Criterion Twin

The street address of the Criterion is given as Atlantic Ave in 1950 listings. It had 903 seats. In 1941 it is listed as having 981 seats.

Nice, decent sized single screener that was converted into a double sometime in the late 70's, early 80's. I saw "Foul Play" and "Oh, God" when it was a single as well as "Annie Hall". As a double, I saw "A Christmas Story" and "The Dead Zone". It was in a nice area and the theater was well maintained.

I live near this theater and I am going to check out what it's currently used as. I know when it closed it became a video store, o bitter irony.

I walked past this theater today. The theater building and the attached strip of stores that run along Atlantic Avenue are listed for sale, per this website. Several of the store fronts are vacant, including the former Super Video store on the corner that saps says occupies part of the old theater space. That would make the address of the theater 447 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518.

Construction was going on in the old video store and the doors were open so I peaked in. Assuming this was the old lobby and foyer space, the place was completely gutted with a drop ceiling in place. A bit down the side street (Maxwell Street) a pair of doors that look like they might have been former exit doors for the theater were also wide open - and revealed no more than a completely refinished storage room bearing no signs of a former theater. The auditorium structure runs parallel to Atlantic Ave and behind the other store fronts. It is now occupied by offices and a warehouse of some kind - a large loading bay door is evident in the alley that runs behind the building. There also seems to be an odd dormer on the roof of the former auditorium.

Here's a local.live view that shows the entire structure. Saps and CConnolly... can you guys confirm that the entrance and foyer/lobby space for the theater was on the corner of Atlantic and Maxwell where the video store was?

Here are a few shots I took today:

Building profile and former entrance
Auditorium side wall
Lobby wall

I found this ad from the 12/12/1980 Daily News for a late run double feature booked into the Criterion 2. The ad refers to the theater as "K.B.'s Criterion." K.B. Theaters also owned The Movies in Bellmore, the Roslyn and the Westbury (as well as others, I'm sure).

This NY Post ad from 3/10/1982 shows a late booking here for "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

My collection of local newspapers doesn't pick back up until September & October of 1985, by which time the Criterion disappears from all listings.

Also known as the Atlantic Theater. There is a 981 seat Atlantic Theater listed for East Rockaway in 1935. It is the only theater listed for that area at that time.

can you guys confirm that the entrance and foyer/lobby space for the theater was on the corner of Atlantic and Maxwell where the video store was?

Please excuse the looooooooooooooong time replying to your question. The best I can remember, the answer is yes. The entrance was on the corner of Atlantic and Maxwell. Fairly typical layout: long lobby and then the theater (and then theaters) came up on the left.