York Square Cinema

The York Square opened in 1970. With a five screen art cinema scheduled to open downtown this fall and legal proceedings not being very successful against the film distributors, the York Square's days are probably numbered

an article in june 8ths New Haven Register stated that Peter Spodick has withdrawn his lawsuit against the film distributors. It also Stated that he would have one of the others partners re file it. It also said he would hire an attorney more in this area rather than represent himself.

I love to support independent movie theaters such as this, but the York Square Cinema has always been a tough sell for me. First, you can't walk from your car to the entrance of the theater without being hit up for "spare change" or "extra cash" by some New Haven street urchin. Second, when you make it inside the York Square, you find the theaters are terribly small and the screens are little bigger than your TV set. I go here, but it's never pleasant.

I will be submitting a request to the Yale Entrepreneurial Society
to purchase the York Square Cinema and open it as a "Cinema and Pub".
It is my opinion that a Pub and Cinema on the campus of Yale Univ. could be a money making venture. Let me know your thoughts on this subject and if you would like to participate. Allow me to state I am also planning to host a radio show on the radio station for Yale University this fall; "The No Nukes Revival" and there will be more information about the Cinema on the radio show.

According to this article (http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14773910&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=517515&rfi=6) in today's New Haven Register, the York Square is closing in July. The article also cites the recently-opened Criterion Cinemas nearby, stating that the Criterion is also 'struggling to draw audiences', which is simply not true.

ATTENTION CALLAHAN!!!

Please call or email concerning a story on the York.

jcooper@playnewhaven.com or 203-789-5270 ... if you could, please call by Friday afternoon.

Thanks
Cooper

I'm not sure how well a PUB and cinema would work when 3/4 of the proposed clientele (Yale students) is under age 21.

Since when is Yale primarily an undergrad institution?

Cinema and a Coffee shop is another idea.

I think the three screens should be merged into one large screen with better audio and convert the remaining space into a fancy coffee shop, art gallery and also a place where movie directors, actors could speak, etc. (have lots of documentaries. indie movies)

The theatre played it's last film on Saturday, July 16th.

The final movies shown here were "The Big Sleep" and "The Maltese Falcon."

Too bad. I lived in New Haven from '80 to '82 when I was right out of college. In fact, I lived a short walk from the cinema on Linwood Place. I remember seeing WOLFEN here and having it scare the bejesus out of me. And I remember taking a date to see THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN at this cinema.

All my memories of New Haven are fading. Macy's, where I moonlighted, is gone; Malley's is long gone; the 99-cent cinema in Hamden is now an apartment complex is gone; now the York Square Cinema.

Anyone remember a little sandwich place that was downtown, on one of those small streets across the street from the Chapel Square Mall. Last time I was in New Haven, fall of '01, I looked for it and couldn't find it. And I remember once going into an Italian restaurant around Sherman Avenue. It was on Whalley Ave. I believe. I remember watching Michael Spinks on tv in a boxing max there one Saturday afternoon. I remember the restaurant had the coolest beer tap I had ever seen. It was the only beer tap I had ever seen that looked like this where at the top of tap it had these glass globes where you could see the beer. I tried to find the place years ago but I think it was leveled. And wasn't there a downtown restaurant where the hamburger was supposedly invented? I couldn't find that place last time I was there either.

The sad story is here
http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxviii/1999.09.10/news/p3yorksquare.html

But the new downtown Criterion gets first run product along with Showcase..."Bad News Bears" starts tomorrow (7/22), followed by "Must Love Dogs" next Friday.

I stopped by Criterion on Friday at 11:50am but it wasn't open yet. I presumed it opened at 12pm since i had to catch a train but I guess it opens today. Around the back on bike i couldn't see any remnants of a theater architecturally. I guess it was just office space reconverted?

Here's some recent links from the New Haven Advocate. The first one is the most recent letter to the editor from owner Peter Spodick, setting the record straight.
http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content.html?oid=oid:120158
http://newhavenadvocate.com/gbase/News/content.html?oid=oid:120164

I do not trust Peter Spodick's claims about Hollywood not wanting to give him movies. And besides, if he belives he is right, why did he withdraw the case? I think managing YorkSquare is not easy, but Peter Spodick seems to be bitter and is simply justifying his failure.

Well it's big buck lawyers that defeat you. I'd withdraw the case after 10 years of court battles. Damn, I was in a court case that continued for 2 years, it's enough to drive you bonkers. My cousin had his story and story idea he wrote for a website stolen by George Lucas' company and basically after countless hours of talking with his lawyers they told him, "we have millions and you have nothing and that's all there is."

I think that is very cynical. I am not sure if you know Peter Spodick. But if he never believed that he was going to win, he should not have started a court case in the first place. It almost looks like he wants to justify his personal failings by appearing like a martyr.

The last movie I saw here was Gloomy Sunday in May, 2004. In fact, it was the first movie I saw here too.

Well, he had a point about movies being kept out of a great market. He may have had his failings but let's not praise some certain corporations for doing a good job when in fact they aren't.

A small photo of the York Square Cinema can be seen here.

I began and ended my patronage here with Humphrey Bogart. In the early seventies, YORK SQUARE held a Bogart festival that lasted, I believe, for 2-3 weeks and, in which they showed double-features of virtually all of Bogart's films. This was my first visit here, and many fire-codes must've been broken-Every available seat was taken, there were wall-to-wall people, and even every available inch of floor space was taken! Conversely, I bid "Adieu" to YORK SQUARE with a viewing of "The Big Sleep", and there uncountable empty seats, and a very small, relatively unenthusiastic audience. What a difference a few decades made!

When the Post Mall opened in Milford and Showcase Cinemas opened in Orange, the clock started ticking for New Haven. I remember when the Chapel Street (Square?) Mall was THE hub of activity for the suburbs. York Square Cinema was great as a 1 screen artfilm theater. It's expansion made it uncomfortable. Macy's closing was the final nosedive for this once thriving downtown city. Hope it makes a comeback.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/YorkSquareCinema1973.jpg

Um, maybe. You should go back and see it now. You'd be changing your tune.

See what now?

Sorry, well, not theatre-wise, although the former Long Wharf theatre will be moving downtown. They have Criterion Cinemas, but most of all, there's hardly an empty storefront and the arts have been invested in heavily, but in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

I still go back to visit every 2-3 years. Downtown New Haven has gotten cleaner but NO WHERE as busy as what it was in the past. I saw the implosion of the Coliseum on tv and that was a shock to my system but hopefully the city is on an upswing.

Yeah, I was involved in the production and organizing of the last event EVER held at the Coliseum, with 5,000 people, Ralph Nader, Janine Garafolo, DL Hughley, Patti Smith, etc.

I heard the site was going to become some kind of Performing Arts Center or something like that. I saw Sonny & Cher there.

I saw Caligula here in 79. I believe it was still a single then.

Drove by there recently and the marquee is gone you would not know a theater was ever there by its outside front appearance

"Drove by there recently and the marquee is gone you would not know a theater was ever there by its outside front appearance"

a small part of me died upon reading that.

Guilford resident here (now living in Florida) and I only got to see a few films there. I remember getting to see KIDS there (though I was underage), WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and I saw my first ever ROCKY HORROR at the York and still have great memories.

Last time I was home (in 2007), my partner and I took photos all over Yale campus (he had never been there) and I told him my York Sq. memories.

It's a sad day.