Trylon Theater Preservation Event/JPCA Meeting
FOREST HILLS, NY — On THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2006, The Juniper Park Civic Association will hold a public meeting in support of landmarking the Trylon Theater, a prominent Art Deco theater in Forest Hills, bearing strong significance to the nearby 1939 World’s Fair. In addition, zoning issues and advocacy for other potential Queens landmarks (i.e. St. Savior’s 1847 Church in Maspeth) will be addressed.
TIME: 7:45pm
ADDRESS: Our Lady of Hope auditorium on Eliot Avenue & 71 St, Middle Village.
ATTENDEES: A few hundred expected; Queens civic groups, Mayor Bloomberg, local councilmembers, community residents and preservationists, and members of The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater, including its founder & chair, Michael Perlman
For more info, contact: Christina Wilkinson of the Juniper Park Civic at and Michael Perlman of The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater at
Comments (5)
As a Forest Hills resident with an interest in preserving historic movie theatres, I applaud the work of the Committe to Save the Trylon Theater, as well other organizations and indidviduals with similar goals. I appreciate the obstacles they face with some local politicians who do not understand the importance of preserving such links with the past, and who are often not as cooperative as they should be.
The destruction of St Saviors, on the heels of Niedersteins, shows the complete disaster of the current generation of Queens Preservation leadership.
We need to encourage a borough wide grass roots movement that would be impossible to stop, and aggressively dispel the drumbeat of anti-preservation propaganda in both the media and political leadership.
We need to apply pressure on the city wide preservation movement, particularly the Manhattan groups to provide the guidance for their successful efforts, and most importantly, the financial resources to accomplish this effort.
I don’t know what happened at the meeting the other night, but I would think it’s a little late for the Trylon. The marquee has been stripped and it looks to me like reconstruction is taking place and the interior is already gone. I haven’t been inside and I could be wrong about the how much of the interior has been torn out, but I suspect it’s a bit late. The preservation groups should have acted BEFORE the new lease was granted to the cultural group that’s taking over the place.
Jeffg718 – Thank you very much for your kind words in regard to my committee. When it comes to landmarks, the people who inhabit their communities know them best, & should therefore have the greatest say. Preservation provides continuity for any community, and illustrates a sense of pride. The politicians who do not see this as an adequate issue, need to learn to value the opinions of & listen to their constituency. If you wrote a letter to the editor of the major Queens publications about this, that would help very much.
BGood – We need to launch a major Queens preservation campaign very soon, or there will be nothing left to landmark. Hopefully, there will be some publicity about this in the near future. ;) Queens has to stop getting the backdoor. We should be treated no differently than Manhattan. We deserve our fair share! If you have a chance, please write a letter to the editor of major Queens publications, & state how you feel. Every preservationist borough-wide needs to unite & show the LPC & our councilmembers that we won’t settle for anything less!!!
Marty B – A “valid” permit for the Trylon marquee states that it will be repaired with similar materials. Whatever that means. It was stripped since the owner let the marquee fall into disrepair for a substantial period of time with metal dangling. The owner was ordered by the Environmental Control Board. It does pay to be proactive, but the plans for the center were being kept very secretive. When I noticed early stages of construction or rather “destruction” taking place in July 2005, that was when I officially got into preservation. Now we all know better for next time.
The Juniper Park Civic Association public meeting/Trylon advocacy event last Thursday went very well. We had a decent turnout of at least 400 people. In addition to Bob Holden (JPCA Pres.) & Mayor Bloomberg (who was presented “Man of the Year” award), I also made a presentation on the Trylon and distributed hundreds of fliers as part of my Trylon letter campaign to the LPC. It was impressive that the Mayor heard my speech. I handed him a letter on behalf of the committee. Many reporters showed up. We also touched briefly on St. Savior’s 1847 Church. Demolition of St. Savior’s Church is a damn shame! We gathered up some additional support by launching another petition drive. Let’s hope the LPC gets our message & takes action ASAP!!!
*This is off the topic of theaters, so please follow this link for more info on St. Savior’s Church & the controversy. WE DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP CONCERNING A MAJOR INJUSTICE. CALL 311 ASAP, PLEASE.
www.forgotten-ny.com/stsaviors.html
I will continue to keep everyone informed. Thank you for your help & for sharing your opinions on these important issues.
Wow I guess its too late.