Kinema Theatre
2505 Pitkin Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11207
2505 Pitkin Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11207
6 people
favorited this theater
Kinema Theatre was located on the north-east corner of Pitkin Avenue and Berriman Street, in the East New York section of Brooklyn. It was opened on September 11, 1925. It was very popular through the 1930’s-1960’s. It was closed in 1969 and demolished in 1970. By December 1971 a community center had been built on the site.
Contributed by
Al Harvey
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Recent comments (view all 49 comments)
@Juice there are a few people from Olde East New York on Fackbook. In fact you may run into some that you may know. I have an album there with a few pictures of ENY http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1566428165718.2072716.1385840300&l=8846f7bd8c I remember when I moved to ENY in the 60s there were gas stations all along Glenmore Avenue. I also remember the Glenmore Hall but Kaye’s was on Essex and Pitkin north side). The Mostoff Hardware was on Linwood and Pitkin (south side)Across the street from Mostoff’s on the north west corner was a Drugstore, and on Elton and Pitkin south east corner was the Cozy Bar. If you went to PS 64 there will be a 50 year reunion soon for the class of 1961.
Fatman – Thank you for the look back at my old neighborhood! You have a picture of my family’s old house. One of the Glenmore Avenue pictures (Between Jerome & Warwick) is my family’s old house. The Mobil.Flying A station is on the N.W. corner & the old house is on the N.W. corner (it’s the one with the tire store on the ground level). I found the picture awhile back & blew it up a bit. Glenmore Hall was on the south side of Glenmore between Jerome & Warwick & was owned by a older slim man named Kenny. I’m a 60s baby, so by the time that I moved there immediately following the ‘65 blackout, things were already beginning to change. Fortunately, I did get to enjoy quite a few years there before things really went to pot. My mother & a few of her sisters & brothers went to JHS 64. I went to I.S. 302. I’d love to see a picture of the Packers Supermarket which was on Atlantic bet. Van Siclen & Hendrix, where the McDonald’s is located. I’ve forgotten what used to be on the site where they built I.S. 292. & would love to see that as well.
Juice – I will look to see if I can find some, most of the kids that went to PS 64 or JHS 64 went to the Kinema. It was the “neighborhood” theater. There are a few Berriman Facebook groups in FB. One of them is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000697256858 Keep intouch my friend. Some of my younger friends when to 302. They tore down a beautiful park to build it. We had to go further away to play ball. Now the IS 302 playground is going to be turned into a parking area for the teachers.
Went to PS 64 from K through grade 3. Left East NY in 1959. My old address was 1091 Sutter Avenue. There is nothing left of my old digs. Fond memories. I had Mrs. Worhavtic for K, Mrs. Goldstein for grade 1 , Mrs. Friedman for grade 2 and Mrs. Reily for grade 3. The summer months in our home were murderous. The electric in the aptment couldn’t support a fan, let alone an air conditioner that no one could afford. The Kinema was the best place to cool off. We’d get there at the earliest opening hour and stay until the night. Since it was to hot to sleep in our aptment, we would spend our first few hours sleeping in the dark theater. There was always plenty to see, with a cartoon, newsreel and double feature. Food was no problem, we had plenty packed along with us. So long as we were quiet, the matrons, in those white dresses and matching shoes, would let us stay. Talk about baked goods,there was a great Italian bakery quite close to the theater. The icecrean parlor on Montak and Pitkin would have been grand, but who could afford it. The best we could afford was the penny candy and cookies that we could buy at Geller’s store right opposite PS 64 near the corner grocery. Missed East NY for years. In fact, I kept comming back on weekends just to play with my neighborhood friends.
@MASCHEN The East New York Projects have quite a few pictures of the old neighborhood. I have a MySpace page for Berriman64. Brooklyn Pix also has many memories. On FaceBook there are many Berrimanites and ENYers from the pre 1970 era. That IceCream parlor was high end place. I went to Willies on Atlantic for ices and the Deli Beitziner on Pitkin and Linwood for Ice Cream or German Potato Salad. Moe’s near the Kinema for Kinishes. I lived directly across the street from 64! There are also Cypress Hills and Cityline groups in FaceBook. The seem to be quite a few Italian Bakeries along Pitkin Avenue. There was a candy store on Berriman and Belmont also. Pass by Facebook and join in there was a 50 year reunion of PS 64 last year. There are many pictures there.
FatMan 1059. Thank you for the info. The candy store I was refering to was the second store on Belmont right off of Atkins. I do remember that ther was another candy store on Berriman directly opposite PS 64. As I recall there was also a pharmacy on the corner, Bennets. It carried everytrhing from meds to watches. Also perhaps you may know the name, I think she lived on the first floor of the first or second building from the corner of Berriman on the opposite side of the school her name was Loriane Famene.?
mashen The candy store that I remember are the ones on Atkins and Belmont, Berriman and Belmont, and Berriman and Sutter, Bennett’s was on Shepherd and Belmont and another drug store was on Shepherd and Pitkin, and another one on Linwood and Pitkin. I think there was one also on Montauk and Pitkin. I don’t recall the name Loriane but she could have live in the Apartment Building on Berriman and Belmont Click here for google map area of the house I graduated from 64 in 1965 (9th Grade)
Click here pictures of PS 64’s 2004 reunon The most scary picture I went to see in the Kinema was “The Birds”
Wow what happen to the print.
I just got on this site for the first time today and for the life of me could not put in a comment. I hope that Maschen finds this comment. We went to the same school. I too had Worhovtic for K, Mcguire for 1st Reilly for 3rd and I moved out in 1960. Bennetts drug store was our pharmacy etc.I think we might have been in the same classes or same age. Went to the Kinema all the time. The Matron was like a parent always having the flashlight shining at you if you talked. Movies then was an all day affair. Yes I remember Dans supermarket. I lived on Fountain between Sutter and Blake. On the corner of Blake and Fountain was a candy store. The name was Abes. He was an old almost blind man. In todays world would never happen. Used to get bottle caps so I can play skelly in the street.
@makoreo I remember a few drug stores along Pitkin Avenue, Sutter and even Belmont. If you are intersted there are sites (groups) on FaceBook that are area oriented. Cypress Hills Houses, CypressHills, City Line, etc. There are also school groups. I know the moderator of this site wants us to stay focused on theaters. Go visit this site for Cypress Hills Houses.