Wyckoff Theater
247 Wyckoff Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11237
247 Wyckoff Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11237
2 people
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The Wyckoff Theater stood at the eastern corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Bleecker Street, in the Wyckoff Heights section of Brooklyn. It was before my time, so my earliest memory of it is as a Jehovah’s Witnesses Hall, about 1960 or 1961.
My oldest aunt went there with her mother to see “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” in 1954 or 1955 for an adult admission of ten cents. It was not air conditioned at first, but my oldest aunt recalls going there as a kid in the late 1920’s and 1930’s for a nickel, and having a “grand old time” there, seeing double features with cartoons, newsreels and short subjects.
Contributed by
Peter Koch
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Recent comments (view all 27 comments)
Here are two images copied from microfilm of 1915 issues of the Ridgewood Times. Note that the Wyckoff originally had a vertical sign on the corner with the word “PHOTOPLAYS” taking up most of both sides of it:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/wyck01.jpg
www.18.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/wyck02.jpg
This is an updated link for the Times NewsWeekly article about the Wyckoff Theater that I posted back in August of 2004.
Sorry, the old Times NewsWeekly link was posted by me on Oct 2, 2004 at 3:58pm and not in August. My August 2004 comment gave the following info:
“The grand opening of the new Wyckoff Theater at 247 Wyckoff Avenue, corner of Bleecker Street in Ridgewood ocurred on May 8, 1915. It was owned by the Goodman Amusement Company. Admission was 5¢ afternoons and evenings, including Sundays”.
I’ve just removed the second image that I posted this morning, since it duplicates the photo in the Times News Weekly article. I replaced it with this ad which includes that photo, but has additional information about the Wyckoff:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/wyck03.jpg
Wow, aside from the removal of the decrorative cornice, and the addition of an iron fence, the Wykcoff changed little over the years.
Of course, all the windows were bricked up, as it is now a Jehovah’s Witness hall, and Jehovah Witness churches for some reason are not allowed to have windows.
The Classic Theater on Tompkins was a nearly identical theater to the Wyckoff. It too is now some sort of church. See my March 31st, 2005 posting for photos of the Wyckoff and the Classic Theater. Make sure you click the 7:14 PM photo for the Classic (as I goofed up there), and the 6:55 PM post’s photo for the Wyckoff.
There was another theater that ran German movies in the early to late 60’s on Wyckoff Ave near Dekalb Ave or Stanhope-Stockholm Streets.
Anyone have the name of it or is it listed here?
never mind..I found it..
it was called the Wagner and is listed here…..
I can still see the “Hanseatic” adverts in my mind and remember some of the lyrics
rotf
A certificate of occupancy dated February 17, 1954 was issued to 247/249 Wyckoff Avenue (N/E corner of Wyckoff Avenue and Bleecker Street) for use as a meeting room and library. Classification: Meeting Hall. I assume that this theater was closed by that date.
Here’s a street view of the Wyckoff Theater:
View link
I passed by the old Wyckoff yesterday, and it is still hosting the Witnesses. The building remains in very good shape. I really wonder, however, how 600 people could have fit into such a small building. I guess they knew how to pack them in in those days.