Loew's Kings Theatre
1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
61 people
favorited this theater
The Loew’s Kings Theatre opened its doors to Flatbush Avenue on September 7th, 1929 with Dolores del Rio in “Evangeline”, plus on stage ‘Frills and Fancies’ a revue, Wesley Eddy & his Kings of Syncopation, and the Chester Hales Girls. One of the five ‘Wonder Theatres’ built by Loew’s in New York City, it opened the same day as its sister theatre in the Bronx, the Loew’s Paradise Theatre.
Loew’s dominated the market in Brooklyn, and this was their flagship in the very grandest French Renaissance style designed by the prestigious firm of Rapp and Rapp of Chicago.
The theatre occupied a massive site built diagonally across an odd assortment of lots and had a seating capacity of 3,676. It had the unusual feature of having the majority of the seating in the orchestra level. There was a vast entrance lobby that opened onto an even more spacious inner lobby and then on to a foyer at the rear of the orchestra. There was no balcony but instead a shallow mezzanine that was entered by stairs off the inner lobby.
The mezzanine level lounges overlooked the entrance lobby. The panelling in the lobby areas was real mahogany and throughout instead of crystal chandeliers there were massive stylised Art Deco style light fittings with elaborate etched glass and tassels.
The sumptuous interior decoration was the work of the Harold Rambusch Studios of New York under the supervision of Ann Dornin of Loew’s. The mezannine containing only 878 seats, was set way back in the very high auditorium creating a luxurious and spacious feel, even though it was crammed with detail and lavish drapery. The proscenium opening was 60 feet wide and the stage had full facilites and a Robert Morton ‘wonder’ organ which had 4Manuals/23Ranks. Originally presenting stage shows with the feature film, this disappeared in the depression and the theatre remained film only for the rest of its life. The Kings Theatre had a gym and basketball court located in the basement, which were provided for the use of the theatre staff. In the 1950’s a young local girl Barbra Streisand worked in the Kings Theatre as an usher.
The Loew’s Kings Theatre had a steady decline from the 1950’s onwards and managed to last into the mid-1970’s before it was forced to close due to poor attendances. The Robert Morton ‘wonder’ organ was removed in 1971. The theatre was never divided and remained virtually unchanged throughout its history. Loew’s relinquished the theatre on August 30, 1977 and basically locked the theatre and left it. The final film was George C. Scott in “Islands In the Stream”.
Over the years this most stately monument has just sat and deteriorated quietly on Flatbush Avenue. The marquee still remains but the vertical was removed in the late-1990’s for safety reasons. Now owned by the Flatbush Redevlopment Corporation, the building awaits revitalisation. Its interior is still majestic despite the ravages time, vandals and water damage.
In January 2010, plans were announced to renovate the Kings Theatre as a live performance theatre by the Houston based ACE Theatrical Group. Renovation began in early-2011, and is set to be completed by 2014.
Contributed by
Porter Faulkner, William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 1,393 comments)
A lot of city money also went into the Oriental in Chicago along with the Cinema Odeon owner to restore the theater and present broadway shows. City didn’t realize there were two sets of books being kept and I believe he wound up in jail. All said, this project at Loews’s Kings will be looked at with a fine tooth comb for all checks & balances from the investor groups involved. The only thing I worry about is the statement made from ACE booking the theater 300+days a year. Does anyone anywhere know of any theatre that is that heavily booked a year. Not even Radio City! And we are talking Bronx, NY
Brooklyn! Bobby! Brooklyn! :–) Yes, 300 days a year is rather aggressive, but it doesn’t concern me in the least. It’s a great goal and there is absolutely a need for a performing arts venue of this sort in Brooklyn. I have no doubt it will be a success.
Sorry….Brooklyn I meant. I must have Paradise on my brain. I do believe the Kings will be re-opened in 2015 and I trust you know more about Brookyln and its needs than I do. I am sure there were many studies done before a dime went into this project to make sure the audience was there to support this endeavor.
The soon-to-open Barclays Center is another reason for my pessimism about the future of Loew’s Kings. Add that to the Brooklyn Academy of Music and several Brooklyn College venues, and what sort of attractions will be left for the Kings? barclayscenter
The Barclays Center is really for sporting events and maybe mega concerts which the Kings could not handle. And it will bring people(paying customers)into Brookyln for further entertainment(Kings).But my concern is a lack of events to be booked and keep the theater filled most of the year(profitable). The beautiful Genesse Theater in Waukegan,IL cancelled its classic film series on Sat nights after trying it for a year. Very low turnout. Only “Gone With The Wind” & “Ben-Hur” drew more than 300 people. Both beautiful restored prints in 35mm.
I agree with BobbyS, regarding comparison to the Barclays Center. That’s like comparing the need for the Beacon Theatre as a concert venue when you have Madison Square Garden. I certainly think there is a sufficient population in Brooklyn to support a viable venue at the Kings. In my mind, its going to be a question of what kind of entertainments will be booked into the theater. Seems to me that Brooklyn could benefit from their own Beacon Theatre type venue – where pop acts can make a stop along a tour (much as in the ‘70’s and early '80’s when it wasn’t uncommon to see a particular act stop in for a night or two at the Palladium in Manhattan followed by a couple of nights across the river at the Capitol in Passaic). My fears here would be how Cablevision would react to the competition and how the state of the economy in 2015 will influence how people spend whatever disposable cash they may have.
I think the economy will be the main issue. Ed Solero says it all. With the average seat price around $50+, and the fact the theater plans on being booked almost every night in the year, I ask anyone to inform me of any theater that is that heavily booked in the USA and makes a profit without any help from the city or state.
More than two years have passed since this announcement, yet no one has reported seeing any real signs of progress. Are they just waiting for Mayor Bloomberg’s term in office to end before announcing that the deal fell through? nyc
“Brooklyn to me means the Loew’s Kings, Erasmus, the yeshiva I went to, the Dodgers, Prospect Park, great Chinese food,” Ms. Streisand said… Naturally the Cinema Treasure comes first.
Barbra Streisand announced yesterday she will play Brookyln, NY in October for one night only. It will not be the King’s of course, but I wonder if she will get a royal tour if it is safe to enter?