GaryZ, RSearchEtc answered me they don’t have any Manhattan telephone directory yellow pages now, try later, and the other 2 didn’t bother to answer. As I used to live 2 blocks away, I’d walk to the theater and see what was playing. I assume you lived in the neighborhood. Have you gone to http://home.comcast.net/~idreos/H9.html ? It’s about old Washington Heights.
GaryZ, I’m nowhere near the NY Public Library main branch now. I grew up in Washington Heights, but now live in Florida. Thanks for the tip anyway. I e-mailed 3 book sellers including Jumel Terrace Books about an old Manhattan telephone directory yellow pages, I’m still waiting for a reply.
Ed, Are there old telephone directories of Manhattan available? All I remember about the Gem theater, where I first went early in 1952, is that it had rocking seats.
Went to the photographs of the facades and the aerial photographs, the building of the rabbi seems to be 569 West 180th Street, that entrance is closed. On the corner there is an “Ella” store, around the corner on St. Nicholas a sign says “chocolate”, the big clock seems to be gone.
Ed, I remember coming out of our building, at 560 West 180th Street, from 1952 to 1955, you could see a rabbi through the 2nd floor windows of the building right across the street, which must have been 559 to 569 West 180th Street, celebrating his rite with the minimum quorum of men. Maybe in January of 1955 they expanded to a synagogue at 1408 St. Nicholas Avenue, which would have been right around the corner from where he was; it was the same 2nd floor. The Biltmore Cafeteria, pretty large, was on that block of St. Nicholas, which turned to Sterling around 1955; there was a big clock on the sidewalk near 180th Street.
Ed, numbering went up east to west and even numbers were on the south side. Would Empress or Cinema 181 at 544 near Audubon, Lane at 550 and Gem at 564 near St. Nicholas, all on the same south side of the street, fit your calculation of the locations? I lived on 180th Street and saw the back (bare brick) of a movie theater, but I just assumed it was the Lane, which was the biggest of the three, and never gave it much more thought. The post office was at 555. I’m still struggling with the name Empress for the little one at 544 from 1951 to 1957. As you went in, the seats were to the left (east) and the screen to the right (west). I used to go there a lot and don’t recall that name at all.
GaryZ, I lived in the neighborhood from 1951, 6 years, to 1957, before your time. I lived two blocks away and used to go there a lot. While I lived there, that little movie theater at 544 had another name.
Yes, Warren Harris!, that’s what I’ve been saying, when I lived in Washington Heights, from 1951 to 1957, that little movie theater at 544 wasn’t called Empress, it had another name. It must have been “Cinema 181”. Now I can sleep tonight.
I remember this little theater well from 1951 through 1956. I recall seeing “The Man in the Iron Mask” with Louis Hayward there. I used to get vanilla-ice-cream-filled chocolate bon-bons from the vending machine. But that name Empress doesn’t ring a bell at all. When did it have that name “Cinema 181”?
I remember Loew’s 175th from 1951 and it was still a theater in 1957. The “Big Three” railroad-car style diner was across 175th Street, there was a photo studio across Broadway. My cousin worked as an usher there while in high school.
I remember the Lane from 1951 through perhaps 1955. It had a level below ground, with the stairs to the left of the lobby as you went in. I think it became the Howard’s store.
These are the ads I remember from my childhood. Thanks.
GaryZ, RSearchEtc answered me they don’t have any Manhattan telephone directory yellow pages now, try later, and the other 2 didn’t bother to answer. As I used to live 2 blocks away, I’d walk to the theater and see what was playing. I assume you lived in the neighborhood. Have you gone to http://home.comcast.net/~idreos/H9.html ? It’s about old Washington Heights.
GaryZ, I’m nowhere near the NY Public Library main branch now. I grew up in Washington Heights, but now live in Florida. Thanks for the tip anyway. I e-mailed 3 book sellers including Jumel Terrace Books about an old Manhattan telephone directory yellow pages, I’m still waiting for a reply.
I like this view best, because it shows both entrances, old and new, Broadway and 181st Street. I haven’t been in the area in many years.
I’ve been away from the area many years. Isn’t there a single movie theater left in Washington Heights?
Ed, photo 36654 shows the rear auditorium of this theater on Audubon Avenue.
This photograph is duplicated, it also appears as 6233, was favorited by 2 persons and has 23 comments.
GaryZ, Do you know if there are old telephone directories of Manhattan available?
Ed, Are there old telephone directories of Manhattan available? All I remember about the Gem theater, where I first went early in 1952, is that it had rocking seats.
Went to the photographs of the facades and the aerial photographs, the building of the rabbi seems to be 569 West 180th Street, that entrance is closed. On the corner there is an “Ella” store, around the corner on St. Nicholas a sign says “chocolate”, the big clock seems to be gone.
Ed, I remember coming out of our building, at 560 West 180th Street, from 1952 to 1955, you could see a rabbi through the 2nd floor windows of the building right across the street, which must have been 559 to 569 West 180th Street, celebrating his rite with the minimum quorum of men. Maybe in January of 1955 they expanded to a synagogue at 1408 St. Nicholas Avenue, which would have been right around the corner from where he was; it was the same 2nd floor. The Biltmore Cafeteria, pretty large, was on that block of St. Nicholas, which turned to Sterling around 1955; there was a big clock on the sidewalk near 180th Street.
Ed, numbering went up east to west and even numbers were on the south side. Would Empress or Cinema 181 at 544 near Audubon, Lane at 550 and Gem at 564 near St. Nicholas, all on the same south side of the street, fit your calculation of the locations? I lived on 180th Street and saw the back (bare brick) of a movie theater, but I just assumed it was the Lane, which was the biggest of the three, and never gave it much more thought. The post office was at 555. I’m still struggling with the name Empress for the little one at 544 from 1951 to 1957. As you went in, the seats were to the left (east) and the screen to the right (west). I used to go there a lot and don’t recall that name at all.
GaryZ, I lived in the neighborhood from 1951, 6 years, to 1957, before your time. I lived two blocks away and used to go there a lot. While I lived there, that little movie theater at 544 had another name.
Yes, Warren Harris!, that’s what I’ve been saying, when I lived in Washington Heights, from 1951 to 1957, that little movie theater at 544 wasn’t called Empress, it had another name. It must have been “Cinema 181”. Now I can sleep tonight.
I remember this little theater well from 1951 through 1956. I recall seeing “The Man in the Iron Mask” with Louis Hayward there. I used to get vanilla-ice-cream-filled chocolate bon-bons from the vending machine. But that name Empress doesn’t ring a bell at all. When did it have that name “Cinema 181”?
I remember Loew’s 175th from 1951 and it was still a theater in 1957. The “Big Three” railroad-car style diner was across 175th Street, there was a photo studio across Broadway. My cousin worked as an usher there while in high school.
I remember the RKO Coliseum from 1951 and it was still going strong in 1957.
I remember the Heights from 1951 and it was still there in 1957. I saw “Anna Karenina” with Greta Garbo there, and a documentary about Ireland.
I remember the Lane from 1951 through perhaps 1955. It had a level below ground, with the stairs to the left of the lobby as you went in. I think it became the Howard’s store.
I remember the Gem, with its rocking seats, cozy, from 1951 through perhaps 1955.