They were talking about Target, but that fell through, and they are building a new building on Horseblock Rd. There was also talk about a box store, as limovies said (a store like BJ’s or something). I don’t know for sure if there are any definite negotiations in progress right now. It is a well built building and quite large, and only about 20 years old. Once gutted it could become anything that needs all that space, although a warehouse like store would probably be best suited.
Well, they always used the address everywhere of the theater as 600 Sunrise Hway (or South Service Road sometimes) Patchgoue, NY 11772. Mapquest also lists it as in Patchogue not Blue Point. I am not denying that most of the actual physical property is in Blue Point (maybe even the majority of it), but part of the dividing line goes through the property. The part of the property fronting Sunrise Highway is the Patchgoue portion of it, and they always used Patchogue as the mailing address of the theater.
I will look into it tomorrow, as we have tax maps in my office where I can see it.
In every listing I have ever seen it is listed in Patchogue. They met with the residents of Blue Point because it is in the Blue Point school district and it will effect them (there is a small neighborhood in Patchgoue off Waverly Ave that is also Blue Point school district, even though they live in Patchogue).
In addition to the school district reasons for meeting with the residents of Blue Point, they met with them because the houses that abut the movie property are in Blue Point.
The town of Blue Point and Patchogue dividing line goes through the movie propety, but the mailing address of the theater IS Patchogue, and served through the Patchogue post office. Since the entire property as one piece sits partly in Patchogue, and partly in Blue point, once the property is divided up, there will be some that live in Patchgoue, and some that live in Blue Point, although all of the kids are within the Blue Point school district zoning.
Will they fist build the new theater in the parking lot while continuing to operate the old building, or will they shut the theater down completely while construction takes place (which could be quite a while with the time of demolition to the end of new construction).
If it’s anything like the Island 16 in Holtsville, it will be quite nice.
Joe, thanks so much for sharing all your memories!
Yes, while the neighborhood still has quite a way to go, it is improving quite nicely. It’s night and day from just 5 years ago. Who knows what is in store for the next 10+ years. The neighborhood finally has a light at the end of the long dark tunnel it was in.
It’s a shame that arsonists destroyed such a beautiful building, as the Our Lady of Lourdes church..
longislandmovies, the UA Patchogue 13’s address is indeed Patchogue, not Blue Point as you mentioned above. The multiplex property straddles both towns, and is actually in the Blue Point school district, but the mailing address is indeed the Patchogue 11772 part of the property, and what they use as the mailing address. I have never seen it listed as Blue Point, even though a piece of the property is in Blue Point.
See here: http://www.longislandexchange.com/movie.html
The Long Island Advance, which is the “local” papaer that longislandmovies mentioned above, had a pretty cool aerial shot of the UA Patchogue a week or too ago with the article. From the aerial shot you can CLEARLY see the original Sunrise (Patchogue) Drive In structure, and how it’s connected to the current multiplex building.
Gustavelifting, nah, you don’t need to add another theater for the old Sunrise, because the Drive in “IS” the UA Patchogue 13 property.
Any information on the drive-in should be listed here, not in a different section. As we now all know too, even the indoor portion of the old drive-in still exists as one of the theaters of the Patchogue 13 multiplex, so it “is” the same theater. Although if it was in fact called the Sunrise Drive-in, in addition to the Patchogue Drive-In, that should be listed as one of the former names above.
tbdavid, I do agree with what you have said. There are many theaters in New York City, especially Times Square, where in the 70’s and 80’s many of the old theaters went to porn. While many have been demolished with the renassaince that has taken place in New York and especially Times Square, many have now been restored. Porn did keep the some of theaters open, and at least minimally maintained while many were neglected and razed. Now there is not much porn around anymore (especially after fomrer Mayor Guiliani), but a few theaters were spared neglect and demolition because they were kept open in the 70’s and 80’s.
I do agree with some people’s account of the current porn theater market. I see it continuing to decline. In this day and age, the majority of the patrons of porn theaters, especially porn, are probably looking for the sex, not just the movie. Because what with the video, DVD, or computer options available, there is no real other reason to go to a unsanitary theater and risk disease to see porn when you can see it from the safety of one’s own home (although I assume of course there are a few exceptions).
And someone mentioned churches. I believe churches are the best after theater use a theater building can get, if it can no longer be a theater. Churches are the least “damaging” to the integrity of a theater building, than any other use. While, there have been many tasteful conversions of theaters to other things that try to preserve as much as possible, such as the Meserole Theater to a drug store in Brooklyn (they even project sale slides on the old screen area!), with a church even the stage and the seats are preserved! I may not agree with some of preachings of these Evangelical churches, but in many cases, much effort and love has been put in to restoration of these theaters to churches. Sometimes even the Theater organ still remains!
Thank’s Ken. Now I remember which theater this one was. I think I did notice a theater with a Scientology Learning Centre sign on it.
I wish I took photos of all these theaters, as it would have helped me remember.
Thanks.
In the late 80’s or early 90’s, they powerwahed the granite of the fasade and repointed the seams. At that time, they also put new windows in the four windows on the second floor, and you could see that some sort of rooms were behind those windows, but they were probably rooms even when it was a theater. (someone mentioned the upstairs men’s room was behind one of those windows when it was a theater, but I don’t remember who said that or if it is reputible, I think I may have read it here though). Anyway, once Liberty Dept stores took over the Madison, they put a two story sign up on the Madison, and that covered over the row of second floor windows, so they are no longer visable from the street.
Was this ever a “normal” theater showing regular movies? It seems like the ultimate humiliation for a theater to have to become a porn theater.
I confused this theater with Hollywood Blvd (in a post in some theater on Hollywood Blvd I posted I thought I remembered driving by a gay theater on Hollywood Blvd, but it was definitely Santa Monica Blvd now that it comes back a little), for some reason I thought this theater was on Hollywood Blvd, instead of Santa Monica when I drove by. I did so much driving in the two and a half weeks I was there, that it all blends together now. At the time, it seemed like I would remember but, now all the theaters are a blur.
Anyway, the place looked well kept on the exterior, but I wasn’t about to find out what the interior looked like considering the venue it is – and forget about the condition the seats must be in! Yuck! (And I wouldn’t feel any different about the condition of the seats if it was a regular porn theater either – Yuck again!).
AH, that explains it. Of course. Now I get it. The three story part of the Ridgewood is the lobby part of the building, that is the length of the other stores adjoing it on Myrtle.
I don’t believe that has changed. The balcony of the Ridgewood of course is in the actual theater building behind it. Nothing really changed with the multiplexing of the Ridgewood. The front part on Myrtle was untouched for the most part. The balcony was made into three and the auditorium was cut in half downstairs. If not for the front Myrtle Ave part of the building, they probably would list the Ridgewood as a “1” story building even though it has the balcony area.
Back to the Madison…..
I was only in the Madison as a kid in the 70’s, so don’t remember it all that well. Was the lobby a one story lobby with a low ceiling, or did the “grand staircase” open up to a two story lobby (with a high ceiling, such as at the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill?). If that is the case, then there is a fake ceiling in the front too.
The theater looked to be in half way decent shape when I went by last week, although I don’t think it looked anything like the photo above anymore. There where advertisements on the marquee for future events in February in old “movie title” letters.
I passed by the theater the other day and it’s still all boarded up and is in pretty sorry looking shape on the exterior. I wonder how bad the interior has become. It’s hard to believe this theater only closed in 1994 (meaning it must have been still open during my first visit to Hollywood in the early 90’s). It looks like it’s been closed so much longer than that. The last 10 years have not been kind to it.
I have noticed countless abandoned theaters on Hollywood Blvd, I am trying to figure out which one was which. Does this building still exsist, and what’s in it now if it does. There were a number of theaters that were completely abandoned, another that were sort of “performing arts”-like centers, one that had gay porn, a few that were stores, and then of course the famous ones that are still open, like the Chinese, El Captitan, Pantages, etc.
I wish I had time to photograph them while I was there, but didn’t get the time because I was too busy while in the area.
Yeah, that’s what I meant to. (Although the front part of the store’s ceiling has to be right above the drop ceiling, I would assume.
Of course I have no idea if any of the stores ever did anything with the balcony area, although I am sure the seats are ripped out. Perhaps they leveled the floor too, but that would have required them building quite a few feet above the edge of the balcony., which would have been quite costly (it’s not as easy as leveling out a first floor, where in the case of the Oasis they actually filled in the orchestra level with sand right over the seats! A former worker of the Oasis Roller rink mentioned secret rooms where he actually saw the first few rows of seats under the floor!)
Who knows.
Yeah, I guess the city doesn’t consider a balcony level a second level (they don’t in the Commodore section either). Although, interestingly, they Ridgewood is I believe considered three floors, even though the second floor is the balcony (with a third level above that – which could be the reason they say three floors in it’s case).
Thank you. I am so glad that it survives. While I no longer own a record player, I remember my father playing this record when I was a kid. Hopefully, I will be able to find the recording one day on CD (or DVD), as I would like to hear it again. (Either that, or I have to look at yard sales for a record player (although it would be nicer to have a CD anyway).
The RKO Madison was built with a balcony. The balcony was not removed when the theater was converted to retail. The outline of the balcony down the middle of the theater is still there in it’s entirety. The ceiling under the old balcony is a “drop ceiling”, but the original ceiling of the balcony is directly under that. Of course the drop ceiling over the old main auditorium area is of course a “fake ceiling”, hiding the fact that the huge theater ceiling is way above that.
I don’t know if they consider a former balcony (which was not small by any means) as a “floor” of a building, but the grand stairway does lead to the floor that used to be the balcony, and it is there in it’s entirety.
Does anyone know what ever became of Paramount’s organ?
I was looking through some of my father’s old records, and he had an old Christmas record that was recorded in the Paramount theater, with it’s organ. It was so nice sounding, I was wondering if it still existed somewhere.
They were talking about Target, but that fell through, and they are building a new building on Horseblock Rd. There was also talk about a box store, as limovies said (a store like BJ’s or something). I don’t know for sure if there are any definite negotiations in progress right now. It is a well built building and quite large, and only about 20 years old. Once gutted it could become anything that needs all that space, although a warehouse like store would probably be best suited.
Exactly, haha.
Well, they always used the address everywhere of the theater as 600 Sunrise Hway (or South Service Road sometimes) Patchgoue, NY 11772. Mapquest also lists it as in Patchogue not Blue Point. I am not denying that most of the actual physical property is in Blue Point (maybe even the majority of it), but part of the dividing line goes through the property. The part of the property fronting Sunrise Highway is the Patchgoue portion of it, and they always used Patchogue as the mailing address of the theater.
I will look into it tomorrow, as we have tax maps in my office where I can see it.
The California Diner next door to the theater also sits in Patchogue:
California Diner
570 South Service Road
Patchogue, NY 11772
In every listing I have ever seen it is listed in Patchogue. They met with the residents of Blue Point because it is in the Blue Point school district and it will effect them (there is a small neighborhood in Patchgoue off Waverly Ave that is also Blue Point school district, even though they live in Patchogue).
In addition to the school district reasons for meeting with the residents of Blue Point, they met with them because the houses that abut the movie property are in Blue Point.
The town of Blue Point and Patchogue dividing line goes through the movie propety, but the mailing address of the theater IS Patchogue, and served through the Patchogue post office. Since the entire property as one piece sits partly in Patchogue, and partly in Blue point, once the property is divided up, there will be some that live in Patchgoue, and some that live in Blue Point, although all of the kids are within the Blue Point school district zoning.
Will they fist build the new theater in the parking lot while continuing to operate the old building, or will they shut the theater down completely while construction takes place (which could be quite a while with the time of demolition to the end of new construction).
If it’s anything like the Island 16 in Holtsville, it will be quite nice.
Joe, thanks so much for sharing all your memories!
Yes, while the neighborhood still has quite a way to go, it is improving quite nicely. It’s night and day from just 5 years ago. Who knows what is in store for the next 10+ years. The neighborhood finally has a light at the end of the long dark tunnel it was in.
It’s a shame that arsonists destroyed such a beautiful building, as the Our Lady of Lourdes church..
Thanks Joe, I sent a correction to the webmasters so they change my error.
Gustavelifting, we all believe you. And like I said, you can very clearly see it in the aerial photo I mentioned above.
longislandmovies, the UA Patchogue 13’s address is indeed Patchogue, not Blue Point as you mentioned above. The multiplex property straddles both towns, and is actually in the Blue Point school district, but the mailing address is indeed the Patchogue 11772 part of the property, and what they use as the mailing address. I have never seen it listed as Blue Point, even though a piece of the property is in Blue Point.
See here:
http://www.longislandexchange.com/movie.html
The Long Island Advance, which is the “local” papaer that longislandmovies mentioned above, had a pretty cool aerial shot of the UA Patchogue a week or too ago with the article. From the aerial shot you can CLEARLY see the original Sunrise (Patchogue) Drive In structure, and how it’s connected to the current multiplex building.
Gustavelifting, nah, you don’t need to add another theater for the old Sunrise, because the Drive in “IS” the UA Patchogue 13 property.
Any information on the drive-in should be listed here, not in a different section. As we now all know too, even the indoor portion of the old drive-in still exists as one of the theaters of the Patchogue 13 multiplex, so it “is” the same theater. Although if it was in fact called the Sunrise Drive-in, in addition to the Patchogue Drive-In, that should be listed as one of the former names above.
tbdavid, I do agree with what you have said. There are many theaters in New York City, especially Times Square, where in the 70’s and 80’s many of the old theaters went to porn. While many have been demolished with the renassaince that has taken place in New York and especially Times Square, many have now been restored. Porn did keep the some of theaters open, and at least minimally maintained while many were neglected and razed. Now there is not much porn around anymore (especially after fomrer Mayor Guiliani), but a few theaters were spared neglect and demolition because they were kept open in the 70’s and 80’s.
I do agree with some people’s account of the current porn theater market. I see it continuing to decline. In this day and age, the majority of the patrons of porn theaters, especially porn, are probably looking for the sex, not just the movie. Because what with the video, DVD, or computer options available, there is no real other reason to go to a unsanitary theater and risk disease to see porn when you can see it from the safety of one’s own home (although I assume of course there are a few exceptions).
And someone mentioned churches. I believe churches are the best after theater use a theater building can get, if it can no longer be a theater. Churches are the least “damaging” to the integrity of a theater building, than any other use. While, there have been many tasteful conversions of theaters to other things that try to preserve as much as possible, such as the Meserole Theater to a drug store in Brooklyn (they even project sale slides on the old screen area!), with a church even the stage and the seats are preserved! I may not agree with some of preachings of these Evangelical churches, but in many cases, much effort and love has been put in to restoration of these theaters to churches. Sometimes even the Theater organ still remains!
Thank’s Ken. Now I remember which theater this one was. I think I did notice a theater with a Scientology Learning Centre sign on it.
I wish I took photos of all these theaters, as it would have helped me remember.
Thanks.
In the late 80’s or early 90’s, they powerwahed the granite of the fasade and repointed the seams. At that time, they also put new windows in the four windows on the second floor, and you could see that some sort of rooms were behind those windows, but they were probably rooms even when it was a theater. (someone mentioned the upstairs men’s room was behind one of those windows when it was a theater, but I don’t remember who said that or if it is reputible, I think I may have read it here though). Anyway, once Liberty Dept stores took over the Madison, they put a two story sign up on the Madison, and that covered over the row of second floor windows, so they are no longer visable from the street.
The writing for this has been on the wall for some time now.
Was this ever a “normal” theater showing regular movies? It seems like the ultimate humiliation for a theater to have to become a porn theater.
I confused this theater with Hollywood Blvd (in a post in some theater on Hollywood Blvd I posted I thought I remembered driving by a gay theater on Hollywood Blvd, but it was definitely Santa Monica Blvd now that it comes back a little), for some reason I thought this theater was on Hollywood Blvd, instead of Santa Monica when I drove by. I did so much driving in the two and a half weeks I was there, that it all blends together now. At the time, it seemed like I would remember but, now all the theaters are a blur.
Anyway, the place looked well kept on the exterior, but I wasn’t about to find out what the interior looked like considering the venue it is – and forget about the condition the seats must be in! Yuck! (And I wouldn’t feel any different about the condition of the seats if it was a regular porn theater either – Yuck again!).
What is in this building now, if anything, or is it one of the many abandoned, boarded up theaters on Hollywood Blvd?
AH, that explains it. Of course. Now I get it. The three story part of the Ridgewood is the lobby part of the building, that is the length of the other stores adjoing it on Myrtle.
I don’t believe that has changed. The balcony of the Ridgewood of course is in the actual theater building behind it. Nothing really changed with the multiplexing of the Ridgewood. The front part on Myrtle was untouched for the most part. The balcony was made into three and the auditorium was cut in half downstairs. If not for the front Myrtle Ave part of the building, they probably would list the Ridgewood as a “1” story building even though it has the balcony area.
Back to the Madison…..
I was only in the Madison as a kid in the 70’s, so don’t remember it all that well. Was the lobby a one story lobby with a low ceiling, or did the “grand staircase” open up to a two story lobby (with a high ceiling, such as at the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill?). If that is the case, then there is a fake ceiling in the front too.
The theater looked to be in half way decent shape when I went by last week, although I don’t think it looked anything like the photo above anymore. There where advertisements on the marquee for future events in February in old “movie title” letters.
I passed by the theater the other day and it’s still all boarded up and is in pretty sorry looking shape on the exterior. I wonder how bad the interior has become. It’s hard to believe this theater only closed in 1994 (meaning it must have been still open during my first visit to Hollywood in the early 90’s). It looks like it’s been closed so much longer than that. The last 10 years have not been kind to it.
I have noticed countless abandoned theaters on Hollywood Blvd, I am trying to figure out which one was which. Does this building still exsist, and what’s in it now if it does. There were a number of theaters that were completely abandoned, another that were sort of “performing arts”-like centers, one that had gay porn, a few that were stores, and then of course the famous ones that are still open, like the Chinese, El Captitan, Pantages, etc.
I wish I had time to photograph them while I was there, but didn’t get the time because I was too busy while in the area.
Yeah, that’s what I meant to. (Although the front part of the store’s ceiling has to be right above the drop ceiling, I would assume.
Of course I have no idea if any of the stores ever did anything with the balcony area, although I am sure the seats are ripped out. Perhaps they leveled the floor too, but that would have required them building quite a few feet above the edge of the balcony., which would have been quite costly (it’s not as easy as leveling out a first floor, where in the case of the Oasis they actually filled in the orchestra level with sand right over the seats! A former worker of the Oasis Roller rink mentioned secret rooms where he actually saw the first few rows of seats under the floor!)
Who knows.
Yeah, I guess the city doesn’t consider a balcony level a second level (they don’t in the Commodore section either). Although, interestingly, they Ridgewood is I believe considered three floors, even though the second floor is the balcony (with a third level above that – which could be the reason they say three floors in it’s case).
Thank you. I am so glad that it survives. While I no longer own a record player, I remember my father playing this record when I was a kid. Hopefully, I will be able to find the recording one day on CD (or DVD), as I would like to hear it again. (Either that, or I have to look at yard sales for a record player (although it would be nicer to have a CD anyway).
The RKO Madison was built with a balcony. The balcony was not removed when the theater was converted to retail. The outline of the balcony down the middle of the theater is still there in it’s entirety. The ceiling under the old balcony is a “drop ceiling”, but the original ceiling of the balcony is directly under that. Of course the drop ceiling over the old main auditorium area is of course a “fake ceiling”, hiding the fact that the huge theater ceiling is way above that.
I don’t know if they consider a former balcony (which was not small by any means) as a “floor” of a building, but the grand stairway does lead to the floor that used to be the balcony, and it is there in it’s entirety.
Does anyone know what ever became of Paramount’s organ?
I was looking through some of my father’s old records, and he had an old Christmas record that was recorded in the Paramount theater, with it’s organ. It was so nice sounding, I was wondering if it still existed somewhere.