Rainbow Theatre
167 Graham Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11206
167 Graham Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11206
7 people
favorited this theater
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.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
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Recent comments (view all 108 comments)
If a pizza parlor was situated at this corner, it would have had be located at the NE corner, since the NW corner hosts a park. Currently, a senior center is situated at the NE corner, which is within the Williamsburg Houses development. It is large enough to have accommodated the double storefront pizza place that was noted above. But, as long as I remember, this was always a senior center, which was, and I believe still is, sponsored by JASA.
The pizza parlor that I DO remember was – and I believe stil is – situated directly across the street from the old Rainbow. When I attended Most Holy Trinity HS in the 1960’s, I would top off many a school day with a visit there. I am sure that many of the Rainbow’s patrons did exactly the same thing.
I recall the pizza joint across the street from the Rainbow, but the site that I was referring to was across the street from the park on Graham & Scholes and probably predated the JASA senior center.
The Brooklyn Theatre Index notes that the Rainbow closed as a movie house in 1964. This clearly confirms my memory that the theater had just closed and begun its conversion into a church – initially called the “Love Chapel” – when I began to attend Most Holy Trinity HS in the fall of 1964.
I was walking by the Rainbow today and saw some guys outside cleaning it out. I convinced one of the gentlemen to let me peek inside (even though he was adamant that I needed to call the landlord first—cheers to feminine wiles!).
There’s water damage to the ceiling in various, but they’ve been trying to keep it under control until the property is sold. It still has about 1700 seats, and the interior seems to be relatively unchanged. It’s clearly been painted over and simplified, but I noticed a chandelier in the lobby that had to be original (as well as a few other things—it was very dark, and I only had a few moments to look in as my eyes adjusted form the sun outside).
I knew the theater was on the market was $12 million, and asked the guy how things were progressing. He said that someone was making a bid on the property for significantly less than the listed price, and that their intent was to turn the Rainbow back into a theater. Awesome! It sounds like the current owners really love the building and want to sell it to someone who can restore it to some extent. At the very least, I don’t believe the building will be torn down like so many other theaters in the neighborhood. I’d LOVE to have an indie film house around here—but any sort of theater would do. Bring back the Rainbow!
As much as I’d want the Rainbow to be restored as a movie theatre, I can’t imagine that the economics would prove that feasible. Granted that the enighborhood has now become hip and trendy, that stretch of Graham Ave does not get the pedestrian traffic that you might see on Bedford Ave. or Grand St., or a few blocks closer to the L train station. Unless there is a special exhibition niche, there is always the competition from Netflicks and cable to consider. I would be delighted to be proven wrong, and would plan on showing up for an opening day. Now if I could only get my old high school buddies to join me…..
I passed by the old Rainbow a week ago. Nothing has changed since my last visit and it still appears to be on the market. While I share Astyanax’s doubts about the economic feasibility of reviving the place for theatrical purposes, one can always hope.
Hi John, I am keeping the same hope alive for the Ridgewood Theater too… “It’s not over till the fat lady sings”, so they say…. I was disappointed in the recent photos posted of the Ridgewood. In just 4 short years, the theater’s paint is really peeling inside, probably because the building is no longer heated in the winter, or Air Conditioned in the summer, so the extreme cold, heat and humidity have already taken it’s toll.
With all the arts activities going on in East Williamsburg you would think that someone could come up with a viable plan for a mixed-use venue. I’m assuming that the Rainbow is still being used as a house of worship and not subject to the temperature extremes afflicting the Ridgewood.
While I do not believe that the Rainbow is still being used actively as a church, it appears that the church elders – if that is what they are called – are trying to keep the place in good shape to enhance its value to potential buyers. So I do not think that a Ridgewood-like situation is occurring here……. I also agree that the Rainbow can serve as a terrific arts and performance center – they might even show movies once in a while – to the new East Willliamsburg community – though the price will be steep. If the BushwickBk blog is ever resurrected, this would be the place to push this idea.
Found a picture by accident for you guys from 1939.