Paramount Theatre
560 Bay Street,
Stapleton,
NY
10304
560 Bay Street,
Stapleton,
NY
10304
15 people
favorited this theater
Located in the Stapleton district of Staten Island. The Paramount Theatre was considered the second most prestigious theater on Staten Island next to the St. George Theatre in nearby St. George. The Paramount Theatre was rather unique, because it had a Wurlitzer theatre organ with two consoles, one of only 10 such installations in the USA. The Paramount Theatre opened in around October 1930 with a seating capacity of 2,300
In 1961, while under the ownership of Fabian Theatres it underwent a $135,000 renovation and was closed for four weeks. It reopened as the New Paramount Theatre with wider seating and aisles and a reduced seating capacity of 2,000. It closed as a movie theatre in 1977, and was operating as a multi-purpose hall in 1979. Soon it was being advertised as the Paramount Nightclub. This was a short-lived venture and it became a Rock music venue from October 1980. Groups appearing at the Paramount Theatre included the B-52’s, Squeeze and the Ramones. This use lasted a few years, but by the late-1980’s, the building had been closed up and and was used for storage. It then remained empty and un-used for the next 25 years.
The future of the Paramount Theatre was uncertain, it was up for sale, and plans in 2000, called for the theater to be demolished to make way for high-rise apartments.
It was sold in late-2008, and the current owner began an $800,000 restoration on the building in 2009, with a planned reopening in late-January 2010. It was be used for receptions and also feature live performances. Unfortunately, restoration work was halted in 2010.
Contributed by
Ed Monigan, Stephanie_Gilmore, Jean, VitoPetroni, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 248 comments)
I am sure there may have been other contibuting factors but I belive the code updates were a big part of it. I worked on the St George and it was just one thing after another getting the fire codes up to date. It is a tribute to that wonderful family who persurvered and got the job done.
Thanks for the heads up, Vito. It sounds as if getting the codes up to date was the toughest part of all.
As a fan of this theatre I would like to thank Vito for his info and the assistance he gave the new owners in their attempts to restore the theatre. The owners deserve thanks for what they tried very hard to accomplish.
Thanks NPoi abd garth, I too was very excited about the project as well as Peter and his partner. They managed to get most of the marquee up and running again and were waiting on a permit to light it up in the evening. And yes, if you are wondering, Peter said “ I want to bring movies back to the Paramount” I know Peter used to visit this site so Peter if you are put there please let us know more of what happened.
You’re welcome, Vito. It’s amazing that they managed to get as far as getting most of the marquee up and running and were just waiting for the green light to have it lit up in the evenings. I remember when Peter used to visit this site. I wish everybody all the best of luck, and am also curious as to what’s happening, even though I don’t reside in the area.
I have uploaded several photos taken during the attempted restoration. I found them on a website called Staten Island and the Arts. And Vito you were right, note the marquee photo advertising “2 Big XXX Hits!”
http://secretsi.wordpress.com/category/staten-island-and-the-arts/
Some bookings of the 1970s:
4/70-THE DAMNED
4/70-TICK,TICK,TICK
4/70-FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED
4/70-GOODBYE,MR.CHIPS
any news on this?
Robert, sadly nothing good to report. I see no activity going on when I pass by. I also read on a Stapleton website that there may have been water damage from Sandy. Many businesses on that stretch of Bay Street are only recently reopening after suffering damage. If I hear any news I will post.