Parkview Theater

2 Prospect Park SW,
Brooklyn, NY 11215

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johndereszewski
johndereszewski on June 12, 2011 at 9:17 pm

The Brooklyn Theatre Index does provide some documentation for this theater. Specifically, it indicates operating years of – from March 11, 1916 to 1929. Thus, this was one of those many silent movie houses that did not convert to sound.The Index also notes that an architect named James A. Boyle performed alterations to this building in 1916 – the year of the Park view’s opening. This at least suggests that the building pre-dated its cinematic career and initially was constructed for a different use.

Bway
Bway on June 12, 2011 at 4:47 am

Does this theater building still exist? It’s supposed to be diagnally across from the Pavilion, but 2 Prospect Southwest shows it’s this large apartment building. Was the church mentioned above torn down and replaced with this apartment building?

frankie
frankie on January 19, 2006 at 9:13 am

Yes, I think you’re right about this, because my Dad always told me there used to be an old movie theater diagonally across from the Sanders (now the Pavilion) on the circle at Prospect Park SW.

mrivlin
mrivlin on October 10, 2004 at 9:33 pm

I think we are dealing with two separate theaters here. The Park Slope Christian Center is at 265 Prospect Park West, between Prospect Avenue and 17th Street.

If there was a theater at 2 Prospect Park Southwest, it was probably demolished (along with whatever stood on Holy Name Field a block behind it) when the 15th Street-Prospect Park IND subway station was built around 1931.

btkrefft
btkrefft on February 24, 2004 at 11:20 am

Here is a link to the website for the church which occupies the building today, which includes an exterior shot of the former theater.
View link

Orlando
Orlando on February 24, 2004 at 8:08 am

This early photoplay opened in 1915 as the Parkview and was located at 2 Prospect Park SW. It was listed at the time as having 400 seats and was listed as late as 1922 in some Brooklyn Eagle ads. Brooklyn had up to 500 theatres in operation at one time or another during the period of 1860 – 2004. Some of the smaller pre-sound era photoplays as they were called, like the Parkview, lasted until 1929.
Film Daily Year Books do provide a wealth of information on old theatres but I have a listing of every theatre that operated in the borough that I have compiled for a future book. That the building has not been used as a theatre in 80 years, it is amazing it still survives.

Warren G. Harris
Warren G. Harris on February 24, 2004 at 6:32 am

If this was a movie theatre, it must have operated under another name because it’s not listed in any of the Film Daily Year Books published between 1922 and 1970.