Paramount Theatre

The paramount was closed in the early 1970s after a short run as an adult movie theatre. The grand ole gal was soon after converted into one of Staten Islands premiere dance clubs, featuring many popular rock groups on it's huge stage.After a couple of years of bad management the paramount was again closed. To there credit the people running the club did their best to treat the Paramount with respect. A new heating system was installed and only 1/3 of the orchestra seating was removed to allow dancing.The stage was intact and used frequently. The remaining seating in the orchestra ,as well as the balcony was left intact. Above the orchestra, attached to the front of the balcony hung the Paramount neon sign that came from the Paramount theatre in New York which was donated by a collector.Today the Paramount sits with a for sale/lease sign awaiting her next role.

Designed by the firm, Rapp and Rapp.

The Paramount originally seating 2,500, but was diminished to 2,000 seats in 1961. It had one screen. The Theatre was unique because it had not one, but two pipe organs. (source: Going to the Movies on Staten Island by Colin Reed. I highly recommend it!)

Recent news is that the theatre's exterior will remain while the rest of it will be demolished to make way for a high rise.

You get a perfect view of the Paramount from the Staten Island Rapid Transit when it makes the Stapleton stop right across the way. While the area's seen better times, the small-town charm is still evident from up there, with the theater and the old commercial buildings against the backdrop of private homes clustered along the wooded rise. What is also evident from that vantagepoint is how preposterous a highrise would be in that location.

I once worked the Paramount and attended many, many movies there as a kid and young adult, it was my favorite theater. Prior to the building being sold, Stephanie Gilmore,who was at the time restoring another theater, and I toured the Paramount with the owner. What we found was very disturbing, the theater had been neglected and in very bad condition.The beautiful mirrors in the main lobby had been removed and the walls painted grey and the lighting fixtures had all been removed. The restrooms looked as though a bomb had gone off inside, just debris and garbage everywere
Then we went into the main auditorium which was once grand and ornate was anything but. The ceiling had been leaking for a long time so the walls were water stained and the paint peeling, most of the walls had been painted black. The seats, which originally numbered at about 2000, were removed and the space littered with junk and boxes belonging to the owner. We made our way through the rubble to the stage and climbed up amoung the many boxes strewed around. The stage floor had also been damaged by water and was I thought dangerous to walk on. Looking up I saw the original Cinemascope screen up in the flies waiting to come down and reflect those wonderful images once again, but alas that was never, I thought, ever going to happen again.The main screen curtain had been torn down by a rock group which played there a few years prior when the grand ole gal was used as a nightclub, I'm told that they just tore it down and threw it in to the crowd, later to be thrown away.
Our next stop was the balcony, which still had the 500 seats still in place, this was the only thing so far that had not been distroyed or damaged by the savages that had previously rented the theater.I sat in one of the seats and weeped, I remember saying out loud, what have they done to you. Next stop was the projection room, which had been stripped of everything, there was nothing at all left in the room, I asked the owner what happened to the projection equipment, but he did not know.
The Paramount was truly dead. I am not sure what the new owner has in mind for this once magnificent theatre but my understanding is it will never again be what it once was. Im a way as painful as it was I am glad I got to see the theatre in that awful condition, it makes it easier for me to see it converted into what ever is next.
I want to see it put out of it's misery.

The Paramount Theatre is located at 560 Bay Street.

I know how you feel Vito, as I was ( am? ) one of the volunteers at the St. George. It breaks my heart to see the Paramount as she is.

So very sad to see this happen to such a grand dame of a theater.
Is there any way this house can be saved? Maybe not given the condition - but - one never knows. All options should be exhausted
before it goes by way of the wrecking ball.

Hi Jean. I too was (is) a volunteer at the St. George. Havent seen or heard from Stephanie in a while and don't know what is going on.
Have you heard?

Hi Larry, I don't believe there is any interest in saving the theatre. Steckman allowed the building to deteriate too much I'm afraid. What we need is someone who feels the way we do and has a lot of money.

With regard to Stephanie, she went back to Yakima, Wa. to work at a theatre there.

Have very fond memories of the Paramount. My junior high school graduation was hed there. Also remember being terrified when House On Haunted Hill played there. An actual skeleton came from the screen over the audience. I also remember that they closed the theater for a short time in the early sixties for refurbishing the theater. The lobby was updated with tile and I remember all the seats were redone. They even had an illlustrated display on the marquee for the re-opening attraction which I believe was The Flower Drum Song.

New stores have opened in the building that houses the theatre, thus perhaps bringing back some life to the neighborhood. However, the last information I read was that the front of the building will be incorporated in to condos or such. I would recommend the Staten Island Historical Society or SI Museum of Arts and Sciences to save the marquee at least.

The posting by p7350 brought back memories, I worked as an usher during the during the engaement of House On Haunted hill run and we were posted in front of the cage to prevent anyone from jumping up and touching the cage that housed the skelton which flew across the theatre up to the balcony during the movie, (what fun) The theatre did close for a time in 1962 and was reopened with refurbished seats and a new look to thew lobby was also completed. The opening movie was indead "Flower Drum Song" I remember how proud and excited we all were that day. Thanks for the memory of that."))

In 1982 I saw a performance by a British rock group of some note,
XTC at this site. Notable because the leader developed a paranoia towards live performing and was one of their few Stateside jaunts. I was not appreciative of the history of this movie house at the time but I can say that I remember 1) it was a pain to park in the area but 2) the theatre was well kept and the bathroom was (to my delight) very clean.

Yes the people running the Paramount at that time were very respectful of her. The father of a relative of mine ran the light shows. I visited a few times during rehersals etc and remember how excited the guys running the theatre were when they were able to get the marguee to light up, it was a fun to see. Unfortunatly they went out of business and new people rented the theatre and wreaked the place, taking out seats,painting everything black,destroying light fixtures etc.

This theatre was originally part of Paramount-Publix's "Wonder Theatres" project, which was taken over by Loew's after only the Brooklyn Paramount had been started. Loew's didn't want to do business on Staten Island, so it agreed to Paramount-Publix going ahead with that theatre. It also didn't take the Brooklyn Paramount because it already had Loew's Metropolitan in that area.

P.S. The theatre's name is Paramount, not The Paramount.

The Paramount was of course part of the Fabian circuit, along with St. George, Ritz, Liberty and SI Drive in, in the final years UA ran it for a while.

Work permits are posted on the door for removal of non-loadbearing partitions, removal of plaster ceiling, and leveling of floor slab.

I guess it's really over. I won't want to even drive by the old girl while they destroy her

I was born in Rosebank in 1924. As a kid we would take the trolleycar down to Stapelton or St. George
to see a movie and 5 acts of vaudville, plus Don
Baker at the organ! What wonderful memories I have
of those days. I now live in Pennsylvania (Yardley)
but my parents and brother are buried on the Island,
so I do get back every once in a while. It makes me
sad to see how the Island has deteriorated over the
course of my lifetime. I'm glad I lived in the "glory
days" even though the country was in a depression.

Does anyone remember the name of the ice cream
parlor that was a few doors from the Paramount on
Bay St? It was wonderful to go there after attend-
ing the movies. Wish I could turn back the hands of
time

Is there no way to save the old girl? restore her and perhaps even add a film school and book store. Do we NEED more high rises on the Island?

Holmes, I think the ship has sailed on that.
The Paramount sat for several years with no one interested in saving it, and now someone has purchased the building who has no interest at all in keping it as a theatre.... no interest at all
I have difficulty even driving by, it's just too sad

the theatre never became an adult movie house. the owners were going ahead with that plan, but when the news hit the local paper, community opposition was too strong.the owners relented, and closed the theatre.

I would agree with Garth, I do not recall the Paramount ever being used as an adult theatre, however during the time it ran as a nightclub some 16mm adult films were shown from time to time.
I remember a halloween screening of "Rocky Horror Picture" Show"
in 16mm was also held.

i remember the balcony was always closed,when i would attend matinees as a teen. my dad took my brothers and i to an evening showing of the clint eastwood flick "high plains drifter" ,for once the balcony was open, and it was magnificent!they also always had a second feature.

When I worked the Paramount, we kept the balcony closed during mid-week in order to save costs. We avoided some usher staff as well as additional cleaning crew. At least once a night I was asked tp patroll the balcony to be sure no one sneaked up there but when I found someone up there, and I did, I would let them be as long as they were well behaved and carried their trash with them when they left. My manager, Mr.Johns, was very understanding about it as well.
His biggest concern was stuff thrown down to the orchestra level, as well as people being snuck in thru the balcony door leading to the stairway down to the street. There were 500 seats in the balcony.
All the seats were replaced in 1961 when the theatre was refurbished.
Fresh paint was applied as well as some but not all new carpet.The theatre reopened with "Flower Drum Song".

It's too bad this could not be saved as an all purpose theatre. Since the owners of The St George seem adamant about never running movies, a venue like this could get alot of publicity. The Suffern and Loews Jersey City do well with sporadic classic nights.

Robert
Log on to St Georgehttp://cinematreasures.org/theater/1864/
There is a movement to bring movies to the St George

Hello everyone, i want to see this building restored. To go there and see indie film showings and local bands play would realy be a site. i need more information regarding this building, im looking to buy it, anybody suggest specific ideas ?

Though I believe it is too late to save this theatre, I will try contacting someone who may live near there in order to get the realty office phone number for you. Otherwise, try contacting Vito above. He may be able to get the phone number for you.

someone has already bought the building,and from what i have read in the s.i. advance that person will not use it as an entertainment forum, i believe townhouses and retail shops are his plan.

I'm a Historic Preservation Student. My sole project this semester is to preserve a building in my community. As u can tell I've chosen the Paramount and I'm looking for any information about the building that could help (ie. of construction and impact on the community). In regards to the construction permits on the building they really don't mean anything if the building gets landmarked asap so dont despair. Thanks in advance for any info.

Recent photo:


http://www.moviepalaces.net/Staten_Island_Paramount1.jpg

Gee TC what a sad picture that is. Does anyone have the great 1940s photo posted in the Advance a while back.

well said vito, very sad. also, thank you for your wisdom regarding these s.i. theatres.

i can confirm mp775's earlier comment about the work order posted on the theatre , it is valid thru september. a local business owner told me the owner of the property is going ahead with plans to convert the site to condos/apartments.

While the St.George was under going the first attempt at restoration, we asked the new owner of the Paramount if we could salvage anything to use, he said we could have anything we wanted, but sadly their was little left that had not been either destroyed or removed. I took four marquee letters which spell out my name. It was like visiting a graveyard, I remember standing on the stage looking towards the balcony and remembering what it once was, it was one of the most depressing days of my life.

My mother once took me to the Paramount to see a "Planet of the Apes" Marathon. All five movies back to back. Does anyone remember that. We actually sat in that great balcony for all five movies. (Ok . we arrived late for the first show) Am I the only person who witnessed this. It was in the late 70's. I was young so I kind of remember the lower level being somewhat cavernous. I once went to see a movie called Grizzly there. The theater was packed. I kind of remember there being support beams that obstructed some views of the screen. Am I correct?

There were no obsturcted seats anywhere in the Paramount.
The Liberty on Canal Street had some beams supporting the balcony, perhaps you were thinking of that. You are right about the cavernous orchestra section which seated about 1800, there were about 500 seats in the balcony. I sure do miss that theatre.

vito , as a veteran of these theatres do you know when the liberty closed? i grew up in stapleton in the '60s , i was always at the paramount but do not recall the liberty being open....

a friend of mine told me there will be new condo's built here on the old site - and the front will remain the same - as of a movie theatre!

I pass that way all the time. If they DO keep the marquee, they should call it the Paramount Building or Paramount Condos. ( strictly my opinion ) The seats are for sale at the American Warehouse on Staten Island. Located at Greenfield and Tompkins Avenue.

Hi Jean, it's been a while.
To answer Garth's question, I remember working the Paramount on Christmas day 1953, the day "The Robe" opened in CinemaScope. We were closed the day before to install the 46 ft screen and stereo sound. I recall we were the only theatre open in Stapelton at the time. I don't think the Liberty made it into the 50s, perhaps Jean knows when the Liberty closed, but I am sure it was closed by 1953.
Jeffrey and Jean, it would be wonderful if the marquee were preserved and kept, but have you seen it lately? I doubt it can be saved, but perhaps rebuilt or replaced with something simular to the what they did at the NY Paramount. Certainly, as Jean sugggested, the name of the building should include the name Paramount.

thanks for the info vito. jean , do you know how much they are asking for the seats? i would love to have one....

Garth, et al,

The balcony theatre seats from the Paramount are red velvet and are a more modern style. Not the old typical theatre seat from the 20's. Mr. Tommy dee is selling them off in rows and I don't recall the price off hand. His sale during the week is from 8am until 2pm. His United Warehouse is located at 330 Tompkins Avenue, off Greenfield Avenue. He has 8,000 sq. feet of space, and is selling most of his collections including the seats mentioned, ticket boxes from the Liberty and Paramount. As of this writing I do notknow what is available. He has additional items like Post Office walls and bumper cars, antique bottles, 78rpm records.

Be sure to bring bags and be prepared to do some climbing over of some items. Oh yes, and bring some green!

I've got to have some of the Paramount Memories brought home.

Jean, I am a bit confused, the Paramounts seats were blue not red. Are we sure those are seats from the S.I Paramount? Perhaps he got them from the Liberty or some other S.I or Paramount theatre.

It states in the SI Advance article that these red velour seats were fromthe balcony and will be sold in rows. That's all I know about them. The place is great if you have your hiking boots on! :)

A friend of mine said that these seats cannot be the Paramount's
due to color. I would be very suspicious at this point folks.

Maybe they were recovered at some point?

Jean, I believe Jeffrey is correct in his suspisions. I am positive that the Paramount's seats were Blue. As a matter of fact when I visited the theatre when Steckman sold it, I sat in one of the BLUE seats in the balcony and looked around thinking "My God what have they done to this place" I was there the day the new and present owners took over and there weren't any sats in the orchestra at all, only the remaining, 500 or so, seats in the balcony remained. Something is not right with the Advance article and if the guy selling the seats is sure they came from the Paramount, then the only possibility I can think of is that they came from the original seats which were installed back when the theatre first opened. I don't know what color they were, or where they may have been all those years.So they puzzle continues, where the heck did those red velvet seats come from? hmmmmmmmm

i just visited the place , the owner said the seats are from the paramount. there were rows of red seats that were in varying condition , they did not look old or worn enough to be original seating. next to these were stacks of single seats , these were mostly blue with some a grayish blue color. i asked about the ticket boxes , he said they are not for sale. there were also not for sale signs on a large reel from the st george and a projector base from the lane.

i'm just looking over the flyer the owner gave me , it says among other things "1930 theatre seats". if that's what the red seats are they were stored quite well. vito you should visit the place i think you would find it interesting. he also has large photos of a crowd outside the lane and the palace theatre during a large snowstorm.

Garth,I may have to go there just to satisfy myself as to where those red seats came from. The guy running that warehouse is mistaken, unless they are the original seats from way back when, those red seats are not from the Paramount.Speaking about the Lane, do you or anyone know what is going on there? I also worked the Lane in the late 50s early 60s. That window you can see near the top of the building, as you drive up New Dorp Lane from Hyland to the
RR station, is the booth window where I spent many hours staring at the crowds lined up past the bank to get in. Mr.Moses weas a good showman, who took great pride in the Lane.

vito i will look into goings on there , it is landmarked is it not? if so the uses are limited...and if not , the nightclub idea is dead (drugs) and the st george, magnificently restored by mrs r, has cornered the market on retro entertainment. i wonder what condition the interior of the lane is in?....

Thanks Garth, I have a very warm spot in my heart for that theatre, having spent so many wonderful years there. Yes, it did get landmark statis, in fact the name was changed to the Landmark Lane.
I visited during the time it was being converted to a nightclub and they had made a lot of repairs. The orchestra seats were removed for tables and chairs but the balcony (stadium seating) was intact. It has been closed for quite a while now so it may have dereriated again. Please let us know what you find out.

i will post my findings on the lane's site.

Two exterior views of the Paramount can be found in the new article about Stapleton at www.forgotten-ny.com

Thank you Warren for that fantastic link. The photo of my beloved Paramount is a recent one, I drive by there all to often and shutter at the sight of the condition it is in now. If you ever come across any pre 1965 photos, I would love to see them.

I remember seeing the double feature here: The Day of the Dolphin and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.

Anyone know what is going on there now? last I heard the interior had been gutted.

vito , i live in the area and pass by very often , i have seen no activity at all. i will check with local business owners to see if there are any updates.

Thanks Garth, I too pass by from time to time and have never seen anything going on. I wonder what the plans are for thr marquee which is in very bad shape.

Last time I was there, which was just as the new owners came in, the talk was of converting much of the space into apartments,which were to be called Paramount. Perhaps some of the tenants in the retail space, formally Steckmans, have more information.
Jean are you out there?

my local source states the owner plans to sell the property to a developer for conversion to apartments.

I am "out there" Vito.
Just email me at js2355@aol.com

Hi All and Happy Holidays!
Just visited Stapleton for the first time ever and couldn't help noticing The Paramount. It would be a huge mistake to tear it down when it could become an anchor for the area. It reminds me of the Loew's Jersey City, which was renovated by volunteers. Is anybody up for forming a group to see if the owner could be convinced to allow a volunteer renovation. Here is the web site for Friends of the Loew's for more info: http://www.loewsjersey.org
Matt
mattmaitlandfinn@hotmail.com

I would be first in line for that effort, however I believe most of the interior has been gutted, little is left. Perhaps someone knows more, there does not appear to be anything going on, any work seems to have stopped. Last time I went inside, the sale had just gone through, it was in shambles, quite frankly I wish I had not seen it in that condition. Perhaps Jean knows more.

Check out ebay item # 6247119070 This is a original paramount light fixture

I strongly support landmarking of the Paramount Theatre, a true Art Deco gem. Please share any updates concerning this theater. Thank you!

Sadly, I believe the ship has sailed on that one, I don't believe there is much left to landmark. I visited the theatre just after it had been sold to a developer, and there wasn't much left of the ole gal. The last tenant, a nightclub, had pretty much trashed the place. The new owner already has all the permits to gut the interior and I believe that may have already been done. I have driven by a few times lately and there is a sign for rental space availabilty, perhaps someone knows what is going on now. Jean, do you have any updates? I still get a lump in my throat when ever I drive by, it was a magnificent theatre.

Thank you for the update, Vito! At the very least, I hope the exterior can be landmarked. I have never visited the theater, but it's sad that most developers of today have no feelings for history and beautiful architecture. Please keep me up to date. Thanks again!

Last I heard, the developer was interested in keeping the Paramount
name for the property, however most of the exterior is in very bad condition. The original Box-office is still outside but very dilapidated. The marquee is in very sorry condition as well, with most of the glass and bulbs broken. You can stil see where the one sheets were located and the original lobby doors are still there.
I toured the property just over a year ago, I was allowed to take the marquee letters to spell out my name, which is now hanging in my basement. I still remember as a teen working the Paramouint and changing that marquee in the rain and snow. Sigh!

Was the Paramount ever used to sell sporting goods? This is from a site detailing the history of Staten Island:

Just beyond [on Bay Street] is the site of Commodore Vanderbilt's childhood home. It was demolished in 1922 to make way for the Paramount Theatre, which today houses a sporting goods store. This was "The Commodore's" Childhood home. With his mother's encouragement he began his first venture in shipping by purchasing and offering for hire a small sail craft. He was born on Long Island. After marriage he built a Greek Revival mansion nearby.

Here is a boxing card dated Wednesday, April 29, 1981:

Paramount Theatre, Staten Island, New York

Carmelo Negron 122 W Edwin Santiago 128 TKO 3 8
Lightweight Johnny Verderosa 131 W Ron Aurit 132 TKO 7 8
Welterweight Robert Thomas 147 L Frank Morgante 145 PTS 4 4
Pablo Pizzarro 174 W Furgan Ali 181 TKO 3 4
Lightweight Raymond (Ramon) Ortiz 134½ W Ben Fuentes 134 TKO 1 4
Heavyweight Dennis Reilly 210 W Al Monday 181 TKO 1 4
Welterweight Johnny Marrone 147 W Sal Travella 147 KO 1 4

I know for an absolute fact, the Paramount was never a sporting goods store. The Steckman brothers, who owned the building, ran a sporting goods store out of three stores connected to the theatre.
When UA pulled out of the theatre, Steckman leased the theatre to a night club owner who turned it into one of the most popular dance clubs on Staten Island, with big name musical stage performers. The people running the club were very respectfull of the theatre, other than the removal of one third of the orchestra seating to create a dance floor,they did little in the way of change or renovation to the theatre, in fact they repaired much of the stage rigging and were able to get the marquee lighting working again. After a few years a bad element began to take over and things began to go downhill, a performnce of "Nutcracker" had to be cancelled as management began to fall, problems with state taxes and rowdy crowds eventually forced the thetare to close. A short time later Stecman leased the property once agian to a night club owner, this time however, they were not so respectfull, and caused much damage to the original theatre, removing all orchestra seating, breaking down walls, painting over murals and removing light fixtures. The new people lasted a very short time and Steckman was once again without a tenant. Steckman had the property up for lease for a while with no takers, they decided to retire and sell the entire property, theatre and store fronts. Steckman had begun using the theatre for storage of sporting goods which may explain the confussion of it being used as a sporting goods store, in fact the last time I was in the building it was full of boxes and equipment being stored inside.

I believe another posiblity over confussion about the theatre being used as a sporting goods store, may have been the sign that was placed over the theatre marquee which read Steckman Sporting Goods.
The glass panels on the marquee had begin to break, so Steckman decided to cover over the panels with a sign to prevent further damage and promote their sporting goods store.

evidently they are building condos on the municipal lot across the street , wonder if this will accelerate development of the site?.....

I don't know that the 300 unit condo proposed for the Citibank property will help Stapelton in it's decline, but it's a start.
It's not the same developer who purchased the Paramount buiding which seems to be in limbo.

driving by today i saw new ads on the marquee , a metal gate out front that i had never seen , and the interior doors were open. i saw several asian gentlemen bringing equipment into the site , so i immediately approached the man who seemed to be in charge. i explained that i was a movie theatre enthusiast who had gone there in my youth and asked if i could have a look around , so i could report my findings back to this website. he said he was aware of the website but was nervous about letting me in , saying something about it being dangerous because of the work going on. i asked him what the owners plans were and he said "he's not sure" , then i managed to get into the lobby. i know that vito has posted about the state of the place , but what i saw was a complete train wreck. he said i couldnt go any further but that if i come back next week he would let me look around. im not sure i want to at this point , and he may have been blowing me off. i will reort back next week.

Garth, seeing what has become of that wonderful theatre is rather heartbreaking, I wish I had not gone inside. I would be interested in knowing what the plans for the building are.

Garth;
Go back in there. If the theater can be saved then try. I heard that something was going on there from friends on Staten Island, and my family plans to move there in the future. Please keep us posted.

Gustavelifting, I have been inside a couple of times since the new owners took over, sadly there is very little left of the ole girl.

i've driven by several times since my last posting , all i've seen is bags of garbage behind the steel gate , i guess it was being removed from inside. if i see anything or get inside again i will post.

Recent(June 2006) photographs that I took of the Paramount Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188680137/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188680510/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188680869/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188681127/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188685211/

The Paramount Theatre was built by Paramount Publix Theatres and was operated in conjunction with the Moses bothers who built and operated several cinemas on the island.

It was a splendid Art Deco style theatre, designed late in the careers of noted theatre architects Rapp & Rapp with a seating capacity given as 2,300 in the Film Daily Yearbook;1930 edition. It had a twin console Wurlitzer theatre organ (one of only 10 theatres in the USA to be equipped with twin consoles) and it also presented live vaudeville shows with its movie programmes. Stars who appeared 'live' on stage here include;Gary Cooper, Mary Pickford, Richard Arlen, Miriam Hopkins and Mae West.

In 1961, while under the ownership of Fabian Theatres, the theatre underwent a $35,000 renovation and was closed for four weeks. It re-opened as the New Paramount with new wider seating and aisles, this reduded the seating capacity to 2,000.

Bt September 1980 it had closed as a movie theatre and was being advertised as the Paramount Nightclub, presenting disco and new wave entertainment on Friday & Saturday nights from 10:00pm. But this was a short lived venture and the building became a live rock venue from October 1980 when a new sound system was installed. This new use lasted only a few years, closing in the mid to late-1980's. I believe this was the last use for the building and it has remained closed and shuttered since then.

Excellent post Ken, I worked the house for many years starting as an usher/curtain puller/marguee changer, and later worked the projection booth. I still recall the CinemaScope installation we did on Christmas eve 1953 and the grand re-opening in 1961 with "Flower Drum Song". We also ran a lot of 3-D movies and installed the floating skeleton which was called Emergo for "House on Haunted Hill" in 1959. I will never forgive the Steckmans for allowing the savages, who leased the theatre from them, to do so much damage while in their care.

Further details on the Wurlitzer organ. It was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory on 28th August 1930 and the slave (second) console was shipped on 7th October 1930 which gives a more accurate date to the opening of the theatre (October 1930?). The instrument was Opus #2129 with two BAL 4 style consoles (a similar instrument was installed in 1931 in the Paramount Theatre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, UK which was a 3Manual/19Rank instrument).

The Stapleton Paramount Wurlitzer was opened by Betty Gould and Priscilla Holbrook (who called herself 'Jean'). They were billed on the marquee as Betty & Jean at the mighty Wurltizer. Betty remained at the Paramount until June 1931 when she left due to illness. Other organists to work on the twin consoles were John Winters and Leo Weber. Other resident organists at the theatre were Don Baker who spent two years here and Bill Floyd.

The organ was removed in 1953 (possibly when Cinemascope was installed in the theatre) and it went to a private residence in Jamaica, Queens, NY.

Yes Ken, that is correct as I recall, the organ was removed about the same time as CinemaScope was installed. It was during the installation of the two Altec A-7 surround speakers which were used for stereo sound and mounted at both sides of the proscenium.

Just a note: In the early days of stereo sound, many of the larger theatres used large A-7 type speakers for surrounds, usually mounted in the rear or extreame left and right of the stage, the three stage speakers were usually A-5 type speakers. Today, the surrounds are mounted in the ceilings or along the side and back walls, and are much smaller and efficent. As I recall, the speakers for the Paramount were Altec. The movie sound system RCA

I am sorry to hear that there was very little left. Maybe we should place some effort into restoring a theater across the river in Brooklyn that was designed by the same team. The Loew's Kings was designed by Rapp and Rapp and I am on the committee to save that. I would like to save more theaters, but if one can't be saved then it can't be saved.

I am afraid the ship has sailed on saving the Paramount. If you have not already done so, check out the newly restored St George theatre when you visit Staten Island. It's a gem!

gustave i have driven by the loews kings and read the postings on this website , most are not optimistic pointing out that it is in severely dilapidated condition. it also evidently is in a rough neighborhood. we were very lucky here with the st. george theatre restoration by mrs. rosemary and family. it would take someone with the same motivation (and funding) to restore the king's....

the interior doors are now either open or gone altogether , and you can see the entire lobby thru the mesh gate. the only thing intact is the staircase leading up to the balcony. i'm still gonna try to get in there if i see the workers there. i don't have a digital camera but anyone who does can contact me.

Last week I went by the theatre too and noticed a gate was down. I believe the box office was missing too. Shame, shame, shame.

jean i didnt realize it until i read your post but i believe you are right , the box office is gone. i'm gonna drive by tomorrow to check.

The ship did not yet sail on some other theaters if you may wish to save them. I know that the Lane on New Dorp Lane is still intact. However, many of you may have crossed the bridge or ferry to Brooklyn, where the Loew's Kings is located. I can see the Lane as a revival house. I can see the Kings as a concert venue. What do you all think?

Gus, please see my post http://cinematreasures.org/theater/3414/

Vito;
I went there, thanx

whatever plans the owner has for the site , it seems to be taking forever. i pass by frequently and have seen no further activity. anyone have updates?....

I am not from Staten Island, so I am probably not the best source. However, I conducted a general search on the Department of Buildings website, and came across a possibility. The building is owned by Cheah Chung, and will most likely become Bay Street Asian Bistro. He can be reached at (718) 556 - 0480. I recommend clicking on the Job/ Filings link as well as the Permits in Processed/Issued links, when accessing:

http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/PropertyProfileOverviewServlet?boro=5&houseno=560&street=bay+st&requestid=0&s=A03C41B885B461E4F46BD08866A7430E

Shame on that unsympathetic owner for not restoring & adaptively reusing the theater in a way that respects its significance!!!

I would agree, but to be fair the biggest fault with the death of the Paramount has to be laid at the feet of the Steckman family, the previous owners. Their total ignorance of what was going on inside the theatre allowed tenants using the facility for concerts and a dance club to basically destroy it.
I know of two parties, including the owners of the St George, who were interested in saving the Paramount until they saw the horrible condition that it was in. As one gentlemen told me, “ the theatre is dead”
I toured the building several times between 1982 and 2002, and was appalled by the disrespect of that once grand theatre. I actually scolded one of the Steckman brothers for allowing the desecration to occur.

NFH , thanks for the info but the asian bistro already exists at the corner end of the property (bay and union streets.) there is a new sign on the marquee stating "store and space for rent" but i would guess they refer to the adjacent areas (the former steckmann's store) not the theatre itself. as vito said it is in deplorable condition .....

Garth, you are correct, the sign referes to the empty store fronts.
I was told that some sort of apartment complex was planned for the area that was the Paramount theatre.
Oh yeah, just what Stapleton needs, Madness if you ask me.

Did they place aything inside the theater like a store, or offices?

Not yet Gus.

Oh, maybe they should reopen it for live theater and make another St. Georges.

I am seeking information on the names of the movies highlighted during a film marathon at the Paramount Theatre during the late 60s or early 70s which offered $50 to anyone who could sit through all five movies without leaving the theatre. This was similar to the Mark of the Devil film that handed out vomit bags. These movies were VERY intense and probably were foreign films dubbed. Any info from a former usher or employee would be greatly appreciated :) I saw these movies when I was in grade school and the memories of the event are still subject of debate with my former Staten Island friends.
Thanks very much!

Also, this movie marathon was advertised in the SI Advance. Anyone that could provide this info? Thanks :)

driving by the other day i noticed it looked like panel boards had been put up over some of the interior lobby doors , could they be fixing up the place? obviously it wouldnt be a theatre , but maybe they have some other use in mind?

Garth if you are talking about the black panels leading to the original lobby doors, they are security doors that have been there for a long time. I never see any work going on anymore, perhaps someday I will check around with the store front tenants to see what they may know. By the way, you are right, based on how the interior looked last time I was inside,it will never again be a theatre.

A recent photo shows the for rent sign is still on the Paramount marquee.

This is a larger photo of the Paramount Theater.

for some odd reason they were recently selling used furniture out of the place. i pretended to be an interested buyer and talked my way into the interior lobby. it was a shambles as vito has said. i then told the gentleman i was a movie theatre enthusiast who had spent many hours there in my youth ,and would like to see the auditorium. however , he was having none of it...

Garth, That guy actualy did you a favor in not letting you into the auditorium. It is a heart breaking site. I wish my last memories of the Paramount were not the ones I saw last time I visited that shell of what used to be. I believe the damage is worse now than when I visited last, is the staircase leading up to the balcony stil intact?

vito yes the staircase was indeed intact but at the top were barriers preventing entry to the balcony. it looked like they had originally cleaned out the interior lobby , but they were now using it to store a large amount of used furniture they are selling. the person also told me all the buildings on the block had suffered water damage not long ago ,due to a street drainage problem.

Garth, the auditorium and stage area also had a lot of water damage due to a badly leaking roof. When I walked across the stage It creaked and felt like it was dangerous to walk on. The auditorium carpet was slighty damp and smelled of mildew. Water damage was also evident on the auditorium walls.

Here is another photo of the Paramount Theater.

lost Memory, Gosh what a sad picture,
Do you or anyone else have any pictures from the days when the theatre was open? I used to have a great 8x10 shot of the marquee taken during the mid 40s, but I can't find it any longer.

Sorry Vito, I don't have any old photos of the Paramount Theater. This website has some old photos of theaters on Staten Island. Unfortunately there are no photos of the Paramount Theater.

Lost Memory, Thanks for that site. I enjoyed that walk down memory lane very much.

This architectural sketch was published in The New York Times on March 30, 1930. I seriously doubt the claim in the caption that C.W. Rapp was one of the architects. Cornelius W. Rapp died in June, 1926, though his name continued to be part of the name of the architectural firm that he founded with his brother, George L. Rapp:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/parasi30.jpg

I noticed they have installed new glass doors at the entrance behind the pull-down gate. Anybody hear anything?

I don't remember the Paramount running adult films. And, it didn't close in the early 1970's. I saw "Poseidon Adventure" there in 1974, "Eiger Sanction" there in 1975, and "Midway" and "The Enforcer" there in 1976. I don't remember when it closed, (late '70s, perhaps) but I have fond memories of the place.

Adam , it never did become an adult theatre. As I posted many moons ago , the owners were going ahead with that plan , but when it was reported in the Advance, community opposition stopped it. The theatre closed shortly after. Some folks at the St. George told me that theatre closed in 1977 , I think it was around that time. I'm still wondering why they installed those glass doors in front....

Garth, adult movies did have a very short run. It was in 1978 after UA had given up its lease. The soft core porn films were shown in 16mm from the balcony. The projector and some of the films were still in a store room in the booth last time I saw the place. As you stated the Advance article put an end to the showings, and in 1978 Steckman leased the theatre out as a dance club. The last movies shown here by UA were in 1977. I have not been back to investigate the new doors. I hate going there and seeing the theatre in its current condition. I still have nightmares from my last visit.

After a 74-week reserved-seat run at Loew's State in Manhattan, "Ben-Hur" played its first Staten Island engagement here in July, 1961: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/wyler61.jpg

Warren, Thanks for that ad. The Paramount is where I got my start and will always have a special place in my heart. Seeing those ads take me back to a time when the theatre was alive and vibrant. Anytime you have ads, or info on this wonderful theatre, please post.

Vito, prior to the 1960s, it was rare to find ads for the Paramount or any other Staten Island theatres in The New York Times or other major daily newspapers, largely because the dominant Loew's and RKO circuits had no outlets there.

Good point Warren, unlike today where the ads are placed by the studios, prior to the 6os the ads were placed mainly by the theare owners.(Loews,RKO,etc) I guess it all changed with the introduction of circuit runs like Blue Ribbon,Red Carrpet etc.

This message is for Vito (and anyone else), but is not about the Paramount. I'm curious about a couple of other old theaters on SI. The Rex in Stapleton and the Star in New Brighton. I clearly remember the buildings with the marquees, but not in operation. The Star is listed on Cinema Treasures, but not the Rex. I'm thinking that the Park theater (the picture on C.T. looks familiar) later became the Rex. Anyone out there know about these two?

I posted a link to photos of Staten Island theaters back on Aug 19. Click here for those photos. There is a photo of a Rex Theater with a location given of "Canal Street near the corner of Wright Street". Is that the Rex Theater that your looking for?

I remember going to the Rex, I think it closed about 1950. I do not recall if it was ever called the Park, although it probably was because I only recall three theatres in Stapelton, the Paramount, Liberty and Rex. As a teen, going to the movies often meant heading over to Stapelton.
The Rex played combinations of B movies, often westerns like
the Durango Kid. It was a small theatre maybe 400 seats with no balcony and was in the Brewery section on canal Street.
The Liberty was also a second run double feature house, bigger than the Rex with about 1000 seats, including a balcony. They had vaudeville there in the early days, so did the Paramount by the way.
The Star was a nightmare, it had about 450 seats no balcony and the
SIRT railroad train ran right behind the buliding, you could often hear the rumble of the train going by. The theatre also had a bit of a rodent problem, and was coined the RATS (Star spelled backwards)

Thanks, guys. "Lost," the pictures say it all. . .That is the Rex I'm talking about near the corner of Wright St on Canal; the Park was definitely the predecessor name for the Rex. I printed them & looked side-by-side, & the buildings are identical (with slight modifications).

Any updates on the Paramount Theatre? Please e-mail me at unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Does anyone have any updates?

Lets all hope and pray this one gets saved NativeForestHiller. We don't need another one going retail or condo. Why can't people see that reportory and performing arts is the way to go?

Thanks, Movie534! Performing arts is the way to go! I don't live in SI, but do take an interest in this theater. Its facade is highly appealing. The people should be the individuals to seek preservation-friendly owners with a vision. Otherwise, these gems will most likely go to pot in the name of progress in a negative sense.

How many performing arts centers do you think that Staten Island can support? It already has the St. George Theatre and possibly others. Are any of them thriving?

Each community has its own type of residents, and their interests should be surveyed. I don't feel that one performing arts center per community is too much.

The Paramount is dead.
Read my previous posts.
There is nothing left of the interior, much of which has been gutted.

Before folks start proposing performing arts centers for defunct theatres, they should examine each situation carefully, starting with the local need for such a facility and the approximate funds that would be required to restore and/or repair the theatre. As Vito has mentioned a number of times previously, the Paramount is "dead" in its current condition. I suppose that a new theatre could be built within its shell, but the cost would be in the astro-millions of dollars.

Based on many of the posts above it would appear that a "restoration" of this theater is highly unlikely due to the fact that most or all of the interior has been gutted. I recently attended a performance at the nearby St. George which has been substantially renovated and was amazed a what a huge and beautiful theater it is. It is probably the largest renovated theater in New York City that virtually no one has ever heard of. Yet it is a 5 minute walk from the the Staen Island Ferry terminal. It's quite a different story at The Paramount where the immediate neighborhood is uninviting and forbiding though it is close to the Staten Island Rail Road station. Nonetheless, I don't see anybody putting up money to rebuild this theater in this kind of neighborhood and expect to make money from it.

p.s. I think The St. George Theatre is doing quite well! I would definitely go back!

LuisV, you brought up a point I had forgotten to mention, the Stapleton area is in very poor condition. Most of the store fronts are boarded up and there is very little life left in that once wonderful old town. No one in their right mind would build there now. We had a glimmer of hope a few years back when the navy announced the building of a new sea port there, but that idea has died.
In fact one of my visits to the theatre was around the time there was interest in saving the theatre because of the talk of the Navy yard and revitalization of the neirborhood. Even Tappen Park was spruced up for a while. But that's all over now and the theatre or what's left of it just continues to deteriorate. During the time of the first crack at restoring the St. George we had hoped to salvage some objects from the Paramount to set up as a sort of tribute to the great lady in the St George downstairs lobby area. The man who bought the Paramount building from Steckman told us to “take what we want”
Sadly however, over the years from the last days as a movie house through the years as a dance club, most of what the Paramount was had been removed. Even the entire projection room had been stripped of all the equipment. Likewise the stage, whish had little left to salvage. I did manage to take four marquee letters to spell out “VITO” which I have mounted in my basement.

A restored and adaptively reused theater can improve the value of a neighborhood, and lead to urban renewal in a positive context. It has been proven through & through across America. It only needs someone with a historically-sensitive & creative vision.

Vito, clever reuse for the marquee letters!

Perhaps there's hope?...
apparently, friends of mine are staging some kinda artist's event happening at the paramount...in the "beautiful large renovated art-deco foyer"

http://northshore.noizart.com/tac-at-paramount-stapleton-_316.html

I just put it on my calendar. I will go just to see what they've done with the foyer, last time I got in there it was filled with junk....

Does anyone remember my grandfather, Harry Allen? He managed this theatre for several years. He gave away free passes to the movies to me and friends when dating. I still have one. He also managed the Empire theatre in its Hay Day - when women received free dishes and kids movies were shown.

I'm the guy that had hoped to stage a show at the lobby on June 21. I got the owners permission, printed posters and everything but got halted by the fire department. Now a stand pipe test is scheduled for August. If that goes well I'm trying for another performance date. I also got into contact with some city departments in hopes of doing it all legally. I've only been here since 2000 so I only know about the good old times through friends or blogs like this one. Yes, the main theater itself is completely gutted. And I imagine the lobby itself had chandeliers and all that fancy stuff. That's all gone. But what remains here at least is a beautiful art deco structure, staircase, gallery and wall ornaments, that would make a great performance venue, holding about 100-200 people.
Our musical revue is still taking place on June 21 at a Gallery around the corner. http://northshore.noizart.com

Oh, and I also found this link to an old Metallica bootleg: http://www.bootlegs.ws/met/met83-04-08.html

Who manages/owns the theater these days? Do you think there is any way to get into it? We are doing a project about the area and we would like to photograph the interior. Any help would be welcomed. Thank you.

I have photos of the Paramount's interior taken when it was still running films. In design, it is almost identical to the Paramount Theatre, Lynn, MA and the Warner Theatre, West Chester, PA. Both of these theatres have been demolished. The Lynn Paramount was about the same size as this theatre, the Warner was smaller. Decorative fine points differed, but the basic designs are the same.

Rapp & Rapp used several basic designs they repeated time and again as architects. This design was first used in 1926 with the Chicago Oriental and the Saint Louis Ambassador. There are many similarities, especially in the ceiling arrangement above the organ screens.

Acer , can you post your photos?

Guess he couldn't. Anyhoo , a high rise apartment building with retail stores is going up across the street , on the site of the former municipal parking lot. Don't think it has anything to do with the theatre building.

Let's remain hopeful this gem is not demolished. The name is even suggestive of its grand history.

Two photos, possibly already linked here above, can be found midway through this article about the Stapleton area: http://forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/rosebank.stapleton/stapleton.html

Oh Warren I am so graetfull for those photos
I was born and raised in Rosebank and lived there until 1961
I worked the Paramount for many years and attended St Marys church as well. Those photos are a truely wonderful trip down memory lane.

Does anyone have interior photos? I wonder if the wood trim work is mahogany? The owners are installing a sprinkler system. There is still hope.

Dangel- I would'nt get my hopes up too high. It appears they are only renovating the lobby. Vito has stated in many posts that the interior is in terrible shape , and I was told by a knowledgable source that there is much water damage.....

When last I stood on the stage I felt as though the wood was going to give way under my feet, it had a lot of water damage. That was a while back just before the auditorium was gutted, so unless roof repaire have been made, which is doubtful, heaven knows how bad it has beome now.
The sprinkler system in the lobby area is the only way the owners can use the lobby. You will reall, a vender had hoped to use the lobby, but without a sprinkler system use was prohibited by the fire department.

I realize the building is in bad shape, and understand everyone's concern. We are so very lucky that the St. George has so much of its original fixtures, murals and character intact.Even with seats removed and the orchestra floor area destroyed at the Paramount, the place has a lot of plaster and wood detail. The issue is the water damage and how severe it is. Is there the will to restore and reuse or renovate and destroy??? I will keep you posted.

Well dangel I look forward to yuor post
As to the plaster and wood detail, I can tell you most of that had been painted black by one of the tennants when the theatre was disrespected during it's run as a dance club during the 80s.
You will have that mess to clean up.

I only have good news- The owner is restoring the building - the new cement flooring project has started , as well as the sprinkler system throughout the theatre. He is planning the restoration of beautiful plaster ornamentation. The blue ceiling is still intact. The gold paint on the plaster ornamentation is peeling or damaged- but it is salvageable. The seats and fixtures are gone. The exterior has been nominated for NYC Landmarking and the owner will support the designation. I will keep you posted - cinema enthusiasts!

Dangel we appreciate your inside info! Any chance of getting a look in there?....

Dangel, I have information on how you can restore those details most effectively. Please e-mail me at unlockthevault@hotmail.com and specify who you are in the subject line. Thanks! - Michael Perlman

dangel that is interesting news, of course since most of the interior is gone I wonder what the plans are there.
Please keep us informed.
I would also like to get in touch with the owner, I have much to share with them. Should you come across any contact info please pass it along.

The plasterwork will be repaired and reproduced where needed. The wood molding found in the theatre may be mahogany or walnut. The lighting is nonexistent, unless the crew working on the sprinkler system has their temporary lights on. There are some horrible temporary lighting in the lobby- which the owner promises is temporary. The fixtures all need to be recreated in keeping with the original style. The community has been left in the dark for so long. That's not my style. I work part time with the St. George Theatre, so we many of us may have crossed paths...You may email me at Sitreasure@gmail.com

What do the owners have in mind?
Since new floors are going down I guess it will become some sort of retail space. Since the Paramount theate we all loved is gone, is the plan to try and retain or reproduce some of what was the original theatre?
I also worked on the first attempt at the restoration of the
St George. My main concentration was on restoring the projection booth, but I also helped out on the stage.

Yes, restoration is the plan. The only retail space planned is the first floor-some occupied now. There are two not-for-profits already located on the second floor of the building. The third floor has office space for lease. The offices face Bay Street and are situated in front of the theatre, separated from the theatre by a wide cooridor and have various entryways.
The landmarking of the facade will be coming up after the new year. I will keep you posted.

I do not see how a restoration is even possible since there is nothing left of the theatre to restore.
Are you speaking only of the lobby? Some part of that still exsists. However nothing remains of the main auditorium.
With the St George we had much to work with since much of the theatre was still intact. Not so for the Paramount.

If anyone is interested in joining a committee to restore the Paramount, email me at sitreasure@gmail.com

The ornate plaster details are intact and are salvageable. The fixtures are gone, the projection room is bare. The seating is gone. Bathrooms are remodeled. Office spaces renovated. Staircase intact! Entry doors on bay street gone. This may sound grime, but the bones of the building are still good. No condos planned. The NYC landmarks Commission will be landmarking the facade. The facade needs restoration. It has beautiful terra cotta details.

Just passed by this theater on the train yesterday and saw that the sign is still on the marquee saying that it is for sale or lease.

Also, what is happening on the big parking lot that is directly in front of the theater? Looks like it could be a big building which, unfortunately, will block the view of the theater from the Staten Island Railway.

Hi. Check out my blog for updates on the Paramount Theatre. It is being considered for exterior landmarking. www.sitreasure.com/Blog

As for the 'for lease' signs on the theater, there's office space- renovated on the second and third floors.The main theatre is undergoing restoration and the owner is seeking a tenant that will utilize a restored theatre. The theatre is in poor shape, but the owner is committed to keeping as many orginal details as possible. Water damage and years of neglect have left the current owner with a lot of work.

It is great to hear someone has shown interest in restoring this wonderful theatre. So little of the theatre is still intact, it will nbe a long process to be sure. I thought the stage and balcony had been completly demolished,and was glad to hear they were not. Last time I went into the theater which was a few yers back, when I was assisting in the St George resuration, the stage wqs badly damaged by water but the balcony was intact including all the original seats.
Much good luck and please keep us updated.

Thanks dangel for providing us with this info. As you are probably aware, there is a valiant effort to preserve the Ridgewood Theater in Queens by having the city landmark its facade. It is assumed that this will be an important first step in saving the theater as a whole. The same would apply to the Paramount.

On your blog, you state that the lobby has been restored. Are you able to provide any photos? All we have heard on this page is how the interior has been gutted or severly damaged.

I also congratulate you for starting your blog. I am a native New Yorker, but until my sister married a Staten Islander 15 years ago, my exerience with the "forgotten" borough was limited to the Ferry.

Over the years, I have been amazed to see how much Staten Island has to offer and, more importantly, how little the rest of the world knows about it. From Sailor's Snug Harbor, to Richmondtown Restoration, from Fort Wadsworth to the Marchand Tibetan Museum, From the Conference House to the St. George Theater, From the zoo and Botanical Garden to the new minor league Baseball Stadium, Staten Island holds many surprises.

A restored Paramount would be a wonderful addition to Staten Island's and, indeed, New York's, treasures.

Thanks. I will post lobby photos this week- original mirrors are gone, but plaster molding and staircase are intact. The decadence of theatre design was a national trend and having a Rapp and Rapp theatre shows that SI's close proximity to Manhattan, brought style and affluence. The ART Deco style is a rare survivor, should have be protected years ago...but that 's your forgotten borough.

Sad story abou the mirrors. Steckman told man the madmen who had leased the theatre in the 80s as a nightclub had removed and destroyed them and painted the area with black paint.
Another sad story involves the original blue travelor curtain.
When I asked what happened to it I was told that during one of those live rock shows the "artists" got irrated whern no one opened the curtain as they were about to "perform" and they simply tore it down and threw it into the howling savages attending the show. It was later descarded with the garbage.

The year given for this photo is 1986.

Hi. NYC Landmarking should happen within the next 6 months. The owner supports landmarking of the exterior.

The owner is seeking interior photos for restoration efforts- email me if you have any please....angela@sitreasure.com

Dangel do you have any updates on the theatre?

The owner is getting a liquor license to make the space an entertainment venue- not to compete with the St. George Theatre. I just got to see the ceiling in full light- it was always partially lite. It has the original blue and green paint and art deco drawings. There are also 7 original light fixtures, more than I previous stated. They are doing a great restoration of the site.

Too bad that such a beautiful-looking theatre was allowed to deteriorate like that! It's disheartening to read/hear about stuff like that happening.

Today workers were pouring cement from a truck down a ramp thru one of the side doors (a new floor?). The area that was visible from outside had all fixtures removed and was totally vacant. I figured what the hell, I might as well ask to have a look around and got the usual response.

A new floor would make sense and would also be needed. The original floor had a slope that the new owners may not want. In addition, the old floor was ruined by previous tenanats when all the remaing seats were crudly removed by sledge hammers. The floor sufferd a lot of damage.

Vito can you tell me , if you were to enter through those side doors on Union Street what part of the theatre is that? I don't think they were ever open when the place was operating.

Ouch!! Sounds like they've got their work cut out for them, regarding restoration of this great-looking theatre. I wish them the best of luck.

When I noticed Cinema Treasures has changed the theatre's status to "Closed/Restoring" it made me feel good.

That's a relief, but here's hoping that they restore the Paramount to a theatre that shows great movies, rather than the schlock that's being mass-produced so frequently today.

Sorry garth I can not figure out what door is being used to deliver concrete. I wish I were on SI so I might go there and look into that. Perhaps you might ask to speak to a supervisor at the site and explain that you are doing research for a report you are doing for Cinema Treasures and would appreciate any information you might acquire. Ask nicely and perhaps you might get lucky and speak with someone who likes to talk. I world imagine the folks behind this project are very proud of what they are doing and world be anxious to share information.
I would encourage all that post here to get to the theater and see what you can find out as Cinema treasures “reporters"

I understand this project is being called a restoration, however, during the time I spent volunteering at the St George during the restoration there, we often visited the Paramount, and as I have reported here before what we found was there was nothing really left of what was the Paramount. It will be a difficult task to restore with so little left to actually restore. Perhaps we could call it a recreation of the theatre. And that ain’t bad.

The landmarking will of course be a giant step; for one thing the Art Deco Facade which is the cornerstone for the argument for the land marking must be preserved. Does anyone know if the theatre façade has been given exterior landmark designation? My understanding is that the auditorium is not being considered for landmarking. Most of the space was altered or removed by previous, let’s call them tenants, you can still see the original design on the ceiling and I imagine can be restored. In addition there was still some plaster made designs around the stage, I wonder if those still remain.

I am of course thrilled by the prospect of the return of this once grand theatre, but having seen first hand what it looks like now I can only say it will b an enormous undertaking

I actually saw the auditorium today. The side door was open with a fence in front of it that you could see through. It was kind of dark in there but from what I could see the owner is doing a great job. The walls of the auditorium looked like they had been restored and I think there was a new floor. All the seats had been removed. The curtain on the screen area was closed. As I was leaving a worker (the owner?) was returning from lunch , he didn't have time to talk but he said they expect to open by October. I thanked him for the restoration of the theatre. I will definitely be passing by more often as I live about 10 minutes away. If I am allowed in I will try to take some cel pictures to post on the site.

Glad to read/hear that progress is being made on the Restoration of this handsome-looking theatre.

I got a better look yesterday and the walls are not yet fully restored. The person there told me the statues and ornaments have been sent out to be worked on. Concrete was poured to level the auditorium floor and a wood floor will be built over it to allow for dancing. The roof has been fully repaired. I hope it does well as an entertainment venue but with the loss of the municipal lot across the street I think parking is a concern.

They tried the dance club idea befoe and with not much success.
I hope it will be more of an upscale venue this time.
In addition to the new floor in the main auditorium they will need to replace the entire floor of the stage. When last I stood on it I felt an errie creaking sound and felt like it was going to give way. Lots of water damage to the stage floor befoe the roof was repaired.

I wonder if they will make use of the orchestra pit.

Vito when I see the guy again I will ask about the pit , and if the stage will be preserved/repaired. I re-read your post about the floor having a slope , and it now made sense that it had to be leveled to make way for a dance club. If it is to be an upscale club they will need valet parking. Don't know where they would park the cars.....

garth, As I mentioned in another post, it would be a good idea to introduce the new owner to Cinema Treasures. Fill him in on what we are about. Perhaps he would log on, read this thread, and perhaps contribute. We would love to hear what his plans are for the theatre.
As to the pit, we tried in vain to get it up and running it was in desperate state of disrepair. The stage is in much beter shape, other than the main curtain which was removed in the 80s, much of the rigging was still operational. Only the floor concerns me, due to the rain faling down on the wood surface it will need to be replaced.
My other concern would be, as you mentioned, the parking. That will be a problem. An upscale club would be nice, but if the club were better run than the last two were it has a shot. In fact the club that operated in the early 80s was very successful, one of the best dance clubs on the island. unfortunatly the folks running it began allowing bad things to occur, drug sales etc and then as I understand began having problems with paying their taxes. The tax thing is what I am told I have no positive evidence of that. but the drugs were definatly an issue. I even went so far as to scold Steckman, who owned the building at the time, for not keeping closer tabs on his tennant.
Please try and convince the new owners that we wont bite and he should stop by and tell us a bt of his plans.

Last Sunday, I was biking by and went to the side and saw two workers outside of the open door. I asked if I could peek in and they let me walk around slightly b/c of the cones inside and construction. I shined by bike light up at the ceiling and proscenium. There is not 3 separate concrete poured sections, instead of one sloping area.

They said it would be finished (walls too, although they looked pretty faded) by September.

I hope it revitalizes the area, it's kind of seedy.

Yes shoeshoe, I am concerned about the area as well.
Stapelton is not what it once was, suurounding the park were thriving busineses all boarded up now. In the 40s and 50s while I was growing up one could go into Stapelton and do just about all the shopping you needed. We of course also had three theatres to go to in the Paramount, Liberty and Rex. That area of the Island is now made up of mostly closed stores and what appear to be homeless folks.
There have been several attempts to improve the area around the park, perhaps someday soon they will succeed.

The proposed condos/coops across the street will now be apartments-former city parking lot- 75% market rate and 25% low income- it will be interesting to see the impact this will have. The Homeport is also expected to include more housing than originally proposed.There is lots of real estate speculation ever since the Navy homeport left, so lets see if it pays off for the vitality of the area....

The theatre is being restored and the owner is doing a great job, considering years of neglect by Steckman's Sporting goods- it takes a NON-Staten Island native to do the RIGHT THING. A fresh outlook helps!
A reporter from the Si Advance was kind enough to give us an assortment of early articles on the theatre which includes descriptions of the Art-Deco interior- Modernistic- Egyptian designs. There are many great details remaining- such as a mural on the ceiling greens and blues...The exterior terra cotta will be landmarked in the near future...

Danger I am sure we all would all love to see those SI advance articles. Any thoughts on how we might see them?

I can scan the articles in and post a link to them. One article mentions an artesian well- which was connected to natural springs and was used for 'air conditioning'. Apparently the well and pump- doesn't work but is still intact today. The area was known for spring water, with local beer breweries in the Stapleton area. Also, the opening day event was described with multiple article the day before and after. Originally there were two Wurlitzer organs on movable faux marble consoles- long gone... When the theatre opened, they turned away 2,000 people.
I am involved with the Preservation League and Coalition to Save the Si Castle- old SI Hospital- so give me a week and I will scan/post articles.

dangel, It would be very kind of you to take the time to post those links. I am sutre it will be of great interest and enjoyment to read the articles. I spent a great deal of time in the Pramount and the articles are sure to conjure up wonderful old memories.

The Paramount was the first theatre on Staten island theatre to install Cinemascope.

http://froggypic.com/image/08/37bcd6fa1d38bbf6c88ca3cd8a807006.jpg

I've seen them on a ladder monkeying with the marquee as I drive by. When does the club open?

WE REPRESENT THE OWNERS OF THE STATEN ISLAND PARAMOUNT, WE ARE CURRENTLY CREATING THE CITY'S LARGEST ENTERTAINMENT CATERING FACILITY FOR ALL EVENTS AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC. WE ARE SAVING A LOT OF THE ORIGINAL PARAMOUNT THEATER AS WELL AS REPAIRING ALL UNSAFE CONDITIONS LEFT BY PREVIOUS TENANTS. WE ARE ASKING THE MEMBERS OF CINEMA TREASURES TO HELP US WITH DOCUMENTS, PICTURES OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS TO VERIFY PEOPLES FINDINGS AND POSTINGS ON THIS PAGE ABOUT THE PARAMOUNT. WE WOULD LIKE TO COLLECT AND DISPLAY THESE FINDINGS IN OUR PARAMOUNT HISTORY SECTION OF THE BUILDING. AND WE WILL OFFER NAME RECOGNITION AS WELL AS A FREE NIGHT ON US FOR ANY PERSON TO BRING US AN ORIGINAL & VERIFIED DOCUMENT, PICTURE OR HISTORY FACTS OF THE STATEN ISLAND PARAMOUNT IN HER TIME OF OPERATION. DUPLICATE DOCUMENTS & PICTURES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
PLEASE EMAIL OR MAIL YOUR FINDINGS OR ANY QUESTIONS TO:
E-MAIL: siparamount@aim.com
ADDRESS: 560 BAY STREET, STATEN ISLAND, NY 10304
MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS & TELEPHONE NUMBER TO RECEIVE FREE NIGHT ON US.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERNS AND HELP IN FINDING ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS, PICTURES, AND HISTORY FACTS.
PLEASE VISIT www.statenislandparamount.com FOR MORE INFORMATION.
***WE ARE SAVING THE STATEN ISLAND PARAMOUNT***

The above link doesn't work. Sorry.

Good luck to you Staten Island Paramount. Good to see the old movie houses still going.

Wow!! What a changeover. All the best of luck!

The article in todays SI Advance just warmed my heart.
Best of luck to all involved in saving this tresaure.

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/126251461211830.xml&coll=1

http://media.silive.com/advance/photo/-24d77c125495c8af_custom_665xauto.jpg

Wow!! The Paramount looks like it was a really majestic-looking theatre before it went to seed. The idea of renovating it is long overdue, but why couldn't they keep it as a movie theatre as well as a party/dance hall, etc.?

I was so happy to see those pictures. The last time I went into that building I got very depressed, it looked awefull a real disaster.
I never thought anyone would bring it back. Fortunatly the wreakers never destroyed the stage or balcony.
As for movies, the new owners (bless them) have other visions,
I belive their ideas and plans for the space are sound and intellegent.who knows, perhaps in a few years something in the form of a film festival may be in order.
I certainly hope someone steer the new owners in the direction of this site and they will comment and keep us current on the progress and plans for the theatre.

Good points, vito. Thanks.

To Mpol: the days of the single screen movie theater are done. It won't be long before the theatre experience is replaced by direct 3DTV movies in your living room released on the same day as their theatrical release dates. The big media companies are set to cut out the middle man.

I don't entirely agree with you here, socal09. I think that there'll always be people (myself included), who'll want to continue going to a real movie theatre and watching movies as they're really meant to be viewed; on a great big wide movietheatre screen, with the lights down low. Most of the single-screen movie theatres are gone, that's true, but there are still afew left. Single-screen theatres or no single screened theatres, there'll always be loyal theatre patrons, especially to what few independent, nonprofit movie theatres there are left here in the United States.

I also might add that, no matter how much anybody says how amazing 3DKTV on home theatres systems is amazingly like seeing movies in a real movie theatre, it just isn't so. Absolutely nothing, imho, beats seeing movies on a great big, wide screen, in a true-blue movie theatre, and sharing the experience with other people, whether one knows them or not.

For ORIGINAL PHOTOS & HISTORY of your theater, go to your local library and/or city hall and request they look through their archives.
Also meet with long-time senior residents who may have scrap books and personal photo albums. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PROJECT!!!

Sorry, but also try your local newspaper or even a radio station to actually broadcast your plea for help.

Who are you talking to, Simon Overton? Just curious.

I received a phone call from Peter Lisi who is one of the owners of the paramount. We had a wonderful 45 minute conversation about the theatre and his plans for operation of the space. I was so impressed by Peters enthusiasm and obvious love for the theatre I wanted to share that all of you Paramount theatre supporters here at CT.
I wish you could have heard the excitement in his voice when he told me the marquee has been restored and will soon light up Bay Street. He is currently waiting on the permit to turn it on. Peter did an interview with NY one and here will be a follow up soon; he has invited me to join in on the next segment.
Peter still has his work cut out for him with safety issues and getting all the legalities in place to open the theatre. I have offered him my help in any way I can.
Peter has invited me to tour the space which I will do soon.

Nice Vito. Wish I could see the place too. There aren't too many of these old palaces left to enjoy.

It appears that they have poured a floor from upstage to where ever that point meets the rake of the house floor. It covers over the pit and depending how far into the back of the house they go, they could raise the floor to a level quite close to the underside of the balcony. At some point sightlines become an issue. It is the same procedure that CBS used when it changed the New Yorker Theatre into Studio 52, now Studio 54. It created a smooth surface for the cameras, which were quite heavy in those days.
Good luck on the new venue.