Nice pictures Warren
In picture #2 the Liberty store cashiers counter is where those boxes used to be.
But picture #4 still puzzles me, did the marble staircase lead up to that opening at the left of the balcony? Is todays staircase to the furniture dept the opening to the right? Judging by the size of the balcony, it appears their is a wall running through the middle of the balcony, as Bway had mentioned previously,perhaps there are some remnants behind that wall, if it is divided. It appeared that way when I visited last year, not to mention the floor being leveled. The opening in the middle is also a mystery, it must be concealed also, or just filled in. I would love to see what exists above that drop ceiling. Maybe the chandelier is still there.
Nice photo Warren, as a Cinema Treasures member who never set foot in Madison as an active theater I am quite impressed by its ornate architecture. Having been in the Liberty storerecently,I really find it saddening that some of its beauty was not retained, they actually hammered that marble staircase away to make more room. And those columns also were destroyed.As Bway mentioned they literally hacked until there was nothing left. The only remnants of the former lobby and orchestra must be above the ceiling, and somewhere in the balcony, where the furniture store exists. So this view in the photo must be looking to the right as you enter the store,where there is a staircase behind double doors.
I recall some time ago that the city was attempting to rebuild the Wollman ice skating rink in Central Park, and of course it took several months to complete due to poor workmanship and planning, until developer Donald trump stepped in and got it finished correctly in half the time. This is exactly the kind of person we need to purchase the property and restore the Keith’s to its former glory.
Lets not confuse King Kong with Tommy Huang. Perhaps the late Donald Manes could be King Kong, he did start an illegal transaction with Mr. Manes sealing the fate of a once proud movie venue. I see Mr. Huang more as Godzilla.
God comments Bway & PKoch, I hope that the Ridgewood will go the way that Major League Baseball has, incorporating modern amenities in its facilities, while respecting its past by keeping all the charm and elegance of an early 20 th century venue.
Nice photos of the Carlton Warren.
Quick question about the photo carlton3.jpg. Looking at the edge of the balcony, theres several faces that appear, any knowledge of who they may be?
PKoch,
I’m hoping this was not a situation that I will keep telling myself that I should have done, much like visiting the Madison as an active theater.
I passed by the Ridgewood Theater today, May 13,on Cypress Ave and Madison St., the door to the stage house was open ,with a group of middle aged gentlemen standing outside, looking dismayed. If I was not attending to my company business, I would have stopped to look inside, to take in the one part of the theater I would have never seen. Perhaps there was some preliminary construction work going on.
My mother mentioned to be that one of our neighbors participated in a talent show at the Ridgewood several years ago.
It could also be used for graduation ceremonies and assemblies for local schools.
Thanks J.D. & PKoch for your postings,
I could not find any info regarding the nickelodeon, hopefully its somewhere playing its happy tunes for others to enjoy.
I’m sure all who posted here regarding Jahn’s had many memories of a once proud old fashioned ice cream parlor, but the one for me that stands out the most was that “player piano” nickelodeon. I was very fascinated by its charm and the music that it played while I dined there. I hope it was at least preserved and brought to a place where it can be appreciated and cared for.
New York Dave,
There is a diner/coffee shop diagonally across the street from Corato’s pizza, about two doors to the left of the candy store. There was a catering hall to the right and under the el of the former Maasbach’s restaurant during the 70’s called Pelegrinos', which was a popular catering hall that I beleive closed in the 80’s, hope that jogs the memory.
Interesting, the same technology you mention is still being used today in most commercial buildings today, often referred to as a chiller/heater, which as you mentioned, used heated or chilled water to circulate throughout the building. The only difference is that the
medium used as a refrigerant is either freon, ammonia, or lithium bromide, which is a sort of brine salt solution.
The plenum you mention is the space between the ceiling and roof, and perhaps contained the anchoring assembly to have the chandelier raised or lowered for maintenance, and also is used in today’s buildings for the return air.
Thats an incredible amount of cooling Warren,considering air conditioning buildings was relatively a new invention in ‘34. An average size window air conditioner can deliver one ton of cooling which translates to 12,000 BTU or British Thermal Units. Considering Madison’s square footage, thats a staggering 90,000 BTU,s per hour, enough to keep you in a sweater on a hot day.
Any information on its heating system?
MrBill,
I lived in Glendale for many years and never attended Madison as an active theater, so after joining Cinema Treasures,and reading all the recollections of past Madison patrons, I decided to go there to see it firsthand as a department store. Unfortunately, the interior has few remnants of Madison’s glory days. The balcony’s outline edge is still visible, and of course the balcony itself is open, known today as the furniture department. The exterior has some changes,like a sign where the marquee once was, and the faded painted Madison sign on its right. Look forward to hearing about your tour, enjoy!
Re: United Nations Week,that was a lot of dough back in ‘43, I wonder if we had a collection like that today,how much would be raised on the “war on Terror?”
Nice story NewYorkDave, thanks for sharing.
Looking around NYC these days, its apparent that there is no longer any respect for places from the past. The closing of Jahn’s really his home with me on this point, instead of preserving the past, such as landmarking and preserving historic homes, businesses and the like,these links to the past are sadly being destroyed in the name of nothing but profit,and its evil twin,greed.
NewYorkDave mentioned Coney Island in his post,like Jahn’s its a very special place to me and many others,where I spent many times in my life enjoying its unique New York atmosphere, one which can never be replaced once its gone.
Nice pictures Warren
In picture #2 the Liberty store cashiers counter is where those boxes used to be.
But picture #4 still puzzles me, did the marble staircase lead up to that opening at the left of the balcony? Is todays staircase to the furniture dept the opening to the right? Judging by the size of the balcony, it appears their is a wall running through the middle of the balcony, as Bway had mentioned previously,perhaps there are some remnants behind that wall, if it is divided. It appeared that way when I visited last year, not to mention the floor being leveled. The opening in the middle is also a mystery, it must be concealed also, or just filled in. I would love to see what exists above that drop ceiling. Maybe the chandelier is still there.
Nice photo Warren, as a Cinema Treasures member who never set foot in Madison as an active theater I am quite impressed by its ornate architecture. Having been in the Liberty storerecently,I really find it saddening that some of its beauty was not retained, they actually hammered that marble staircase away to make more room. And those columns also were destroyed.As Bway mentioned they literally hacked until there was nothing left. The only remnants of the former lobby and orchestra must be above the ceiling, and somewhere in the balcony, where the furniture store exists. So this view in the photo must be looking to the right as you enter the store,where there is a staircase behind double doors.
Indeed,downtown Flushing residents do not seem a bit interested in preservation.
I recall some time ago that the city was attempting to rebuild the Wollman ice skating rink in Central Park, and of course it took several months to complete due to poor workmanship and planning, until developer Donald trump stepped in and got it finished correctly in half the time. This is exactly the kind of person we need to purchase the property and restore the Keith’s to its former glory.
Lets not confuse King Kong with Tommy Huang. Perhaps the late Donald Manes could be King Kong, he did start an illegal transaction with Mr. Manes sealing the fate of a once proud movie venue. I see Mr. Huang more as Godzilla.
Yes, the Italian Restaurant across the street is Aunt Bella’s, and is still there today.
PKoch,
Thank you, I was one step ahead of the spell check feature until I clicked submit, my bad!
Pardon my spelling, GOOD comments guys, I will leave the God comments for church!
God comments Bway & PKoch, I hope that the Ridgewood will go the way that Major League Baseball has, incorporating modern amenities in its facilities, while respecting its past by keeping all the charm and elegance of an early 20 th century venue.
Nice photos of the Carlton Warren.
Quick question about the photo carlton3.jpg. Looking at the edge of the balcony, theres several faces that appear, any knowledge of who they may be?
Indeed, curiosity does pay off, and I will make future attempts to see if any of the doors to the theater are open and report back.
PKoch,
I’m hoping this was not a situation that I will keep telling myself that I should have done, much like visiting the Madison as an active theater.
I passed by the Ridgewood Theater today, May 13,on Cypress Ave and Madison St., the door to the stage house was open ,with a group of middle aged gentlemen standing outside, looking dismayed. If I was not attending to my company business, I would have stopped to look inside, to take in the one part of the theater I would have never seen. Perhaps there was some preliminary construction work going on.
My mother mentioned to be that one of our neighbors participated in a talent show at the Ridgewood several years ago.
It could also be used for graduation ceremonies and assemblies for local schools.
Thanks J.D. & PKoch for your postings,
I could not find any info regarding the nickelodeon, hopefully its somewhere playing its happy tunes for others to enjoy.
Will do PKoch
I’m sure all who posted here regarding Jahn’s had many memories of a once proud old fashioned ice cream parlor, but the one for me that stands out the most was that “player piano” nickelodeon. I was very fascinated by its charm and the music that it played while I dined there. I hope it was at least preserved and brought to a place where it can be appreciated and cared for.
New York Dave,
There is a diner/coffee shop diagonally across the street from Corato’s pizza, about two doors to the left of the candy store. There was a catering hall to the right and under the el of the former Maasbach’s restaurant during the 70’s called Pelegrinos', which was a popular catering hall that I beleive closed in the 80’s, hope that jogs the memory.
Thanks for the photos of the Oasis Warren, spent many Saturday matinées there in my youth, and the memories came back after seeing the some what plain interior.
Perhaps it was inevitable that Ridgewood’s 91 year consecutive run would end was inevitable, although many beleive it not,a friend told me the Saturday matinée drew many,it was not enough to save it. The receipts for a weekday show drew a profit as low as $42.Although I feel as many do, seeing a movie at a theater is far superior to viewing a home movie,it was a victim of the times.It appears that many older establishments of yesteryear cannot survive modern society.With greedy developers wanting more dollars, amusement venues such as single screen theaters,drive ins,bowling alleys, arcades and even Coney Island amusements, not to mention Jahn’s, Durow’s and St. Savior’s church cannot make a profit to survive.Even a trip to the
ballpark,which are being redeveloped due to the profit margin,which was once a playground for all, is leaning towards the rich, with smaller capacity and higher prices.So now the building trend is now to create high priced condos, and no entertainment venues.It appears new York is now becoming a city for the very wealthy, with no respect for the very places that made it a great city for all to live in.The proposal to convert Ridgewood to a retail and movie establishment should be rejected, echoing the very fate that the Madison had some years earlier.It should either be saved and restored to a historic performing arts and film venue, or destroyed altogether for retail use in the name of profit.
Interesting, the same technology you mention is still being used today in most commercial buildings today, often referred to as a chiller/heater, which as you mentioned, used heated or chilled water to circulate throughout the building. The only difference is that the
medium used as a refrigerant is either freon, ammonia, or lithium bromide, which is a sort of brine salt solution.
The plenum you mention is the space between the ceiling and roof, and perhaps contained the anchoring assembly to have the chandelier raised or lowered for maintenance, and also is used in today’s buildings for the return air.
Thats an incredible amount of cooling Warren,considering air conditioning buildings was relatively a new invention in ‘34. An average size window air conditioner can deliver one ton of cooling which translates to 12,000 BTU or British Thermal Units. Considering Madison’s square footage, thats a staggering 90,000 BTU,s per hour, enough to keep you in a sweater on a hot day.
Any information on its heating system?
MrBill,
I lived in Glendale for many years and never attended Madison as an active theater, so after joining Cinema Treasures,and reading all the recollections of past Madison patrons, I decided to go there to see it firsthand as a department store. Unfortunately, the interior has few remnants of Madison’s glory days. The balcony’s outline edge is still visible, and of course the balcony itself is open, known today as the furniture department. The exterior has some changes,like a sign where the marquee once was, and the faded painted Madison sign on its right. Look forward to hearing about your tour, enjoy!
Re: United Nations Week,that was a lot of dough back in ‘43, I wonder if we had a collection like that today,how much would be raised on the “war on Terror?”
Nice story NewYorkDave, thanks for sharing.
Looking around NYC these days, its apparent that there is no longer any respect for places from the past. The closing of Jahn’s really his home with me on this point, instead of preserving the past, such as landmarking and preserving historic homes, businesses and the like,these links to the past are sadly being destroyed in the name of nothing but profit,and its evil twin,greed.
NewYorkDave mentioned Coney Island in his post,like Jahn’s its a very special place to me and many others,where I spent many times in my life enjoying its unique New York atmosphere, one which can never be replaced once its gone.