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Flushing’s RKO Keith’s to Become Condos
posted by
mp775
on
February 27, 2004 at 8:17 am
FLUSHING, NY — Boymelgreen Developers, who bought the RKO Keith’s in 2002 from developer Tommy Huang, will demolish the theater and build a 19-story mixed-use tower on the site called RKO Plaza.
According to a report, entitled Place of Escape May Survive, Behind Glass (reg. required), which appeared in Wednesday’s New York Times, Huang had previously demolished part of the auditorium and had allowed 200 gallons of heating oil to leak into the building. The proposed development would include 250 condominium apartments, restaurants, retail, a senior citizens center, and a 260-space parking garage.
The lobby, which is landmarked, would be preserved behind a 45,000 pound, 50' high, 100' wide glass curtain wall on the proposed building’s frontage on Northern Boulevard; architectural appointments salvaged from the theater would be displayed in an exhibit in the new building.
Comments (9)
Here’s a link to the NY Daily News article you mentioned, Warren:
View link
After reading both articles, it doesn’t appear that the decision is a setback for this project. As you can see in this comment, the community board is likely to approve the project once its concerns are addressed:
Too, 2006, the expected completion date, isn’t very far away…
The Community Board’s decision is not binding on the developer. No legal action against the CB is necessary.
The idiot who destroyed the interior of that theatre should be hung on main street! What a disaster. That place should have been preserved with landmark status and made into a museum. What a great place to watch a movie. Of course most of the people who live there now weren’t around, probably not even in this COUNTRY, when it was open. What a sad, sad outcome for such a glorious palace…
I worked that theatre for five years. I knew the manager, assistant manager, ushers,candy counter workers, projectionist, electrician etc…I watched people by the thousands come past the box office and wonder at the beauty inside. I am appauled at the lack of respect for old Flushing and this is an example of nailing the coffin shut. Shame on everyone involved in it’s destruction.
i agree with cashiergirl. i worked there too. this was a magnificant theatre.
Sadly, everything revolves around money and politics. This is a horrendous shame!!! They have so much $$$, why couldn’t they have restored/rebuilt the facade in its entirety, & incorporated that into the project? I admire the interior space, but what good is it without the facade? IT’S A HEAD WITH AN EXTRACTED BRAIN!!!!!!!
It is purely ironic as to how society of today supposed to be soooo technologically advanced, but in the meantime, they can’t build with much attention to intricate detail & precision. Today the motto for most buildings is “I’ll throw up a bunch of bricks, glass, steel, and what-not, & build my CONCRETE JUNGLE even higher than the Joneses!”
SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wonder if anyone involved with the new project will even try to recreate the old theater lobby. What will they draw on for expertise. Or will it be a matter of “well this will work” and leave it at that. With all the money and commerce in downtown Flushing it would be, with a little effort, a bonus for everyone to restore some of the graciousness that Flushing was and that the RKO epitomized.
Please think obout it guys!
when you let in illegal asian and middle eastern immigrants and you let them take over whole communities this is what you get…queens and especially flushing is not the place we all grew up in..you cannot expect people from other cultures to care about what we cared about..to them it is just a building and nothing more…we have ourselves to blame for all the great things we knew as young people dissappearing!!
i have an idea why dont we all make a petion to have it re built as a museium the city has the blue prints to it we can get thousands of signatures n we could win as a kid i wached two movies in that place im 32 i wached mia chuck noris n my frist was sater day night fever