Farragut Theatre

The address is 1401 Flatbush Avenue. For comparison purposes, Loew's Kings is at 1029 Flatbush Avenue, the Albemarle at 973 Flatbush Avenue...I would call the Farragut a medium-sized theatre. "Large" is usually reserved for theatres of 2,800 seats or more.

Seating capacity was cited as 2300 in an ad circa 1922.

In the "old days," theatre advertising was notorious for making exaggerated claims about seating capacity. Some even threw in the number of patrons that could fill up the standing room! The 1931 Film Daily Year Book says that the Farragut had 1,913 seats. In the 1954 edition, it was reported as 1,465. It's possible that over the years, seats were removed during renovations, or whole sections were closed down because they were no longer needed. The Farragut became an also-ran after the openings of the Kings and the Kenmore, which were the area's leaders.

In November of 1911 it was announced that the Farragut Hall, a building used for meetings, receptions and other events would begin showing motion pictures on Monday and Tuesday evenings. This Hall was located at Flatbush and Rogers Avenues in Flatbush. The new Farragut Theater was construted on this site some 8 years later.

I passed this building on Sunday biking from Jacob Riis Park to Park Slope and thought this was a theater. I biked around the perimeter of the block to check it out.

City records show a 1768 seat theater at this address with the architect being R. Short.

An Austin organ Opus 914 Size 3/16 was installed in Farragut Theater in 1920. Cost of organ was $8,850; With echo.

A vintage 1920's postcard view of the Farragut Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205007492/

Four current photographs I took in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205007977/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205008528/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205020212/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205020739/

Here is a weekly program for May of 1928.

I recall walking past the Farragut the day after Century closed it in 1955. When I got under the marquee, the manager, a small, thin middle aged man with a fringe of hair around a bald dome, came out of one of the front doors. He was well known to the kids of the area as having a sour disposition. This was understandable given the Hell they put him through. Probably the reason he was bald on top was they drove him to pull out his hair. He had a carton in his hand and called to a few kids standing about to come and get it as he threw candy bars on the sidewalk. There was a rush. He said " That's it, it's all over" and walked back inside, locking the doors.

I have a 1929 photograph taken from a building on the SW corner of Flatbush Avenue and Farragut Road. It shows the upper back wall of the auditorium which is painted with the name Farragut Theatre on a black background. This would be the correct name, not Farragut Theater as originally posted on this page.

Around 1939-40, a modernization program changed the lounge area on the second level behind the balcony to an art deco style decor with matching furniture, all in shades of pale green. The bathrooms were upgraded at this time as was the main floor drinking fountain.

The alterations listed above were done by John and Drew Eberson.