Community Twin Theatre
215-32 Jamaica Avenue,
Queens Village,
NY
11428
215-32 Jamaica Avenue,
Queens Village,
NY
11428
5 people
favorited this theater
This former theater started its history as the Community House, a meeting hall, but soon to converted to a movies policy. After Century closed it, it reopened as a twin theater, the Community Twin Theatre, but closed yet again.
It later reopened again as a twin and showed American and Bollywood fare. Then it finally closed as movie theater and has come back in its second life as a church.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 35 comments)
The same church that operates out of the former Community Theater also owns the former Cambria Theater in nearby Cambria Heights, where regular services are also held.
I worked as a candy attendant in the Community Theater in ‘71-'72, and I have many fun memories of both this and the Queens Theater. I had friends who worked at both theaters, including Dorothy, Lynn Gallaudet, Jan, Judy, Lindi, Larry O'Gara, Eleanor Schwarz, Bob Crowe (anyone know where Bob is these days?), Jay Rosen. And I remember the matrons like Mrs. Bosset (little old woman with a hearing problem who used to yell at all the kids)and Jen the other matron. Wow! We used to get free passes to all the Century Theaters back then, so I often went to the Queens, Bellerose, Floral, and Park theaters. The managers used to go from theater to theater, so they would often make calls to the box offices of other theaters to leave passes for us. Nice perks back then! The Queens Theater was a great one to hang around in after closing, since it had been a live-entertainment theater when it first opened. There were dressing rooms on the second or third floor and we used to find old theater signs and other relics from bygone days. What a great experience! Do you remember that, Dorothy?
Annie, I remember all the old times at the theaters. what ever happened to Eric Leewald, the assitant mgr? I remember we use to keep a bottle or 2 bottles of wine(Pink Catawba) in the sink with cold water in the sink to keep the wine cold. And Mr Wagner? The hero who killed the fierce mouse behind the candy stand with a broom handle…. I did see him when my son Christopher was born in 1976 at LIJ. I used to run into Mr Burns every now and again. And Wesley always up to something..I see Vinny the usher a lot. retired he is….alive and well.
The Queens theater was an old vaudville theater at one time. Does anyone remember going into the basement to try to find the old organ? and the Mice…all those mice………I hope some of you guys are still out there and remembering the old days and Jan. That was a shock when I read that.
Take Care all
Lynne Gallaudet
At one point in time the corporate offices of Century Theatres was also housed in the Community Theatre building. This having been moved from the Farragut Theatre building in Brooklyn. Subsequently, Century moved its operations to its own building on Verbena Av, just off Tulip, near the Floral Park Long Island Rail Road station.
Here is a 1987 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ckd4ae
And if you will compare the 1987 photo with one from the early days of the theatre the marquee size double even though the style remained the same. This shot shows individual bulbs around the exterior. I seem to recall neon.
Here is the Community Theater at night in 1986.
This is another 1986 photo.
There seems to be some major renovations going on at the theater.
I worked as a relief projectionist at the Community, Queens and Glen Oaks Theatre in the 60’s and 70’s and when my regular job at the DeMille Theatre in Manhattan burned down in 1973, I went to work full time at Century’s Prospect in Flushing.
Living near the Queens and Community, until today, I also went to the Community, Queens and Belair Theatres on Jamaica Avenue as a child. What I remember MOST about the Community Theatre was the Chase Manhattan Bank next to the theatre. They had a clock outside and when you had to wait outside in the rain, the clock dripped down on whoever was unlucky enough to be standing there on the line.
It’s very sad to see ALL the theatres gone now.