Lane Theater
168 New Dorp Lane,
New Dorp,
NY
10306
168 New Dorp Lane,
New Dorp,
NY
10306
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 115 comments found
It has been a church for some time now.
Ah yes the good ole Empire; in the newspaper ads they used to call it the theatre with the perfect sound what ever that meant :) I wonder what the Liberty site is now?
I agree. The Empire has also been restored as a church , from the looks of the renovated facade.
Thanks for that info, having cut my teeth in the business at that theatre working for Moses in the 50s it means a great deal to me to see the building survive in some capacity or another
The marquee is the same except uncle vinnies sign has been removed. Any furniture had been temporarily removed from the Orchestra to store storm relief supplies. Large tables were st up in the lobby to allow victims to choose from the supplies.The balcony had all new seats.The small stage is still there.
How does thr signage outside look marquee etc? Uncle Vinnie had put tables an chairs in the orchestra level and a small stage is that the same?
I stopped into the church today as they were giving out supplies to storm victims. The Uncle Vinnie’s people did a fantastic job renovating the theatre, and it is being well maintained by Crossroads church.
KING KONG 1977. HALLOWEEN II Opening Night Friday Oct.30, 1981. FIRST BLOOD 1982 . ROCKY IV 1985.
Movieswithdad thank you for that update. That is good news for the theatre and for New Dorp Lane. At least the theatre will be maintained and put to good use.
The Lane Theatre is now Crossroads Church.
The situation on the Lane has improved a little. Slightly fewer vacancies. But I think the Lane Theater will once again be vacant for a long time.
Agreed ,Italian. Recall how the city crucified Mrs.Rosemary when she was restoring the St.George. It was a miracle she pulled it off , probably only because there were some political heavyweights in her rolodex. If she had been left at the mercy of city agencies the theatre would still be closed today.
Garth, I do agree with some of your points. As far as the parking, New Dorp Lane isn’t any worse than Point Pleasant in the middle of the summer. Also, as you mentioned Point Pleasant is a resort/vacation area, but I was at the Point Pleasant club on a Saturday night in January and the first show was sold out and when I left, there was a line down the street for the 2nd show with the sidewalks covered with snow and ice. It wasn’t even a big name comedian. I hope Staten Island can get our landmarked theatres up and running again, but I don’t think anyone can get them were they need to be again. If this club didn’t work out at the Lane, I think the only thing that will work there is another dance club and we all know how that turned out years ago. Very sad.
garth I agree abut the economy and the Paramount my other concern was if anyone would have ventured into Stapelton which is in such decay; plus parking which would be a problem with the lot across the street now gone. Charley Zerrilli and Peter Lisi tried their best especially Peter who was so passionate about the theatre.
I had a feeling the old gal would become a money pit! Hate to say it Vito but maybe it’s better the owner cut his losses. I just don’t see how the place would have thrived in this economy. A poster mentioned that Uncle Vinnies in Point Pleasent still does well but that is in a resort/vacation area where people go for entertainment.
Garth the folks at the Paramount underestimated the cost of bringing the theatre up to code. It became a run a way train with everyday something else to buy or install. Sad becasue as you wrote they had made quite a bit of progress in encluding getting that wonderful old marquee to light up again.
SI Italian , while I agree with your disappointment over the failure of Uncle Vinnies , I think we have to realize that the past 2 years have been a very tough time to open a business. When it was first announced I wished the owners well , but I did state concerns over the economy,and the lack of parking in the area. As you pointed out there are many shuttered businesses on the Lane , and on Hylan Blvd. as well. The same goes for the owners of the Paramount , who put so much into renovating that theatre only to see their catering business / entertainment hall never even get off the ground.
This is really sad about the Lane shutting down once again. I have been a Staten Islander my entire life. I have been to Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ numerous times over the years and once they opened the new location at the Lane I was excited to be able to go to a comedy club in my immediate area and was able to go there numerous times as well. I hate the bad rap Staten Islanders get, but sometimes we bring it on ourselves. The lack of support the community gave Uncle Vinnie’s is really distriburbing to me. The place in Point Pleasant is always packed even in the non-summer months and the same level of talent was put in the Staten Island location if not better. I saw some before and after pictures and the owners took a fallen down disgusting building and turned it into something beautiful again. Staten Island, we need to WAKE UP!!! I drove past New Dorp Lane the other day and there are more businesses closed than open. If we don’t support our own local businesses, then we will truly be New York’s forgotten borough. We need to stop with supporting ignorant TV shows like ‘Mob Wives’ that make our borough look even worse. Congrats Staten Island. You lost a quality business once again to New Jersey.
I just called the Jersey club where a rep confirmed that the S.I. club has indeed gone under. Since it’s been fully renovated , could it possibly become a restaurant or other venue? I’d hate to see it fall into disrepair again.
Sorry to hear it , but I did predict it in my old posts. Is The Paramount plan also dead in the water?
I walked by the Lane Theater this morning and it looks like Uncle Vinny’s has closed. The Uncle Vinny’s name is off the marquee and all the coming performances posters have been taken down. Must have been a sudden decision because they were advertising April and May comedy acts last week. No ‘For Rent’ signs yet.
Two photos of the Lane as “Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club” can be found at the end of a new two-part article about mid-Richmond here: View link
Interesting looking marquee.
During the early 1980’s, I had a store in the Lane Theater building. One of the projectionists there told me that at one time, the New Dorp/Staten Theater (across the street at 135 New Dorp Lane) was an overflow theater for the Lane. They would show the same film and walk the reels across the street, as they ran out at the Lane. I’m not sure shch years this would have been, but it’s my guess that he was talking about the 1930s and/or 1940s. In the 1980s, the former New Dorp was easier to discern, as the appliance store took up the whole space and (I believe) the fire exits were visible on the side of the building, which faced North towards the railroad tracks. The lot next door, where the animal hospital would later be built, was then vacant.
Is Elias a correct spelling and was he different from the Charles Ellias who was a Concessionaire and Office Manager at Yankee Stadium in 1939?
Thanks for any help.