Riviera Theatre
2575 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10025
2575 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10025
3 people
favorited this theater
Built in 1913 for William Fox by Thomas Lamb, the Riviera Theatre, it was later leased out to and booked by the Shubert Brothers Theatre Company. It had an upstairs theater called the Japanese Gardens Theatre (q.v.). The Riviera Theatre (and next door Riverside Theatre, also designed by Thomas Lamb) were part of the so-called “Subway Circuit” of legitimate houses.
It was later operated as part of the Skouras Theaters Corp. chain, and later became a United Artists movie theater. The Riviera Theatre, Riverside Theatre and Japanese Gardens Theatre have long since been demolished, replaced by an apartment tower.
Contributed by
Jean
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Recent comments (view all 27 comments)
A Moller organ Opus 2388 Size 3/16 was installed in the Riviera Theater in 1917 at a cost of $5250.
Dear Lost Memory,
how do you happen to come by this information. I am, you may have noticed, alittle obsessed with the Riverside and Riviera theaters. Is there some source that I have missed?
nycmovieplace
After a 74-week reserved-seat run at Loew’s State on Broadway, “Ben-Hur” had its first Upper West Side engagement here in July 1961, day-and-date with Loew’s Orpheum on the Upper East Side: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/wyler61.jpg
The introduction needs correcting. William Fox (not the Shuberts) built the Riviera. Please see Weldon Durham’s post above of 9/27/05 for confirmation of that, and the later deal that Fox made with the Shuberts for booking and operating the Riviera.
I believe a glimpse of the Riviera and Riverside marquees can be seen in the 1962 version of “The Manchurian Candidate” as Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh take a taxi ride home from the police station.
Can anyone confirm it was these two theatres?
The last movie ad I could find for the Riviera was for a martial arts and exploitation double feature of “The Screaming Tiger” and “Black Mama, White Mama” in November of 1973.
Here are two small photos depicting the Riverside and Riviera theaters, featured in an ad for the builder, Libman Contracting Company, from the Year book of the Architectural League of New York, 1914.
The Riviera was builtin 1913, by the way, not 1912. The Riverside was built in 1911.
I love the new picture. I grew up nearby and I remember the stores were occupied up til the end. So this must be close to the end. There was a Barton’s Candy store and a liquor store that I clearly remember in addition to “Chess City” and the “Eat Shoppe” on the corner of 96th street. Years ago I met the son of the owner of that liquor store. He is a few years older than me and told me tales of his explorations of these beautiful theaters.
Thanks, Movieplace, for this and that.
It’s too bad that there isn’t a way for CT to notify when there is an update (such as new photo upload) for specific theaters, in addition to notifying when a new comment is added to a subscribed thread.
Ed, I put some pictures on the Riverside Theater page as well.