College Plaza Twin Cinemas
349 Horseblock Road,
Farmingville,
NY
11738
349 Horseblock Road,
Farmingville,
NY
11738
1 person
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The theater opened as the College Plaza Twin in the late-1960’s or early-1970’s as part of the College Plaza Shopping Center at the intersection of Waverly Avenue and Horseblock Road (which was once called Farm to Market Road). It was in the College Plaza Shopping Center, which at the time had a Waldbaum’s.
Throughout most of its life it was a first run movie house except for rereleases, including “Gone with the Wind” in the 1970’s. Sometimes when a movie was a big hit it would play in both theater. This was the case with “Young Frankenstein”.
The theater closed in the 1990’s. Today a Family Dollar store has taken the place of where I saw many great movies. Go into that store and you will not see the front concession, nor the seats, nor the screens. They gutted the building.
Contributed by
Alan G. Wasenius
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Recent comments (view all 14 comments)
Jolly Roger;
I remember seeing Gone with the Wind there and American Grafitti.
This was a typical “shopping center” theater that was quite popular back then.
I remember seeing Follow That Bird and the 85 reissue of ET there when I was 6…not a bad little theater, from what I remember. :–)
I just moved into the neighborhood just behind this shopping center and just knowing that it was once a movie theater makes me sad. I honestly hate newer theaters like Island 16. Sure stadium seating is pretty cool, but for some reason it just doesn’t feel as special as those older theaters felt. I remember going to this theater with my dad back in ‘84 to see the Neverending Story. I don’t remember a thing about the movie, but I remember everything about the theater and just the overall excitement of the movie going experience.
What stores now occupy it?
It’s interesting that this one stretch of road Horseblock/Portion housed this twin, the current multiplex, the Ronkonkoma and Lakeside Cinema (aka Jerry Lewis). You can’t say they didn’t keep trying. Gee Broadway I’m sorry I didn’t see your posting yesterday, I deliberately did the Horseblock/Portion expanse to get the addresses of the Ronkonkoma and Lakeside for the site.
If you go to http://www.topix.net/city/farmingville-ny I have collected some old photographs of Farmingville and Lake Ronkonkoma.
I don’t know why the opening synopsis usually has inaccuracies on this site, but here we go again. This theater closed in the mid 1980’s, and the location remained empty for a long time. I know it closed in the 80’s, because I remember getting off work at the Bay Shore Drive In (closed in 1990), and having to go Farmingville to assist in the closing (basically, get UA’s stuff out of the building). I can say this for certain, the manager Lee L., who went over to UA Babylon after the closing, was one of the best theater managers that I’ve ever met. Any theater she was at was so clean, you could eat off the floor. While I’m at it, her husband Joe was a hell of a manager also. Mr. L. we miss you- RIP.
The Dollar Store is now at the location of College Plaza Twin Cinemas. A new facade is under construction of the entire shopping center.
A drive-by confirmed what I suspected from looking at the aerial shot; the theatres were at the left side of the shopping center.