Ace Theater

Wow I never heard of this theatre? Any idea where it was?

The Ace sided on Woodhaven Boulevard, but I'm not sure of the cross street (maybe 101st Street). If you were driving out Woodhaven Boulevard towards the Rockaways, the Ace would be on your left, several blocks before you came to the Crossbay Theatre, which was on the same side of Woodhaven Boulevard. The Ace was a small hole-in-the-wall that played the movies even later than the Crossbay, which in those days was also a subsequent-run house.

I finally found the address for the Ace Theatre: 95-06 101st Avenue. The 1949 Film Daily Year Book claims 850 seats, which I think may be an exaggeration because the Ace looked much smaller than that. It might have been a conversion from original retail space...The Ace's Ozone Park rivals at the time included the Crossbay (still operating as a multiplex); the Farrell, 118-12 Rockaway Boulevard; the New Ozone, 135-01 Rockaway Boulevard; and the State, 106-05 Rockaway Boulevard.

Great information, I thought I knew alot about old theatres in Queens but nver heard of The Farrell, The New Ozone or The State. Are you going to post them?

No, Robert,I'm not going to post on those three theatres because I know nothing about them except that they were all 500 seats or under and played late-run double features. Someone who lives in that area might be able to tell us if any are still standing.

Warren's posts are always /right-on". I never went to the Ace as far as I can remember, despite living three blocks from it after moving to Ozone Park from Glendale in 1957.My recollection was that it was closed even then. The Ozone Park Italian Club was on the same block,

My recollection of premiere movie houses in descending order were:
Radio City Music Hall; once every few years for the Christmas show

RKO Madison and Keiths; a real extravagance

Ridgewood; impress a date

Glenwood, Oasis, Lefferts, Crossbay; family night once or twice a month

Belvedere, Haven, Roosevelt; nest step is the itch

Casino, Acme; the itch

Ciao and excelsior,
'Tonino
The kid from Glendale and Ozone Park who hung out in Woodhaven, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill

What did it mean when you referred to a theater as "The Itch"?

"The itch" or a "scratch house" was a theater with a low standard of cleanliness--one that might be infested with fleas, body lice or other bugs that would make patrons itchy.

The chinese restaurant with the yellow marquee is 95-04, so Adco Supplies adjacent would be 95-06:
http://tinyurl.com/5ayet7

I can't see what's to the right of the yellow marquee. The Ace Theatre occupied a corner site, and had poster display cases and exit doors on the Woodhaven Boulevard side.

The building to the right of the Chinese restaurant is occupied by a newstand/grocery at 95-02 101st Avenue. That is a corner building.

Woodhaven Boulevard:
http://tinyurl.com/5u4gha

No matter how you look at it, the function is retail.

In the Woodhaven Boulevard view, the long white building with "VIP" on the canopies is a conversion of the Ace's auditorium. The stores on 101st Avenue apparently occupy only the Ace's entrance and foyer.

And the spelling in the introduction needs to be changed-- Ace Theatre (not Ace Theater).

VIP is a child care center. If the auditorium is a day care center, and the lobby and foyer are retail, do you have to list both as functions?

That's a good question. I would set the function to both Retail and Daycare Center. And while those changes are being made, the address can be changed to 95-02 101st Avenue.

To save precious space in the introduction, the function could be listed as "Non-theatrical." I doubt if 99.9999% of the world knows or cares about the Ace Theatre or its current status. It was insignificant and virtually unknown even when operating as a cinema. I think that its owners back then would have had a good laugh if anyone had described it as a "treasure."