Here’s a link to the NYPL digital collection with a photo of the building. There are other photos of the rest of the block too. Also, there is a sign just below the eighth floor that reads Manhattan something-or-the-other. Anyone know what this might have been? It is unreadable even in a blow-up of the photo. View link
Thank you Warren. I thought that might be the building mentioned. I looked something like the other former power station that still survives on Third and 99th Street.
Click on the photo once to enlarge it and then click on “view verso” (at top) to read the caption. You can return to the photo by clicking on “view front”. You can also also blow the picture way up, a little at a time, by clicking on “pan and zoom”. The building being demolished is at the base of the tower and they appear to have been structurally the same building. Part of the tower remains and can be seen on views of the area on Local.live.com.
Warren, the photo of the Fox being demolished is dated 1941 and the building is across Nevins from the Fox Theatre of more recent fame. If you go to the NYPL Digital Gallery and search for image 704179F you can see the photo in question.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac for 1916 lists the Casino as being on Flatbush near State Street, seating 1687 and C.W.Daniels as manager and the Oxford as being on State near Flatbush, seating 774 and O.Muller as manager.
I recently came across a photo dated October 20, 1941 showing “…the old Fox Theatre building being razed. The new Fox is on the left.” The tower (shown in the photo) was obviously part of the old building, across Nevins Street from the new building. Part of the tower is still standing and can be seen in air views of the area on Local.live.com. This tower predates the existence of even the old Fox and can be seen in photos as far back as 1905 where it is identified as part of the Fulton and Flatbush Storage Company. Does anyone know anything about this “old” Fox Theatre?
I noticed a note from Jerry L. (11-9-05) saying he attended Pratt from 1952 to 1956 and was an artist. I also attended Pratt, but from 1953 to 1957. I was in the advertising dept. of the art school and I’m curious as to what you studied. I even have a yearbook from that class as I was friends with the art director, Shelley Streisand whose sister Barbra has since become fairly famous.
Did the Fox have a tall clock tower? I have seen different photos of the Brooklyn skyline with a tower identified as (1) the Fox Theater tower and as (2) the Fulton and Flatbush Storage Company tower.
That photo appears in ‘Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs’ and is confirmed as 1926. Can’t decide if the mailman is delivering laundry as a second job or if the laundry is farming out their wagons to the postal service! I lived in Boerum Hill for 30 years and the gas station is very familiar. Interesting to see what was there before.
The theater that was moved had a large sign lettered on it’s side saying “Col.Sinn’s Montauk Theatre” and that was a 1750 seat theatre which opened in Sept. 1895. See View link for some interesting photos.
I have also found this theatre listed the Sagamore on t 1908 Bromley map of the area. I have been researching this (formerly) Montauk as well as the New Montauk at Livingston and Hanover streets nearby.
Yes, it must have been the Alhambra. I tried to think back to the late 40s when my mother took me down to Sunday School and Church on the Putnam trolley and I was sure I remembered the theater being at one of the turns onto or off of Wyckoff. But I guess I was wrong as looking at the remains of the building via Local.live I see that it fits what I remember – a corner building with a corner entrance and marque. We also used that line to get to downtown Brooklyn when I went to the optometrist and optician in the Williamsburg Bank building.
I would love to see any photos of the Alhambra as it once looked. It took a little effort to find out just which theatre I was looking for as I wasn’t sure of the exact location. I used to pass it regularly on the trolley back in the 40s and remember it as a nice looking theatre though I was never inside. Is the posting signed Prattpreservation from a present Pratt student? I’m curious since I attended Pratt 1953-7 with a major in Advertising Design.
Does anyone remember a large theatre (along the lines of the Madison) on the corner of Wyckoff and either Weirfield or, more likely, Centre? I used to see it from the Putnam trolley back in the 40s and looked on Local.live but there’s no semblence of the building left.
You’re probably right about the quality of the vaudeville, Warren. I remember meeting a friend of one of my parent’s friends once who claimed she appeared as a singer every once in a while at the Madison in the vaudeville. As a child I was impressed, but we later found out she was an amateur and had a regular day job doing something totally different. Of course that doesn’t mean she might not have been talented anyway. BTW I noticed the Bushwick boys site mentioned above. Does anyone know an equivalent site for former Ridegewood boys?
oodygdin
I just want to make a slight correction to Warren’s post of Feb. 11, 2004 concerning vaudeville at the Madison being discontinued in 1932. It was still around in the mid forties when I was a kid as I remember the sign advertising it, though it was on Tuesday nights only. Of course, in addition to that there was the double feature. You certainly got your money’s worth! I also remember the live chicken market (which was replaced by a diner eventually) in the triangle across the street from the Madison. I think that was still there well into the fifties.
oodygdin
I think the confusion over the location of the Parthenon is due to postal zones. We lived several blocks further into Queens (on Putnam at Woodward Avenue) and had a Brooklyn zip code (11227) as the PO was actually in Brooklyn on Cypress Avenue. This led to confusion when out of town visitors couldn’t find us in the Brooklyn phone book. It often never occured to them that a city could have five phone books!
oodygdin
Thanks and I think you’re right – it could very well be that. I can’t find and cross reference to that. Maybe someone else has heard of this.
Here’s a link to the NYPL digital collection with a photo of the building. There are other photos of the rest of the block too. Also, there is a sign just below the eighth floor that reads Manhattan something-or-the-other. Anyone know what this might have been? It is unreadable even in a blow-up of the photo.
View link
Often there are Photobucket links on Cinematreasures but I don’t seem to be able to access them. What’s the secret?
Thank you Warren. I thought that might be the building mentioned. I looked something like the other former power station that still survives on Third and 99th Street.
Was this theater the building that was once the Third Avenue el substation mentioned in the the book about that line called “By the El”?
Click on the photo once to enlarge it and then click on “view verso” (at top) to read the caption. You can return to the photo by clicking on “view front”. You can also also blow the picture way up, a little at a time, by clicking on “pan and zoom”. The building being demolished is at the base of the tower and they appear to have been structurally the same building. Part of the tower remains and can be seen on views of the area on Local.live.com.
Warren, the photo of the Fox being demolished is dated 1941 and the building is across Nevins from the Fox Theatre of more recent fame. If you go to the NYPL Digital Gallery and search for image 704179F you can see the photo in question.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac for 1916 lists the Casino as being on Flatbush near State Street, seating 1687 and C.W.Daniels as manager and the Oxford as being on State near Flatbush, seating 774 and O.Muller as manager.
I recently came across a photo dated October 20, 1941 showing “…the old Fox Theatre building being razed. The new Fox is on the left.” The tower (shown in the photo) was obviously part of the old building, across Nevins Street from the new building. Part of the tower is still standing and can be seen in air views of the area on Local.live.com. This tower predates the existence of even the old Fox and can be seen in photos as far back as 1905 where it is identified as part of the Fulton and Flatbush Storage Company. Does anyone know anything about this “old” Fox Theatre?
I noticed a note from Jerry L. (11-9-05) saying he attended Pratt from 1952 to 1956 and was an artist. I also attended Pratt, but from 1953 to 1957. I was in the advertising dept. of the art school and I’m curious as to what you studied. I even have a yearbook from that class as I was friends with the art director, Shelley Streisand whose sister Barbra has since become fairly famous.
Did the Fox have a tall clock tower? I have seen different photos of the Brooklyn skyline with a tower identified as (1) the Fox Theater tower and as (2) the Fulton and Flatbush Storage Company tower.
That photo appears in ‘Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs’ and is confirmed as 1926. Can’t decide if the mailman is delivering laundry as a second job or if the laundry is farming out their wagons to the postal service! I lived in Boerum Hill for 30 years and the gas station is very familiar. Interesting to see what was there before.
The theater that was moved had a large sign lettered on it’s side saying “Col.Sinn’s Montauk Theatre” and that was a 1750 seat theatre which opened in Sept. 1895. See View link for some interesting photos.
I have also found this theatre listed the Sagamore on t 1908 Bromley map of the area. I have been researching this (formerly) Montauk as well as the New Montauk at Livingston and Hanover streets nearby.
Yes, it must have been the Alhambra. I tried to think back to the late 40s when my mother took me down to Sunday School and Church on the Putnam trolley and I was sure I remembered the theater being at one of the turns onto or off of Wyckoff. But I guess I was wrong as looking at the remains of the building via Local.live I see that it fits what I remember – a corner building with a corner entrance and marque. We also used that line to get to downtown Brooklyn when I went to the optometrist and optician in the Williamsburg Bank building.
I would love to see any photos of the Alhambra as it once looked. It took a little effort to find out just which theatre I was looking for as I wasn’t sure of the exact location. I used to pass it regularly on the trolley back in the 40s and remember it as a nice looking theatre though I was never inside. Is the posting signed Prattpreservation from a present Pratt student? I’m curious since I attended Pratt 1953-7 with a major in Advertising Design.
Does anyone remember a large theatre (along the lines of the Madison) on the corner of Wyckoff and either Weirfield or, more likely, Centre? I used to see it from the Putnam trolley back in the 40s and looked on Local.live but there’s no semblence of the building left.
You’re probably right about the quality of the vaudeville, Warren. I remember meeting a friend of one of my parent’s friends once who claimed she appeared as a singer every once in a while at the Madison in the vaudeville. As a child I was impressed, but we later found out she was an amateur and had a regular day job doing something totally different. Of course that doesn’t mean she might not have been talented anyway. BTW I noticed the Bushwick boys site mentioned above. Does anyone know an equivalent site for former Ridegewood boys?
oodygdin
I just want to make a slight correction to Warren’s post of Feb. 11, 2004 concerning vaudeville at the Madison being discontinued in 1932. It was still around in the mid forties when I was a kid as I remember the sign advertising it, though it was on Tuesday nights only. Of course, in addition to that there was the double feature. You certainly got your money’s worth! I also remember the live chicken market (which was replaced by a diner eventually) in the triangle across the street from the Madison. I think that was still there well into the fifties.
oodygdin
I think the confusion over the location of the Parthenon is due to postal zones. We lived several blocks further into Queens (on Putnam at Woodward Avenue) and had a Brooklyn zip code (11227) as the PO was actually in Brooklyn on Cypress Avenue. This led to confusion when out of town visitors couldn’t find us in the Brooklyn phone book. It often never occured to them that a city could have five phone books!
oodygdin