest Hills and others are appalled at the plight of their 1939 Art Deco/Art Moderne Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Blvd, in Forest Hills. The historic theater is being demolished day by day, and unsympathetically converted into a Bukharian center. Many Forest Hills, Rego Park, as well as residents in other boroughs, feel strongly about the preservation of the historic Trylon Theater. It was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, boarding up and dismantling the entrance pavilion, and gutting the interior.
The Trylon Theater is one of the last standing architectural, cultural, & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World’s Fair. The theme of the fair was the “World of Tomorrow,†and exhibits were intended to emphasize how technology would make life better for everyone. The fairâ€\s enduring image was the “Trylon and Perisphere.†The exterior and interior of the Trylon Theater bear resemblance to the Trylon pyramid and the Perisphere globe. One of the most striking features of the Trylon Theater is the exterior box office and floor, which contains mosaic inlaid tiles, depicting the design of the 1939 Worldâ€\s Fair “Trylon.â€
It is of utmost importance to have the Trylon Theaterâ€\s façade and entrance pavilion landmarked, and to restore what was lost during the ill-conceived conversion.
Those involved in the public funding as well as the administration and programming for the Bukharian center should adhere to the concept of preservation of this neighborhood icon, rather than demolition.
“The historical and architectural significance of the Trylon calls out for an architect who is sensitive and respectful of the original features, while adapting the site to a Bukharian center,†said Mitchell Grubler, Executive director of the Queens Historical Society. Act now!
**To lend your support: Please contact (Journalist/Preservationist) & send carbon copies to (Art Deco Society of NY) & (Historic Districts Council) & THIS IS A PRESERVATION EMERGENCY!!! Call Councilwoman Melinda Katz(718-544-8800) who was the only member who opposed landmark designation & is responsible for this ACT OF DESTRUCTION. Also e-mail her at .ny.us
Citywide Effort To Halt Demolition of The Trylon Theater: A 1939 Art Deco Queens Landmark
REGO PARK, NY (August 10, 2005) – Since its closure in late 1999, community groups, historic preservationists, and the local media have tried to clarify the fate of the iconic Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Boulevard.
Sadly, the property is now undergoing profound alteration for its new use as a social services facility for the Bukharian community. At this writing, the entrance pavilion has been walled off, façade features have been destroyed, and the interior is being gutted. Original painted murals, decorative tilework depicting the Trylon and Perisphere (the 1939 New York World’s Fair symbols), and marquee elements have all been destroyed and no salvage is being conducted.
Appeals to NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and NYC Councilwoman Melinda Katz to halt the destruction and achieve a preservation-minded adaptive reuse plan for the defunct theater have been unsuccessful thus far. The Art Deco Society of New York (ADSNY) and the Historic Districts Council (HDC) have spearheaded the effort to intervene — even at this late stage — to protect the outstanding and unique Art Deco property.
The Trylon Theater, designed by Joseph Unger, reflects the cultural impact of the 1939 World’s Fair and its theme of “The World of Tomorrow,” in decorative tiles, murals, and overall aesthetics. The streamlined Art Deco property is a rare surviving neighborhood movie theater due to the loss of hundreds of such buildings in New York and meets criteria to become a designated and protected Historic Landmark.
**To lend your support: Please contact (Journalist/Preservationist) & send carbon copies to (Art Deco Society of NY) & (Historic Districts Council) & THIS IS A PRESERVATION EMERGENCY!!! Call Councilwoman Melinda Katz(718-544-8800) who was the only member who opposed landmark designation & is responsible for this ACT OF DESTRUCTION. Also e-mail her at .ny.us
URGENT (Please read): Many Forest Hills and Rego Park, NY residents feel strongly about the preservation of the Art Deco/Moderne Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd). However, last week it was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, & boarding up the entrance pavillion. It is going to be converted into a Bukharian Center. I tried contacting the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to have at least the facade landmarked, since it is one of the LAST STANDING architectural & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World’s Fair. The LPC told me that they are aware of it, and they’re concerned as well, but they are slow in acting. They advised me to also contact other historical societies/preservation groups, and spread the word. Hopefully, we can have the Trylon theater landmarked, and possibly coordinate a fundraiser to restore the exterior. I understand that the demolition of the RKO Keith Theatre in Flushing was halted by the city a little while ago, & is currently undergoing a restoration.
I was informed by a higher official that there is still a chance that the 1939 historic Trylon Theater can be saved, designated a landmark, & then a fundraiser/restoration can be organized. The only factor that is “preventing landmark designation” from the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission is a signature from local councilwoman, “Melinda Katz,” who is reluctant to give her approval. We need detailed letters, phone calls, & E-mails to Councilwoman Melinda Katz. It is not too late to convince her to reverse her decision! (This has to be a LOCAL & NATIONWIDE effort)
**CONTACT ASAP (1ST): COUNCILWOMAN MELINDA KATZ
104-01 METROPOLITAN AVE
FOREST HILLS, N.Y. 11375-6735
(718) 544-8800
.ny.us
PLEASE CC: ROBERT B. TIERNEY, CHAIR
NYC LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION
1 CENTRE ST, 9TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007
PHONE/FAX: (212) 669-7955
.gov
Co-Chair of the Modern Architecture Working Group & Historic Districts Council would like to be contacted as well, so he can keep track of how many letters are being sent:
John Jurayj: E-mail:
Phone: (718)782-2007
More specifically, click on :
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044345/
to go right to it.
Those wishing to research “Times Gone By”, or any film of interest to them, may do so most profitably on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) :
www.imdb.com
Fascinating, RobertR, great get glimpses of so many of our local theaters in their heydays. The movie at the Trylon is surprising. A search of the IMDB indicates that “Times Gone By” is an obscure Italian anthology film that was already 2 years old at the time — not what we of the 1960’s and 70’s cohort would have expected to find at the Trylon. By enlarging and squinting at the featured players, it looks like the film may have been promoted as part of the Gina Lollabrigida craze, though her actualy part is so small that I had to go WAY down the cast list to find her.
There is a small ad from the Trylon on the bottom of this page from 1954
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The architect that I found credited with designing the Trylon Theater was Joseph Unger.
In the days when Interboro had the Trylon it was more of a second run double bill house, and then started to get some of the first run showcase films. Loews actually booked this theatre well when they took it over. “Saturday Night Fever”, “Looking For Mr GoodBar”, “Flashdance” all played at least 6 months each. One of the last times I remember it selling out show after show was “Indecent Proposal”.
My memories of the Trylon strt in the late 1960’s. I seem to recall it as a poor relation to the first run houses a few blocks up Queens Blvd. [Midway, Forest Hills, Continental] I remember it as a second run house at that time that played a lot of double features. for instance I remember seeing Help on a double with Two For The Road. I moved back to the area in the early 1980’s and went their often, but the crowds were going elsewhere and the place was not well maintained. Still it was always fun to sit in the Balcony, and I always loved the Art Deco feel of the place
I remember so well seeing “Orca” here in 1977, by no means a great film but summer fun anyways.
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