Loew's Sheridan Theatre

I look at this site every day and cannot figure how a 2300 seat house ever fit on it. Could anyone tell me the footprint of the theatre - where the stage was and in which direction the seats faced. I gotta say, I admire anyone who saw moveis here.

The theatre was designed by the architectural firm of Reilly & Hall and first opened on September 10, 1921 as the Mark Strand Sheridan Square, under the same management as the Mark Strand on Broadway at 47th Street. The films were usually "move-overs" from the Broadway Strand and were supported by short subjects. A resident orchestra provided musical accompaniment. In December, 1926, Loew's took over the theatre and simplified the name to Sheridan, continuing its original policy until "talkies" arrived. The orchestra was discontinued and the Loew's Sheridan shifted to double features which were first run for the West Village (and shared with Loew's Commodore in the East Village).

To: Rudy....you might find that the block was triangular and the theatre built within a diamond pattern in the triangle, the foyer being the left over angle. (Get a pen and paper and try it, it does work) It is the same size and shape and capapcity as cinemas built in Sydney at Bondi where the same block pattern had the same type of cinemas built. Going by the photo, the screen looks to be at the left where the flytower is. It might have aslo has a curved / horseshoe upstairs to cram in more seats.

To maximize the seating capacity, the Sheridan's entrance and shallow lobby were built on a diagonal to the auditorium. This technique was often used when the underlying ground was scarce. The much larger Roxy Theatre at Seventh Avenue & 50th Street was also built that way. And you can still see it today at the legit Ambassador Theatre at 215 West 49th Street.

I recall watching Hard Days Night as well as Fantastic Voyage, Journey To The Center of The Earth, and many James Bond films. One thing that sticks out in my mind is that on Saturdays the management would try to cram all the kids into one section...me being anti-social even at such a tender age wanted nothing to do with such noise makers and voiced my opposition. And then there was that short film by the Will Rogers Institute that asked for a donation after which the ushers would come around and try to cajole us into contributing. I remember asking one of the ushers how could I know that them money would actually get to the charity! What nerve, eh? LOL Needless to say, they didn't bother me after that. Farewell ol taint.

For many years, it was a New York City law that children had to sit in a special section of the theatre unless they attended in the company of an adult. The children's section was supervised by a licensed matron and open only during daytime, non-school hours. On school days, an unaccompanied child would not be admitted before 3PM and had to leave by 6PM. On weekends and holidays, the children's section opened when the theatre did, but the kids had to leave by 6PM.

[This didn't show up the first time I submitted it, so I am resubmitting. I hope it doesn't wind up being posted twice!]

I missed 2001 Space Odysey (sp?) when it was playing uptown at the Capitol, so I went to see it at the Loew's Sheridan instead -- probably just before it closed in 1969. When I walked into the auditorium, music from the film was being played and the screen was dark with all these pinpoints of light. I probably had planned to get to the movie at its scheduled showing time, but when I entered the auditorium I assumed I had arrived late. But then this "scene" of a starfield with that music just kept on going on forever -- and then after an interminably long time, the movie actually began! So my guess is that someone in the management had probably decided that this would be a "cool" way to entertain patrons during breaks between showings and had somehow found a way to project a "junk" starfield on the screen while playing the "2001" music. This was my only visit to the Loew's Sheridan, so I never really got a chance to look at and appreciate whatever the inside of the theater was like!

Sorry, I left out the most amusing part of this story: I had read the reviews of "2001" and apparently one of the big criticism of the time was that it was a very slow-paced movie. So at first (the first 30-45 seconds?), while I was sitting there "watching the movie," I thought to myself, "Boy, the critics were certainly right about this being one slow-paced movie!" And then for a while I was thinking to myself, "Nothing is happening -- what's going on here?" And, finally, there was the embarrasment of realizing that this was only the break between showings!

The Sheridan was rather plain, and similar in design to the later Loew's Coney Island, which also had Reilly & Hall as architects. In later years, Loew's kept the auditorium deliberately under-lighted to hide its shabbiness. The theatre was sometimes used for studio "sneak previews" when Loew's 72nd Street or Lexington weren't available.

Growing up in Chelsea in the 50s & 60s, we had the great RKO on 23rd & 8th (showing WB, Fox, U-I, Allied Artists, AIP flics) and the Sheridan in the Village showing MGM, Paramount, Columbia, UA flics. I recall that Jerry Lewis would appear at all of the Loews' theaters on the opening of his new film. He'd spend 10 minutes on each stage before moving on to the next. Heart breaking to see the RKO shut down and eventually burn down; then about 9 years later the Sheridan was demolished for little apparent reason.
Jerry from 42nd Street Memories

A reproduction of Edward Hopper's famous 1937 painting of the rear section of the Sheridan's orchestra floor can be seen here:
www.newarkmuseum.org/americanart/html/tour/galleries/labels/hopper.htm

It's funny I have never come across anyone who has even mentioned this theatre or attended it.

It closed about 35 years ago, so that could be one of the reasons why you've never met anyone with memories of the theatre. Loew's Sheridan was a fixture of the Greenwich Village scene for many decades, but unless you lived or socialized there, you might not have known it existed. The programs were simultaneous with other "nabes" in Manhattan. Once in a while, it held "sneak" previews of major Hollywood releases and people would attend from all over. I remember one there for "Bells Are Ringing," which was held at the request of RCMH executives and resulted in their booking the movie when they saw the enthusiastic reactions of the packed house.

Strange, RobertR, because it was a very popular "neighborhood" theater. As I mentioned earlier, for those of us further north (Chelsea section in the 50s-early 60s), you had to go here, or 42nd St, to see the MGM, Columbia, UA, Paramount flics. I recall seeing Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Martin & Lewis, Hitchcock's MGM-Paramount films. Even a double feature of Artists & Models-Trouble with Harry. (I have some more 50s-60s double features-let me know me if interested)

Enclosed one-sheets of the Coming Attractions, with I believe 1-2 stills, lined the brick wall on Greenwich Ave and 7th Ave. The lot was triangular, as you can appreciate on mapquest.com. Draw a line from Bank St to 12th St and that should be the layout of the theater. The Greenwich Theater was at the point where 12th Street cut sharply west across Greenwich Ave.

And yes, the matron in her white nurses' outfit with flashlight. Every matron looked the same as the other theater's.....spooky.

Just got a look at the Edward Hopper painting that Warren posted. I know the name of the painting is "The Sheridan Theater" and that Edward Hopper lived in the Village, but I wonder if 1) it really is THE Loew's Sheridan in Greenwich Village; 2) he took liberties with his depiction of the interior; or 3) the theater was extensively remodeled after he painted his picture.

I say this because the painting seems to show one of those cut-outs in the ceiling over the orchestra that was discussed a month or two ago on the page for the Rivoli theater. I don't recall such a cut out there when I went to see "2,001 Odyssey" there in the late 1960s. Of course, I may have not noticed it or maybe I've forgotten about it. But do other people remember it?

Also, given that the site of the Loew's Sheridan was smallish for a movie theater (I think) and had an unusual shape, it would seem odd that they would have such a space waster as a a cut out in the floor of the balcony level (which could have been used for lounge space, etc.).

The Hopper painting is consistent with photos that I've seen of the Sheridan's interior. That open space above the rear orchestra seats was a common feature of theatres built for stage presentations. It was supposed to improve acoustics. Don't forget that was an era before theatres were "wired" for sound. It's possible that in later years, some renovations were made to eliminate this feature. They could have built a wall at the back by sacrificing some of the last rows of seats.

Yes it's the Sheridan layout and the stone half wall is dead-on.

Are there any interior photos of this theater on the net or perhaps in a book(s)?

Usually when you read about theater acoustics, it seems as though theater builders try and make the balcony as shallow as possible because sound gets trapped beneath a large balcony. Putting a hole in the ceiling at the underside of a large balcony would seem to make things worse, not better.

Plus, I know of no Broadway "legit" theater, concert hall or opera house, now or in the past, that had such a hole at the back of the orchestra -- and one would think that they would need acoustic "help" as much as any theater. It seems like the only theaters that had such holes were vaudeville theaters or early movie theaters (some of which may have also had vaudeville) like the Rialto, the Rivoli and the Tivoli.

My guess, as I mentioned in the previous discussions on this phenomenon, is that these holes were more of a problem than an asset acoustically speaking, but that they were an inexpensive way to make places look grand and special, and the noise problems they might have created were not considered all that terrible in the more raucous atmosphere of vaudeville or "silent" movies (with organ accompaniment).

One reason I am surprised that I didn't notice it at the Sheridan, is I find the whole idea really unusually and striking and I'm surprised I would have missed it at the Sheridan. (I remember being quite startled, and taken with the idea, when I saw it used in the late 1960s in the convention area of the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Ave.) Perhaps I missed it at the Sheridan because of the darkness or because I was in a rush? My recollection, apparently erroneous, is that the Loew's Sheridan had a totally conventional lobby.

I think it's an interesting phenomenon. It would be interesting to find a history of it somewhere.

It's possible that Hopper exaggerated the proportions of the opening. It might not have been as large as his interpretation of it.

The first movie shown at the Sheridan in 1921 was the silent "Disraeli" with George Arliss. The opening night programme said "This Temple of Art is unique, the commonplace shall find no welcome here: it is a shrine dedicated to things Well Done." The final movie was "Ice Station Zebra," which had its last showings on June 17, 1969. After closing, the two-line listing on the front of the marquee was changed to read:
DEMOLITION BY D&D DEMOLITION CO., INC.
ANOTHER DRACHMAN PROJECT
By 1971, critic Andrew Sarris was complaining in The Villlage Voice that the neighborhood had been betrayed by St. Vincent's Hospital, which was using the site for parking space instead of promised nursing facilities.

Jeez, if Andrew Sarris was complaining back then about the demolition of cool places in NYC, he has much more to complain about these days.

Cool post. I had no idea this theater existed in this space. I know exactly where this would've been. As usual...shame.

This late 50's release by United Artists announces it's "First New York Showing-Starts today at your neighborhood theatre". In a way this is similar to the Premiere Showcase concept except it's playing on many more screens. I remember this type of release in the 70's and 80's when horror and action films were popular, they would be mass released and then gone in 2-3 weeks.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/ManoftheWest.jpg

Here's an image similar to the one in the intro, but giving a closer view that shows more clearly how the auditorium was at an angle to the corner entrance. This was taken in 1947 during a single-day midweek booking of two "B" westerns, "Apache Rose" (Roy Rogers) & "Sioux City Sue" (Gene Autry), which is advertised across the front of the marquee. The left side of the marquee lists the next attraction: Glenn Ford in "Framed" plus Rosalind Russell & Melvyn Douglas in "The Guilt of Janet Ames." The right side of the marquee, which apparently was not changed as frequently, says:
ENJOY THE LATEST PICTURES
IN COOL COMFORT
PROGRAMS CHANGE TUES & WED
LATE SHOWS FRI & SAT
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/126-2689_IMG.jpg

Great stuff, as always, Warren. You're hitting all my favorite neighborhod theaters from the 50s.

Did the Sheridan actually book a new show for Tuesday only back then? During my time (mid 50s+), the programming changed every Wednesday.

I recall that they had posters for the upcoming movies down the sides of the theater, past the bus in the image.

Keep it up, Warren. And don't forget my Terrace on 23rd St. lol. j

An Austin organ Opus 1007 Size 3/13 was installed in the Sheridan Theater in 1921 at a cost of $9,400.

1949 Frank & Gene on the Loew's nabe run
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/TakeMeOuttotheBallgame.jpg

Hi - I'm a curator at the Newark Museum doing research on our painting of Sheridan Theatre by Edward Hopper for an upcoming exhibition focused on this work. I am trying to locate interior photographs of Sheridan Theatre, and was hoping someone here might be able to help me locate them for both study purposes and possibly for exhibit.

This website and all of your posts are terrific! I've learned so much already about this theatre!
Sincerely,

Mary-Kate O'Hare, Ph.D.
Assistant Curator of American Art
The Newark Museum
49 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102-3176

The Theatre Historical Society of America is probably your best bet for interior photos of Loew's Sheridan. In addition to Michael Miller's extensive collection of NYC theatres, they have many photos donated by Loew's Theatres. THSA has a website at www.historictheatres.org It's also possible that the Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the Library of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, NYC, has some.

According to Dan Wakefield's "New York in the Fifties," Billie Holiday played a concert at the Sheridan during the summer of '57, co-sponsored by Art d'Lugoff (owner of the Village Gate) and the Village Voice. This was apparently her first major NYC appearance since the late '40s. Wakefield writes that she had a nightclub date in Philadelphia earlier that evening, which ended at 11 p.m. A Voice staffer was dispatched to pick her up in Philly, and try to get her to NYC before 2 a.m. as there was a 3 a.m. entertainment curfew in force at the time. Since she insisted on stopping at a bar about halfway through the journey, they didn't make it until well after 2--"but the police had been greased, and Billie started on the dot of three."

According to this site, the date was June 15, 1957. Charles Mingus was also on the bill, and Jean Shepherd acted as M.C. Mingus played the theater again later that year on December 7.

http://www.flicklives.com/Timeline/1957.html

An ad for the Saturday, June 15, 1957 midnight concert can be seen on page 185 of the book, "Lady Day's Diary," compiled by Ken Vail. If the show didn't start until midnight, wasn't it actually on June 16?...Also on the bill were the Modern Jazz Quartet, the Randy Weston Trio with Cecil Payne, the Mingus Quintet, and vocalist Barbara Lea (who's still living, performing and recording!). All seats were priced at $2 each.

The concert was sponsored by The Village Voice, so advertising might have been only in that newspaper:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/sherjazz.jpg

Benjamin, that was not the management's idea to play music from the film before it started. The original "roadshow" prints of 2001 featured an "overature" that was to be played before the film started.

A friend of mine recalls seeing PSYCHO here in the 1960's.

Martin & Lewis on the PANORAMIC Sheridan screen in 1953. Note the emphasis on W-I-D-E screen, Technicolor, and 3-D to combat the evils of television. And COOL at the top didn't mean hip.

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/42ndStreetMemories/?action=view¤t=ScaredStiff.jpg

Happy Holidays, CTers

Edward Hopper's legendary painting, "The Sheridan Theatre," is the focus of a new exhibition of theatre images at the Newark Museum in downtown Newark, NJ, through August 19th. Further details can be found at www.newarkmuseum.org

Recenty while browsing Oklahoma University Library I came across color demolition photos for the Sheridan in the Feb (Valentine) issue of Life Magazine. Altough I can't remember exactly what year it was, I think it was 1969.
Also in the same issue were color images of the NY Paramount and Atlanta Fox.

A couple years back I read that same Valentine issue too. Seems I remember the year as either 1970 or 1971. Auditorium colour shots were of the highest standards, befitting quality always found in Life photographs.
There were also wonderful (where are they now) articles centered around Joan Blondell, Betty Hutton, and Paulette Goddard.

i remember going to see a "SINBAD" movie at the loew's sheridan (which we pronounced LOH'-EEZ) as a kid of 5 or 6. i grew up in the village and it was great to see a picture of the balcony i remembered but could never prove was real -- until now!

The Sheridan in 1932:

http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/42ndStreetMemories/?action=view¤t=Sheridan1932.jpg

Here is another photo of Loew's Sheridan.

That photo linked by "Lost Memory" is an inferior copy of an image that I posted and described above on 7/18/05: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/126-2689_IMG.jpg

Since the 7/18/05 link no longer works, an "inferior copy" was better than nothing.

The address should be changed so the Google map shows the right location of 7th. Avenue & W 12th. Street. New York, NY 10011

What is the address for this theater? The DOB gives an address range of 2-18 Seventh Avenue for the "loading berths".

Three addresses are given for this building in 1921:

2-18 Seventh Avenue (which Google doesn't map correctly)
200-2 West 12th Street
74-78 Greenwich Avenue

If you go with the above address, it maps to near Penn Plaza & 32nd. St.. FDYB has 12th. Street & 7th. Ave.. And if you use that 12th. Street location it maps right.

Both of the other addresses map to the right location. So was the marquee at the 11th Street and Seventh Avenue side?

That's a good question. Looking at the photo at the top of this page, the entrance appears to be facing the intersection of Seventh Avenue and West 12th Street? If that's the case, the 200 West 12th Street address should be okay.

Aren't you folks aware that there's also a Seventh Avenue South? That's the reason why the map won't chart correctly if you enter only Seventh Avenue. I believe that the dividing point is 14th Street. "Lost Memory" posted a wrong building number. It should be 2-18 Seventh Avenue South, not 2-18 Seventh Avenue.

Lost Memory posted the addresses given on the certificate of occupancy for this building from 1921 and the current address given by the Department of Buildings. If the address is incorrect, take it up with that agency.

Google maps the address that you just posted as 18 7th Avenue and not Seventh Avenue South.

Try this link...you can select street view and "walk" around!

http://tinyurl.com/4x3ltw

Regarding dead links, you can always try going to http://www.archive.org and searching for an old version there.

Warren, when you put in 2-18 Seventh Avenue South it comes up with 18 Seventh Avenue South. Which is the wrong location.

The main entrance was on a diagonal at the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and Greenwich Avenue. In the following photo, the bus at right is headed downtown on Seventh Avenue South. The hatted woman at left is crossing Greenwich Avenue. West 12th Street is behind the bus. I don't know how or why it figured in the business address of Loew's Sheridan:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/126-2689_IMG.jpg

And if you headed West (to the left) on Greenwich Ave, across from The Sheridan was the Greenwich theater.

Yes, the Greenwich Theatre was across the street from the rear part of the Sheridan Theatre. Today, a modern gymnasium occupies the Greenwich's site.

When the Sheridan first opened in September, 1921, The New York Times described it as the largest theatre to be especially built for motion pictures south of 42nd Street. Seating capacity was reported to be 2,700. The auditiorium ceiling had a sixty-foot dome "which perfectly reflects the idea and style of the Italian Renaissance, carried out in Georgian green, ivory and gold," the NYT noted> "A large lounge for ladies and gentlemen has been introduced for the orchestra and mezzanine floors. As a great relief to picture patrons, cross-ways extending the entire width of the auditorium allow arrivals and departures to traverse the floor without interfering with the vision of others seated along the sides of these crosss-ways, as they are sunken below the level of the seats which they front." The stage had a permanent set that cost $40,000 and would serve as a frame to the films and their "live" prologues. Each program would be similar to those at Broadway deluxers like the Strand, starting with an overture by the resident orchestra, several concert pieces by singers and dancers, and then followed by a newsreel and feature movie. The Sheridan's opening film was "Disraeli," with George Arliss. Here's a grainy photo of the Sheridan nearing completion. It had two vertical signs flanking the entrance at the intersection of Seventh Avenue South and Greenwich Avenue: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/sheridan21.jpg

The link in the introduction to Edward Hopper's legendary painting no longer works. Here's a new one:
http://www.alledwardhopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/sheridan_theatre_by_edward_hopper_full_size.jpg

Demolition started in the summer of 1969, and took several months. Though Loew's had been earning profits from the Sheridan, the circuit was only a lease-holder and had to vacate when the owner sold the building and its underlying ground to St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center. A long article and photo of the auditorium in the process of demolition can be found in The New York Times of August 28, 1969. I'd be happy to send a copy to those contacting me privately at Warrengwhiz@nyc.rr.com.

I became aware of this thatre a number of years ago while attending an off Broadway show which I believe was called In Gay Company. There was a song in that show that one character sang that he met his one true love in the balcony of Loew's Sheridan Square.

A sad time at the Sheridan.

http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=new+york&catpageindex=27&catpagesize=25&ProductID=31060

1966
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=132&ProductID=31058

Nice site and pictures,those were the days!