Rainbow Theatre

167 Graham Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11206

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Randforce Amusement Corp.

Architects: Charles A. Sandblom

Functions: Housing

Styles: Art Deco

Nearby Theaters

Rainbow Theatre

Built by the Randforce Circuit at a cost of $240,000 (not including the price of the underlying land), the Rainbow Theatre was one of the few large theatres to be constructed in Brooklyn during the Depression era. Though the double-features were subsequent run for the Williamsburg area, Randforce seemed to be relying on architect Charles Sandblom’s ultra-modern style to draw crowds.

To suit its name, the Rainbow Theatre had a two-story space above the marquee that was built of translucent glass bricks with lighting machinery behind it that created rainbow effects in constantly changing colors. The rainbow motif was repeated in the auditorium, the ceiling of which had a central cove with multi-colored lighting. Each side wall had a tall, false window with real drapes but providing a painted view of lush countryside, with a rainbow in the sky background. Patrons were supposed to feel like they were sitting in a posh living room. All of the 1,746 seats, most of them on the ground floor, were the oversized ‘Opera Style’ made by Ideal Seating Co. The balcony, was was almost at the rear of the auditorium, had only a few rows of seats to provide for space for a lounge area and restrooms.

Due to the penny-pinching of the Randforce circuit, the Rainbow Theatre was rarely advertised in the daily newspapers, so it’s difficult to chart its history. I think that Randforce operated it until 1964, when the Rainbow Theatre closed. In 2002, I found the theatre still standing and being used as a evangelical church that was closed at the time of my visit. The glass brick area above the entrance was still there, but with quite a few bricks missing. Pigeons were roosting in some of those spaces.

In June 2012, work commenced to convert the building into apartments, and it was gutted internally and the roof was removed. The front entrance was demolished.

Contributed by Warren G. Harris

Recent comments (view all 103 comments)

Bway
Bway on December 30, 2013 at 10:02 am

John, while I agree with you, it’s sickening….that said, it isn’t really “demolished”, as they are building the new construction within and above the shell of the old theater building, so while it’s been shelled to the bare bricks, and pulled back a little, the original shell of the base of the first few floors of the new building are in fact still the walls of the old theater. “Demolished” is not accurate…although if there was a setting for “semi-demolished”. It’s somewhat similar to the complete shelling of and partial destruction of the old Oasis theater on Fresh Pond Rd, although in that case, no new construction was built into the old building yet, even if the entire Fresh Pond facade, as well as the lobby half of the building were demolished.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on December 30, 2013 at 12:15 pm

Bway, it really is the same situation that would exist if they destroyed the Ridgewood’s facade – which, thanks to Landmarks Preservation, they cannot – and then built anything they wanted to build within the remaining shell. In this sense, the Rainbow presents the worst of both worlds.

Astyanax
Astyanax on December 30, 2013 at 12:45 pm

I couldn’t agree with John more. The shell that’s left bears no connection to the neighborhood gem that along with the Alba, the Commodore & the Republic afforded Williamsburg a respite from the hardships faced during the Depression & WWII. At least the twin spires of John’s alma mater, MHT remain in the background watching over the dwellers of remaining tenements and now the condos.

Bway
Bway on December 30, 2013 at 2:09 pm

Again, I totally agree with both of you….just that the above can’t be changed to “demolished”, as it wasn’t demolished in the same way the “Commodore” was. That said, it doesn’t make it any better.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on February 18, 2014 at 11:20 am

I visited the site over the past weekend. It looked dreadful. It appears that they have demolished most of the site and only the front area – which has already been separated from the rest of the mostly demolished building and may soon experience a similar fate – remains for the present.

This development, in short. represents the worst possible alternative that the old Rainbow could have experienced.

Sorry to be the messenger on this.

Astyanax
Astyanax on September 10, 2016 at 5:34 pm

Attended a family funeral at nearby, majestic Holy Trinity RC Church. There is a gaping hole from the corner of Meserole St/Graham Ave, to where the Rainbow once stood. Despite the highly touted gentrification of the area, it all seems quite desolate without the Rainbow. Similarly, the Broadway site where the Commodore once stood also remains undeveloped.

Bway
Bway on September 12, 2016 at 12:10 pm

Astyanax, that is incorrect. There is an apartment building where the Rainbow lobby used to be on Graham. If you type the address into google maps, and look at the street view, you can view various years of google images of street view, dating back a few years to when the building used to be there. The Rainbow Clothes shop next door to the former lobby entrance is the vacant “gaping hole”. https://goo.gl/maps/nr9iriNwbnL2

The same can be said of the Meserole side of the building where the auditorium once stood. Completely built on.

https://goo.gl/maps/DNfbs9HKYAJ2

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on September 12, 2016 at 12:29 pm

Chris, thanks – I guess – for leading me to the Google map of this site. It is awfully depressing. Something that really could have added to the beauty of this area has wantonly been destroyed.

On the other hand, it was great hearing from you and I hope you are doing well.

dleivick
dleivick on October 18, 2016 at 10:33 am

I am discussing the old days with my 85 year old mother who tells me she was a candy girl at this theatre in 1947. More importantly, she is a relative of Manny Frisch who was the son of Louis Frisch, the originator of Randforce which built this theatre.

Willburg145
Willburg145 on August 9, 2023 at 12:54 pm

Does anyone know why it used as a movie theater? I think it could’ve thrived as a neighborhood movie theater for many years.

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