RKO Alhambra Theatre

The Alhambra was located at 2110 Seventh Avenue, at W. 126th Street. Percy Williams, who later sold all his theatres to Keith's, was the original owner, with J.B. McElfatrick & Sons as architects. The Alhambra first opened on August 10, 1905, with vaudeville only. Movies didn't creep into the programming until 1913. The Alhambra had approximately 1,500 seats, plus an upstairs dancehall originally called Paradis de Danse and later the Alhambra Ballroom. As an RKO movie house, it was first-run for the Harlem area, and operated until closure in the 1960s.

It was last used or is in use as a Motor Vehicles office. When they did the same with thing to the Calderone/RKO Hempstead in Nassau County, the beautiful dome of the theatre was incorporated into the design but most ot the theatre was lost. The backstage rooms served as seperate offices with a rear entrance. I don't know if that was the case with this one. The 126th Street entrance of the rentals or apartments/ballroom retain some terra-cotta above the entrance door way and some features are noticeable on the facade. The rear wall of the Loew's Victoria is just a few steps from the Alhambra's back wall.

P.S. on the above, I remember in the mid 1960's during a period of civil unrest in the area, that someone started a fire in the balcony of the theatre that smoke was seen billowing from the upper portions of the building on Seventh Avenue. This didn't close the theatre but it was closed some time after in 1967.

I have an original in color program of this theatre from 1907. Shows layout etc. In beautiful condition. On front states Percy Williams, manager. Not for sale but thought you might be interested in seeing it.

The ballroom has been restored. I attended a function there recently and the restoration is beautiful.

The theatre part of the Alhambra Theatre building is now in use as a Shrine Lodge. The upstairs ballroom re-opened in the summer of 2003.

The Alhambra had a seating capacity given as 1,435 in the 1930 edition of Film Daily Yearbook.

isaw at least 10 m0vies here. but the one that stands out is no way out with richard widmark and sidney poiter.

"Rodan" on the RKO run
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/Rodan.jpg

It's great to hear that the ballroom has been restored, but does anyone have any pictures, before or after? I passed by the other day and from a distance the building had an abandoned look. Does any remnant of the lobby exist?

The lobby is gone. I remember how beautiful it was as a teenager in the '60's. With the re-birth of Harlem I hope there will be some real efforts but forth to restore the remaining (?) theatres/cinemas.
Old and solid is ALWAYS better than new and plastic.

To promote his new film "The Ladies Man," Jerry Lewis appeared on stage at this theater on July 13, 1961.

Bob, why are you posting the same thing for many different theaters? I don't think Jerry Lewis was able to clone himself and appear at 10 or so theaters on the same day.

Please disregard my earlier post. I see these theaters were all in the New York area and I guess he did do a day long promotional blitz.

Matt: Jerry Lewis appeared at 27 RKO theatres over 2 days promoting his new film. I have the complete schedule, itinerary and photos.

Here is a July 2003 photograph of the former Alhambra Theatre in Harlem:
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/142133303/

The former Alhambra Theater is going to become a seafood restaurant called Pier 2110 which opens in May of 2006. Also, this website claims that a bowling is also coming to this address.

This vintage postcard shows Seventh Avenue and the B.F. Keith's Alhambra. It was mailed in 1916. The marquee says "Opens Labor Day, Sept. 1." Since Labor Day occurred on September 1 in 1913, this image could be from that year.

This theatre had at least two "alternate" names that aren't included in the introduction: Keith's Alhambra and RKO Alhambra. In fact, the main name should probably be RKO Alhambra, as it was famous for many decades as the RKO flagship for Harlem (the equivalent of Loew's Victoria).

An address shows the Pier 2110 Restaurant located here. This is their website.

Is the Alhambra the same as the Harlem Auditorium? I have a drawing of the Auditorium by the McElfatricks that looks very much like the photo of the Alhambra posted by KenRoe.

JeffryB; I believe they are different theatres. The American Motion Picture Directory 1914-1915 lists the Auditorium Theatre, 80 W. 125th Street, New York. I can't find it listed under this name on Cinema Treasures.

I don't know if this will help or not, but this is a piece from the NY Times September 19, 1902.

"NEW UPTOWN THEATRE.; Harlem Auditorium at Seventh Avenue and 126th Street to Be Completed by March Next.

A theatre to be known as the Harlem Auditorium is to be erected by the Harlem Auditorium Amusement Company at the southwest corner of Seventh Avenue and One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Street, on the site utilized in recent political campaigns as Camp McKinley and Camp Low. Nelson Roberts, who has been identified with theatre interests in Pittsburg and in this city with Koster Bial, will be general manager and director".

That would give the Harlem Auditorium an opening year of 1903 vs the 1905 date for the Alhambra.

Intrigued by this question I dug through old binders and found a printout of the "Atlas of the City of New York", 1906 edition, showing the location of the "Alhambra" at the southwest corner of 7th Avenue and 126th Street, which was the location of the Auditorium noted in the NY Times article. It was right next to the Harlem Opera House, which was also a McElfatrick design from 1889. I'll keep checking to see if there is anything in print about the one becoming the other.

Just looking at the photos on the site Lost posted a few days back for the Pier 2110 Restaurant located in the Alhambra building, it looks as if the interior was completely gutted. Unless the restaurant occupies some space in the building other than the former theater area.

Well, after a little more research... Though the Auditorium was projected to be finished in March 1903 (NY Times article, 9/19/1902), another article in "Architects and Builders Magazine" states that it was "nearing completion" in Jan. 1904. Another NY Times article (3/9/1905) reported that one of the partners who built the Auditorium was declaring bankruptcy, this after a 6-month strike halted work, and his partner's subsequent suicide in May 1904; the article goes on to say that "there were no funds to continue the enterprise." A further NY Times article (5/14/1905) announced the opening *the next night* ("for a Spring season") of the Harlem Alhambra, noting that "it was started two years ago, but was not completed owing to a series of litigations whereby the work was held up for a long period." Descriptions of the two theater include similar decorations, the presence of a rathskeller and other accommodations; so it would seems that the two are identical.

I would agree that the Harlem Auditorium and the Alhambra Theatre are the same property. The owners of the Harlem Auditorium encountered financial problems before ever opening the theatre. Percy Williams took over and re-named it the Alhambra. It became part of his Orpheum Circuit, which at that time (1905) also included the Colonial in Manhattan, the Orpheum, Novelty and Gotham in Brooklyn, and the Orpheum in Boston, Massachussets. The Orpheum Circuit eventually ended up as part of Radio-Keith-Orpheum, which is how the Alhambra became an RKO movie house.

“When (Ethel) Waters lived in Harlem she recalled that 125th street was still a ‘white boulevard’ and that the theatres on the street were segregated. ‘Colored people could only buy seats only in the peanut gallery in B.F. Keith’s Alhambra, and none at all in the other white show houses’. “

“Despite civil rights statues in northern cities that prevented racial segregation in theatres, the laws were rarely enforced and managers evaded the law. In 1905, two African Americans sued unsuccessfully when they were not permitted to buy tickets to New York’s Circle Theatre. On another occasion black patrons who obtained orchestra tickets were prevented from sitting in the white-reserved section when the manager broke the seats and ordered them to sit in the gallery. Racial segregation in the big-time venues as well as prejudice against black performers contrasted with the circuits’ publicity which celebrated vaudeville as a ‘democratic’ entertainment open to everyone.

from VAUDEVILLE WARS by ARTHUR FRANK WERTHEIM

The RKO Alhambra was the first and only Manhattan theatre to ever share a movie's premiere engagement with the midtown Roxy. That happened in July, 1943, when 20th-Fox's all-black musical, "Stormy Weather," opened simultaneously at the Roxy (with stage show) and Alhambra (with short subjects) and ran for three weeks. Acording to Variety, the Roxy grossed a "wow" $99,000 in the first week, and the Alhambra (which usually grossed an average of $5,000), did a "whopping" $19,000. The double features that would have played the Alhambra during that time were shifted to the RKO 125th Street, which was normally a sub-run house. Here's an ad from a Harlem newspaper: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/stormyduo.jpg

On Friday January 26, 1962, the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly-Joe DeRita) embarked on a three day promotional tour for their latest feature film, THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES. They were accompanied by "The Herculean Giant" (almost 8 foot tall Dave Ballard) and popular DJ Clay Cole, who was one of the stars of the co-feature, TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK.

On Friday January 26, they appeared at the RKO Alhambra at 10:25 PM.

We purchased a framed tile as part of an auctioned box lot. It measures approx. 3" x 5". The tile itself is not marked. There is a label on the back of the frame from SLOANE & COMPANY, NO. 309 COLUMBUS AVENUE, NEW YORK***pictures and picture frames. "From the Alhambra" is written in pencil on the back near the label. We are wondering if it is a "momento" from the RKO Alhambra. Pictures are available if might assist with identification. Any thoughts?