Rialto Theatre
1085 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
1085 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
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Here’s a 1980s tax view of the Rialto as church: lunaimaging
Interesting photo from 2010. Church is French not Spanish. Didn’t realize Century originated the Silver Screen Classic concept which is so popular with the General Amusment Multiplexes. When I lived in Farmingdale the classic usually sold out and it was in the largest auditorium.
My dad worked for Century Theatre throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, and I spent many happy hours in the dark throughout my childhood and teen years. He managed the Rialto from the early 1960s for several years (I was in high school at Erasmus, and we lived on the corner of Ocean and Caton). Around 1961 they tried running old movies at a discounted price (the only one I remember is “Meet Me in St Louis”), but this was years before the ever-growing interest in old films, and no one came, so they gave up this policy very quickly. I used to bring my friends or my “dates” on a Saturday night for free movies, and often afterwards we would head back down Flatbush Avenue to Jahn’s ice cream parlor (or into Garfield’s, to laugh at the “old” people hanging out all night, sipping a cup of coffee). Glad to see that the theatre is still standing…
View link
Photo of the exterior, 1916.
2010 photo of the former Rialto Theatre courtesy Steve Minor.
View link
I remember my father taking us to see “Thunderball” at the Rialto after the original theater we went to, the Kingsway, was sold out. The excitement surrounding the release of this 4th Bond film was incredible: far more excitement than the mania surrounding the release of “Batman” in 1989 or “The Dark Knight” 2 years ago.
The Rialto got a lot of United Artists films. I remember seeing “The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming” and the Beatles in “Let It Be” there. It was a nice theater but I do not remember anything distinctive about it, unlike the beautiful Loews Kings which was about 2 blocks away. I also preferred the Albemarle which was about 3 blocks away.
I remember once eating at Henrys Ice Cream parlor,which was across the street, before seeing something at the Rialto. This nice little restaurant which used to put stuffed animals in its windows to celebrate the seasons, holidays, etc. held out a very long time as a nice middle-class neighborhood deteriorated into a dangerous area with hoodlums hanging out on the street, day or night. My express bus used to pass down Flatbush Avenue on the way to Manhattan. I marvelled at how long Henrys held out. Then about 15 years ago, they threw in the towel and Henrys was gone. The last time I passed that way, it had been converted into a Jamaican restaurant. Henrys joined the Rialto, Loews Kings,Albemarle, the Astor and the Kenmore as remnants of a better time on Flatbush Avenue.
I believe the Rialto did more than just show movies. I remember seeing Carmen Miranda in vaudeville there around 1948-9.
The year given for this photo is 1969.
Here’s a new link to an image of the Rialto Theatre at its grand opening in March, 1916. Publicity claimed it was the largest purpose-built cinema in Brooklyn up to that time, with 2,000 seats. The construction costs were estimated at $125,000 (about $2.5 million today): View link
I visited the Rialto many times during the sixties. I remember seeing West Side Story at night. With my mom. Who worked across the street at Henry’s ice cream parlor. I must have been around 8 0r 9 at the time. It was a very big deal. I remember her saying the parlor would get real busy when the show let out. Regarding the battle of the bands site. that would be at the Midwood @Flatbush and Glenwood Rd. I saw many battles there. the place was called the Midwood Terrace. It usually featured 4 or 5 bands set up around the floor with the top band set up on the main stage. It really wasn’t so much a battle, more like a talent show. I know they had some pretty big acts like the Vagrants featuring Leslie West, Constant Changes which morphed into Alive & Kicking It was a great place to view the local talent.
An Austin theater organ opus 970 size 3/15 was installed in the Rialto Theater in 1920.
My memories of the Rialto are from my high school days in the mid-60s. The Rialto used to show all the new James Bond releases. WOW were they popular. It was the first time I remember having to stand on long lines to get into a movie. Many times you had to wait on line to get into the next showing because the showing that just started was sold out.
Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, etc…..those are my memories of the Rialto.
Photos above show new circa 1947-48 marquees on Rialto and Albermarle Theaters.
Photos of Century’s Rialto and Albermarle are at this url:
http://brooklynpix.com/photo1/F/flatbush57.jpg
These pictures were taken in 1950. Flatbush Ave. trolleys stopped running early in 1951.
This is a recent photo of the former Rialto theater building and here is another.
This is a photo of the former Rialto Theater from around 1950.
Here is a vintage postcard view from the early 1930’s:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/204748759/
This is a recent real estate report for this address
1085 Flatbush Avenue, Flatbush, New York 11226
OVERVIEW
Block & Lot #: 05165 – 0078
Building Class: Church, Synagogue, Chapel (M1)
School District: 17 map/schools
City Council District: 40
Police Precinct: 70 (Crime Statistics)
Political Contributions: search
BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS
Zoning R6
Building Size (F x D): 78.17ft x 146.50ft
Lot Size (F x D): –
Building Height: –
Total Gross Area of Building:
Year Built: 1916
Historic District?: No
Corner Lot?: Yes
Has Garage?: No
Number of Floors: 3
Units: 0
FAR as built: 1.29
Allowable FAR: 2.43
A truck hit the Church? I would hate to be that truck driver. He has alot of explaining to do now and Later! LOL
The name of the church is the ‘Eglise De Dieu’.
The exterior photos suggest that the interior design of this Rialto was different from the Rialto that Century subsequently built in Jamaica. This Rialto obviously had a conventional balcony, as demonstrated by the fire escapes on both sides of the auditorium. The Rialto in Jamaica (later re-named the Savoy when Century sold the theatre) had all its seating on the ground floor, with a raised “stadium” section at the rear. I posted a photo of the Rialto/Savoy’s auditorium at the listing for that theatre. I have yet to find any photos of the interior of this Rialto. Does anyone know the name of the church? If I could find the hours for services, it would be worth a trip to find out what still exists of the original interior.
As you can see, the marquee has been damaged by a passing truck (or something?) at some time. The building is still in use as a church as can be seen on the sign on the right-hand side over the alley entrance on the second photo
What happened to the name on the marquee? Did the Church move out?
Yes Warren, I can confirm you have the correct Rialto Theatre building. Here are a couple more photographs which I took in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/203850519/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/203851727/
Could this be the former Rialto Theatre? The whitewashed front wall has similarities to the photo in my post of 1/16/06, including three narrow windows above the entrance:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/mysterychurch.jpg