Loew's Broadway Theatre
912 Broadway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11206
912 Broadway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11206
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Showing 1 - 25 of 82 comments found
Jayar…the link posted on June 14, 2010 isn’t the old Broadway Theater, that’s a smaller two story building on the north side of the el on the other side of Broadway that is still there.
NIce vintage photo Jayar1.
Built for Leo Teller, the architect was J. B. McElfatrick. It opened March 21, 1904 with “Babes in Toyland.” Drama critic Robert Grau, in 1909, referred to the Broadway as “the best suburban theatre in America.” You can catch a glimpse of it, as the Rio Piedras, in “The French Connection."Â
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Try it again Bway.
Jayar, the link doesn’t work.
The Broadway Theater… The view from the El
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Thanks, site manager, for adding the zip code.
His photobucket account has not worked for some time now.
People also should know not to link photos or items from eBay, those links photos are only good for 60 days.
None of Warrens photos work anymore.
A very interesting page – and a wonderful picture, albeit the fact that, as previously noted, the elevated train line mysteriously disappears from the scene.
If I had not stumbled across this picture when viewing some of Jayar’s photos on the Bushwick RKO page, I would never have learned about this fascinating theater. Since I usually search theaters by zip code, the fact that it is not indicated at the top of the page means that I never found the Broadway during my previous searches. To address this, I hope that management will add the Broadway’s zip code – 11206 – to this page.
The Broadway Theater…
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The vast size of the Broadway Theater can be seen here in this image taken from the old upper Broadway station on the abandoned Myrtle El:
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What year did the Broadway close?
I was only in the Broadway Theater once, and don’t really remember too much about it, other than the fact that it was quite fancy. I think it must have been some time in the 40’s, and I agree it was a showplace.
I do however remember a lot about it from the outside. I lived over on Pilling St as a kid, and I would often go shopping with my mother on Knickerbocker Ave. We would take the Jamaica train to the Myrtle and Broadway elevated station, and get off and take the Myrtle El to Knickerbocker Ave. I remember always looking at the Broadway Theater as it towered above the station. So many memories. This was not far from the Rogers Theater down the street, which I also remember seeing the marquee from passing trains. But the two didn’t compare.
One of the first DVD’s I bought was the movie “Ghost”, because it was filmed in the neighborhood, and you can see this theater in that movie. I am 82 now, and a big fan of old movies. I know isn’t exactly an old movie, but for nostalgia, my daughter bought it for me. My daughter has slowly been helping me build my DVD collection.
So glad to have found this site.
If anyone has any memories to share, my email is
I remember when the Broadway was torn down in 1998. The last wall to remain up was the procenium arch and stage area. I still remember looking at the theater’s inside, and that wall, out in the sunshine. it was all in clear view from the Myrtle-Bway subway station platform. It was a surreal sight to behold to say the least. I only wish I had my camera with me that day.
Chris
Saw a number of flms there from the 1940s through the 1950s—-It was a great showplace——Joe From Florida
Because of the BMT Jamaica Line El tracks overhead you could not appreciate the impressive architectural features of the theater building highlighted in the postcard drawing. Of course the later addition of the Loew’s marquee also distrupted the building view. Saw the Conqueror there with a miscast John Wayne, & Susan Hayward as the love interest (although even back then I knew that there was no attraction between them). I got to appreciate the theater’s impressive details while bored by the feature. Alexander the Great with Richard Burton did a better job of holding my interest.
Warren, where did you get those great pics? What year?
I recall an article in the NY Daily News about this theater, which by then was a sorry sight. The theater was way beyond its prime. It was a sad site.
The article was about the theater’s dilapidated condition. It had become a haven for drug dealers, homeless, and other assorted characters. The politician made it clear that there was no way the theater would be renovated, which the communited was hoping for.
Beautiful Warren: Just as I remember it from the 1950s—-Joe From Florida
Brooklyn lost a true architectural treasure when the Broadway Theatre was demolished without a whimper of protest. Here are two amazing views of the auditorium, which retained most of its turn-of-the-century decor until closure. Note the “modern” air vents in the ceiling, and water damage to some of the curtains and draperies:
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WOW, another phenominal photo! Thanks for the “BWAY” photo!
Thanks for the great picture.
Did this theater ever show porn? The titles, With Desires in my Fingers (roughly transalated from Spanish) seems odd.
Here’s a late view of the Broadway Theatre as a Spanish-language cinema. Note the empty space on the front of the marquee where “Loew’s” has been removed: View link
Here’s a new link to an early postcard view as Teller’s Broadway:
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