Plaza Theatre
103-12 Roosevelt Avenue,
Corona,
NY
11368
103-12 Roosevelt Avenue,
Corona,
NY
11368
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 122 comments found
Google Maps street view shows rear side of the auditorium, which runs parallel to Roosevelt Avenue.
While trolling through a collection of old photos that had been posted in a Facebook group dedicated to memories of Queens (in particularly Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights), I found this pair of marquee profile shots:
1982 snow storm
Sometime between closure and Walgreens
This undated photo probably shows the Plaza during its Hispanic phase, but I can’t swear by it: View link
Thanks for posting Tinseltoes.
The Plaza is featured in this recent New York Times article and slide show about cinemas converted to retail: View link
Warren, why is it you photobucket pix links never work? I can never see any of your pix. The american classic images works though. I took this picture of the theater today. I noticed the building from the subway platform and knew I was looking at a theater. Took me a bit of time to figure out what it was originally. I love spying dead theaters and then trying to look them up on this site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaeldj/4915011820/
Never have heard of this theatre till today,nice old picture of the Loews Style Marquee.
The marquee appears to have changed very little since the ‘70’s, as it was retained well into the 1990’s, when I first saw the theater. I recently passed by the location……..almost unrecognizable. You wouldn’t have known a theater was there.
When you have a chance, Warren, could you re-post to your Photobucket profile the images you provided links to on April 19th and July 25th of last year? Many advance thanks!
Wow that is a lot of information on that marquee!
(also reregistering for alerts at the same time)
Just re-registering for alerts with this photo link: View link
The colors of course may be inappropriate, but the place was in really good condition yet in the 70’s. Shall we say….much better than what they have done to the place now…. too bad, it’s been destroyed inside.
Here are several images of the auditorium in the 1970s. The walls had been re-painted in a shade of blue that might have been on bargain sale at Pergament at the time. The dome seems to have been left untouched except for installation of air-conditioning ducts. Compare these photos to the first one that I posted above on 4/19/08:
View link
View link
View link
Here are new direct links to vintage images of Loew’s Plaza Theatre:
View link
View link
So, the church conducts services upstairs in the former balcony? A post above states that services are held 10 am on Sundays and 7:30 pm on Wednesdays.
I’m sure that the church will welcome you, provided that services are going on at the time you visit. Do you happen to know the days and times that services are held?
I just started working in the neighborhood and am sorry to see this is closed. I came here once or twice when I lived in Flushing over 20 years ago.
Maybe I’ll check out the church; all are welcome, right?
One of the most popular novelty “acts” to play the Loew’s vaudeville houses arrived at the Plaza in July, 1928 for a four-day booking with the feature movie, “A Night of Mystery.” Billed as a “Special Added Attraction” to four other acts on the bill, “A Night at Coney Island” presented “weird folks” from Coney sideshows, including “Albert/Alberta” (half man, half woman), “The Fattest Woman on Earth” (642 pounds),“The Legless Wonder,” “The Spider Boy,” “The Human Skeleton” (57 pounds), and “The Smallest Mother in the World” (a midget with two full-grown daughters). Here are an ad and photo copied from the Long Island Daily Star:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/coneynight1.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/coneynight2.jpg
www.
The architect’s credit needs to be updated so that R. Thomas Short gets his proper due. I think this gives him 15 theatres so far, and there are probably more. Prior to specializing in theatres, Short had an architectural partnership with Herbert S. Harde from 1901-15. Their most famous collaboration is the majestic apartment building, Alwyn Court, on the SE corner of Seventh Avenue & 58th Street. Part of the ground floor is now occupied by the gourmet restaurant, Petrossian.
The Plaza was designed in the so-called “Pompeian” style by the prolific team of R. Thomas Short & William Rau, according to an article in the June 28, 1928 issue of the Long Island Daily Star. “There are approximately 2,200 seats in all, those on the main floor upholstered in red morrocoline, and the upstairs in gold and black tapestry, which lends a delightful contrast,” says the article.
“A double staircase leads to the mezzanine floor. At the top landing, there is a beautiful open well made of the finest marble. Comfortable divans are to be seen on this floor, which is lavishly furnished. The lighting fixtures throughout the theatre are very unusual and harmonize with the Pompeian design. Exquisite wall hangings lend a note of richness to the house.” Copied from microfilm is this rare image of the Plaza’s auditorium, which had six boxes of seats on each side wall. Note the oval dome in the ceiling and the shadow cast by the crystal chandelier:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/audplaza.jpg
Just before Christmas, 1952, Century Theatres took over the Plaza and Prospect from Loew’s, which was forced to divest the two theatres in compliance with the federal anti-trust action against the company. The Plaza continued to play the same movies that it would have under Loew’s, but only for four days of the week. On the other three days, the Plaza ran programs off the RKO circuit, but a week after they’d finished their runs at the RKO leaders in the borough (including nearby Keith’s Flushing):
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/century1952.jpg
I stopped by the Plaza this weekend and found it’s being used as a Spanish-language church (with services Sundays at 10 am and Wednesdays at 7:30 pm). The only architectural changes I could see the church made was painting the left wall of the entrance hallway an off-white, with a gold-orange stripe across and about 60% down from the ceiling and two wooden doors (more appropriate for a church than a movie theater) at the end; also, the one-sheet display cases on the exterior right have been boarded up and covered with banners listing information about the church services. There’s also a likewise banner on the front of the marquee, while the left and right sides contain lettering mentioning the office space for lease (albeit with no square footage; previously, 10,000 s.f. were listed as being available) and, at the bottom, the name of the church.
Interesting; thanks for digging up that information, Lost Memory, and thanks to everyone else for their quick responses. This week is bad for me in finding time to head out to the Plaza and gauge firsthand exactly what’s happening, but hopefully I can make a trip there before long and be able to provide a formal update.
There are permits issued for this address, so work is being done. No demolition permits:
EXPIRATION DATE
10/31/2006-FILING HEREWITH TO RENOVATE MOVIE THEATER.
12/23/2006-CREATING TELECOMMUNICATIONS ROOM WITH RELATED HVAC ON SECOND FLOOR. RELATED CONDENSER ON FIRST FLOOR. RELATED ANTENNAS ON ROOF.
05/10/2007-INSTALLATION OF NON LOAD BEARING PARTITIONS, DOORS AND RELATED FINISHES. MECH/HVAC MODIFICATIONS TO HVAC DUCTWORK, INSTALLATION OF ROOFTOP A/C UNITS AND INSTALLATION OF PLUMBING FIXTURES AS PER PLANS FILED HEREWITH.
Perhap’s someone was taking pictures. It could also be a theatre burglar.