St. Albans Theatre
190-01 Linden Boulevard,
St. Albans,
NY
11412
190-01 Linden Boulevard,
St. Albans,
NY
11412
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Here’s a new link to a exterior image described above on 6/8/06:
View link
Late response here, Dora… While I do not actually remember Gary US Bonds from his heyday in the early 1960’s (I was born in 1965), I do know of him and recall his comeback in the 1980’s where he enjoyed a pair of well received and fairly popular rock radio hits – thanks in large part to the support of Bruce Springsteen.
Hi Ed,
Thanks for the information. Do you remember the goldfish pond in the lobby of the Valencia?
Also my sis told me she heard “Gary US Bonds” sing at the St. Albans theater in the 1960’s. Unfortunately, I don’t know this artist, do you remember him?
Dora
Both theaters are on this site, Dora…
RKO Alden
Loew’s Valencia
…and fondly remembered by those who attended.
I grew up in St. Albans and remember the St. Albans theatre. It was a shiney (like glass) dark blue facade. My sisters saw movies there and later went to concerts there.
Does anyone remember the Velencia on Jamaica Avenue or the RKO theatre on the avenue.
Nice photos Ed. I think that your assumption is right and the auditorium runs parallel to Linden Blvd. Like many NYC theaters, they built stores or apartments over stores to “hide” the main theater building. This building did not go directly from movie theater to Church. In 1965 this address is listed as the St Albans Plaza Ballroom. In December of 1985, the building was donated by a Robert S. Forman to “The Deliverance-Jesus is Coming Association”. After that, this building went into foreclosure and was sold in October of 1987. I guess that the Maranatha Church purchased the building around that time. The deed doesn’t specifically mention their name.
Here are some aerial views from the local.live website:
View to the North
View to the South
View to the East
View to the West
Not sure I’d call it conclusive, but I’d say the auditorium runs parallel to Linden. By the way, that pair of semi-attached houses shown under construction behind the theater in the aerial views are now complete and occupied.
As promised, I got over to Linden Blvd yesterday mornign with my camera and took the following shots of the former theater:
Corner of Linden and 190th
A closer view of corner entrance and facade
Alternate closer view
190th Street entrance
Linden Blvd gated entrance
Corner display case
190th Street looking towards Linden
Rear view on 190th Street
190th Street facade detail
Long shot from rear
View from the east on Linden Blvd
I didn’t take a photo looking from the west down Linden to approximate the angle in Warren’s photo – only because the foliage on the trees that now line Linden blocked the rooftop sign and facade from that angle. Perhaps I’ll get back there after the leaves fall in Autumn. I did note that the Linden Blvd facades, including that lot and smaller structure with the “tire sale” in the 1954 shot, are more or less as they were when the older shot was taken.
Looks like the theater might have had a true corner entrance, Warren, perhaps with an open passage on either side of that corner column into the outer vetstibule from both Linden or 190th. The one slender display case remains on that corner column facing Linden as seen in the sixth photo down, but you can clearly see where other advertising space was filled in with stucco. You can also clearly see that the building is not in great shape with signs of various patch jobs pretty evident. I’m not sure, but I think the auditorium probably runs parallel to Linden behind the store fronts with the 190th Street facade representing the back wall of the lobby/foyer. That would mean that the ivy-covered structure seen down the alley in the “Rear view on 190th Street” shot would be the auditorium’s left side wall.
Great work, Warren! Thanks a lot. I will get down there for some current shots (and a comparable angle to your photo) this week.
I did some cropping and enlarging of the QC photo and was finally able to find the theatre. The front entrance was apparently on 190th Street, with only a side panel of the marquee facing Linden Boulevard. The program on the marquee seems to be “The Command” (with Guy Madison) and “The Kid From Left Field.” The photo is dated June 21, 1954:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/stalbans5402.jpg
I just checked that article, Warren. The photo is small, but if you look about a block down the street, the corner building on the left with the large sign on the roof is the theater. Doesn’t look like the marquee had much of a projection over the sidewalk in this shot. In fact, I can’t make out a marquee at all! I’m thinking there might have been a flat marquee with no canopy? One might have hoped for a better photo to accompany the short article. Anyway, try this link which should bring you directly to the specific page:
St. Albans article
That sign is still atop the roof. It forms so that each side is angled towards Linden but still readable from further down the road in either direction. The entrance to the theater is at the edge of the Linden Blvd facade right on the corner of the building, with display cases facing Linden as well as 190th Street. I’ll try to get down there soon for some current photos (I said that back in December, didn’t I?!)
A vintage photo claiming to show the St.Albans Theatre appears in the current issue of the Queens Chronicle as part of the continuing series entitled “I Have Often Walked.” If the theatre is in that photo, it’s so far in the background that I can’t make it out. The photo can be viewed at the newspaper’s website: www.queenschronicle.com
NYC lists an 827 seat movie theater operating at 190-05 Linden Boulevard in June of 1957. At that time, the building spanned the addresses of 190-01 to 190-05. So, 190-01 should be okay for the address.
P.S. Didn’t notice the vertical sign, which may have been removed since this listing was created.
Drove by today, but didn’t have my camera. Anyway, the address should be corrected to 190-01. There is a big two sided sign on the roof (angled in a V-shape to face east and west along Linden Blvd) that looks like it may date back to the building’s theatrical days. There is no longer a marquee, but you can clearly see the frames for the advertising display windows on both the 190th Street side and the Linden Blvd side. The two displays on the side street are filled in with stucco, while a narrow display window on the front facade contains a schedule for the church services.
I’ll have to get back there soon with my camera and snap a few shots to post.
I think you might try about 190th St. and Linden Blvd; just east of Farmers Blvd. The St. Albans and Cambria (on Linden Blvd. in Cambria Heights) were part of my theater going path back when I lived in North Valley Stream eons ago. Although my real quest on the Q4 was the Valencia, these were much nearer than Jamaica when one needed a quick movie fix!
The current address puts it too far east and in the middle of a residential neighborhood (Elmont) in Nassau county.
This is an old, old thread, but… this address puts you in the Queens side of Elmont, so this really isn’t the neighborhood of St. Albans at all, despite the theater’s name. The map link above is now working properly and places the locator just off the interchange of the Southern State and Cross Island Parkways. I wonder if this is the church one sees on the loop that brings you from the southbound Cross Island onto the eastbound Southern State?
Anyway… the neighborhood of St. Albans would be further to the West towards Farmers Blvd and Merrick Blvd. I’ll have to take a drive around the area to see if I can snap some photos.
The mapmaker will not generate correctly with the above address. It needs to be entered as 19-01 Linden Boulevard, St. Albans, NY. The word “Queens” shouldn’t be included. Unlike Brooklyn and the Bronx, the borough name isn’t used in Queens addresses.
You’re allowed to sit in on church services. All welcome.