Trylon Theater

The info you have on the Trylon is incorrect. I live not too far from it & am interested in either purchasing it out right or leasing it in order to bring it back to it's original luster. It still sits on Queens Blvd. marquee, front ticket booth & front lobby intact. The real estate company which manages the property is very uncooperative and not forth-right with it's info at all. The owner should fire them based on their nasty receptionist alone! I don't know what's going on inside but it is definitely not being used for anything as there is absolutely no activity in and around the building itself. If anyone can tell me how I can go around the managing company & find the owner, I'd really appreciate it. It's too good of a theater to let it go to pot.

According to local news sources the real estate firm of "First Home Brokerage", which has offices next to the Trylon,will demolish it shortly in a planned expansion.

I attended this theatre all my life and it makes me sick to see it sitting empty and rotting. Before Loews had it it was run by Interboro Theatres.

I am part of a group looking to facilitate a charity film festival at the Trylon. While I do have others working on contacting the owners any information you could provide, including the name of any owner/rep/agent who will be open to this would be appreciated. My email is: johnknox@hotmail.com

Thank you.

If you are interested in saving the trylon and trying to get is preserved and landmarked please call me at 718-782-2007 my name is John Jurayj and I am with the Historic Districts Council and the Modern Architecture Working Group

The address for the Trylon Theatre is 9881 Queens Blvd., Queens, NY.

Nearly all Queens street addresses are hyphenated. That should be 98-81 Queens Boulevard.

The Trylon Theater should definitely be preserved as a landmark
building. It should be restored to its former self as one of the
last Art Deco theaters in New York City. It had a 60-year run and
it should be taken over by some entrepreneur and made into a
multi-plex so that it can compete with the other movie houses
in the Forest Hills area. The Trylon was the only theater in Rego
Park and the last of the single screen theaters anywhere!!!
Arnold Goldstein, Rego Park

I'm doing an article on the ghost-like, neglected Trylon Theater.
I'm looking for quotes about this art-deco masterpiece to get
any information I can about it, i.e. what was its seating capacity,
are there any plans for its future, any people I can contact
about this theater, etc. Also interested in getting some facts about the defunct Elmwood Theater.
E-mail me at Arnlau1724@Juno.com

I have attended this theatre all my life, and fortunately the place was well maintained to the end. I dont know how well it is now, hopefully better then the outside looks. In an affluent area like Forest Hills couldent we support a 600 seat combination live and film venue. Stratons used to get alot of live name acts that could be presented here. A full time revival theatre would never cut it, but occasional festivals or classic nights would have a fighting chance. Arnold feel free to contact me at Robert4770@aol.com I used to manage another Forest Hills theatre and have lived in the area my whole life.

arnold feel free to contact me about efforst to save the trylon theater my number is 718-782-2007. My apologies to anyone who has called so far, could you please recall as I have lost all the info on my voice mail.

also If people could start writing Chair Bob Tierney of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission as well as writing City Council Member Melinda Katz , asking them to landmark at least the exterior of the trylon.

thanks
john juray

also does anyone know the name of the community group that has plans to alter and use this building? Who owns it?

Sad, sad, sad. I first attended this theater by seeing "Firstborn" there on Saturday November 3rd 1984 and left it having seen "Stargate" there Friday November 11 1994, one marriage, one pregnancy, 10 years and 8 days later. Many happy times in between, among them, "Witness" in 1985 and "Out Of Africa" in 1986. I remember "Bobrick" on the hot air hand dryers, and the "Main Road" sign out on Queens Blvd. visible from the inner lobby/

Great facade but looks like it is slowly falling apart. Seems like it is unique enough to save. It's historical link to the World's Fair and the Trylon symbol is a great marketing tool in itself. Wonder if the last operator removed the projection equipment?

I only had seen one movie in the Trylon, "A Stranger Among Us" much of which was actually filmed in Ridgewood, at the Forest Ave M station. I remember it usually playing "unusual" films.
I remember it being a really nice "old fashioned" theater that if I'm not mistaken, even opened and closed curtains in front of the screen still.

The Trylon always used the scalloped Austrian drapes until they started showing those tacky intermission slides. Then they only closed it at the end of the final movie. The Trylon showed mostly upscale product but not really independant or art films. Those were usually run by The Cinemart. The Trylon did best with things like Indecent Proposal which played for months.

The first time I can remember visiting the Trylon was in early 1940, for "Goodbye, Mr. Chips." This was one of the first theaters in New York to have "hard-of-hearing aids", and we sat in the loge with my hearing-impaired aunt who used the special headsets provided at no charge.

does anyone know the name of the architect who designed the Trylon Theater? I know it was built in 1939

please email me if you have the name

jurayj@aol.com

My most vivid Trylon memory is the Spring 1968 engagement of "Bonnie and Clyde". The house was packed and the audience seemed seemed unusually synched, riding the emotional roller coaster of that film like an enormous family, with gales of laughter at the comic scenes, colective gasps at the violent and suspenseful scenes that suddenly intruded, and stunned silence, with some open weeping, after the film ended. The greatest home theater set-up will never produce that sort of experience.

Thanks for posting that, stukgh. I have a similar memory of the spring 1968 engagement of "Bonnie and Clyde" at the RKO Madison (q.v. on this site) Theater in Ridgewood, Queens.

Sadly the exterior is getting worse by the day. I dont know if vandals have gotten inside or not.

The latest update on the status of the Trylon Theater is that it is
currently being renovated and will be turned into an Educational
Center for the Russian Jewish community in Rego Park.This rebuilding
is expected to be completed by the end of 2004. The site will cater to the learning needs of children, teenagers and also senior
citizens in the neighborhood. I first reported this in a page-one story in the Forest Hills Ledger on May 6.
Arnold Goldstein (Aug. 12, 2004.)

Arnold, is there any connection between the Russian Jewish communities of Rego Park, and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, including the Gastronom Moscow boardwalk outdoor cafe there ? Or am I not up to date ?

I really don't believe there is any connection between the
Russian communities in Rego Park and Brighton Beach. It's
possible, but I don't think there is any connection.

Arnold G.

There is alot of activity here in the last few days. Does anyone know exactly what they are doing with the interior? What a sin destroying this art deco little treasure.

Here are some of the Trylon Bookings for 89-90

5/5/89 Scandal
6/9 Dead Poets Society
8/25 Uncle Buck (moveover)
9/15 Shirley Valentine
10/27 Sex Lies & Videotape (moveover)
11/3 Crimes & Misdeamenors
12/15 Blaze
1/5 My Left Foot
2/2 Stanley & Iris
2/23 Where the Heart Is
3/9 Madhouse
3/23 Pretty Woman
6/15 Dick Tracy

They painted the side and back of the bricks that were covered in graffiti. A friend saw them taking out the seats the other day. I wish I knew for sure what was going on here.

The Trylon was a lovely little art deco gem. Like The Elmwood, it had to be playing smething good to lure me into the subway from Forest Hills.

My grandmother was in charge of all "light music" at the 1939 Worlds Fair and I have an interest in all the artifacts of that exhibition. This includes the Trylon and I'm heartbroken to see its slow, sad demise.

Hi fellow theater history enthusiasts!!!
I'm a new member on this board. It's great that we have such a site to spread the awareness of the current status of theaters worldwide. So many theaters are endangered worldwide by carelessness, and the greed of landlords & developers. Hopefully, more people will see our postings, & realize the need for preservation!!! Remember that our path to the future is marked by a strong foundation of the past. It's a shame to see the 1939 Art Deco Trylon Theater sitting there in a state of disarray. I believe the Trylon Theatre on Qns Blvd is not a landmark at this point. It baffles me as to why Melinda Katz won't give her approval to the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission (http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/about/), which is creating a major burden towards landmark designation. Selfish, isn't it?? Is Joseph Nocerino an option? If you feel that any site is worthy of landmark designation, e-mail RTierney@lpc.nyc.org No one posted on this forum since March 2005. Has anyone heard any news lately regarding the Trylon? Wouldn't it be great if we can organize a fund-raiser to at least restore the exterior, if not parts of the interior? Anyone interested? Let's get a group together. Please write back. E-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com It's a shame how history is being wiped away right before our eyes like an eraser applied to a blackboard. Let's show that the "little people" can make a BIG difference!!!

P.S. Perhaps we can start an online petition for the Trylon Theatre? Any ideas?

A useful link providing Trylon history & its architectural importance to the Forest Hills/Rego Park landscape, as well as support options can be found at - http://www.hdc.org/trylon.htm Show you care! Thanks!!! ^._.^

A member on our site, m_acevedo, posted a very interesting point on another theater strand regarding the Trylon on Feb 12, 2004. It is as follows: "Another local “ghost” theater I have kept my eye on is the beautiful little deco palace the Trylon. One would think that Queensborough Hall would go out of its way to salavage a relic of the era of the fabled 1939 World's Fair, especially they are so keen these days to promote the legacy of the old Fairgrounds as the possible site of the 2012 Olympics."

Native
As a FH resident also I grew up going to this gem. Sadly in New York it seems nobody cares anymore about our past. Have you seen the NY State Pavilion at Flushing Meadows? This classic was designed by Phillip Johnson and has been allowed to rot. What about the other unused art deco gem in Forest Hills, the tennis stadium? It's hard now to believe that not only was the US Open held there but sold out concerts all summer long. To think Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles and Barbra Streisand played there and they let it sit and rot.

There was an article in the Times, Robert, some months ago discussing the poor condition of the NY State Pavilion at Flushing Meadows and, if memory serves (and I KNOW this will come as a total shock :-), the inaction of the city on restoring it. If only we, the people, truly had a say in what goes on at City Hall...

I remember so well seeing "Orca" here in 1977, by no means a great film but summer fun anyways.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Orca.jpg

My memories of the Trylon strt in the late 1960's. I seem to recall it as a poor relation to the first run houses a few blocks up Queens Blvd. [Midway, Forest Hills, Continental] I remember it as a second run house at that time that played a lot of double features. for instance I remember seeing Help on a double with Two For The Road. I moved back to the area in the early 1980's and went their often, but the crowds were going elsewhere and the place was not well maintained. Still it was always fun to sit in the Balcony, and I always loved the Art Deco feel of the place

In the days when Interboro had the Trylon it was more of a second run double bill house, and then started to get some of the first run showcase films. Loews actually booked this theatre well when they took it over. "Saturday Night Fever", "Looking For Mr GoodBar", "Flashdance" all played at least 6 months each. One of the last times I remember it selling out show after show was "Indecent Proposal".

The architect that I found credited with designing the Trylon Theater was Joseph Unger.

There is a small ad from the Trylon on the bottom of this page from 1954
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/RoseMarie.jpg

Fascinating, RobertR, great get glimpses of so many of our local theaters in their heydays. The movie at the Trylon is surprising. A search of the IMDB indicates that "Times Gone By" is an obscure Italian anthology film that was already 2 years old at the time -- not what we of the 1960's and 70's cohort would have expected to find at the Trylon. By enlarging and squinting at the featured players, it looks like the film may have been promoted as part of the Gina Lollabrigida craze, though her actualy part is so small that I had to go WAY down the cast list to find her.

Those wishing to research "Times Gone By", or any film of interest to them, may do so most profitably on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) :

www.imdb.com

More specifically, click on :

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044345/

to go right to it.

URGENT (Please read): Many Forest Hills and Rego Park, NY residents feel strongly about the preservation of the Art Deco/Moderne Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd). However, last week it was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, & boarding up the entrance pavillion. It is going to be converted into a Bukharian Center. I tried contacting the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to have at least the facade landmarked, since it is one of the LAST STANDING architectural & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World's Fair. The LPC told me that they are aware of it, and they're concerned as well, but they are slow in acting. They advised me to also contact other historical societies/preservation groups, and spread the word. Hopefully, we can have the Trylon theater landmarked, and possibly coordinate a fundraiser to restore the exterior. I understand that the demolition of the RKO Keith Theatre in Flushing was halted by the city a little while ago, & is currently undergoing a restoration.

***I was informed by a higher official that there is still a chance that the 1939 historic Trylon Theater can be saved, designated a landmark, & then a fundraiser/restoration can be organized. The only factor that is "preventing landmark designation" from the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission is a signature from local councilwoman, "Melinda Katz," who is reluctant to give her approval. We need detailed letters, phone calls, & E-mails to Councilwoman Melinda Katz. It is not too late to convince her to reverse her decision! (This has to be a LOCAL & NATIONWIDE effort)***

**CONTACT ASAP (1ST): COUNCILWOMAN MELINDA KATZ
104-01 METROPOLITAN AVE
FOREST HILLS, N.Y. 11375-6735
(718) 544-8800
katz@council.nyc.ny.us

PLEASE CC: ROBERT B. TIERNEY, CHAIR
NYC LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION
1 CENTRE ST, 9TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007
PHONE/FAX: (212) 669-7955
rtierney@lpc.nyc.gov

Co-Chair of the Modern Architecture Working Group & Historic Districts Council would like to be contacted as well, so he can keep track of how many letters are being sent:
John Jurayj: E-mail: jurayj@aol.com
Phone: (718)782-2007

***Citywide Effort To Halt Demolition of The Trylon Theater: A 1939 Art Deco Queens Landmark***

REGO PARK, NY (August 10, 2005) - Since its closure in late 1999, community groups, historic preservationists, and the local media have tried to clarify the fate of the iconic Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Boulevard.

Sadly, the property is now undergoing profound alteration for its new use as a social services facility for the Bukharian community. At this writing, the entrance pavilion has been walled off, façade features have been destroyed, and the interior is being gutted. Original painted murals, decorative tilework depicting the Trylon and Perisphere (the 1939 New York World's Fair symbols), and marquee elements have all been destroyed and no salvage is being conducted.

Appeals to NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and NYC Councilwoman Melinda Katz to halt the destruction and achieve a preservation-minded adaptive reuse plan for the defunct theater have been unsuccessful thus far. The Art Deco Society of New York (ADSNY) and the Historic Districts Council (HDC) have spearheaded the effort to intervene -- even at this late stage -- to protect the outstanding and unique Art Deco property.

The Trylon Theater, designed by Joseph Unger, reflects the cultural impact of the 1939 World's Fair and its theme of "The World of Tomorrow," in decorative tiles, murals, and overall aesthetics. The streamlined Art Deco property is a rare surviving neighborhood movie theater due to the loss of hundreds of such buildings in New York and meets criteria to become a designated and protected Historic Landmark.

**To lend your support: Please contact unlockthevault@hotmail.com (Journalist/Preservationist) & send carbon copies to GLENLEINER@aol.com (Art Deco Society of NY) & jurayj@aol.com (Historic Districts Council) & info@queenshistoricalsociety.org THIS IS A PRESERVATION EMERGENCY!!! Call Councilwoman Melinda Katz(718-544-8800) who was the only member who opposed landmark designation & is responsible for this ACT OF DESTRUCTION. Also e-mail her at katz@council.nyc.ny.us

VERY URGENT/PRESERVATION ALERT: Community Calls for A Halt To Further Demolition of The Trylon Theater:
A 1939 World’s Fair Historic Gem!!!

FOREST HILLS, N.Y. (August 10, 2005) – Members of the community of Forest Hills and others are appalled at the plight of their 1939 Art Deco/Art Moderne Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Blvd, in Forest Hills. The historic theater is being demolished day by day, and unsympathetically converted into a Bukharian center. Many Forest Hills, Rego Park, as well as residents in other boroughs, feel strongly about the preservation of the historic Trylon Theater. It was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, boarding up and dismantling the entrance pavilion, and gutting the interior.
The Trylon Theater is one of the last standing architectural, cultural, & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World's Fair. The theme of the fair was the “World of Tomorrow,” and exhibits were intended to emphasize how technology would make life better for everyone. The fair’s enduring image was the “Trylon and Perisphere.” The exterior and interior of the Trylon Theater bear resemblance to the Trylon pyramid and the Perisphere globe. One of the most striking features of the Trylon Theater is the exterior box office and floor, which contains mosaic inlaid tiles, depicting the design of the 1939 World’s Fair “Trylon.”
It is of utmost importance to have the Trylon Theater’s façade and entrance pavilion landmarked, and to restore what was lost during the ill-conceived conversion.
Those involved in the public funding as well as the administration and programming for the Bukharian center should adhere to the concept of preservation of this neighborhood icon, rather than demolition.

“The historical and architectural significance of the Trylon calls out for an architect who is sensitive and respectful of the original features, while adapting the site to a Bukharian center,” said Mitchell Grubler, Executive director of the Queens Historical Society. Act now!

**To lend your support: Please contact unlockthevault@hotmail.com (Journalist/Preservationist) & send carbon copies to GLENLEINER@aol.com (Art Deco Society of NY) & jurayj@aol.com (Historic Districts Council) & info@queenshistoricalsociety.org THIS IS A PRESERVATION EMERGENCY!!! Call Councilwoman Melinda Katz(718-544-8800) who was the only member who opposed landmark designation & is responsible for this ACT OF DESTRUCTION. Also e-mail her at katz@council.nyc.ny.us

What a tragedy. Unfortunately, it appears it is just about too late, if the jackhammers have begun. Unrepairable damage appears to have already been done.
I really enjoyed this theater, it's a real shame that this is happening. Apparently with each passing day, the poor Trylon is falling deaper and deaper into the world of no return like so many other theaters have seen in their fate.

It's sort of ironic that the only movie I have ever seen in this great gem of a theater is "A Stranger Among Us", considering they are turning it into a Bukharian Center....
I saw it there around 1994 (give or take), and it was like walking into a timewarp. The interior was beautiful, and they still opened and closed the curtains between the previews and the movies, and at the end of the movie.
I always wanted to go back, but it wasn't to be.
What a tragedy.

Here is a website about saving the Trylon Theater.

***It is not too late too call Councilwoman Melinda Katz at (718) 544-8800 or e-mail her at katz@council.nyc.ny.us to encourage her to change her mind & preserve "what's left" of the Trylon's 1939 Art Deco/Moderne facade. The more people contacting her, the greater the chance of her convincing the owners to keep the facade intact, instead of renovating it. The committee to save the Trylon encourages you to please act ASAP!!!

Please follow this Queens Chronicle link:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15057359&BRD=1863&PAG=461&dept_id=152656&rfi=8

Please read this: "While John Jurayj of the HDC accused City Councilwoman Melinda Katz of not supporting landmarking, her office said the issue has not yet come up for a vote." HMMMM......

Also, according to the article, it says that the Trylon's inlaid mosaic tile floor is intact, which is a misprint.

I thought this would be of interest. Please follow this link, and help me, the founding member of the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater, to halt the theater from further demolition.

http://www.queensexaminer.com/StoryDisplay.asp?PID=8&NewsStoryID=1902

Similar articles have been published in the Queens Ledger, Queens Courier, Queens Chronicle, Forest Hills Times, Leader/Observer, Glendale Register, & the LIC - Astoria - Jackson Heights Journal.

Anyone interested in joining the committee, please e-mail Preservationist/Journalist, Michael, at unlockthevault@hotmail.com Thank you!

Here are three 1939 images. The center curve of the marquee was reserved for the next attraction. The auditorium's orchestra is below street level. The vertical stripes on the side walls were considered radical for the time. Usually, decorators used horizontal stripes to direct attention towards the screen:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/136-3646_IMG.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/136-3639_IMG.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/136-3642_IMG.jpg

Did the auditorium retain its original appearance until the 1999 closing?

I don't know. But there might have been some cosmetic changes over that period of 60 years.

I'd bet that one change must have widened the proscenium to acommodate CinemaScope in '53. That's one of the narrowest (but handsomest) prosceniums I've ever seen. Widening it would have been difficult, because the exit doors close in so tightly upon it. Does anyone know what they did to widen the screen?

In NYC there is a fee for having an illuminated sign on a building. This theater is still being billed for that sign as of 2005. Maybe they should turn off the sign and save some money. :) Billing history since closing in 1999:

BILL DATE AMOUNT BILLED TO
03/17/2005 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/02/2004 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/02/2003 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
03/21/2002 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/26/2001 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
04/10/2000 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD
05/10/1999 $70.00 LOEWS TRYLON
98-81 QUEENS BLVD

The stage level might have been raised and extended forward so that a wide screen could cover the murals on both sides, but I'm only guessing. My only visit to the Trylon was in 1949 to catch up with a double bill of "The Barkleys of Broadway" & "Big Jack," which I'd somehow missed when it played the Loew's circuit. Believe it or not, I was a Wallace Beery fan and that was his final movie. He died just around the time of its release.

The whole front and orchestra was draped and the new screen was slightly in front of the proscenium with Austrian drapes that went up and down. The opening for the fire doors (the doors were set way back) had the drapes crisscrossed to allow people to walk in and out and also the air conditioning return ducts were back there so you could feel a breeze when you sat in the front. The scope picture was created from a top masking that came down and was really quite small. The flat picture was decent.

Several color photos of the exterior taken in 2004 can be found in the new article about Queens Boulevard (aka "The Boulevard of Death")at www.forgotten-ny.com

While the screen was definitely bigger in the 90's than seen here, other than that, Warren's photos look just like I remember the theater.

Post a query on this site and within a couple of hours or 24 hours and beyond, plenty of helpful individuals answer your questions and provide you with the information you're seeking - remarkable, but certainly not a surprise. Thanks to everyone for your responses :-)

The following is an article that is available to subscribed Times Ledger members, but as a result of the importance of the Trylon Theater preservation effort, and its dilemma, I feel it should be available to all. You can try following the link, or read the article below. It appeared in the Forest Hills Ledger, in addition to affiliate newspapers. First are my thoughts regarding the article.

(Even if we can prove that there is enough support to preserve the Trylon's key architectural features, such as the facade & marquee, I still feel M. Katz will not give in. I do not know what M. Katz was talking about when she said "It would need so much work to make it look half as decent as it originally did." I personally feel that it would right now, since the entrance pavilion was already gutted. Prior to the demolition, every mosaic tile was intact, but only the marquee needed some work, as evident in my photos on this website.) *PLEASE REACH OUT & HELP. Thank you! Contact unlockthevault@hotmail.com

http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15175889&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542415&rfi=8

"Rehab On Old Trylon Draws Fire: Preservationists Want Theater In Forest Hills Landmarked"
By Zach Patberg
09/08/2005

The renovation of the Trylon Theater has once again sparked protest from some who worry that what made the Forest Hills relic a centerpiece in history will soon be lost at the hands of new construction.

"It's absolutely essential that if something is done, it be done immediately," said Mitchell Grubler, executive director of the Queens Historical Society.

Work on the Queens Boulevard theater, which opened in 1939 during the New York World's Fair, began this summer after it was announced last year that The Educational Center for Russian Jewry would be moving in.

For most, the reopening comes as a blessing. Since its closing in 1999, the World War II-era movie house has deteriorated into a ghost-like structure, with a crumbling marquee, garbage on the lobby floor and graffiti on the outer walls.

A volunteer for the incoming Bukharian community center, David Alishaev, said the center will try to preserve as much as possible, such as the balcony and stage, but that most of the theater, including the facade and marquee, will be completely changed in the next two months.

"It's been an eyesore for six years," Alishaev said. "There's no way, no point, to keep it how it is. It will look so much better."

But Michael Perlman, a local preservationist, said he realized the renovation had gone too far when he witnessed the demolition of the Art Deco mosaic tile on the ticket booth in July. What has followed, he said, is a boarded-up entrance pavilion and a gutted interior. Before its dismantling, the ticket booth featured the theater's symbol -- a marbleized trylon that paid tribute to the 610-foot high one at the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing.

"It was heartbreaking," Perlman said. He has since joined the movement started last year to landmark the theater's exterior and pavilion. That goal has not materialized, however, partly because Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills), who has allocated more than $200,000 for the new center, is reluctant to give her approval.

Katz questioned whether the theater in its current condition should be landmarked. "The outside would need so much work to make it look even half as nice as it did originally," she said.

A spokeswoman at the city Landmarks Preservation Commission acknowledged that a building rarely gets landmarked without the local Council member's blessing.

"So often the problem with restoring an old building properly is finding a use and funding," said Grubler. "Here there is a use and plenty of funding to do it right. If the owner was at all enlightened he'd hire an architect who is sympathetic to the theater's original features."

The following article from the City section of the N.Y. Times just came out today. If you pay close attention to the comments made by M. Katz & the Landmarks Preservation Commission throughout various Trylon newspaper articles you've seen, you would find that the landmarking issue changes quite often (A little too often!).

Forest Hills
FOR AN ART MODERNE THEATER, A STRUGGLE OVER ACT II
The New York Times

By JEFF VANDAM
Published: September 18, 2005

When readers of a movie industry publication called Theatre Catalog scanned the 1941 edition for a listing for the two-year-old Trylon Theater in Forest Hills, Queens, they learned it was a "striking and modern" cinema named for a World's Fair monument, complete with a stone and glass tower that lit up Queens Boulevard at night.

Today, the Trylon is crumbling. The marquee, which once trumpeted "The Wizard of Oz" as its premiere film, is blank and broken. Plywood walls of construction, plastered with posters for a Tupac Shakur album, have replaced the ticket booth and the entrance.

The theater, closed since 1999, is being converted into a home for the Educational Center for Russian Jewry, a community space to serve the area's growing population of Bukharan Jews. Yet local preservationists claim that historic elements of the theater, on Queens Boulevard near 99th Street, are being lost in renovation.

"They've already torn out the whole lower facade," said John Jurayj, co-chairman of the Modern Architecture Working Group. "It was a completely intact Art Moderne entryway. I'm trying to think of what other things there are in this style, and I kind of draw a blank."

This summer, Forest Hills residents formed the Committee to Save the Trylon Theater, led by Michael Perlman, a journalist and preservationist who lives nearby. This weekend, the committee, which according to Mr. Perlman has 75 to 100 members, was sponsoring a meeting featuring presentations on the theater by historians.

"When the demolition men started smashing the ticket booth with a jackhammer," Mr. Perlman said, referring to construction he saw under way in July, "that's when I became furious."

Efforts to have the theater designated as a landmark, however, have thus far come up short. According to Robert Tierney, chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the theater has been considered for landmark status but never been the subject of a vote. For various reasons, he said, it does not meet the commission's landmark criteria.

Nahum Kazev, a spokesman for the Educational Center for Russian Jewry, declined to comment on the renovations because, he said, that work was still under way. But in the opinion of City Councilwoman Melinda Katz, who represents the area, being able to renovate the theater without restrictions would save both time and money.

"It's a much-needed center for the Bukharan community, and I look forward to working with them," Ms. Katz said. "I'm just not sure at this time if landmarking just the front of the building would be the best for the community."

Despite the dispute and the construction, the Trylon was silent on a recent visit. Pigeons flew in and out of missing sections in the marquee, and a young girl ran up to the plywood and scrawled a message in black ink where moviegoers once bought tickets. The message: "Love always, Delilah."

On Saturday, September 24, at 4:30 p.m., there will be a meeting to discuss saving the Trylon Theatre. Joe Nocerino, who recently ran for city councilman and lost to Melinda Katz, will be giving an update regarding the demolation of the theatre and what the possibilities are for registering the Trylon as a landmark.

Location: 68-12 Ingram Street, in the driveway (as part of a community gathering)

Being a lifelong Forest Hills resident I have gone to this theatre all my life. It pains me to see the crap that is opening here. How is a center for the Bukharan community something that benefits the area? First the West Side Tennis Stadium, then the Forest Hills Theatre and now the Trylon. I'm ready to move to Great Neck :(

Hi Robert & all Cinema Treasures friends, Hope you can all attend the meeting/community gathering at 68-12 Ingram St on Sat, Sept 24th, which I believe starts at 3 PM (as noted on my invitation). We can all voice our opinion regarding the Trylon, & I am confident that something CAN be done. This is an URGENT PRESERVATION MATTER. Did you all check out the photos of the Trylon "then" & "now" posted under the news category on this site? Please RSVP unlockthevault@hotmail.com regarding this Trylon/community gathering. Thank you!

Hello;
I can not make the meeting, so I am suggesting that others attend. According to an E-Mail I received the theater is under the threat of demolition.

A theater can find other uses after it closed. Many of them became houses of worship. Others became performing arts centers. In other words, the Trylon, and other theaters should not be let alone to die.

Get the word out that the theater should be open. I am on the commitees for several theaters including this one and the Loew's Kings in Brooklyn, http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1360 ,and if anyone from Brooklyn crossed the Queens Border, and went to the Trylon (I only went to theaters in Brooklyn and Manhattan) they may be interested in saving both.

I am happy to report that today's Trylon Theater preservation event in Forest Hills was well-attended by community residents and out-of-towners, historians and preservationists, and the media. Thank you for such informative lectures, & a special thanks to all who participated! - Committee To Save The Trylon, Founder

URGENT: Please click on the following link to sign a petition to save the '39 Trylon Theater:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Trylon/petition.html

The petition:

To: Robert Tierney (Chair, NY Landmarks Preservation Commission) & Melinda Katz (Councilwoman, District 29)

The signers of this petition agree that the 1939 Art Deco/Moderne Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY) is one of the last standing structures which has a strong cultural, historical, & architectural significance to the 1939 World's Fair, with its "Trylon & Perisphere" monuments. On behalf of residents and historical societies, it is of utmost importance to halt further demolition, restore what was lost during the conversion, preserve this icon, and officially landmark this truly rare gem of a theater!!!

There will be 3 more articles coming out shortly, regarding the Trylon; Tribune, Newsday, & FH/Times Ledger. Today's Queens Chronicle article can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15300301&BRD=1863&PAG=461&dept_id=152656&rfi=6

As of April 4th, a Department of Buildings inspector said that the Trylon has a construction violation (which is still active). On Apr 11th, a STOP WORK ORDER was issued, & it is still in effect. Despite the stop work order, demolition men started demolishing the entrance pavilion & gutting the interior on July 26th. Hmmm... It's also really strange that the latest article in the Queens Chronicle didn't quote anything relating to the Stop Work Order.

Freelance reporter Nicholas Hirshon wrote an article in the 21st anniversary issue of Qns Courier last week (Sept 21; page 148), entitled "Trylon Demolition Raises Questions." It should be available online shortly. It refers to the active construction violation & the stop work order at the Trylon, which is still in effect!

Greetings Trylon fans!

The latest article that came out was today's, Oct 6th article in Newsday, entitled "Theater Reeling In Controversy." It can be accessed as follows:

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/news/ny-nynabe064456900oct06,0,6837721.story

My take is as follows:

*Please pay close attention to the wording of the article, & the complexity of the Trylon issue on various levels (Katz, Kaziev, DOB, LPC). In a Queens Chronicle & FH Ledger article last week, spokeswoman Jennifer Givner of the DOB stated that the April 2005 stop work order & construction violations were "probably" lifted already. Now, for this aticle, she states that the "order will likely be lifted soon." Can't she make up her mind??? Kaziev said not much was salvageable & the Trylon was vandalized. (The demolition men of course made it look vandalized, since prior to their work in July, all the mosaic tiles & significant features were almost intact from '39. I pass it everyday!) Notice how Kaziev also said the theater is being "RESTORED to its former glory." Who's he kidding? When it's too late & they manipulate the now intact facade prior to Dec 10th (when the bizarre permit expires)??? Other articles said the facade will undergo a complete reconstruction shortly. Notice how on Katz's level, she tries defending herself in regard to the Trylon's landmarking issue, by saying that she "was trying to push the LPC for years to designate Richmond Hill & 10 blocks in Kew Gardens, but they designated the Ralph Bunche House instead. Why change the subject? Hmm... (In regard to the Ralph Bunche House, she made it difficult for the LPC to designate, but they did anyway). After all, M. Katz said she's "powerless," when it comes to landmarking decisions. Then why won't the LPC grant any designations without the approval or "blessings of a councilmember" as the LPC stated in the NY Times article? M. Katz sure is integral regarding the Trylon landmarking scenario, & that's a major burden (we have all the proof)!!! The LPC should have a mind of its own!

NativeForestHiller;
Can you give us any idea of the history? It may also help to find if any famous people worked or went to the theater. I am also on the committee to save the Loew's Kings in Brooklyn where people like Barbra Streisand, and Sylvester Stallone were ushers.

*URGENT: TRYLON THEATER RALLY*

DATE: Sunday, October 23rd
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Trylon Theater; 98-81 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, N.Y.

**Points of the rally:
1. LANDMARK the '39 Trylon Theater; a last standing structure which bears strong significance to the 1939 World's Fair.
2. PRESERVE the presently intact Art Deco facade, glass block projection tower (which once illuminated Queens Blvd.), & the marquee.
3. RESTORE what was lost during a summer 2005 conversion, despite an active construction violation & stop work order since April 2005.
4. ADAPT the site for the Education Center For Russian Jewry, with a preservation-minded re-use strategy, rather than demolition.

Participants: Historians, preservationists, community residents, as well as residents of neighboring boroughs, politicians, possible FH celebrities, the media, & members of The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater.

For Trylon Theater then & now visuals, please follow these 2 links: http://cinematreasures.org/news/13577_0_1_0_C/
http://cinematreasures.org/news/13576_0_1_0_C/

To sign the Trylon Theater petition, click or paste the following: www.PetitionOnline.com/Trylon/petition.html

FOR MORE RALLY INFO, CONTACT: (212) 679-DECO or unlockthevault@hotmail.com

I unfortunately can't attend the rally, I will be in Connecticut.

MAYBE YOU SHOULD ALL KNOW THAT THE TRYLON IS NOW ON THIS WEEKS CINEMA TREASURES POLL. I VOTED FOR THE KINGS, I ADMIT, BUT I WANT THE TRYLON TO HAVE A GOOD SHOW. THE SECTION OF THE SIGHT IS ON NEW YORK THEATERS THAT SHOULD BE RESTORED. TO ACCESS THE CLICK TO TO THIS ADDRESS

http://cinematreasures.org/polls/79

The Oct 23rd RALLY TO SAVE THE 1939 TRYLON THEATER had a succesful turnout. It featured community residents (including the Rego Park Group), good semaritans from neighboring boroughs, as well as historical societies, & media coverage.

Speeches were delivered by the following: Michael, Mr. Trylon/founder of "The Committee To Save The Trylon," & my co-founder, Sonia. Also, Glen Leiner, Executive Director of the Art Deco Society of N.Y., & Mitchell Grubler, Executive Director of the Queens Historical Society. The Theater Historical Society of America also supported our effort, as well as the Four Boroughs Preservation Alliance, the Historic Districts Council, & Nancy Cataldi, President of the Richmond Hill Historical Society. I would also like to thank David Oats & his wife, World's Fair historians. Media coverage: NY Post, Daily News, Times NewsWeekly, Queens Chronicle, Queens Ledger/FH Times/Queens Examiner. Check it out this week!

WE ALL ACHIEVED A GREAT EFFORT TOWARDS PRESERVATION. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. We will continue, since the Trylon (& other significant structures which paint a picture of the history of Queens & NYC) deserves some JUSTICE! As I stated earlier, the LPC (Chairman Robert Tierney) not granting a fair & adequate hearing, & Councilwoman Melinda Katz ignoring the requests of her community/constituents, violates our Democratic rights. WE MUST WORK IN UNISON TO PRESERVE OUR 20TH CENTURY HERITAGE. WE MUST ALL REMEMBER: VICTORY IS DETERMINATION!!!

WRITE LETTERS TO LPC CHAIRMAN TIERNEY, COUNCILWOMAN MELINDA KATZ, & MAYOR BLOOMBERG ASAP to support landmarking of this highly endangered, rare iconic gem of a theater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RALLY COVERAGE: We landed a great article on October 24th in "Preservation (Online)," published by the National Trust For Historic Preservation. The story is by Meghan Hogan, & it's entitled "Supporters of Queens Theater (Trylon) Hold Rally": (Put in Trylon in general search if the page moves or the current link becomes inactive)

http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/news/index.htm

Reporter Nicholas Hirshon of the Daily News also composed a wonderful article on October 25th, entitled "Battle To Save A Legend: Protest Seeks Landmark Status For Trylon Theater." It can be accessed as follows:

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/358774p-305724c.html

It made the front page of the Queens section, but the photo isn't visible online. The photo shows participants marching with signs stating the following:

-Trylon Trashed: Restore What Was Lost!
-66 Years Standing Proud!
-Now Playing: "Gone With The Jackhammer" at the Trylon Theater!!!
-Now Playing: "Nightmare on Queens Boulevard!"
-A Queens Landmark To Be Cherished...NOT demolished!
-Last standing '39 World's Fair Art Deco treasure!
-LPC: Grant the Trylon a fair hearing (This is a democracy!)
-Councilwoman Katz: Meet with your constituents now!!!
...& many more!!!!!!!

CONTACTS UPDATE: *SAVE THE '39 TRYLON THEATER!!! - HOW YOU CAN HELP DESIGNATE IT A LANDMARK*

You can help by sending certified letters &/or e-mails to BOTH:

Councilwoman Melinda Katz
104-01 Metropolitan Ave
Forest Hills, N.Y. 11375-6735

katz@council.nyc.ny.us

~AND~

Mr. Robert Tierney, Chairman
c/o NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
1 Centre St, 9th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10007

rtierney@lpc.nyc.gov

Key points that should be addressed:
*Trylon Theater historical significance
*Personal insight (including Melinda Katz's views on landmarking. There's also a still active stop work order)
*The fact in which you're not opposed to the Education Center's occupancy, but the Trylon's historical integrity MUST be respected (20th century heritage building).
*Halt further demolition, restore what was lost during the dismantling of entrance pavilion, etc, and ensure preservation of this truly rare icon, by designating the Trylon Theater a LANDMARK!

For additional background info:

The Art Deco/Moderne 1939 Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd. Forest Hills, N.Y.) is currently under heavy alteration, as it is being converted into an Education Center for the Russian Jewry. It
is one of the last standing structures which has a strong architectural, cultural, & historical significance to the 1939 World's Fair, with its "Trylon & Perisphere" monuments. The Landmarks Preservation Commission was in favor of designating the Trylon Theater a landmark, but when Councilwoman Melinda Katz opposed, the Landmarks Preservation Commission was reluctant to designate it. Now, in a 10/6 Newsday article, Melinda Katz said she is "powerless when it comes to landmarking decisions." Also, in a 9/29 Queens Chronicle article, Katz said that "any issues regarding the Trylon's landmarking, should be taken up with the LPC, which is
where the process begins." Another dilemma is a construction violation & a stop work order as of April 11, 2005. Even though the stop work order is still active, demolition men ignored the order, &
on July 26, 2005, they gutted the interior and the entrance pavilion. It featured hand-painted cloth murals, an inlaid mosaic floor & ticket booth with the Trylon monument memorialized. As of now, October 2005, the only fairly intact features are: the marquee, the Art Deco facade, & the glass block projection tower, which once illuminated Queens Blvd.

An easier link to access the Trylon rally article in the Preservation (online) NTHP publication:

http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news_2005/102405.htm

An article entitled "Preservationists March To Save The Trylon Theater" with subtitle "Protestors blast Katz!" came out in the FH Ledger: http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15465571&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542415&rfi=8
(For copyright issues, I can't post the article here. You have to register to view it. It's free.) Photos aren't visible online.

The following is in the Queens Chronicle: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15465717&BRD=1863&PAG=461&dept_id=152656&rfi=6

Other articles that came out were in the Qns Courier (Page 8) & the FH Times/Qns Ledger/Examiner/Leader Observer, and the Times NewsWeekly.

Check out some superb coverage of the Sun, Oct 23rd "Rally To Save The Trylon Theater!" The article is entitled "Residents Rally To Save A Controversial Movie House: Last Art Deco Theater In Queens." It is featured in the Times NewsWeekly (Week of Oct. 27th), written by Robert Pozarycki, & can be accessed as follows:

http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/NewFiles/TRYLON.html

The article says 15 people attended, but those were actually the participants who posed for the photo. At least 50 people participated throughout the hour. Rather than having a second rally, we hope to negotiate at a sit-down meeting. If no compromise is reached, we are committed to take further action. We will continue to encourage landmarking for this rare surviving cultural icon!!!

Why should a significant part of our 20th century heritage be eliminated, eradicated, & exterminated with the jackhammer, & be tossed in the wastebasket??? The LPC needs to act more independently, since a politician's approval for a hearing is not an official law, and the politicians should stop using an area with so much history, as their "ECONOMIC WASTELAND!"

NativeForestHiller;
One of the things that got me interested in joining my first theater restoration committee, the Loew's Kings in Brooklyn, was the fact that many people who are now celebrities worked there as ushers. I stated to you many times that the way to grab people's attention is through famous people. In other words let the masses know what famous people ever came there, especially stories from before their celebrity. I am on your side, and I think the best thing you can do is tell about famous people who may have worked there. Even if some mobster was gunned down like by the Biograph in Chicago, people will be more interested in saving the theater because a mobster was killed there. One of the reasons I joined the Kings was that Barbra Streisand, and Sylvester Stallone ushered there while they were in Erasmus High School. Face facts, celebrity sells more than architecture. From the picture above it looks like it was once a beautiful theater (It still looks nice in the condition its in), but the style is not going to sell. The Kings is a grand piece of architecture, but its the celebrities that are bringing it ahead of other theaters in so far as possible restoration. The same may hold true for the Trylon.

Hi! I have tried contacting many celebrities, informing them about the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater's endeavors. However, most of the time, I only reach a secretary, who doesn't relay the message. Can you please give me some other tips? Do you know of anyone who might have some connections? Thank you!

The only other person who may be able to help you is Bruce1 in the Loew's Kings section of this site

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1360

I don't know if he will take an interest, but he may. He runs a cable access show called That's Brooklyn.

I also thought that maybe you can ask some of the former employees (ushers, candy concession, projectionists) and they could help.

The following article has relevance towards saving our treasures, including the Trylon Theater & several other theaters. It's entitled "CM Perkins Seeks To Amend Landmarks Law." City-wide preservation advocates met on Mon, Nov 15th to testify in City Hall, & discuss their point of view on Perkins' proposed Landmarks Hearing Bill. Most were in favor of the new legislation. A Queens Ledger article can be accessed as follows:

http://www.queensledger.com/StoryDisplay.asp?PID=1&NewsStoryID=2477

The following is my reaction to the bill & the hearing:

It is true that the LPC might have as half as many commissioners in 2005, and they may lack adequate funding to grant every landmark worthy structure a hearing. Rather than the city allocating an excessive amount of funds towards demolition, why can't preservation-oriented funds exceed that rate, to safeguard priceless structures? A landmark is in the eyes of the majority, and it is of utmost importance for the LPC to hold fair hearings on worthy buildings, determined by the bulk of citywide preservationists' consent. In addition, buildings on the Nat'l Register should be granted a hearing. True Democracy ensures that the people would have a say in government. It is inexcusable and unforgivable for the LPC to ignore the public. At this point, too much power lies in the LPC, which terminates in the demolition of our buildings & BELOVED THEATERS!!! If this "denial of a hearing" trend continues, slowly but surely, a rather large percentage of our heritage will be eradicated, like chalk from a blackboard. The Trylon Theater in Forest Hills, paints a picture of the '39 World's Fair and 66 years of sentiments. The Trylon Theater clearly qualifies under all conditions (architecturally, historically, culturally), and the majority's consent, as an official landmark.

Check out some superb coverage of the Sun, Oct 23rd "Rally To Save The Trylon Theater!" The article is entitled "Residents Rally To Save A Controversial Movie House: Last Art Deco Theater In Queens." It is featured in the Times NewsWeekly (Week of Oct. 27th), written by Robert Pozarycki, & can be accessed as follows. This is the UPDATED link:

http://timesnewsweekly.com/Archives2005/Oct.-Dec.2005/102705/NewFiles/TRYLON.html

Letters to the editor of the Queens Tribune concerning the Trylon (Week of 11/17):

#1 No Hate Movement

To The Editor:

In response to Jeff Feinman’s article, entitled “Bukharians Plan To Preserve Trylon,” that was published on the week of Nov. 3-9, the committee would like to voice their opinion.

It is very shocking, frustrating, and wrongful of Education Center for Russian Jewry director, Nahum Kaziev, to accuse The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater of a “hate movement.” On Oct. 23rd, NYC residents, historical societies, and community groups, gathered in solidarity for a lawful and peaceful expression of their concerns. Our points were as follows:

The Trylon is a rare surviving Art Deco treasure that is worthy of preservation and official landmark status, and should be restored. This refers to the presently intact facade and glass block projection tower (which once illuminated Queens Boulevard), and calls for a restoration of all facade elements, including the marquee and mosaic-tiled entrance pavilion;

That the proposed use for the property is commendable, and through creative planning, the Trylon can accommodate it without the sacrifice of its architectural beauty;

The Education Center for Russian Jewry is a much-needed center for the growing Bukharian community, but they should be willing to work with us, hand in hand, and listen to our concerns;

That the broad coalition of support for saving the Trylon should be recognized and not ignored;

That New York’s Art Deco architecture and art, once disparaged, is truly a major part of our 20th century heritage and deserves to be treated with respect.

How does encouraging landmarking, preservation, restoration, and adaptive re-use, come anywhere near discrimination?

Addressing Mr. Kaziev, the reason “no backlash ensued when treasured theaters such as the Elmwood and Valencia were converted into churches,” was because the new owners preserved and restored their facades.

The title of the article is also very misleading. The Education Center for Russian Jewry plans to preserve very few elements of the theater (stage, balcony, and air-conditioning system). How does saving the 5-year old air-conditioning system bear any significance towards preserving an architectural, cultural, and historical gem?

As much as we are in favor of having some interior aspects preserved and/or donated to a local museum for safekeeping, we are ultimately in favor of having the exterior preserved and landmarked, since it represents a major part of our 20th century heritage. It pays homage to the 1939 World’s Fair, and is responsible for the transition which led to a new wave of immigrants to set foot in America. Why can’t the Trylon be an educational resource for the Russian Jewry, and a prime example of how we can assimilate our cultures and values?

Our request for a meeting with the project team has been completely blocked, making it impossible for any dialogue between the Education Center for Russian Jewry and the community. If we can’t work hand-in-hand with this public facility now, does this foreshadow their bond with the community once it opens?

-Michael Perlman,
Committee To Save The Trylon Theater


#2 Trylon Theater

To The Editor:

Irony appears in different ways: The Trylon Theater in Forest Hills, a legacy of the 1939 World’s Fair and an architectural treasure, has been the focus of citizens concerned about the preservation of the theater as part of Queens history as well as architectural history.

Enter irony: The Bukharan Jewish Community is currently dismantling the Trylon for a youth center. Bukharan spokesman Nokhim Kozio referred to the preservation efforts of the Trylon as a “hate movement.”

To justify destruction of a significant historical structure along racist lines is offensive, misguided and shocking.

-Sona Kludjian,
Forest Hills

I wonder, somehow, if it may be a prejudice on their part. It is my opinion that Russian Jews have the same rights as any other faith, or ethnicity. I was raised to respect people no matter what belief they are. I may have been raised a Gentile, but the school I attended as a boy had many members of the Jewish Faith and they invited me to their homes. As for Russians, I am able to put any cold war feelings aside and look at them as people. If they think that people are against them because they are who they are then they should 'get real'. I don't care whether a person is Christian or not because a good person is a good person. The same holds true for whether they are from Russia or America.

The most recent article documenting the Trylon Theater preservation effort was published on 12/29/05, & reported by Zach Patberg of the Forest Hills Ledger. It's entitled "Work Stops on Trylon Renovation...Bad Permit Stops Trylon Work."

http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15836694&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542415&rfi=8

The renovation of the historic Trylon Theater has hit a snag after the city ordered the developer to stop work due to a faulty permit.

The property, at 98-81 Queens Blvd., also received a violation on Dec. 16 for doing work while the stop work order was still active, city Department of Buildings spokeswoman Ilyse Fink said.

The delay brought a glimmer of hope, or at least a hint of satisfaction, to a group of preservationists who have long protested the revamping of the Forest Hills theater, a relic of the 1939 World's Fair that is slated to be converted to a Jewish community center.

Construction began last summer and the crew has so far gutted the interior, removed the mosaic tiles that lined the ticket booth and boarded up the windows. The preservation group, Committee to Save the Trylon, has been pushing for a reversal of this construction as well as a restoration of the Art Deco building's marquee and glass block projection tower, which have been crumbling since the theater closed in 1999.

"To respect the Trylon's significance and grandeur...a complete rebuilding of all destroyed architectural features is of utmost importance," said Michael Perlman, the committee's chairman.

Perlman, who led a rally in front of the theater in October, said he has recently asked the State Historic Preservation office to assess whether the Trylon was eligible for listing on the National Registrar for Historic Places. If so, the theater's new owner and soon-to-be tenant, the Educational Center for Russian Jewry, would be required to limit renovation to state standards that preserve the building's historical integrity and in return receive federal tax credit and other possible funding grants for the property.

Virginia Bartos, a Queens representative with the Preservation Office's National Registrar and Survey Unit, said she was still waiting to hear from the Jewish center before conducting the assessment.

Messages left with the center went unreturned.

The stop work order, issued in April, was in response to a construction permit filed under the wrong owner, Fink said. An amended application was submitted and the stop work order taken away, but the property's owner, 99th Street Realty, still cannot resume construction until it files for a new permit and hires new contractors, Fink said.

Robert Forester, of 99th Street Realty, would not comment on the stop worker order or the subsequent violation, saying the project was in the hands of the Jewish center.

According to Perlman, the city's Landmark Preservation Commission has deemed the Trylon worthy of being landmarked - which would seriously restrict what work can be done on the building , but it would first need approval from Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills). Calls made to the commission went unreturned.

Katz, who gave $200,000 to the center for renovation, has been reluctant to give her blessing to the landmarking, saying it would slow down construction. Yet a spokesman, James McClelland, said that landmarking starts with the landmarks commission and the councilwoman would follow its lead.

It is wonderful to see how Cinema Treasures'exposure can help assist in trying to save the Trylon and other theatres worthy of preservation.

Please help me with this favor. Does anyone have a photo of the Trylon Theater's exterior, that was taken prior to the tale end of 1999 (the theater's closing)? I am looking for a photo that shows NO missing tiles on the central portion of the marquee. The photo can even be as far back as the 1970's. Please e-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com Thank you!

FOREST HILLS LEDGER: http://www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16008656&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=542415&rfi=8

Katz defends position on Trylon Theater
By Zach Patberg
01/26/2006

Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) has gone on the defensive in the controversy over the Trylon Theater, writing a letter to preservationists saying she supports protecting the former movie theater's historical integrity as development ensues and that "false accusations" claiming otherwise have created "an unnecessary atmosphere of community turmoil."

Renovation of the Forest Hills World's Fair centerpiece, slated to become a Jewish community center, has sparked protests from some preservationists that the construction has been far too callous in handling the trademark facade of the 66-year-old relic.

One group in particular, the Committee to Save the Trylon Theater, has come out against Katz, whom it says is siding with developers and resisting the idea of having the theater landmarked.

The group points to damage inflicted on some of the Trylon's signature features since July, including that of an Art Deco ticket booth, hand-painted cloth murals and the mosaic-tiled floor.

In her Jan. 11 letter, which was sent to Bob Tierney, chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Committee, and around 150 Trylon supporters, Katz said she has taken steps to ensure that the theater is protected but that preserving history while encouraging growth in the area is a balancing act.

She said she reached an agreement with the center under which the theater's signature marquee and the crystal tower would remain intact and the Trylon name would stay lit up on Queens Boulevard.

"I am dismayed, however, that protests and the dissemination of false information has obscured the fact that the preservation of the Trylon Theater has always been a component of building the new Education Center for Russian Jewry," she wrote.

Her office pointed out that a $200,000 allocation originally earmarked for the center's construction will instead be used for purchasing service equipment such as computers.

As for landmarking, Katz has insisted the process starts with Tierney, whom she says has not contacted her office to discuss the issue. While this may be true, Tierney said the councilwoman's blessing is crucial for landmark passage since she is head of the City Council's Land Use Committee and would eventually vote on it in the Council.

"I agree that the Trylon qualifies under all conditions as a New York City landmark," Tierney said. "I request a note from Councilwoman Katz's office indicating her consent on a hearing and that she supports my landmarking notions, since Katz opposed (it) from the very beginning."

But Katz spokesman James McClelland said the councilwoman cannot approve of a landmarking without first seeing a package from the commission that includes input from community civic leaders, planners and historians. "It'd be like putting the horse before the cart," he said.

Michael Perlman, the head of the Trylon advocacy committee who also received the letter, was not satisfied. "This is a key element of Queens and the World's Fair history and deserves to be treated with respect and ultimately designated an official landmark," he said in an e-mail. "The bottom line is that Katz is supposed to serve the public (her community's interests) rather than her own interests and that of the developer."

DAILY NEWS: www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/387070p-328448c.html

"War of words plays at Trylon"
(Pol, activist swap barbs)
January 31, 2006

BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER

A preservationist who wants landmark status for a historic Forest Hills movie theater is trading verbal jabs with an elected official who recently criticized his efforts.
In a Jan. 1 letter, City Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) accused Michael Perlman and the Committee to Save the Trylon Theater of "creating an unnecessary atmosphere of community turmoil" by staging an October rally outside the theater before they even contacted her office.

In an interview with the Daily News, Katz confirmed sending the letter to Perlman and the approximately 1,000 people who signed his petition to landmark the Trylon, an Art Deco theater built in tribute to the 1939-40 World's Fair.

Although Katz insisted she just wanted to explain her position on the landmarking issue, Perlman said he thinks differently.

"She was trying to destroy the reputations of individuals who were trying to protect the interests of the local community," he charged.

Katz explained, "It was a shame to see" that conditions had deteriorated at the Trylon after it closed in 1999, and she said she fondly remembers seeing her first movie at the theater.

But with the building being converted into the Educational Center for Russian Jewry - which plans to keep the Trylon's marquee and glass projection tower intact - Katz remains optimistic.

"Now, I so look forward to new life in there," she said. "I think it's going to be beautiful."

According to Perlman, Chairman Robert Tierney of the Landmarks Preservation Commission promised in December to grant a hearing on the Trylon if Katz sent him a note approving it, leading preservationists to believe the councilwoman's consent was vital.

But Katz says any steps to landmark the theater start with the commission, which has not yet contacted her office. She also said she wondered why Tierney often ignores potential landmark sites in Queens in favor of others in Manhattan.

"I have asked him to landmark several things [in Queens] and it doesn't seem to help," Katz said.

Even if Tierney initiated an investigation into the Trylon immediately and determined that it has historical value, Katz said, it would take six months to a year to actually landmark the theater.

But preservationists, citing Katz's comments to reporters over the past few months, say her inaction slowed the process.

"What's the reason why she would oppose its landmarking from the very start?" Perlman asked. "This whole scenario could have been avoided."

In the meantime, the city's Environmental Control Board is holding hearings on whether the Trylon's owners violated a stop-work order last year by illegally continuing construction at the site.

The Queens Gazette, February 2, 2006, Front Page

www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0208/Front_page/ (Vol.25 No.5, Zone 2)

TRYLON LANDMARKING: UNNECESSARY CONFUSION?
BY JOHN TOSCANO

For a project with such a laudable purpose, the landmarking of the venerable Art Deco Trylon Theater on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills is creating much confusion and controversy, from all appearances, none of it necessary.

The area's representative in the City Council, Melinda Katz, has made abundantly clear that she is in favor of the landmarking, which, it's agreed by all parties concerned, would include the building facade, its crystal tower and the theater marquee. The building would also retain the Trylon name.

Katz also supports plans by the Educational Center for Russian Jewry, a local community organization, to renovate the interior of the movie house, which dates from the era of the 1939 World's Fair, and make it into a community center. The lawmaker said she was quite excited with the community center idea. "It would be a great addition to the community," she said.

However, Katz briefly found herself at odds with the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater, an ad hoc group which demonstrated outside the Trylon last October in support of the landmarking idea. Katz wrote the group's chairman, 23-year-old Michael Perlman of Forest Hills, saying she thought the rally had unnecessarily disturbed the community. This led to a misunderstanding on the part of both parties.

According to one media report, Perlman felt Katz was "trying to destroy the reputations" of people in the group. Katz replied that she had never met any member of the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater and was trying only to make the group aware that she also supports landmarking parts of the building.

When she was finally contacted by Perlman's group, Katz said, she felt that its members have great respect for the community. "We want to work with them, to have a discussion with them, rather than have them in the community with a lot of tension between us," she said. "I believe they want to do the right thing."

She added, "I don't want to put the community at risk. There's no need for that. In fact, I don't know what we've both been fighting about. We both want the same thing."

Statements attributed to Perlman indicating that Katz opposed the landmarking and was making no effort to get it underway created further misunderstanding between Katz and the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater. Perlman, who could not be reached for comment by press time, also was reported to have said that Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Robert Tierney had told him he "would get a hearing on the Trylon {landmarking} if Katz sent him a note approving it," leading the preservationist group to believe that Katz' consent was vital.

Katz, in an interview, responded, "Any steps to landmark the theater must start with the commission." Neither Tierney nor anyone else at the commission had ever contacted her, she added. "Tierney has to start {the landmarking procedure}," she explained. "It's not up to me or {Perlman's group}." Tierney had acknowledged that this was, indeed, the procedure when she asked him about it at a hearing in City Hall. She added that if and when action on the landmarking starts, it will take anywhere from six months to a year for the commission to reach a decision.

Despite Katz' explanations, the preservationsit group blamed her for slowing the landmarking process. In response, she reiterated, "Tierney said it starts with him, and he decides when that will be."

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has not contacted Katz about the landmarking, which the community favors. Calls to that agency for comment had received no response by yesterday's publishing deadline.

Katz termed the dialogue with Perlman's group "unproductive," as she and the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater are both in favor of the landmarking. "{The Committee members are} in this to better the community, but somehow it's created such a tense atmosphere," she said. "There shouldn't be any arguing about it." Katz recalled often visiting the Trylon as a youngster and said she is now disappointed that it has fallen into such a state of disrepair.

An aide to the councilmember said that the Trylon had closed its doors some time in 1999. The aide said further that the building is owned by 99 St. Realty in Hempstead, Long Island and one Jerome Rothschild. The building is leased to the Educational Center for Russian Jewry in Rego Park. Katz' aide described the organization as a place that offers programs for teenagers who have emigrated from Russia. At the center, they are taught English and how to operate computers. Efforts to reach its head, Nachum Kasiev, were unsuccessful. Katz' aide said that to his knowledge, there is no connection between the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater and the Educational Center for Russian Jewry.

If anyone is available the evening of Thursday, March 23rd, 2006, and can travel to Middle Village, Queens, to attend a public meeting in support of landmarking for the Trylon Theater, please write to me at nutrichris@rcn.com Thanks.

Queens Tribune, Thursday, March 23, 2006
www.queenstribune.com/news/1143152380.html

"Trylon Gets Juniper Boost"
By Jeff Feinman

The Juniper Park Civic Association has thrown its considerable support behind the Save The Trylon Committee in the ongoing effort to landmark the Trylon Theatre site in Forest Hills. On Thursday, March 23, the two organizations will host an event at Our Lady of Hope in Middle Village to push for a landmark designation. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to attend.

The collaboration between the JPCA and the Save the Trylon Committee is a mutual benefit between two Queens organizations. With a constant eye on all things historical, the JPCA has long been an advocate for landmark designations in Queens and was willing to lend a hand to the committee. In exchange, the Trylon Committee will lend its landmarking experience to aid the old St. Saviors Church at Rust Street and 57th Road in Maspeth, which was built in 1847.

“We support any group that wants to preserve the past,” said JPCA President Bob Holden. “The Trylon is one of our treasures, and this is another site where we need to stop the clock on demolition.”

Built in 1939 in conjunction with the World’s Fair, the Trylon Theatre closed down in 1999 after business dropped. The dilapidated Queens Boulevard theater is to be renovated into a Bukharian Jewish community center and some feel that portions of the theatre can be saved.

The two organizations joined forces when JPCA board member Christina Wilkinson was contacted by Save the Trylon Committee founder Michael Perlman. The rest of the civic association was then informed of the committee’s cause and unanimously decided to help. Holden called Wilkinson the “catalyst” of the pairing.

“I’m really thankful for the opportunity to work with (the JPCA),” Perlman said. “I’m feeling confident now since it’s very good to have a civic group helping the cause.”

The JCPA was instrumental in getting the mayor’s office to broker a deal with Keyspan for the site of the former Elmhurst gas tanks. Keyspan was already under contract with a developer who wanted to construct a Home Depot on the site. The mayor stepped in and negotiated a $1 sale of the site to the city. A park will now be built on the site.

Both Holden and Perlman called for elected officials to put pressure on the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) has expressed interest in a Trylon Theatre designation but has yet to meet with the committee.

Nahum Kaziev, who is in charge of the creation of the Bukharian Community Center, said that renovation plans include preserving the theatre’s balcony and auditorium. “It was an old building when we took it, but we’re trying to renovate it as it is,” Kaziev said. “We have to update it to be in accordance with not only building codes, but also human being standards.”

Some, however, have been critical of the renovation. “We don’t see any evidence of any particular respect for the theatre’s architectural integrity,” said Queens Historical Society President Mitchell Grubler.

The meeting will be held at 7:45 p.m. in Our Lady of Hope, located at 61-27 71st Street.

March 9, 2006 Open Letter to Councilwoman Katz, as appeared in Queens Ledger, and other Queens-based publications

Letter: They're Supposed to Be Letters to the Editor, But...
Katz and mouse game with Trylon?

Dear Councilwoman Melinda Katz:

We applaud your public statements that you support municipal landmark designation of the superb Art Deco/Art Moderne exterior of the Trylon Theater. It is, however, to our Committee’s disappointment that you have not as of yet, to the best of our knowledge, taken any concrete steps to request the immediate calendaring of the Trylon by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. As you probably already know, this is essential for beginning the landmark designation process, and should be done as soon as possible to ensure temporary legal protection for the Trylon until a final decision has been reached on its designation as a New York City landmark.

Once the Trylon has been calendared for a public hearing, there is legal recourse should the property owner damage or demolish, either by neglect or intent, any of the key elements, such as the mosaic tile features, glass block tower, vertical sign or elliptical marquee.

Creative reuse of older architectural treasures balanced with sensitive development is the key to the preservation of the continuing vitality of any community. The Trylon Theater is truly one of the critical elements of Forest Hills that must be retained. We also request that you meet with the various historic preservation groups within your constituency and the borough so that workable solutions can be discussed that benefit all.

It would be a pity if indifference or anger with regard to this issue should contribute to the tragedy of losing the Trylon Theater.
Thank you. We will be following this issue closely.

Sincerely,

Jerry Rotondi,
Committee to Save Flushing Keith’s Theater, Inc.

I remember this trailer very well
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wtnik1rb60I&search=movie%20theatre

A rather fuzzy exterior shot from 1940:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/fuzzytry.jpg

Thanks, Warren, for the shot ... from when the Trylon was still standing in the NY World's Fair !

If you've ever driven around the areas surrounding Flushing Meadows & Corona Park (where the World's Fair grounds were) you will find a few architectural allusions to the great symbols of the Fair - the trylon and perisphere. Along 108th Street in Corona, just north of the LIE, there is a block of storefronts with apartments overhead that include a trylon and perisphere motif in the frieze below the 2nd story window line. There are other examples, but this comes first to mind.

What an absolute shame that the Chairman of the LPC could not see his way clear to endorse the designation of the Trylon for full committee review. I've been trying to remember the films I saw here at the Trylon over the years. I can remember seeing "Trading Places" here for the 2nd time (I believe I saw it first at the Sunrise Multiplex in Valley Stream) and can also recall seeing "Flashdance" here as well. Most memorable of all was a legitimate test-screening of Ron Howard's "Gung Ho" at the Trylon just a few months before its general release. I rememeber a freind of mine had gotten the passes to attend and about 5 or 6 of us went. There was an announcement before the start of the movie that it was a work-in-progress in rough-cut form and that the sound mix was not yet completed (with certain effects missing and musical cues not finalized). We were asked to fill out some cards about what we liked and what we didn't like. I didn't see the film again when it was finally released, but I did catch it on cable and remember catching some of the changes that had been made based on our input (and presumably that of other test-screenings around the country).

The theater didn't have a great big screen, that I recall, but it certainly had a charm that one only finds in a vintage neighborhood venue. I can't recall the last film I saw there, but I do remember that the "coming soon" exterior display case to the right of the entrance doors featured an add for the Matthau-Lemmon "Odd Couple II" sequel... that would have been 1998.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Stage I: Landmark-worthy Trylon Theater Gets Denied, & Swarmed with CM Katz & LPC Contradictions

FOREST HILLS, N.Y. (March 31, 2006) – According to the March 31, 2006 article in the N.Y. Daily News entitled, “Theater Landmark Bid Gets Thumbs Down,” Chairman Tierney faxed a letter to Councilwoman Melinda Katz stating that the Trylon Theater at 98-81 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, N.Y. does not meet its criteria for landmarking, and “will not be recommended to the full commission for further consideration as an individual landmark.” Katz responded, “I never thought that this was a building suitable for landmarking. I guess I’m just happy that Tierney made a decision, and now we move on.”

The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater (local residents, preservation groups, historical societies, community & civic groups) has been trying to encourage the Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the Art Deco/Moderne 1939 World's Fair-inspired Trylon Theater, with its rare attributes (Streamlined Art Moderne facade, elliptical marquee & glass block projection tower which illuminates Queens Blvd, & the mosaic tile/terrazzo floor which bears a 3D mirror image of the Trylon monument, complemented by a chevron pattern).

Landmarks Preservation Commission Chairman Tierney had intentions of granting a hearing for the Trylon Theater as early as 2003. However, Councilwoman Melinda Katz's inactivity and initial opposition to its possible landmarking, prolonged Mr. Tierney’s decision, since the LPC usually does not act without sufficient political support. Upon a few phone conversations between Michael Perlman & the LPC, and according to the Forest Hills Ledger (Jan 26, 2006), when emphasizing the Trylon’s rare architectural, cultural, & historical attributes, Chairman Tierney states: “I agree that the Trylon qualifies under all conditions as a NYC landmark. I request a note from Councilwoman Katz’s office, indicating her consent of a hearing and that she supports my landmarking notions, since Katz opposed from the very beginning.”

CM Katz’s opposition is further documented as follows: The NY Times (9/18/05): CM Katz said, “I’m just not sure at this time if landmarking just the front of the building would be the best for the community. Being able to renovate the theater without restrictions, would save both time and money.” Queens Chronicle (8/18/05): John Jurayj, Historic Districts Council board member/Co-chair of Modern Architecture Working Group, said “The HDC & Modern Architecture has been asking for it to be landmarked for 2 years,” and accused Katz of not supporting landmarking. Mitchell Grubler, Exec. Dir. Of the Queens Historical Society, wrote a letter to the editor, stating he was “outraged that Katz let it be known to the LPC that she opposed landmark protection, and they have thus taken a hands-off stand.” Forest Hills Ledger (9/8/05): Katz questioned whether the theater in its current condition should be landmarked. “The outside would need so much work to make it look even half as nice as it did originally.” Forest Hills Ledger (10/27/05): An LPC official commented “Rarely do buildings get landmarked without first acquiring the approval of the City Council representative.” (9/8/05): A LPC spokeswoman said “A building rarely gets landmarked without the local councilmember’s blessing.”

However, according to the Feb 2, 2006 Queens Gazette article entitled, "Trylon Landmarking: Unnecessary Confusion?" Councilwoman Katz claims she values its historical significance and favors landmark status: "Councilwoman Katz made it abundantly clear that she is in favor of landmarking the Trylon, which is agreed by all parties concerned, would include the building facade, its crystal tower, the theater marquee, and retain the Trylon name.” CM Katz then states “The Committee To Save The Trylon’s members have great respect for the community. We want to work with them, to have a discussion with them, rather than have them in the community with a lot of tension between us. I believe they want to do the right thing. I don’t want to put the community at risk. There’s no need for that. In fact, I don’t know what we’ve both been fighting about. We both want the same thing.”

In conclusion, Michael Perlman states: “CM Katz never responded to a series of letters and phone calls from The Committee To Save The Trylon (her constituency) requesting a meeting since July 2005. A councilwoman charged with representing the people, once again leaves her constituency baffled. We are also dismayed that the LPC has chosen to disregard a highly significant landmark, confirming a consensus among preservationists that Queens continues to get the backdoor. Chairman Tierney also broke his promise to meet with us, and didn’t value a petition of 1,600 signers in addition to a letter campaign. We request a copy of the LPC’s minutes, to see how they determined it ineligible. According to architectural critics (i.e. Art Deco Society), the Trylon fulfills every definition of a landmark, and the failure to grant it a hearing at the very least, defies the architectural and historical provisions of the landmarks law established in 1965. CM Katz & the LPC are now in the spotlight as a result of their landmark-related contradictions, and their distrust as Queens preservationists heightens. CM Katz of Land Use & Chairman Tierney of the LPC has to realize that the people who inhabit their communities understand them best, and therefore, we assure that this is only the beginning of a worthwhile battle for the Trylon & other Queens landmarks!”

###

Thursday, March 30, 2006 (as appeared in Queens Ledger, Queens Chronicle, etc)
Letter: Katz-call for Local Councilwoman and LPC

Dear Editor:
Councilwoman Melinda Katz’s call for a City Council oversight hearing regarding the workings of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) appears, on the surface, to be admirable and long overdue, considering the sluggish and snobbish attitude that LPC has displayed in regard to our borough of Queens. The LPC has proven by its own record, with respect to the numerical pittance of designations in our borough, that they have discriminated against Queens. While Manhattan has the lion’s share of landmarks, Queens has been tossed table scraps.
It’s not that Queens is less deserving; we’re only less deserving in terms of the time and resources that LPC wishes to allocate for its country cousins. One cannot blame them entirely, though. They have been gun-shy in the past considering how many of their designations were overturned by the old Donald Manes and Claire Shulman administrations. Indeed, the “Shul-Manes” administration proved its support for unbridled development and anti-preservation for well over a quarter of a century.
Currently, however, the borough’s bulldozer is still rolling, driven this time by Melinda Katz, chair of the City Council Land Use Committee. Her list of campaign contributors reads like a “Who’s Who” of developers, real estate managers, prominent politically connected lawyers, and sleazy political action committees. Katz’s LPC oversight hearing is just a crude smokescreen to deflect attention to her role as an accomplice in destroying the character and quality of life in our Queens neighborhoods by supporting over-development, while being well-funded by her friends, the builders.
This is precisely why, for example, the landmark-worthy Trylon Theater in Forest Hills is not being landmarked. She’s “waiting” for Robert Tierney, chairman of LPC, to designate, but Tierney won’t until he gets the nod that Katz will support the designation. In other words, we have a battle of the chairs between Tierney of Landmarks and Katz of Land Use. Both need to get their behinds off their chairs and stop playing political ping-pong, or else Queens will continue to be the loser.

Sincerely,

Jerry Rotondi
Committee to Save Flushing Keith’s Theatre, Inc.

For a recent Trylon Theater news story, entitled "Trylon Theater Denied Landmark Status," please follow:

http://cinematreasures.org/news/14451_0_1_10_C/

A Daily News article can be accessed through that link as well.

According to the Queens Chronicle, April 6, 2006: www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1863&dept_id=152656&newsid=16448517&PAG=461&rfi=9

Landmarks Commission Rejects Trylon Theater

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has turned down the application to landmark the Trylon Theater in Forest Hills, but preservation advocates vowed to continue their efforts.

In a letter to Councilwoman Melinda Katz, Landmarks Commission Chairman Robert Tierney said the 67 year old Queens Boulevard theater “does not meet the criteria for designation,” and the request would not be sent to the full commission for consideration.
The decision was based on the findings of a committee of senior staff members, which found the theater had been altered too extensively to be eligible for landmarks status, said Diane Jackier, the commission’s director of communication and government affairs.

Michael Perlman, chairman of the Committee to Save the Trylon Theater, disagreed with the decision. “It pretty much goes against the premise of the landmarks preservation law, since the building has artistic, historic and cultural value,” he said. The building still has its facade, its illuminated projection tower, and its mosaic tile floor, which are distinctive enough to merit landmark status, he said. “We are dismayed that the LPC has chosen to disregard a highly significant landmark, confirming a consensus among preservationists that Queens continues to get the backdoor,” Perlman said in a statement.

He also criticized Katz, whom he feels obstructed the bid by opposing landmarking for the movie house. Katz did not return a call for comment, but said in a press release: “We continue to work with Chairman Robert Tierney and the Landmarks Commission to create historic districts and designate landmarks that do meet the criteria for designation and preserve those areas for future generations to enjoy.”

Perlman said the committee would remain in business and would continue to circulate the petition it started—which now has 1,600 signatures—in the hopes of changing the commission’s mind. “We have to prove to the landmarks commission just how important this issue is,” he said.

Built during the 1939 World’s Fair, the Trylon Theater epitomized art deco and art moderne styles with its streamlined design. At the end of 1999, the theater’s lease expired and it closed down for good, only days after its 60th anniversary. The building was then sold to the Education Center for Russian Jewry, which planned to convert it into a cultural youth center for Queens’ rapidly growing Bukharian population. The center has reportedly promised to preserve the theater’s marquee and projection tower. Center officials did not return a call seeking comment.

Forest Hills Ledger (Times Ledger) April 6, 2006: www.timesledger.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16440505&BRD=2676&PAG=461&dept_id=551069&rfi=6

A BIG lie - Notice how a spokeswoman for the Landmarks Preservation Commission said "the inside of the Trylon had been modified too much to qualify for landmark status." It is common knowledge, only exteriors of buildings qualify for individual landmark status. Interiors are an entirely different category. This is confirmed in the LPC's book, "A Guide to NYC Landmarks." The Committee To Save The Trylon requests an answer from the LPC, and will get a hold of their minutes!

Trylon denied landmark status
By Nathan Duke
Residents in western Queens communities and preservationists are hoping to save two historic borough movie palaces, one of which is being converted into an educational center, while the other will soon face competition from a newly constructed multiplex.

Efforts to save the 66-year-old Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park, were dealt a fatal blow recently after the city Landmarks Preservation Committee decided not to grant landmark status to the theater. Signers of the Save the Trylon Theater petition said the site is one of the last standing structures that has cultural and historical ties to the 1939 World's Fair.

Michael Perlman, founder of Save the Trylon Theater, criticized the preservation committee's decision not to designate the Trylon as a landmark. The Art Deco theater is currently being transformed into the Educational Center for Russian Jewry.

"The Landmarks Preservation Committee has chosen to disregard a highly significant landmark, confirming a consensus among preservationists that Queens continues to get the back door," Perlman said.

City Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) recently received a letter from Landmarks Chairman Robert Tierney, who explained that the theater did not meet the commission's criteria for landmark status. A spokeswoman for the commission said the inside of the Trylon had been altered too much from its original state to qualify it.

In a recent Daily News article, Katz said she never thought the theater was suitable for landmarking and that she was "happy that [Tierney] made a decision." But Juniper Park Civic Association President Robert Holden and Perlman both said they were upset with Katz's comments in the article. "The worst thing that an elected official can do is mislead their constituents," Holden said.

Borough residents and theater preservationists are also unsure of the fate of the 90-year-old Ridgewood Theater, located at 55-27 Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood, which will soon face competition from an eight-screen Regal Cinemas at the Shops at Atlas Park, a large office/retail complex set to open in late April on Cooper Avenue between 80th and 83rd streets in Glendale. Although some residents said they hope to get the historic theater landmarked, others complained on Cinema Treasures, an online movie theater forum, that the Ridgewood had sticky floors, creaky seats and rodents.

Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5, which serves Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village, said he would like to see the area retain a historic neighborhood movie theater. He said the Ridgewood might just need a little sprucing up.

But Karen Colizzi Noonan, president of the Chicago-based Theatre Historical Society of America, said saving the theater is a responsibility shared by the theater's owners and the community.

"If the community values that piece of property and doesn't want to lose it, they need to make a commitment to support it," she said.

While the fate of the Ridgewood Theater, which has survived two world wars, the Great Depression and the invention of television, video and DVDs, is yet to be decided, the Trylon joins the ranks of several historic Queens sites that have been denied landmark status or torn down to make way for new developments. These include the 159-year-old St. Savior's Church in Maspeth, the Middle Village German eatery Niederstein's and Glendale catering hall Durow's.

"I think the borough is losing a lot of its history because Landmarks is not stepping in," Councilman Dennis Gallagher (R- Middle Village) said. "The commission is too slow and out of touch with the outer boroughs. If you want something landmarked in Manhattan, it takes a second to get done."

A letter to the editor as noted in the 4/13 Queens Chronicle:

Trylon Landmarking

Dear Editor:

Regarding Rick Archer’s article in the April 6 Queens Chronicle, I read that the proposed Education Center for Russian Jewry has promised to preserve the marquee and projection tower of the Trylon Theater. The center does not mention the mosaic floor. In any event, a promise is not enough. The people of Queens County need the city of New York to back us up on this one.

Countless thousands of moviegoers including myself have invested a lot in this town. I believe the criteria has been met. With all due respect to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, I understand sites must be carefully considered, but ones in Queens are few and far between. Save some of the familiarity of our structures for all of Queens’ residents.

Thomas Killeen,
Kew Gardens

I did not have to read that whole thing above to realize how sad it is. These old theaters should be preserved.

Even though the Trylon was turned down ("It doesn't meet the LPC's criteria for landmarking"), we will continue to apply pressure on the LPC & CM Katz. Our consensus is that the remaining exterior features of the Trylon are distinctive enough to merit landmark status. Anything to the contrary is a violation of the landmarks law.

The following article is from the March 30th Times NewsWeekly. I just noticed it online. It features the March 23rd Juniper Park Civic Association meeting when Mayor Bloomberg was presented "man of the year," and documents my speech on behalf of Committee To Save The Trylon.

http://timesnewsweekly.com/Archives2006/Jan.-Mar.2006/033006/NewFiles/JPCA.html

A picture from better days
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Theatres/Trylon.jpg

Thanks for the link to that image, RobertR !

Regarding the loss of the Trylon, as "Cool Hand Luke" had said, was what we had there a failure to communicate ?

Thank you for sharing the above photo, Robert!

The Trylon entrance pavilion's ticket booth might be gone & the mosaic floor is in the process of being covered over, but the remainder of the exterior is not gone.

CM Katz's flip-flop of decisions is particularly disturbing in the Trylon case, since she opposed landmarking, then publicly stated her support, and then said she never felt it was suitable. She made no effort to encourage the LPC to calendar it. LPC won't act without strong political support.She has the power, since she's the Chair of Land Use. How can an elected official choose to suit her own interests, and mislead her constituents rather than serve them?

The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater & the community communicated. It was Melinda Katz who failed (to meet after promising, respond to letters, etc)! The effort isn't over. Will her lack of intervention in this scenario be an obstacle in other neighborhood preservation efforts? Let's continue to bond together for the benefit of the community, and not let this happen. "Power to the people!!!!!"

Please voice your frustrations to CM Katz: katz@council.nyc.ny.us
Send carbon copies to James McClelland (her comm. affairs rep): m29mccle@council.nyc.ny.us
Carbon copy Committee To Save The Trylon: unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Please tell Robert Tierney of the Landmarks Commission to reconsider his decision, and at least grant the Trylon a hearing to determine its status: rtierney@lpc.nyc.gov, chair@lpc.nyc.gov, MBetts@lpc.nyc.gov, and copy unlockthevault@hotmail.com on all correspondences.

Cumulatively, we're up to 1600 signers. Please sign our ongoing online petition, if you haven't already done so: www.petitiononline.com/Trylon/petition.html

Thought you might like to read the following letter to the editor of the Queens Chronicle, entitled "Trylon For All" & published May 11th:

Dear Editor:

In response to the April 27 letter to the editor by Dave Shlakman of Howard Beach, titled “Trylon Case,” numerous preservationists and residents who are advocating for landmark status for the Trylon Theater have attended movies there. Besides nostalgia, the dominant reason for our initiative is the rare and distinctive art deco/art moderne architectural features the Trylon Theater exhibits. It is an anchor of Queens Boulevard and Forest Hills and a great representation of 1939 World’s Fair history.

While it is true that owners have the authority to make alterations to a structure that is not landmarked, the Landmarks law grants us every right to continue encouraging the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate worthwhile buildings like the Trylon, and others that merit preservation throughout the five boroughs. That is the beauty of it.

Occupancy by the Education Center for Russian Jewry is commendable, but we are baffled as to why the center didn’t find it viable to preserve some of the most significant elements (present in the entrance pavilion), which included the Trylon adorned mosaic ticket booth, and the terrazzo/mosaic inlaid floor that also depicted a 3D mirror image of the Trylon Monument, accompanied by chevrons.

The floor is present, but in jeopardy of being masked by generic tile or cement. It has been proven in many scenarios that older buildings can be “adaptively reused” with a preservation minded strategy. Although the ticket booth is gone, it still is “economically viable” to preserve what remains.

The Trylon will be a center that offers social programs, so the whole community should work cohesively. The 1939 World’s Fair fostered social and cultural change that led to the arrival of immigrants in America. Do we “educate” attendees of the Education Center by erasing a part of their heritage? If this neighborhood trend continues, what values do we hope to instill in our children?

We are grateful for the 1,600 people who signed our petition and those who care about our community. There are some aspects of every community that should be here to stay, and the Trylon Theater is one of many in Forest Hills and Rego Park, while accommodating it to a newer use.

- Michael Perlman, chairman,
Committee To Save The Trylon Theater,
Forest Hills

This played forever here
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/CatchtheFever.jpg

I saw it at the 34th Street East in January 1978.

Forever ?

Tony Manuro will burn forever in a "Disco Inferno" !

For wearing a "condominium" !

Any word on the current state of the interior?

The interior is in an even worse state than the exterior, and the interior photos that were Aug 2005 posted on this site. It seems as if they are working inside on a daily basis, but not too much progress has been made over the course of the last year. In Aug 2005, the hand-painted cloth murals were on both sides of the theater stage. No one at the site or any affiliate has responded to their whereabouts, causing the committee and other preservationists to believe they have been completely destroyed. The auditorium, which the owner promised would be left mostly intact, seems gutted. There are numerous violations at the site/Stop Work Orders. When CM Katz was informed, she turned her back on her constituents. It's very sad! We'll keep fighting for preservation of the streamlined facade, glass block tower, and restoration of the marquee. The entrance pavilion's mosaic/terrazzo floor which bears the Trylon logo & features Art Deco chevrons, is still present, but the Education Center for Russian Jewry & the councilwoman, change the subject. They promised to rescue facade features, but without landmarking and the lies accumulating, there is no confirmation. I suggest that any enthusiasts who are interested in volunteering for the Committee To Save The Trylon or lending their support by contacting key officials, to e-mail us at unlockthevault@hotmail.com Thanks!

It is a shame that we have to fight this hard to try to preserve it. It wouldn't have been difficult for a "reputable" owner to keep the exterior intact, and preserve defining features of the interior. What were they thinking?!? Shame on them! With the presently intact Queens Museum of Art facing a risk of being altered & expanded, we will have no traces of the 1939 World's Fair left! :(

Nothing will happen with the crooked politicians we still have in power in Queens, very sad indeed.

"You can say that again!"

Wait, are you guys giving up? I haven't seen any of the photos, but this could still be a diamond in the rough. There are people, myself included, not willing to give up on the Kings in Brooklyn, which is a few years older and hasn't been used since the 1970s. Maybe you should just keep pressing. Any theater, like most historical buildings, is worth keeping. Furthermore, the politicians may be crooked, but sometimes they straighten out with the right coaxing.

It's not that the theater was falling apart, it's that the current owners ripped everythign apart. The Kings has been neglected, but it wasn't ripped apart.

As a committee, we are not giving up!!! Councilwoman Katz is beyond hope, and is the most developer-friendly politician out there. She has refused countless times to meet with us, and her campaign contributions illustrate how she is heavily supported by the greedy "over-developers." The Trylon-adorned ticket booth will be rebuilt even if it's not at the site for the time being. It will be a symbol which says "We will not permit our history & culture to be torn apart by greed!!!"

The following is a list of films that were shown at the Trylon from 1989-1990, provided by RobertR.

I am doing research on the Trylon. I would appreciate it very much if someone can please post a list of as many films as possible that were featured at the Trylon between Dec 26, 1939 and late Dec 1999. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! You can also e-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com

5/5/89 Scandal
6/9 Dead Poets Society
8/25 Uncle Buck (moveover)
9/15 Shirley Valentine
10/27 Sex Lies & Videotape (moveover)
11/3 Crimes & Misdeamenors
12/15 Blaze
1/5 My Left Foot
2/2 Stanley & Iris
2/23 Where the Heart Is
3/9 Madhouse
3/23 Pretty Woman
6/15 Dick Tracy

Well, I saw "A Stranger Among Us" there in the summer of 1992, so you can add that to the list....

Thank you!

During its first 20 years at least, the Trylon was a late-run "nabe" with double features, so it probably showed every Hollywood "A" movie produced, and many of the "B"s. If you just made a list of the "Best Picture" Oscar nominees of those years, I think it would be safe to say that they all played at the Trylon.

In my opinion, at least in later years, the Trylon usually played "different", or weird movies. Perhaps artsy?
Perhaps they were trying to form a niche.

In the 1960s The Trylon did show some first run films. "Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte" openened there which I saw at the Trylon with a sneak preview of "Quick Before It Melts." I do recall one Sunday seeing lines outside the Trylon waiting to get in the theater to see a double feature: THE MUSIC MAN and GYPSY.

In the 1950s, the Trylon entered an "art" phase, which I think lasted into the era of "Premiere Showcase," when it went mainstream again and began competing for the latest Hollywood releases.

I remember this under the Loew's banner for along time and I know it was once part of the Interboro chain as well. Was this originally an independent? And if so, how long did it operate that way and what were some of the other chains that ran it?

Meanwhile... Native, here's an assortment of clippings from my collection of old newspapers featuring ads for attractions at the Trylon:

Saturday Night Fever - Daily News 1/25/78
Ordinary People 12th Smash Week! - Daily News 12/12/80
Absence of Malice - Daily News 3/6/82
Compromising Positions - Daily News 9/12/85
Compromising Positions (still there) - Daily News 9/23/85
Compromising Positions (going strong) - Newsday 10/5/85
Out of Africa - NY Post 1/29/86
Children of a Lesser God - Daily News 10/16/86
Children of a Lesser God (still going)- NY Times 10/27/86
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - NY Post 7/4/86

A lot of the films advertised above appear to be late in their runs and possible moveovers - you can check release dates for each title on imdb.com to try and ascertain if any of these were initial release bookings.

I have a number of local papers (including the Long Island Press and Long Island Star Journal) from September and November of 1963 and May 1964 that include the old fashioned block ads for the big chains (Loew's, RKO, Century's, Skouras) as well as individual ads for many independent nabes like the Cinemart, Hobart, Earle, Fair, Polk, etc. Curiously, the Trylon is not listed in any of those, for some reason.

I have a few more papers from the '80's and early '90's to digitize... when I find more Trylon listings I'll be sure to post them here.

The Trylon was built and long operated by the Interboro Circuit, whose owners eventually retired and sold out to Loews/Sony, which ran the Trylon until its closure. The Elmwood in nearby Elmhurst was another of those Interboro theatres taken over by Loews/Sony, but Interboro had only operated the Elmwood since 1946. Prior to 1946, the Elmwood was known as the Queensboro, and had been a loser under numerous managements since opening in 1928.

Thanks, Warren. As per that Saturday Night Fever ad, it was still with Interboro as late as '78. When did that company fold? I know they operated a number of small nabes - including my old childhood haunt the Laurelton Theater.

Well, at least you guys aren't giving up. I have to admit I never saw a film at the Trylon. I am just a theater major interested in restoration, and maybe even conversion into performance space. These old theaters are a nice space for that.

Thank you very much for your feedback & helpful advice above. I posted the following questions on the homepage, but received no replies. I am in the midst of writing a feature story that is due in the end of this month, & I would appreciate your assistance tremendously. Some questions are as follows. Please e-mail Michael, Comm. To Save The Trylon founder/chair at unlockthevault@hotmail.com

1. Full name (or anonymous), title/affiliation (if applicable), & residence (s)
2. What are two (of your most memorable) experiences at the Trylon Theater?
3. How did viewing films at an Art Deco historical building make you feel, or how did it enhance your movie-going experience?
4. What did the Trylon mean to you, and how was it an asset to the community?
5. What films do you recall being a major sell-out?
6. Any additional contributions to this interview would be highly appreciated. If you can recommend someone else who may be of help, that would also be great.

HEADS UP FANS OF THE TRYLON! Theatre Historical Society's 3rd quarter issue of Marquee will feature a story and photos on the Trylon Theater written by Michael Perlman. This issue should be mailed to the members by the end of November, early December. Non members can reserve a copy now by contacting THS at www.historictheatres.org or better yet, JOIN! and get your own subscription to Marquee!

Joseph E Levine was the pioneer of mass bookings, it was almost never that the Trylon, Forest Hills and Drake would day and date.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/darling1966.jpg

Here's a nifty 1940 ad that shows the Trylon's debt to the New York World's Fair, which was then in its second and final season. The ad also reveals that the Trylon was the only theatre in Forest Hills with air conditioning, which is probably true (the Midway did not yet exist). But the Drake in nearby Rego Park did have air conditioning: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/try40.jpg

I love seeing the old telephone exchange names in these ads. The "HA" in the Trylon's phone number stood for HAvemeyer - which, interestingly enough, was the same appelation used in the exchange for my childhood home in Elmhurst. The Trylon was HAvemeyer 3, however, and we were HAvemeyer 6.

Thanks for posting the link to the ad for the Trylon, Warren.

Ed Solero, I remember the old phone exchanges very well, including HA for Elmhurst (prep school classmate of mine). Thanks for mentioning what it stood for.

Also AP for APplegate (Cypress Hills, Bklyn), GL for GLenmore (my old home Ridgewood exchange) HY for HYacinth, EV for Evergreen, and VI for VIctoria (Richmond Hill, VA for Virginia ?

I've also seen HA for a home in Bayside.

VA (82) was Van Dyke. Ridgewood Savings Bank's phone # used to be VA1-4600.

Can the Trylon still be restored?

I remember going to the movies with my friends at the Trylon in the early 1980's when I was in high school. What's the latest on the preservation efforts? Was the interior of the Trylon still art deco-ish by the 1980's or was it modernized by then? I don't remember it being art deco at all, is why I ask. If it was modernized, is it just a matter of removing drop ceilings and revealing original ceiling, and removing old paint to reveal original paint, or was it completely destroyed inside when renovated, and nothing left intact?

The Trylon's interior was not art deco. I would call it streamlined modernistic, in keeping with architecture at the 1939 New York World's Fair, which inspired the design and the theatre's name.

Four color photos, some possibly not displayed here before, can be seen midway through this new article: www.forgotten-ny.com/SLICES/trylon/trylon.html

Thanks for posting this, Warren. I enjoyed looking at it.

Just to follow up on Warren's July 12th response to Queens Logic's comments, the interior of the Trylon remained pretty much as it was on opening day - normal wear-and-tear notwithstanding - right up until the day it closed.

The next issue of Theatre Historical Society's quarterly journal MARQUEE will have a piece on the Trylon, written by Trylon advocate Michael Perlman. Copies can be ordered by non members at www.historictheatres.org or better yet JOIN and get them delivered automatically to your mailbox!

Thanks, EdSolero and SchineHistorian !

All I could think from my Upper Reserved box seat at Shea Stadium last Sunday, while the Mets completed the implosion of their season, was how ironically appropriate it was that Melinda Katz, of all people, was chosen to sing 'God Bless America' during the 7th Inning Stretch...

Hmmm.... yes. Isn't it ironic.... : (

Better than Roseanne Barr grabbing her crotch and spitting on the ground !

See? No matter how bad, there is always something worse! : D

All too true !

I don't have a clear idea of what happened here. Did they finish converting the theatre into another use, or is it still sitting there?

Whi is Melinda Katz and what does she have to do with this theatre?

Mikeoaklandpark, rather than confuse you further, I suggest you read all of this theater's page and, if that does not answer your question, I leave it to "NativeForestHiller" to do so.

My thoughts exactly PKoch - let her constituents fill in those blanks! Not for me to say. :X Ditto on the current status.

It would take at least half an hour, for God's sake. I started reading it and didn't find my answer. I thought one of you people in the know might write a couple of sentences to fill me in. Instead you wrote a couple of sentences giving me attitude.

That's pretty weak.

THIS IS EXCEPTED FROM A PREVIOUS POST BY NATIVE FOREST HILLER:

... CM Katz's flip-flop of decisions is particularly disturbing in the Trylon case, since she opposed landmarking, then publicly stated her support, and then said she never felt it was suitable. She made no effort to encourage the LPC to calendar it. LPC won't act without strong political support.She has the power, since she's the Chair of Land Use. How can an elected official choose to suit her own interests, and mislead her constituents rather than serve them?

The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater & the community communicated. It was Melinda Katz who failed (to meet after promising, respond to letters, etc)! The effort isn't over. Will her lack of intervention in this scenario be an obstacle in other neighborhood preservation efforts? Let's continue to bond together for the benefit of the community, and not let this happen. "Power to the people!!!!!" ......

HOPE THIS SHEDS SOME LIGHT. YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO SEE WHAT IT'S SHINING ON, BUT THIS IS THE SAD TRUTH.

That post is from May 3, 2006 if you want to look up the whole post.

"Life's too short" to spend half an hour reading this page, for the Trylon's sake ? I think you're in too much of a hurry.

Hope you got your answer.

I think what you are saying is that I should have spent the time sifting through all of this for the sake of the Trylon, an assertion I disagree with. It's a confusing stew of posts reporting that demolition had begun, but that they fight was not over. And no, the post above did not answer my question.

At any rate, the whole reason I got back on here was to mention that a great article on the Trylon appeared in the latest Marquee magazine from THS. The Marquee article answered my question very quickly:

The project was finished, the Jewish center is now open, most of the interior was destroyed, and the "Friends" group is still trying to get the exterior landmarked.

It depends on how much you care about the Trylon, but, it's academic, now that you have your answer.

Which gives me a chance to reiterate that if anyone else is interested in a copy of the latest Marquee magazine, just go to www.historictheatres.org and order one for yourself! The issue also includes a great article on projection methods over the years and a piece on the home museum of the late Jim Foley of Syracuse NY. (Shameless THS promotion - yeah i know!)

: )

Although I'm a member of Theatre Historical Society of America, I've yet to receive the issue of Marquee with the Trylon article. I hope that it didn't get lost in the mails.

That issue was mailed from Elmhurst on 10/20. Bulk mail might be cheap, but it's "expensive" in other ways. Drop me a line at Ebersonian1@aol.com and we can talk more about this.

My copy of this Marquee (2nd Q 2007)arrived in today's mail.

I complained too soon. Sorry! My copy arrived this afternoon, but I haven't had time to read it yet.

Here's a 1942 view of Queens Boulevard between 66th Avenue and 66th Road that I copied from this week's Queens Chronicle. The Trylon was showing "Panama Hattie" & "Brooklyn Orchid," a double bill that had originated on the Loew's circuit about a month before. The building in the lower right corner was a restaurant that later became a bank and is now back to being a restaurant. Perhaps one day the Trylon will revert to its original purpose:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/trylon42.jpg

Those are some large dwellings behind the Trylon. Are they anything significant?

According to the article by Ron Marzlock that accompanied the photo in Queens Chronicle: "The entire block on Queens Boulevard bounded by 66th Avenue and 66th Road was owned by the Thornton Ridge Development Company. The firm patiently held this and many other properties on the north side of Rego Park during the Depression. When the IND subway was built along Queens Boulevard, Thornton Ridge built the large apartment house development on the next block called Queens Gardens, seen in the background of this photograph. By 1940 they sold off more property to build stores for the new apartment house complex. A movie theater called the Trylon was built. The rest of the block was sold to the 99 Street Development Company, which put up stores."

The Queens section of today's NY Daily News has a photo taken in 2005 that's similar to the one in the introduction above dated 2002. Is the Trylon's marquee still in that same extremely damaged condition, or have repairs been made? One would think that the present tenant would not want such an ugly and probably dangerous condtion to exist.

I'm surprised this theatre isn't listed as the Loews Trylon. I will remember it as such from my time at Loews. This tiny gem being managed by the incomperable Gene Thompson and Loews legend Julia Albanese of Loews Gates fame.

I happened to be driving by the former Trylon this soggy morning and snapped the following low res - and rather sad -image of what has become of the old theater facade since the current owners completed their renovations:

OHR NATAN

I snapped a couple of other close up images, but my photobucket acct isn't letting me complete their uploads at the moment. I'll get back here once I've been able to fix that problem.

Funny... while I stopped to grab the photos (which took me all of 3 or 4 minutes) a young man wearing a yamulka and carrying a back-pack snapped a photo of my license plate and another of me standing in the street as I was finishing up. I gave him a nice wave "hello." He never said a word to me. Just shook his head as if in disgust and walked away. I wonder what was going through his mind.... that I was plotting some sort of nefarious scheme against the center?

Bukharian Jewish Community Center. I'm not sure where or what Bukharian is.

Nor I. Good reading you again, Ed Solero. Thanks for stopping by the Trylon and taking photos.

It has something to do with people from Ubezekistan. The function should be community center.

I think that's Uzbekistan, Lost Memory.

Some Jewish people are very, very defensive. It probably has something to do with persecution they have received at various times in history. In the modern-day United States they most likely don't have much to worry about. But it takes a long time for human beings of any type to change behavior. I definitely wouldn't take the actions of this young man personally.

Good explanation, Life's too short. Thanks.

Thanks Peter.

You're welcome, Lost Memory.

It's absolutely hideous! Even "renovated" it already looks like it's falling apart. Some religious institutions take an old theater and revel in its architectural distinction and glory as at Loew's 175th Street and Hollywood theaters in Manhattan, The Metropolitan in Brooklyn, The Elmwood and The Valencia (both in Queens) and The Stanley in Jersey City. Many other examples exist.

Others destroy what they find as these people appear to have done and what is currenty also happening to the old Prospect (Olympic) Theater in the Bronx. They might as well have been demolished.

Very unfortunate.

Thanks for the details, LuisV. Very unfortunate, indeed. Misery loves company, so let us commiserate about the Trylon, at the risk of being accused of holding a non-productive pity party.

Hey Life. And hello Peter. Good to be back. Actually, I never went anywhere, but just had limited time to get online due to demands at work and the demands of welcoming a newborn into the fold at home! Things are settling down, so I'm sorta back in action.

Anyway... I didn't take the actions of the young man in front of the Trylon personally. I just found it amusing. I haven't had a chance to try and re-upload the 3 other photos I took that morning - and they reveal in even more detail how horrifying this makeover of the Trylon's beautiful and historic art deco entrance really is.

In any event, the introductory comments up top are in need of revision.

Indeed it is very unfortunate LuisV. This building is an eyesore. Perhaps it would have fared better if it had become a place of worship.
George

Hello again, Ed. Congrats on your newborn !

Agreed, George Tobor ! How can it be an effective "community center", if it's so run-down, and so ugly to look at, looking more like a front for a drug racket, or car chop shop, or money laundering (name your illegal activity) than a public meeting place ?

The Nortown in Chicago served as a Pakistani-American community center, and looked pretty run down during this period. It lasted for quite a while, so I suppose the arrangement worked for them.

Congratulations Ed! Would the baby be an Ed Jr. or an Edwina?

Looking at the 2002 photo at the top of this page, it appears that the marquee has been given a makeover. Was there any outrage when the "Trylon" letters were removed as there was with the Keith's Richmond Hill? I wonder what condition the interior is in. Maybe the inside looks better than the outside.

What a shame. The "renovations" are already falling apart. Sickening. They could have saved the beautiful mosaics of the lobby and ticket booth area for their use. Why did they have to destroy it?
I remember fondly the trylon, it was quite well preserved in the early 90's yet when "Ironically", I saw "A Stranger Among Us" there...... I say ironically because that move stars Melanie Grifith as she goes undercover to Williamsburg in the Hasidic Jewish community to try and solve a murder.....of course sort of fitting I guess for what the theater is now.....

Bway, maybe it's time for some of us CT'ers to go "undercover" to solve the "murder" of the Trylon !

As one who lives a few blocks from the Trylon and walks by it a few times a week, I think I can fill in a few details about this theater and its recent history.

1. The Bucharians are an orthodox Jewish group who have emigrated into central Queens from what was once Soviet Central Asia. A number of them have become quite successful and have, most notably, built many of the "McMansions" that have been constructed in Forest Hills' oldest residential community - the Cord Meyer development. This has, to put it mildly, generated a strong reaction from the older residents. (An extensive - and well balanced - account of this conflict appeared about a month or so ago in the NY Times.)

2. The re-use of the Trylon for its present purpose was pretty much a "done deal" soon after the theater closed. For reasons that I am not aware of, however, the project did nor get off the ground and the old theater stood vacant for a number of years.

3. When the project finally commenced, the Bucharians applied the same architectural aesthetic that they used in constructing the McMansions. Most visibly, the art deco ticket booth and outer lobby were rudely destroyed almost overnight.

4. These actions generated strong protests from the preservation community, especially Michael Perlman. A "Save the Ridgewood" like petition was created and an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to secure landmark status was initiated. (Far more extensive accounts of these actions appear in previous posts.)

5. While these efforts proved unavailing, some informal arrangements were made regarding the course of future exterior work. This is why the awning, which suffered serious deterioration during the years of unuse, was refurbished to somewhat reflect its former design. (Obviously, it once again needs more work.) This is also why the tower was not gutted and replaced by some monstrosity. Finally, this is why the signage for the center that replaced the Trylon's signage retained the former's style and lettering. The results may be as unsatisfactory as the previous comments suggest, but this did prevent the wholesale eradication of the old theater's exterior. (Michael, I would very very interested to hear your take on these "arrangements" since you are clearly more familiar with the specifics than I am.)

6. While I have not been inside the theater, the reports that I have received have not been encouraging. Suffice it to say, garish marble and ostentatious chandeliers have apparently replaced the art deco glory. While I hope these reports prove unfounded, I very much doubt that that will be the case.

I hope this did not repeat too much of what many of you already know, but I also believe that presenting a more comprehensive picture of this story has its merits.

Hope to hear from you on this - especially those who will tell me where I got things wrong - and where I got it right.

I don't think I have ever said this before about any other theater, but what this religious group has done to this theater is no different than if they had just torn the entire thing down. It is just that ugly and that reflects on the organization that built it and financed it. It is actually more painful to see the remnant of the exterior and be constantly reminded of what was lost. If there is any consolation, it is this: If they had torn it own, what they would have replaced it with would most likely also been an abomination. They should be ashamed of themselves!

I agree with LuisV. To have agreed to "preserve" what little they did of the theatre's exterior is almost adding insult to injury. As far as I'm concerned, the significant historic elements of the Trylon's exterior where the very items that were demolished by the Bukharians' contractors. That the glass block tower and upper facade were not destroyed is little consolation for the loss of the mosaic tile-work on the walls of the outdoor entryway and ticket booth as well as the vintage hand painted murals within the inner foyer.

This series of photos from flickr offers a look back at some of what was lost once work began. There are 7 photos in the series.

And here's another shot that I took the other morning, showing the new and exciting look that replaced that boring old tile-work!

Wow, I was just reading the many posts about the tragic odyssey of the Trylon Theater. It rivals in length that of our own Uptown Theatre here in Chicago. Minus the religious organization and a city council person who actually seemed involved at all. Though we eclipse the Trylon's saga by 20 years. And have a happier ending in the works.

Since the Trylon's last date of operation was 12/31/99, it's clear to see that fate handed it not one positive day in the new millenium since. I guess it's fitting then that it's "Function" in the CT heading still reads: Unknown.

After seeing the most recent photo, it's clear it would have been better off just torn down, and remembered only in pictures. Unless it could be rebuilt elsewhere like the famous STAX recording studios, from the original blueprints. The only reason it likely wasn't torn down at all, was due to added demolition costs, and of that to build a new structure in between other buildings. Though the one on the left looks integral to it. Maybe an old after theatre snack shop or something.

Based on everything I read from the initial resistance, evasiveness & rudeness of the realtor's staff, to the preservationist's dismissal then flip flop from the council person, I'd think I was at home. And that it seems of probably having been a done deal from the get go. Just needed the time to bureaucratically gestate. The preservation effort was probably an unexpected thorn in the owner/developers side. Much like Chicago, landmark status is a limiting kiss of death to developers.
Probably why the municipal flip/flop took so long. Look Like a saviour after it's too late.

Judging from the most recent photo that was posted, cosmetic considerations for the existing structure other than to make sure it had a roof, was never an issue.
It's apparently just a usable, presumably tax free space to the tenant, given it is a religious use.

The developers and certain to be tenants would have been hailed as heroes, if their renovation plan would have not been acrimonius from the start. And they gave at least some appearance of caring that it was previously a theatre, and with a New York World's Fair history. I'm not sure of the 1939 fair's theme, but I'll bet it's now ironic whatever it was.

They could have at least kept all the classic signage, outer lobby details and just etched or blacked out the window glass. Those wooden doors couldn't look more out of place. Why leave the derelict empty movie poster boxes? To make it look like you cared? Or was that just another end of project expense that didn't need to be spent.
Again, it appears the Trylon was taken for granted as just a "space" to whomever.

Developers and/or tenants probably think they did the neighborhood a favor by occupying it at all. I don't know what the hood is like there. The tagged roll up door indicates crime at some level & time.
At least there's a liquor store for anyone who wants to go there and further lament in person, what happened and could have been. Sad.

Hey David... The hood is fine - I don't think crime is a serious concern. Tagged roll down gates are evident throughout NYC and do not necessarily denote a dangerous part of town. I puzzled too over the display cases left in place - but I suppose the organization believe they'll be able to use them to post upcoming events and such. They left each of the cases on either side of the old triangular recessed entryway.

Here's the last of the pics I snapped with my cell phone the other morning. It shows the right side of the new entryway and the other remaining display case.

Oh... and Lost... I forgot to respond that the new baby is an Edwina - or, better yet, Grace Olivia Solero to be more accurate.

Thanks for your comments David. I agree with Ed Solero. Crime is absolutely not an issue in this area as it is solidly middle class, but make no mistake......an archtitectural crime most foul was committed here and, sadly, the guilty party will get away with it.

So what should the status of this theatre be? Is it a synagogue? Do they hold services here or is it more of a cultural center for the Bukharians?

Indeed, this building is a disgrace. I am not against people coming to America for a better way of life. On the other hand you do not come to this country and desecrate a building that has stood for decades and one that has provided entertainment for the people of the community for so many years. Surely a compromise could have been reached. The building could have been converted for use as a community centre without the appalling changes. I would not be surprised to find that politics played a role in the conversion of this building. I do not believe this centre has any religious purpose. Merely a meeting place to help new arrivals be indoctrinated on our laws and help in starting a new life here. Any hopes of obtaining landmark status are now gone. Perhaps further destruction can be avoided if our voices are united and made known to the community.
George

Hi Ed. I'm sure your question isn't directed to me. Good thing, cause I don't have an answer. I looked at the Cinema Treasures "Function" link, and barring specific criteria, I guess "Community Center" is what would apply. That's what's they put on the marquee anyway. "Cultural Center" is also an option, but either I think implys somehow that it's open to the general public. Which I'm going to speculate isn't quite the the case.
I could be wrong.

I'd also like to apologize if I implied the neighborhood around the Trylon was "crime" affected. I did not mean to imply so.
Roll down doors & gates are not as common place in Chicago, and the Trylon is sandwiched by two. There is certainly nothing wrong with business owners protecting their investments. Doing so asthetically would be something for community involvement.
Don't get me wrong, Chicago still has some, but not in middle class areas. Every city has board-ups. It also has it's share of unwanted graffiti. "Graffiti Busters" is a city wide program of chemical trucks that constantly cruise the city spraying off the tagging.

You'd think that if the Trylon remodeling had covered all the permit bases etc., that there would have been an end design or drawing on how the finished facade was supposed to look. One submitted & signed off on by the council person.
And one that didn't include portions of exposed brick, broken face tiles/old adhesives, differing backrounds behind each poster box, and seemingly no attention paid to the underside of the marquee. Basically it looks as if the minimum was done just to get it sealed up.
Not in any way inviting looking, that's for sure. And possibly something the preservationists could pressure the city about. Where was the oversight on what was ultimately built, etc. That could force them to fix the marquee, where a truck apparently hit it again.

P.S. In comparing Ed's recent OHR NATAN photo with that of the Cinema Treasures 2002 one, it appears as if a parking meter was removed, and some type of "Loading Zone" restriction via signs was put in place. Tough to say because the CT one at the page's top is cropped tighter than Ed's.

Chicago has that problem big time, with restaurants "buying" up and removing metered spaces for loading zones. And the valets whisking patron's cars around to other meters down the block that they didn't pay for.
Chicago does not allow parking in front of any theatres, for fire evacuation purposes.

But even that loading zone action requires city involvement. So the ball really appears to have been dropped by the Trylon's council person or reps.
Also since most of the discussions on CT about active construction, are dated 2006. So the building's tenants surely think their work is done by now.
As stated by others before, it says something about their organization if what is there now is acceptable to them. The council person needs to be physically taken to the site, if anything is to be done to rememdy the injustice. Also a peek into the organization's tax status, would help in determining it's Function.

David, I agree with you. By the way, the parking meter could be removed because a lot of NYC streets have gone to paper "metered" parking, where there are no meters anymore, and you pay the fee at a box placed every so many 100 feet, and place the ticket on your dashboard proving you paid. I don't know if that is what happened here, but it is possible.
As for your thoughts on the sad fate the front of the Trylon has come to, I agree....

I had kind of forgotten the Trylon until something on CT reminded me of it, and the great times I had there. I lived in College Point from 1996-1999 and loved exploring the older theaters of Queens. The Trylon was one of my favorites as I always loved sitting on the balcony. The LPC seems to be a joke in Queens. Councilwoman Katz should hang her head in shame.

We have a community building the 1939 World's Fair for free to visit at www.reactiongrid.com . See here for our beginning over 1 year ago http://www.flickr.com/photos/30456505@N06/sets/72157607241067137/ . You can now visit Trylon & Perishpere walking up the Helicline & visitng Democracity in detail as well as many more attractions.

The Trylon Cafe build has just been commissioned to be recreated by this team http://www.pmphoto.to/worlds_fair/wf_tour/zone-4/turf_trylon.htm & we would love to include the related Theater in our recreation to spur its rescue. You can even learn to build in 3D with us and help!

Kyle G CEO ReactionGrid

Hi Kyle,

As a 1939 World's Fair enthusiast and Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council (serving Rego Park & Forest Hills), this will be a commendable project. I am interested in learning more. I also left you a comment on ReactionGrid's flickr profile.

I founded the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater in 2005. The upper streamlined Art Deco facade & glass block projection tower remains with a renovated marquee, but some of the most significant attributes are sacrificed in the name of progress (in the unideal sense). The Trylon-adorned mosaic ticket booth was jackhammered, the entrance pavilion's mosaic floor with chevrons and a central terrazzo element of a 3D interpretation of the Trylon Monument was cemented over. There is now a faux marble wall with wooden doors out to the curb. I am confident that these alterations could be reversed in years to come. The Trylon fountain inside the lobby was either sheet rocked over or jackhammered, and the World of Tomorrow murals that graced the proscenium are rumored to be gone. This was all due to an unresponsive councilmember and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission that claimed they waited for her advanced opinion on the issue, which isn't required as per the Landmarks Law.

Do you hope to rebuild the Trylon Theater in 3D based upon existing photos and any historic blueprints that may exist? Please let me know your plans. You can e-mail me at unlockthevault@hotmail.com as well as post here so other fans can learn and get involved in any way. Thank you!

- Michael Perlman

This is a Trylon Theater photoset, courtesy of Rego-Forest Preservation Council, in affiliation with the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater, founded in 2005. The photoset below documents its historic 1939 World's Fair-inspired Art Deco features, the theater's closure, the unfortunate jackhammering of the Trylon-adorned ticket booth and cementing of the mosaic and terrazzo Trylon & chevron-patterned floor in the entrance pavilion, as well as the Art Deco facade and glass block projection tower, which remain intact. It also includes some interior features i.e. a "World of Tomorrow" '39 World's Fair theme mural flanking the proscenium, a Trylon fountain in the standee area. Save The Trylon campaign artwork is included as well. Memorabilia includes the 1941 Theatre Catalog's promotional piece on the Trylon Theater, and matchbook covers referencing the theater. This will consistently be updated.

Please feel free to contribute vintage photos or photos from the recent past, or any other items of interest. Please continue to support this noble cause. Hopefully, the concealed and lost features can be restored one day, so future generations can see first-hand what a significant theater this was to Queens, a unique Art Deco gem, and to the 1939 World's Fair history and its impact upon future sites. Never abandon hope, and let's remain proactive in every way possible. Thank you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157623065121152/