Cumberland Theatre

The January 10, 1914, issue of Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide mentioned the project that became the Cumberland Theatre in an item about recent projects in Brooklyn’s Hill section:

“An old coal yard, which has been an eyesore to the neighborhood has been removed to make way for a modern moving-picture theater, which is now under way at the southeast corner of Greene avenue and Cumberland street.

“The new owners have begun the erection of a theater on plans made by Architect William J. Dilthey of Manhattan. The architecture of the theater is a modern treatment of the Spanish mission style. The walls are to be of pearl-gray stucco with red tile covering the roof and canopies on the two street fronts.

“The theater has been leased through the realty company and William H. Allen for a long term to the Beacon Photoplay Corporation, an operating company, at an aggregate rental of about $84,000.

Your welcome Jim. I scanned through the messages on the Ridgewood page and one comment of interest was posted by Warren on Jun 21, 2006. He posted a link to a 1917 ad listing the Cumberland Theater. That link no longer works. If he still has the ad, maybe he will post a new link to it on this page.

Jim….I’m not sure if I found a c/o for this property last time. If I did, its no longer available. A current search returns “NOT A VALID ADDRESS”. That happens because the property is now a park. The only deed available for 327 Cumberland Street is dated July of 1967. Only the dimensions of the property (80 x 75 ft) are given. It doesn’t state if a building was located there in 1967 or if it was vacant land. Is this a private park? Someone is paying taxes on this property and that wouldn’t happen if it was a NYC park. Annual Property Tax = $3,326.

Okay, a Wurlitzer theater organ opus 1369 style 109 was installed in the Cumberland Theater on 6/20/1926.

LOL! You did a certificate of occupancy (?) and some organ info, LM. According to my ancient aunt, she had said the theater employed a decent piano player there about 1924-25.

I recall posting about my grandfather’s restaurant at 722 Fulton St. He allowed the theater owners to post a sign weekly in his front window that advertised the current movie(s). For that, he got a free pass each and every week. Not too shabby a deal.

Maybe the posts got lost when the CT brass upgraded? Quien sabe?

Thx to Patrick Crowley for re-supplying this link to me. The theater had vanished from my profile list. Now I have to ask: Wha' happened to the dozen or so posts that were here earlier this year?

poof!