Sheepshead Theatre
1722 Sheepshead Bay Road,
Brooklyn,
NY
11235
1722 Sheepshead Bay Road,
Brooklyn,
NY
11235
1 person
favorited this theater
Built as an independent in the late 1920’s, the Sheepshead Theatre later became part of the Century chain.
The theater now houses a furniture store and a Bally’s health club.
Contributed by
Doug Douglass
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
According to Brian Merlis, et al, in “Brooklyn’s Gold Coast: the Sheepshead Bay Communities” the theater was known as the Shelton, was built in 1920, and possibly known at some period during the 20s as the Sommer.
Here’s an ultra-rare view of the Sheepshead Theatre’s auditorium. Enroute to Coney Island on the Belt Parkway, I always noticed the enormous roof and wondered what the interior looked like. Now I know: View link
Yep, that’s what it looked like even in the sixties.
The Sheepshead Theatre apparently opened in 1931, and not in the 1920s. A short real estate article in The New York Times of April 19, 1931, describes it as “the new Sheepshead Theatre,” and credits its opening with attracting more people to Sheepshead Bay’s main shopping district. The community and adjacent Manhattan Beach had surged in population in recent years due to many new apartment buildings as well as private homes, the NYT reported.
My guess is that it opened sometime in late 1930. In April of ‘31 the theater would still be considered new, but would have been around long enough so that a claim could be made about it’s positive effect on neighboring businesses. Also, consider that this is real estate news. The surge in population in Sheepshead Bay started in 22’ and probably peaked by 26'. Much of the building after that date was commercial. Streets filled with homes built in the 1890s became shopping avenues.
A recent view of the building can be seen about midway through this article about the area: View link
I thought this was a Loew’s theatre at some point before it finished life as a Century. I remember when Loew’s had to divest itself of theatre properties the Sheepshead, Tuxedo and Oceana in Brooklyn and the Prospect and the Plaza reverted to Century. My assumption was all had been Loew’s. In the case of the Prospect, it was built by Century and leased to Loew’s, It would appear from a reference above that this might have also been the case with the Sheepshead.
“RVB,” the Sheepshead was never operated by Loew’s. You might have it confused with two other Brooklyn theatres, the Avalon and Manor (later Vogue), which were briefly operated by Loew’s before Loew’s made a “swap” deal with Century for the Prospect in Flushing, Queens.
Tinseltoes, I knew of the swap you mentioned. It just seemed more than coincidental that the Sheepshead came back into the Century circuit at the time some of the divested Loew’s did.
The sheepshead was also the “Roller palace” in the late 70’s – 80"s, part of Brooklyn’s disco culture.