New Metro Twin closes; Owner plans to scrap interior

NEW YORK, NY — According to this report from the New York Times, the New Metro Twin has closed for good and the theater’s owner is planning to gut the interior.

While the theater’s exterior has been an official landmark since 1989, the interior does not have the same protections. (You can see a few shots of the interior here.)

Mr. Bialek has been authorized by the Landmarks Preservation Commission to demolish the interior of the Metro, whose exterior was declared a landmark in 1989. He said he is considering leasing the space to a dinner theater, a restaurant or a store, or perhaps reopening it as a multiplex.

This is indeed a sad day for moviegoers in Manhattan. The megaplexes continue to eat away at the city’s remaining single and twin screen moviehouses.

(Thanks to Howard Haas for sending this in!)