Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre
707 Seventh Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
707 Seventh Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
25 people
favorited this theater
Originally opened on January 10th, 1910 as the Columbia Theatre at the northeast corner of 47th Street and Broadway inside an office building. It operated as a burlesque theatre and was designed by noted theatre architect William McElfatrick.
Walter Reade bought the theatre in 1928 and rebuilt it into a movie theatre. A major renovation was undertaken by architect Thomas W. Lamb who removed the two original balconies and place a single balcony in an Art Deco style auditorium. It reopened in October 1930 as the Mayfair Theatre, screening movies, with RKO as the operator.
The name was changed to the DeMille Theatre when road-show, reserved-seat movies were popular during the early-1960’s. World Premiere’s of 70mm movies at the DeMille Theatre included “Spartacus” (October 6th 1960) “The Fall of the Roman Empire” (March 26, 1964) and “Hawaii” (October 10, 1966).
In late-1976, the theatre became the Mark I,II,III. The triplexing was crudely done by putting a wall dividing the balcony down the center, creating a a very narrow tube that inclined upward. One entered near the screen and had to climb very steep steps to reach the seating area.
It became the Embassy 2,3,4 Theatre in December 1977 when Guild Enterprises took it over. (The Embassy 1 Theatre was on Broadway at W. 46th Street, almost adjacent to the Palace Theatre). In 1997, after the Embassy 1 was closed for conversion into the Times Square Visitor Center, this theatre was renamed Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre. The Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre was one of the last Times Square movie houses to close.
It was shuttered for several years, until around 2007, when it was virtually gutted and converted into a Famous Dave’s BBQ Restaurant.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 916 comments)
To begin with, none of the theatres we’ve been discussing are as large as a theatre like the Roxy, which was on par with the size of Radio City. While I’m certainly happy that Radio City wasn’t demolished (as the Japanese who owned it for a while originally wanted to do), it certainly isn’t as beautiful as the Roxy or even any of the so called Wonder Theatres. It’s true that today because of the booking policies of the film companies and large multiplex theatres, it’s not possible to play a single picture for a few months in a large single anymore. That’s the reason I specifically said it would need to be done as a “non-profit”. The theatre would have to be able to draw people from all the boroughs. As I’ve previously said, if you want to see a small (relatively) version of the Roxy, take a look at the Beacon Theatre, it has recently been renovated….of course they DON’T run movies anymore.
So what happened to the main audiotrium?
“Ramova7719-So what happened to the main audiotrium?”
That’s a good question. Better yet, what happened to the balcony, which was the majority of the theatre?
I posted a picture of the balcony.
Appears the auditorium was more or less stripped down to be reused as a Famous Dave’s Bar-b-que restaurant. The full vaulted height of the auditorium space remains as does, reportedly, much of the streamlined ceiling decor from its DeMille days. Of course, brightly lit neon chandeliers have been added, which probably obscure a lot of what may remain of the theater. Famous Dave has just opened another location in the area within the space of the former Liberty Theatre on 42nd Street – although, due to Landmark protection, that transformation was done with much more respect and fidelity to the theater’s historic interior.
Here’s a link that offers the designer’s renderings of the transformed spaces for both this theater as well as the Liberty.
Let’s get some current photos posted here, quick!
I can’t say that I understand the drawing with the post “Concept Drawing for Renovation of Famous Dave Restaurant: Located in 47th st, Time Square, New York City”.
Is that supposed to be the DeMille with the balcony stripped out? As for the Liberty Theatre, I work there a few times and the WHOLE THEATRE was made of wood! Even the balconies. I would hate to see a fire in one of those places.
Hey techman707… The depictions in those designer renderings don’t always match the reality of the final finished work. I think the only drawing that represents the DeMille is the one looking up at the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling oval. The rendering gives the appearance of a classical design for the lighting fixtures. The photos I’ve seen of the Famous Dave’s interior at the old DeMille reveal a much more garish looking interior with chandeliers of neon tubing spelling out the name of the establishment. Since it is a restaurant, the lighting is also very dark in these photos so it is difficult to make out fine details.
Here’s 1 image I was able to find and here is another and one more just for fun. Not quite what the rendering would lead you to believe, eh?
Thanks Ed. My WORST fears have been confirmed. I wasn’t sure whether the balcony had been destroyed, but, the pictures you posted confirm it.
I had hopped that maybe “someone” would have seen the value of using “just the balcony” as a PERFECT IMAX theatre. However, after seeing the pictures, IT’S ALL OVER cut the funeral.
Sidewalk musician promotes “Johnny Guitar” during its 1954 booking at Brandt’s Mayfair: franklarsonphotos
Sixty years ago today, Hal Wallis' B&W “Sailor Beware,” a Paramount release starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, opened its NYC premiere engagement at Brandt’s Mayfair. Martin (as “The Navy’s Chief Petting Officer”) and Lewis (as “The Drip of the Ship”) were paired romantically with Corinne Calvet and Marion Marshall. The comedy was VERY loosely based on a hit Broadway play that had been filmed once before by Paramount in 1942 as “The Fleet’s In.”