Polk Theater
93-09 37th Avenue,
Jackson Heights,
NY
11372
93-09 37th Avenue,
Jackson Heights,
NY
11372
7 people
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I know the owner of this theatre who has had it since the early 60’s. Except from years of being run down as a porno house, all of its art deco elements are still there. I saw the theatre with the porters cleaning lights on, and if it was painted and had new seats, screen and carpet wold be a mini gem almost as nice as the Loews Trylon. The marquee is so 1940’s it should have landmark status.
The 599-seat theatre was christened as the Polk Avenue (original name of 37th Avenue) and first opened in 1938. Charles Sandblom was the architect, with Jupo Amusement Corp. the owner. The construction cost, including all the equipment but not the underlying land, was $85,000. The auditorium was semi-modern, with draped panels on the side walls, which sort of curved into the proscenium. The screen, covered by curtains that could be controlled from the projection booth, was flat against the back wall, with no room for a stage. The stepped ceiling had a central trough with cove lighting and ducts for the air-conditioning system. The theatre’s most unusual feature was the neon-bordered marquee, which carried only the name “POLK AVE,” also in neon, on all three sides. Mounted under the marquee but halfway back was a triangular attraction board, two sides of which had three rows for changeable letters (black against white glass)…The Polk Avenue was the last theatre built in the vicinity of Corona’s Junction Boulevard shopping precinct and showed late-run mainstream movies for most of its life. Its nearest competition was the Granada Theatre, further east on Polk Avenue, and the Corona Theatre on Junction Boulevard.
The owner of this theatre has had it since the early 60’s. It used to play second run double bills. In the late eightys he attempted to play porno by day and second run at night but never cleaned up the place or gave it a chance.