Loew's Pitkin Theatre
1501 Pitkin Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11212
1501 Pitkin Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11212
18 people
favorited this theater
The Loew’s Pitkin Theatre opened on November 23, 1929 with Elliot Nugent in “So This is College”, plus on-stage “Cafe de Paree” (originally created for the Capitol Theatre in Manhattan). Initially operating as a premier movie/stage show venue that eventually went to movies only. Multi-tiered theatre with Greek statuary adorning the side walls and proscenium area. It had a Robert Morton 3 Manual, 14 Rank theatre organ too.
Unfortunately the neighborhood went down and the theatre’s fortunes went south as well. Closed in the late-1960’s.
It had a long stint as a church, but the congregation eventually moved out. The entry lobby was converted into retail space (now used as storage), but the theater itself—in who knows what condition—still stands behind the fake wall that has been installed in the foyer.
In the Summer of 2010, the building was being prepared to be converted into a school and retail use.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 335 comments)
The pitkin theater oh what memories . lived in Brownsville 1946 -1991. I was reading what everyone was saying about brownsville, it brought me to tears, because all we had to worry about is being kids. Sylvia wrote about the schools she went to,my sisters went to 84, my brother 66, I also went p.s.175 and surely remember kishe king.I went to J.H.S 263 on Chester St,when graduating from the 9th grade graduation was held at loews pitkin. The ceremony was so beautiful from the ambience of the theater. There was no such thing as cap and gown, the girls wore white dresses and the boys dark suits, when the organ played pomp and circumstanceand we marched out everyone felt like kings and queens. Brownsville had so many movies on saturdays we had the biggest arguments there was four of us and everybody wanted to go to a different movie, I was the youngest so Ididn’t care which ever one they picked they had to take me anyway.
Glad I became a member of cinema treaure the nostagia is off the hook ( have teenage grand children)
Thanks for your memories peegirl.
my memories are of the sign outsideduring the summer saying how cool it was inside&boy was it cool!!,what a beautiful building to be cool and watch the latest Jerry Lewis movie, what a sin its present condition
that new york one report made me sick looking at my old friend in such poor condition&what do they mean “creepy old movie palace? what idiots! i’d like to see how their house would look if it fell into disrepair!! as you see i’m very sentimental about my PITKIN THEATRE!
At least the Loews Pitkin building will become a school,they could tear the building down all together,I think it would be nice for me to go to a school that was once a movie palace.Large movie houses have always been “Creepy” in a good way.
This photograph of the Loew’s Pitkin Theatre was taken in 1930 by George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann.
Thanks again Brad.
Marcus Loew was born on this date in 1870.
Today at 11am marks the 82nd anniversary of the grand opening of Loew’s Pitkin. “Feast your eyes on this newest Loew wonder-theatre— a Castilian castle of surpassing beauty,” said an ad in The New York Times. On screen was MGM’s all-talking “So This Is College.” The stage presentation, originally created for the Capitol Theatre in midtown Manhattan, was “Cafe de Paree,” with music played by the Pitkin’s resident Symphony Orchestra…The opening date in this listing’s introduction needs to be corrected.
Here’s a 1980s tax photo of the dilapidated exterior: lunaimaging