Parkville Theatre
1028 McDonald Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11230
1028 McDonald Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11230
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The Parkville Theatre is listed in the 1914-1915 edition of American Motion Picture Directory, with an address of 1028 Parkville Avenue. But this doesn’t map to it actual position, as it was located at the junction of Gravesend Avenue & Washington Avenue, now renamed to McDonald Avenue & Parkville Avenue.
Below is a c.1915 photo I found of this long-forgotten theater at www.brooklynpix.com. I grew up in that neighborhood and I believe that a small factory is on that site now, but can’t be sure because the photo does not indicate which corner the theater was on.
Thw Parkville Theatre was closed in 1922.
Contributed by
Dan, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
Then the 1914-15 address must be 1028 Gravesend Avenue (now McDonald Avenue) because the addresses on Washington Avenue (now Parkville Avenue) at that point are below the number 100.
DFC is correct. As the theater was on one of the corners with an obtuse angle, it had to be on either the northwest or southeast corner, and the photo shows the front on Gravesend/McDonald Avenue (note that the street sign shows that Washington/Parkville Avenue ran along the side of the theater, not along the front.) The 1915 directory probably got the number right but the street wrong. There is no 1028 Parkville Avenue. The street is too short to reach that number. The correct address today must be 1028 McDonald Avenue.
Two blocks north of this theater at 990 McDonald Avenue & Webster Avenue there is a soda distributor (Culver Narrows Beer & Soda). Years ago the owner told me that the building was a former movie theater. The ceiling is very high and IIRC you could see evidence of where the projectionist’s booth was. I searched this site and found no entry for that address. Does anyone here have better information about this one time movie theater? Maybe it’s on this site and I couldn’t find it.
Based on the even-numbered address the Parkville Theater was on the NorthWest corner of Gravesend (McDoanald) Avenue & Parkville Avenue.
The movie being shown at the time of the photograph is “The Sporting Duchess” (1915). It is a film presumed to be lost.
IMDB: The Sporting Duchess (1915)
DFC; Regarding your comment on Nov 23, the theatre at 990 McDonald Avenue is the Ditmas Theatre. I have just added it here: /theaters/34545/
I just updated the street view to show the correct corner (northwest). The theater was located where the red building is now.
Minor point but the Parkville should be classified as “Demolished”, not “Closed”.
The current commerical structure was built in 1959 as noted on the C of O:
http://a810-cofo.nyc.gov/cofo/B/000/166000/B000166162.PDF