Polk Theater
93-09 37th Avenue,
Jackson Heights,
NY
11372
93-09 37th Avenue,
Jackson Heights,
NY
11372
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 178 comments found
Matthew Prigge – The owner is a friend of mine and I serviced the video projector a few times before it closed. Back in the 60’s I worked there on Wednesdays.
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!
michaelkaplan-I’m SURE that we must have crossed paths at some point.-lol When I worked at the Jackson I ate at the Colony Deli a few doors down from the Jackson. It was owned by a friend of my family. I don’t recognize Jackson Heights today.
Techman, I watched many movies at the Jackson and Colony as well as the three mentioned. If I recall, I saw both Kiss Me, Kate, and Dial M for Murder in 3D at the Jackson. The Colony screened more ‘art’ fare; I know I saw at least one Ingmar Bergman film there (in a mostly empty room). Used to eat lunch next door at the Woolworth’s.
The address ribbon across the top of the listing needs just one “Jackson Heights,” not two!
Michael Kaplan-I’ve worked as a projectionist at ALL the theatres you’ve mentioned. I used to eat at the Dragon Seed all the time. You didn’t mention the Jackson and Colony theatres on 82nd ST. I was at the Jackson after it was renovated by Skouras in 1965. It was the nicest single in the area….until it was turned into a triplex.
went to the Polk many times as a kid. They had a good Saturday kid’s matinee, as did the Boulevard and Fair. I think the last time I went to the Polk, it had already been converted into a porn house, the third theater in Jackson Heights so transformed (along with the Earle and Fair). On the next block, also on 37th Avenue, was the fabulous Dragon Seed Restaurant, which had one of the first stereophonic music systems in the city. On Mondays, when the restaurant was closed, the owner opened it to neighborhood audiophiles. Great neighborhood!
Jeffrey1955- Yes, the Polk Ave was underneath, however, they removed the neon tubing. All the small light bulb sockets were also underneath. I remember when the sequencer broke and the last owner was too cheap to fix it, so he used “random flasher buttons” until he had the underside covered also.
“Avenue” was dropped from theatre’s name when street was re-christened 37th Avenue as part of a scheme to make Queens streets easier to find. But many old-timers continued to refer to the street as Polk Avenue in conversation.
Yes, I’m referring to that original POLK AVE marquee. The first picture on the photo page shows it (apparently in 1938, since Little Miss Roughneck was released in January 1938 and Squadron of Honor in June 1938) and that lettering looks absolutely gorgeous. The more modern block neon was okay, but nowhere near as evocative as what I suspect was hidden under the metal sheathing. Wish I’d been able to find out if it was, indeed, under there when they tore it all down.
I’m not sure what you’re saying about the neon letters on top. Way back in the early 50’s, I recall the Marquee showing the theatre name as POLK AVENUE, however, the neon letters saying POLK have been there since at least 1964 that I recall.
Not only does the status need to be changed to Demolished, the description should be amended. While the name was displayed in “large red-neon block letters” in more recent decades, historical photos posted previously show the original marquee, later hidden beneath that shiny metal covering, had gloriously sleek art deco neon lettering stretched across its entire length.
Also, status obviously needs to be changed from “Closed” to “Demolished.”
In the introduction, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to display the Google Maps view, which shows the Polk still standing? The photo of the vacant ground site is depressing, to say the least.
It’s too bad you went there at the end when they were running video porn.
I went to the Polk a few times before it was closed and it was a disgrace. The bathrooms were disgusting. It’s a shame this old place was demolished. The auditorium was big.
The last picture I saw just showed the entire lot with plywood around it. I sure that at this point there must be some kind of building there now. This whole city has been turned into real sh!t over the last 20 years. Maybe the carpetbagger, Bloomberg, and “Rudy the 9/11 hero” think it’s better, but I don’t.
Thanks for confirming that, T-Man! I entered the address independently in a Google map search, and came up with the same image. Which suggests that Google is serving up many views that are way out of date. What did actually replace the theatre, or is it a project still in progress?
Take my word for it, the Polk has been demolished. -R-I-P
According to the introduction, the Polk was demolished more than three years ago, in February 2008. Did that never happen, or is Google not providing current photos of sites?
Warren G. Harris – “This was another case of "r” before “e” in the last two letters of the “t” word— Polk Theatre (not Polk Theater). I grew up in Queens, and I don’t recall any cinemas that used the “er” ending. “Theatre” was always used, not “Theater.”"
Warren, You’re correct, movie theatres almost always used “tre” and not “ter”. In the case of the Polk, the owner who’s a friend of mine,(who someone above correctly described as a “little old man in his 80’s”) referred to the theatre on its stationary as the Polk Cinema (Polk Cinema Enterprises). I worked as a projectionist on Wednesdays in the early 60’s. The last owner bought the theatre from Sidney Drier around 1961. The theatre ran second run pictures until about 1969. After running a movie called “Man & Wife”, a softcore sex picture that was considered “main stream” at that time, was the beginning of the end for running regular movies at the Polk. In the mid 70’s, they stopped running 35mm soft core porno and started running 16mm porno and then finally, video projection. If you see old newspaper movie listings for the Polk, it might have been listed under Brandt Theatres, who was the film booker for the Polk.
Sorry that last post is wrong, the photo is from May 3rd.
Here is a photo of the Polk Theater site today, May 5, 2009. Gone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaeldj/3498753462/
Nicholas Hirshon was already working on the article when he contacted me for information. It’s part of an ongoing series entitled “Queens History in Peril.”
Nice job supplying him with the photos, Warren! (And, I suspect, giving him the idea for the article…?)