Academy of Music
126 E. 14th Street,
New York,
NY
10003
126 E. 14th Street,
New York,
NY
10003
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 158 comments
Squatters started a fire at Luchow’s that destroyed the interior in 1992. It took two or three years before the building itself was demolished. I doubt many tears were shed at NYU. I have the bad habit of going off topic on this thread! I have fond memories of the Academy of Music, including a trip to the Palladium, which was an ingenious re-use, in the summer of 1985.
Hello-
I was under the impression that this Academy of Music’s neighbor Luchow’s wasn’t in the strict sense of the word “demolished” but was felled by as I put it a “business fire”.
No, sorry, I took no pictures. Plenty of photographers were with that group—it would be great if some pictures turned up.
I too am sorry to be off topic. I wish I got into the Harlem Opera House. What a loss. It was a bowling alley at the end. Did you get any pictures?
Sorry to all to off topic, but the Victoria was only fairly recently closed at the time of the 1980 THS conclave, and Loew’s shuttered it without pulling any equipment or powering down. I vividly recall everyone being startled—someone had gone up to the booth and threaded up the trailer for “The Exorcist” and ran it! We also were at the now demolished Harlem Opera house—the booth was full of deteriorating nitrate trailers.
I have been trying to get into the Victoria for years.
Movieplace—thanks for the memory jog—I’ve actually been to the Regent and Victoria, I believe at that great 1980 THS conclave. We may have even been to the Hamilton.
DaveM, The Cort Theater which is a Broadway House is a Lamb theater as is the Loew’s Canal, the RKO Hamilton, The Regent and the Victoria. The Cort is in great shape. The Hamilton is not quite a wreck but is in not great shape but there does not appear to be too much water damage, However, I photographed it in 2006 and it was photographed recently and there has been some more vandalism, graffiti mostly. The Regent is a church and is in decent shape. The Victoria is on it’s way to be landmarked hopefully as is the old Loew’s Canal. These theaters are intact and salvageable. You are right though, it is very disheartening.
A interesting video record of the interior of the Academic of Music midway through its days as the Palladium nightclub, 1985 to 1999. The light wall added by architect Isozaki can be seen at 01:28: Palladium1
Some other shots of the interior of The Palladium nightclub (00:18 to 01:25) during this Andy Warhol interview with Nick Rhodes. Palladium2
Re Warren Harris' 2/11/08 post about Judas Priest vs the Theater Historical Society Conclave: I was there and can vouch for the story. My recollection is that when we didn’t leave at JP’s first demand, they actually turned up the volume. (I’m not sure how—it was already at “11”.)
I haven’t really been following what’s been going on in Manhattan since I left in the mid 80s—the assault on the few remaining Thomas Lamb houses is disheartening. Is it possible that the only intact Lamb theaters in Manhattan are the Mark Hellinger and the 175th Street?
oops, duh! sorry about that…
Marjoriei, the Yiddish Art is here;
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and The Anderson is here;
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The Fillmore East was not on 12th. It was closer to 6th street.
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Oh, also a Jan 1978 issue of Billboard (searchable via Google Books) discusses CBGB Second Avenue’s opening (it quotes Hilly) and says that the theater had 1700 seats.
What a wonderful thread! Arrived here because I was researching the old Anderson Theater on Second Avenue. A quick correction to an earlier comment: The Anderson was never the Yiddish Art Theatre. That was on 2nd Avenue and 12th street (yup, later the Fillmore East). The Yiddish Art Theatre was built specifically for the Yiddish actor Maurice Schwartz (“Mr Second Avenue”) in 1926, and the space later became the home of the Phoenix Theatre.
Reposting a new link to the one FrankK posted a few years back of interior photos. Images courtesy of Fischer Dachs Associates:
http://fda-online.com/project_detail.php?id=91
The reno was truly fantastic. What a loss to NYC.
Wow, so many people loved this theater/nightclub! Just to mention a few points: When the Academy of Music was turned into the Palladium by the Studio 54 guys – the nightclub was built “within” the theater, the beautiful ornate decor of the theater was still there. I always liked to climb up as far as possible and just sit, listen to the music, and admire the beautiful theater above and around me. In the 1990’s this was probably the largest theater still in NYC, over 3600 seats! (next to Radio City), a part of New York history that amazingly was not landmarked!! So many people complain about the destruction of classic theater buildings of decades ago, they
seem to be horror-struck! – But what happened here?? This building was destroyed in 1998!!! Where was the outcry?? Those at NYU that are responsible for destoying such a beautiful part of New York history, will NEVER BE FORGIVEN for this outrage!!
Great photo as always Brad.
Click here for a photograph of the Academy of Music taken in 1931.
I have started a group on Facebook dedicated to the NY Academy of Music.
Feel free to join in talk about your memories. Post your links and pictures too
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=346585061938
Showing movies as The Palladium in 1975.
View link
Hey, sonoman. I notoce you refer to The Moody Blues as touring with The Kinks in 1965. Though tour posters exist, The Moodys didn’t, in fact, get to tour. Permissions from the US government didn’t come through and they had to cancel. That was the incarnation of The Moody Blues with Denny Laine up front (he later joined Wings with Paul McCartney).
The Kinks went on alone, except for the two concerts at the NY Academy and in Philadeplhia, where they were with The Dave Clark Five.
This was also the tour that had the Kinks banned by the Musicians Union from appearing in the US for four years!
All this is great reading. Cheers
singwell
A great video chronicling the theatre’s days as the Palladium nightclub, a couple of year’s before its demolition:
http://tinyurl.com/yaf5bz8
Many of the older links no longer work above. This site has numerous photos of the interior during its heyday as the Palladium nightclub. The interiors were designed by architect Arata Isozaki.
http://tinyurl.com/2o5wg8
I grew up on the Lower East Side and if you went to the Academy of Music to see a movie, you were really “moving on up”. My mom took me to see “The King & I” w/Yul Brynner (it was just on TCM). We never went to Luchow’s, as she shied away from German food, but the Automat was right down the block at 14th & Union Square, near Klein’s.
View link
“Fire at Fox Academy of Music in 1930 3/20/1930”, Courtesy of Warren