Folly Theatre

The by then long shuttered Folly Theatre was sold for demolition in 1949, according to an article in The New York Times of 11/20/49. The owner, who’d recently purchased the theatre from Randforce Amusement Company, intended to replace it with “a modern, two-story business building.” The NYT reported that the Folly was built for $350,000 in 1908 by Hyde & Behman, using the architectural firm of Dodge & Morrison: “The imposing red brick building became well known in Brooklyn for its drama and musical shows, vaudeville and silent pictures. Under Hyde & Behman, it staged such popular shows as ‘Betty, the Beautiful,’ ‘The Bowery After Dark,’ and ‘Why Girls Leave Home.’ For many years the Folly thrived on legitimate plays, but when William Fox took over and starting presenting movies, business began to decline.” The NYT revealed that the theatre had been owned all along by the Hyde family of Hyde & Behman. The Hydes had leased it to Fox Theatres and then to its successor, Randforce Amusement. In 1948, Randforce had excercised a purchase option in its lease and bought the Folly from the Richard Hyde Estate. No purchase prices were disclosed, but in 1949, the property was assessed at $85,000, of which $70,000 was for the underlying ground plot that measured 150 by 100 feet.

Here’s a new direct link to an exterior photo of The Folly Theatre before William Fox took over. The introductory “The” was part of the name until the Fox era: View link
According to some vintage programmes at the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library, The Folly first opened on November 4, 1901 with George W. Monroe in the stage comedy, “Mrs. B. O'Shaugnessy.” The Folly became the flagship of Hyde & Behman’s Brooklyn houses: “Being the first theatre in Greater New York erected under the new theatre building laws, it complies with all the requirements as to large and numerous exits and fireproof construction…A stage measuring 36 by 80 feet can accommodate the largest and most elaborate scenery. The main floor of the auditorium has 850 seats, the balcony 600, and the gallery almost as many more. All seats, including those in boxes, command a perfect view of the stage…The ease of the patrons is provided for by the liberal spacing of aisles and seats, and the comfortable, well-fitting seats. The air is purified during the performance by the numerous air ducts and electric fans that have been installed…The lighting of the entire house is most brilliant: most of the electric lights are placed directly in the plaster, but beautiful fixtures are placed in the entrances and on the side walls when necessary. The electric equipment, both on the stage and in the auditorium, is capable of producing an endless variety of effects, and is easily manipulated from the main switchboard backstage…Sitting in the auditorium, you see three ceiling paintings by Tojetti— the center one showing ‘Love and Music,’ and the side panels ‘Night and Day’— being beautiful dancing figures, with large sun and moon for backgrounds. Elaborate floral paintings and other decorations are the work of Illanic Panzironi, who collaborated with Mr. Tojetti… The exterior of the building shows an imposing tower on the corner, 95 feet high, with flagpole, from which will float the burgee of The Folly, and surmounted by a conspicuous weather vane. The tower is of a particularly graceful and pleasing outline, with its domed roof and dormers above, and the wide, balustraded portico surrounding it below. This portico contains the three large arched entrances to the main vestibules and lobby.”

Here’s an old photo of the Folly Theater:

Click Here for Photo

Thank you Bway and Warren for this terrific vintage picture. I just can’t believe that such a significant theater existed on this corner. I just have two additional comments to add:

1. When one reads – or re-reads – “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” – one can really think of The Folly as a place where the principal characters of this wonderful novel went to enjoy a silent film and/or a stage performance on a Saturday night. Perhaps Jimmy Nolan even performed here. This was clearly one of the crown jewels of the “Ghetto Street”.

2. It is interesting to think that the very stately Folly was situated just down the block from the far more mundane Lindy Theater. But I guess that’s how things were those days.

The photo was emailed to me by someone, but it turned out to be one of Warren’s scans. I don’t know what happened to the links though.