Elmwood Theatre
57-02 Hoffman Drive,
Elmhurst,
NY
11373
57-02 Hoffman Drive,
Elmhurst,
NY
11373
24 people
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Showing 176 - 193 of 193 comments
Does this mean the Elmwood is reopening as a theater?
I’m a reporter working on a story about renovations at the Elmwood and I would love include some people’s memories of what the place was like when the theater was open.
That plan was scrapped along with the plan Loews had that made them let the Elmwood go. That area is soooo congested with traffic, and alot of the Forest Hills crowd wont venture that far when we have the Midway and Cinemart.
When Viva Las Vegas played there, I believe it was Dorothy Kilgallen who commented in her column that she might be witnessing the end of an era, because she noticed that they billed Ann-Margaret over Elvis Presley.
Too loose or tight, the Trylon is too great great a treasure to lose.
During the 60s, I lived in Rego Park when the Trylon, Drake and Elmwood were in full operation. They were all maintained with the Elmwood getting the first run films. I remember seeing THE CINNCINATI KID at the Elmwood one afternoon when all of New York was at a stanstill because of the subway strike, and I also remember seeing the ticket seller with lit candle sitting guard in the Drake’s ticket booth the night of the first blackout. I agree the Trylon is too great a treasure too loose.
The Rock Community Church is trying to restore the Elmwood to its original beauty. They have already installed a new ceiling, and they are going to duplicate the Spanish Castle that is surrounding the stage area. Half of the castle was destroyed due to the lack of maintenance through the years. If anyone has pictures, I am sure they could use them while trying to restore the interior.
When Loews bought the Elmwood from Interboro it was still a huge single. The twinning was done around the time of Blue Lagoon. It also was a triplex for awhile If I remember right. I think they split the downstairs in half and left upstairs alone for awhile. The problem was Interboro had long ago painted the whole interior royal blue totally covering up any gilding or ornateness.
When was the elmwood divided up into four theaters? I had seen a few movies there, the last one back in the mid 80’s was “Back to the Future”. For the life of me, I can’t remember if it already was chopped up. I think I remember it being one theater at that time, but it’s nearly 20 years ago, so really can’t really say for sure.
the name of the treatre where joeAbbracciamento is was the drake theater
it was seen in howard stern’s private parts
In 2001 I moved into Rego Park, the neighborhood “next door†to Elmhurst, and “discovered†the Elmwood Theatre for myself on my first walk to the Queen’s Center mall. I have since watched with dismay what seemed like the slow death of yet another New York treasure. I could never bring myself to see any of the movies that played there while it was still open; from the shabby treatment of the exterior (marquee, lobby and ticket booth encased in cheap generic siding) I got a sense that the interior was probably trashed beyond hope; what did give me some hope that this grand old dame might survive was the news in these commentaries. I just passd the theatre this afternoon and saw that the sidwalk around it is now boarded off. Is this a sign of renovation or demolition?
P.S., another local “ghost†theater I have kept my eye on is the beautiful little deco palace the Trylon. One would think that Queensborough Hall would go out of its way to salavage a relic of the era of the fabled 1939 World’s Fair, especially they are so keen these days to promote the legacy of the old Fairgrounds as the possible site of the 2012 Olympics. And does anyone know the identity of the movie theater once occupying the space which is now the Joe Abbracciamento Restaurant on Woodhaven Blvd.? There’s still a marquee… looks like a duotone brick Deco from the 30s or 40s…
The Elmwood used to be so well maintained except in its last few years when its closing was pending and a new mega-plex planned for across the street in the Queens Center. That all fell through the Elmwood and magnificent Trylon sit shuttered.
I remember seeing Pulp Fiction here. Back in 1999: I seen South Park in mid-august with no air-conditioning,that theatre was hot as hell.
Passed the theatre yesterday. STOP WORK order from the buildings department on the door. I hope the Rock Community Church does not abandon the theatre and move elsewhere.
I want to restore & reopen The Elmwood. Does ANYONE have any ideas on how I can start this process? I like a good church as much as the next person however, I think it would be a crying shame to see that great theatre turned into a roadside bible-beater’s club. Any ideas? Contact me at:
Thanks!
The Rock Community Church is currently renovating the building. It looks like the Elmwood will be, pardon the pun, “saved.”
My Junior High School graduation was held in the huge auditorium several years before it was divided by four. I can’t recall much about it’s interior architectural elements, however. I’d been back to see movies there while it was a quartet, but as I recall, any ornamentation in the auditoriums were either stripped away or concealed during the conversion.
The Elmwood is now closed.