Mayfair Theatre

bigmoviefan on September 2, 2008 at 8:43 pm

My family and I spent several summers in Bradley Beach in the early 60s. We went to Asbury Park many times—via the boards from Bradley and through Ocean Grove or by car, traveling down Main Street and making the right turn onto Lake Avenue. Anyway, I remember going to the Mayfair once to see El Cid with my mother and brother. They loved big epics. I spent most of my time looking all around the theater. I especially remember the ceiling—it was painted to look like the evening sky, complete with stars!! Reminded me of the ceiling in the Hayden Plantetarium. To a kid, an old theater like this was a magic place. Wish I could remember more about it. tragedytragedy

NittyRanks on June 6, 2009 at 9:21 am

You guys might be interested to know a guy in Philadephia that owns a company “Urban Artifacts” has a lot of Mayfair artifacts that a guy named Eric Von Grimmenstein III from Indianappolis bought to restore. He has build a small replica home theatre in his house to look like the MayFair. There is an article about it in June/July/August edition of Sound and Vision magazine. If anyone wants it let me know.

kathy2trips on December 27, 2009 at 10:14 pm

Have you seen this article? Apparently, this guy got a lot of architectural salvage out of the Mayfair and had it reconstructed, in his house! Unless I had too much wine tonight and got it wrong. But the photos are amazing!

View link

DEFG on January 19, 2012 at 4:48 pm

The demolition on this structure would make an excellent article for publication.

Here are a few highlights.

The job was delayed as negotiations were being attempted between the Walter Reade Organization and a local group to save the theatre. Demolition was to begin in early November 1974 to meet the required amount of “building down” so there would be no taxes starting in 1975.

The City of Asbury Park would not give tax relief to the Walter Reade Organization. Due to the decaying nature of the heating system, Wesley Lake flooding, and the plumbing below the orchestra seating throughout the auditorium, the theatre was only operational during the summer season. The main heating furnace was at the St. James theatre and fed both the Mayfair and St. James.

The demolition company had never before tackled a building the size of the Mayfair and was ecstatic to be the ones to get the job (lowest bidder). Demolition know-how was lacking.

First, before being given the green light to proceed by the Walter Reade Organization, the demolisher made huge holes in the roof that would allow the heavy rains of November storms to flood in. We actually did have one such storm and flooding conditions. This illegal action was not known by the Walter Reade Organization.

Second, Demolition was started in December with very little accomplished with the wrecking ball during the first week. At one point, the cable snapped and the wrecking ball went flying into Wesley Lake and sank to the bottom.

The Walter Reade Organization turned over to me a large quantity of files and blueprints on their local theatres, including the Mayfair and St. James in Asbury Park. These files were to be, and still are, preserved for regional theatre history and are available for various film and theatre research projects.

Third, during the second week, one individual on the demolition team slipped, fell down the stairs in the mezzanine area, and broke his arm.

On one occasion, while viewing the blueprints outside the theatre with a official from the State Historical organization, the head of demolition was looking over my shoulder and found a possible easier way to get the structure down.

The next day, he made his attempt by use an acetylene torch close to the base of the far rear ”I” beam and had no success as the weight of the structure fused the attempted cut. However, the beam now had a weak point, and with application of another wrecking ball, the structure’s roof collapsed, from the from to the back stage area, toward everyone working and those observing the events of the day (Friday, December 13, 1974, cloudy and partial eclipse of the Sun).

Fourth, the demolition proceeded at a faster pace with the concrete and steel structure of the Mayfair being leveled and a major portion of the St. James, a wooden structure, being substantially demolished by December 31st.

Besides items preserved by collectors and video home theatre enthusiasts, I salvaged a marble railing and large marble support, plaster cherub ornamentation, iron (illuminating) theatre seat side panel with brass seat number on arm rest from the balcony, 35mm footage (trailers, logos and coming) from the projection booth, opening night keys to the theatre, opening night tickets, boxoffice ticket sales sheets, feature time schedules, and many weeks worth of ticket stubs sales each strung and bagged for each performance(tax purposes and admission inspection). I was given non-restrictive access to both the Mayfair and St. James theatres by the Walter Reade Organization to photograph any area inside and outside, and to remove and preserve anything for historical purposes.

I addition to the original Walter Reade photo files, several hundred pictures were taken by myself from before the actual demolition to the completion as an empty lot. Who was at fault causing the people of Asbury Park to lose a beautiful landmark? It was a power struggle by incompetent city officials and the regime at the Walter Reade organization that really didn’t “know the ropes” like Reade did.

One moment during an early cold morning photo session, inside the theatre, climbing the stairs to the mezzanine, and going through the vomitorium (passage leading to the loge and balcony), the view was ofthe extremely ornate proscenium arch that appeared to rise up as you ascended the incline. Iit was like a mystical temple, a Shangri-La rising out of a mist snow covered and dimly lit by the available light coming from outside sources. Yes, a snow covered appearance since Walter Reade had all the interiors of the large theatre painted flat white. There was no more color schemes. The Paramount in Asbury Park was black for the proscenium grill work and ceiling. One large theatre, the Long Branch Paramount, retained the original color scheme as it was closed (to the public) in September 1959 and was to reopen during summer seasons (never occurred). The theatre was used for special closed screenings of forthcoming commercial product and films that Continental, the distribution sector of the Walter Reade Organization, was interested in acquiring for US, UK and Canadian markets.

By the way, the Mayfair House (not theatre), was once the formal residence of Walter Reade Sr. and his wife and family, and later became the main regional office of Reade operations and housed a screening room. This structure still exists on Deal Road in Oakhurst, NJ. The former Reade offices went from the Cookman Avenue side, upstairs, of the St. James Theatre and then moved to the offices above the Savoy Theatre on Mattison Avenue, Asbury Park. The Savoy (non-operational) and building still stand. Reade also held offices on 34th Street in New York City, including a office space in the Ziegfeld Theatre. There was to be a final move of offices to 1 Astor Plaza with “The Reade Theatre” in the basement. Subway noise interference and Reade’s death in 1973 ended the cycle and a slow demise of the organization continued throughout the next decade. As of 2010, the Walter Reade Foundation still exists in New York City. The Foundation donated $1.5 million for the construct of the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center, a theatre many of you enjoy in conjunction with Reade’s former Ziegfeld. Reade was on the committee for the New York Film Festival (Lincoln Center) at the beginning in 1963 so there is an official Reade connection if anyone actually wondered.

I hope you enjoyed the read and I will be scanning those hundreds of photos in the near future and select several important ones for uploading to this site.

My best to you all for this New Year and all the years that follow.

Much success in all your endeavors and thank you for your input on this website. It is a wonderful and incredible journey for all to enjoy in discovery of present and past theatre memories.

NittyRanks on January 20, 2012 at 7:19 pm

Great information. Thanks!