Wagner Theater
110 Wyckoff Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11237
110 Wyckoff Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11237
3 people
favorited this theater
Opened on June 18, 1921 as the Reo Theatre, with 600 seats, it also had an open air roof theatre for use in the summer months. It stood on Wyckoff Avenue in the Ridgewood section of Brooklyn. It was listed in the 1930 edition of Film Daily Yearbook as (Closed).
Later renamed Wagner Theatre, it specialized in screening German films. Closed again in around 1939, due possibly to anti-German sentiments, it reopened again by 1943. In the late-1960’s the Wagner Theatre was operating as an adult movie theatre and in its final days it was showing Spanish language movies, finally closing in 1979.
Since demolished a Women’s Health Center has been built on the site.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 77 comments)
Here’s an ad for the new program that opened on October 25th, 1967. I don’t know if 11:30 PM was closing time or just the start of the last complete show: View link
Looks like the Wagner’s adult format was well in swing by the 60’s already.
Below is an ad for “I Am Curious Yellow” which, among many other places, was shown at the Wagner. (Hope the link works.)
Interestingly, the Wagner is listed as a Queens theater. While a number of theaters situated in Queens, particularly the Ridgewood and the Madison, have often been lumped in with the Brooklyn theaters in movie advertisements, due to the old zip code that straddled the two boroughs, this is the first time where I have seen a Brooklyn theater assigned to Queens. (I guess neither borough would really want to claim it.)
Also, the mix of theaters showing this film is interesting. While it does contain the usual porn places – such as the Wagner and the Cinart – this movie was also shown at such mainstream venues as Forest Hills' Midway and Manhattan’s Academy of Music. I guess this was a different time.
View link
I need to correct something I said in my Feb. 22 2009 comment, where I asserted that the entire blockfront, as depicted in Bway’s terrific picture, had been replaced by new buildings. Well, based on my visit there yesterday, the three buildings situated to the right of the old Wagner are, while somewhat altered, still very much in existence. Further down the block, however, is a large, multi-tiered parking facility that certainly disrupts the streetscape.
Here’s an undated view with Wagner marquee: nyc.gov
Great shot, TT – and I am sure that a load of additional old pictures will soon be posted here as a result of NYC’s recent release of its very substantial archives.
This picture was probably taken in the late 70’s – early 80’s, when the Wagner has just closed its doors and had not yet been replaced with the medical facility that now stands in its place.
The tax photos are from the 1980’s, and there is a wealth of great photos there! Especially of Bushwick where things were at their worst. I wish they would publish the 1930’s tax photos too online.
There are very few theatres in the 1980s tax photos, and, unfortunately, most were taken when the theatres were closed, decaying, or converted to other use. I know that there were similar photos taken by the City in 1940-41 in anticipation of America entering WW2, but are you sure of a 1930s set?
I think the 1930’s photos that Bway was referring to were taken in conjunction with the 1939-40 Worlds Fair. I am not aware of any set taken immediately after that.
If anyone has any stories about going to/ working at this threatre in its adult days, I would love to hear them. I am chronicling the histories of adult theatres in the US. Please contact me at Thanks!