Loew's Avenue B Theatre
72 Avenue B,
New York,
NY
10009
72 Avenue B,
New York,
NY
10009
4 people
favorited this theater
Loew’s Avenue B Theatre is part of one of the great rags-to-riches stories of showbiz history. Movie mogul Marcus Loew erected it on the very site of the tenement building where he was born. Needless to say, his birthplace was demolished to make way for the luxurious 1,750-seat theatre, which was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and first opened on January 8, 1913, with vaudeville as its main attraction and movies thrown in just as fillers.
The Avenue B Theatre was the top Loew’s house on the Lower East Side until the mid-1920’s, when the circuit took over the Commodore Theatre on Second Avenue, which was a much busier area for entertainment and shopping. The Avenue B Theatre was reduced to playing movies at the end of their Loew’s circuit run, and remained so until its closure around 1957-58.
I don’t know if anyone operated the theatre after that. It was eventually demolished and replaced by a nursing facility.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
Here’s a 1948 exterior view of the theatre, which was reportedly built on the site of a demolished tenement where Marcus Loew was born. After Loew’s acquired the better situated Commodore in the same East Village area, the Avenue B was reduced to subsequent-run status: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/129-2943_IMG.jpg
Here is a photo matching the angle of Warren’s photo as the site looks today.
View link
The theatre cost $800,000 to build. In his opening night speech, Marcus Loew said “This is the most pretentious of the houses on our string, because my better judgment was over-balanced by my sentimentalism and my longing to do something better here than I ever did before.” According to corporate histories, the Avenue B was never successful, but Loew’s kept it running for decades as a memorial to its founder, who was born on the spot.
Wow, I lived on the block (No. 46) in 1983-84, then at 246 E 4th St during 1984-85,and had no clue there used to be a lavish Loew’s up the street. Thanks, guys!
I spent many saturdays 7 sundays in the early 50s in that wonderful place. My friends and I would go around the corner on 5th street that sold a big brown greasy bag of french fries for 15 cents and would stay watch a double feature, a action serial, and 25 cartoons.
I laugh now when I think of how many times my mother would come to get me and bring me home, boy would I get it. It was a simple white building, and still remember the lion heads that stood out of the wall.
Here’s a new direct link to a 1948 image of the exterior:
View link
Good story of how Marcus Loew built the theatre at the site of his birth.Good history.
From the 2005 post above:
Marcus Loew said “This is the most pretentious of the houses on our string, because my better judgment was over-balanced by my sentimentalism and my longing to do something better here than I ever did before.”
Up to the 1930’s “pretentious” meant “luxurious” and did not have the negative connotations assigned to the word today.
Too bad the photos do not work anymore.
Marcus Loew was born on this date in 1870.