Oasis Theatre
63-57 Fresh Pond Road,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
63-57 Fresh Pond Road,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
14 people
favorited this theater
Located in the Ridgewood section of Queens. The Oasis Theatre was opened on September 16, 1926 by Randforce, a division of United Artists Theatre Circuit and eventually the Randforce name was changed to UA. The original capacity was for 1,750 seats. It changed from first run to second run double bills a few times that I remember. Many times the film from the Ridgewood Theatre would move here with a second feature.
The last film to play was “Rocky”, in 1976, when it closed and became a roller rink for many years. It is now a CVS in the former auditorium, with the front of the building demolished for a parking lot.
Contributed by
RobertR
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Recent comments (view all 196 comments)
I recall the restaurant before Aunt Bella’s was named Jimmy’s, a really good Italian place with Sinatra photos on the wall.
The Oasis was open well after 1976…in fact, I believe it’s last year of operation was 1981, as I remember going there to see a movie and get some Chinese food at the Fresh Pond Inn with my first paycheck as a paper boy at the age of 12 in 1981.
Of course, I fondly recall going there a couple of years later when it was a roller rink. It was a hot spot for teens back then, along with a place called “The Arena.”
Funny thing when the picture came up I thought it was another church conversion because of the way the light pole appears. Then I saw the CVS sign.
Well, they tore off the whole right side of the theater, which is where the parking lot is now, that was the lobby area, etc, probably about ¼ or 1/3 the building. Also all the stores that were along Fresh Pond Rd are pulled off, which is where those bushes are in front. The auditorium is the only part that still remains and is the CVS. Inside, there’s nothing to remind you it was once a theater…if you didn’t know, you would never realize it was once a theater.
I would beg to differ, Bway. While there is nothing specific the entire shape of the building “reads” theatre.
This page from the New York City Organ Project has several vintage photos of the Oasis Theatre’s entrance and auditorium. Click on each image to open it to full size.
Wonder if the organ was still around when it was converted to a skating rink. That would have been cool to have the heritage as part of the modern.
I wish pictures would surface of the later marquee.
CVS built a new store a few blocks away and this will be closing shortly. They have banners hung announcing the property for lease.
Here’s a 1980s tax photo of the building: lunaimaging
I was afraid of that when I saw them building the new CVS on the site of the old Meyer Chevrolet. I guess the Oasis will begin yet another chapter, and I hope that doesn’t include total demolition, even if the building as been partly destroyed by fire, partly demolished, and so forth. We shall see.