Vic, great hearing from you and I really enjoyed reading your comments. If you can post any of the pictures that you mentioned on this page, I hope you will do so. (I have never been able to master this process.)
If a theater ever did exist here – and the documentation of an old theater that I relied on did not come out of nowhere – I would opt for the small, “v” roofed building, that was once situated just east of 405 Evergreen in what is now part of the parking lot. It provided a link between 405 and the big residential cum restaurant building at the Linden St. corner. You can find it pictured in at least one of the photos that Bway posted above. Did you ever find out anything about this building as part of your research?
Also, did you work here as a member of the church community or was the site being used for anything else during your time there? Finally, do you remember whatever happened to the Mt. Horeb Lodge, which used 405 as its headquarters during the 1970’s and allowed the Bushwick Block Captains to hold their meetings there. I attended many meetings in that building, which the Block Captains for some reason insisted on holding on late Sunday afternoons.
Second finally – Do you remember the old pretzel factory once located around the corner on Linden St?
The 5th picture in the attached series, previously presented on another page by JF Lundy, provides a vintage picture of the Midway which was shot in 1928. There are many other great pictures of Manhattan Ave. in this attachment. Enjoy.
So sorry for getting JF’s name wrong. It is of course JF LUNDY! And, it is a wonderful – not wonderdul – treasure trove that he was kind enough to provide.
The great JF Lufty recently posted the attached on another page. It depicts MANY pictures of 1928 ers Manhattan Avenue, including two rare shots of the Meserole’s one time competitor, the Garden Theatre.
Here is the full e-bay sales ad that JF recently posted on the Phillip’s Lyceum page. This contains many pictures of 1928 Manhattan Avenue, including at least two that depict the Garden Theatre.
This is a real treasure trove that should really be savored.
I don’t think JF’s link went through. Hope mine does.
This picture not only shows the old Garden’s awning but also addresses an item noted by Warren in his 5/23/09 comment. What had seemed to be a vertical theater marquee on the enlarged photo referenced in that comment – which unfortunately has been lost – actually advertised a bank, which was situated just south of the Garden.
Thanks so much JF for these treasures. I will peruse them very closely when I have a chance. I believe you have uncovered a rare view of the very old Garden Theatre. This is a great find!
well, I did what I should have done at the outset and checked the Building Dept. data base. The map was correct, and the old Phillip’s Lyceum was situated at the southeast corner of Monrose Ave. and Leonard St. and is now part of PS 250, with the park being situated across the street. Hopefully, the introduction will be changed accordingly. Sorry.
Upon looking at the map, a possibility exists that the old theater was situated on the southeast side of Montrose and Leonard Street and not, as I initially surmised, on the southwest corner. This would place it within the current confines of PS 250. Before submitting the theater, I checked the school’s address and came across street number in 100-110 range. But since the school covers the entire block from Leonard to Manhattan Avenue, it could also have included the theater’s address. Given the lack of any other information, you really can’t tell for sure.
By the way, PS 250 was also constructed as part of the above noted Urban Renewal project.
When I was a student at Most Holy Trinity High School during the mid-1960’s we would play softball on an asphant covered field that, in all probability, included the old theater’s site.
The Urban Renewal Plan noted in the introduction dratically transformed the area and produced seven twenty-two story apartment buildings, named Lindsey Park, in what had previously been a low scale community dominated by the mighty steeples of Most Holy Trinity Church. While this project did replace some blight and definitely increased the amount of badly needed recreation space, alot was also lost.
Frances Hamburger Sternberg, after whom the park is now named, was a community leader who grew up in the area and lived in Lindsey Park. We both served for many years on Brooklyn Community Board 1. Also, the complex was named after a local City Alderman and NOT after Mayor Lindsey.
This was a small community theater that probably did not or could not adapt to the sound era. Given its close proximity to the plush Republic Theatre – and even the presense of the somewhat better situated “nabe” Nassau Theatre situated a block or so away – this was hardly an irrational business decision. So, the Garden was probably a distant memory when the entire block was destroyed to make way for Robert Moses' BQE in the 1950’s.
I am surprised that this has not been noted on this page previously, but Mayor Bloomberg held his State of the City Speech at this theater earlier today. Though this had nothing cinematic about it – and the Mayor is hardly an idol of the silver screen – it is certainly worth noting.
Bway, you are right. The “odd” building was the old theater. The site manager corrected the initial map discrepency after I had brought it to his attention.
I went ahead and added the Driggs Palace and the Greenpoint Star to the theater listing. The link to the Driggs Palace appears below.
Incidently, I guessed wrong about this old theater’s location. It actually was situated at the northweat corner of Driggs and Newell – just across from the St. Stan’s convent. Part of this structure may still exist.
A perusal of the Building Dept. data does shed some useful light on this item.
First, both 206 and 208 Driggs share a common building lot number. This clearly implies that a single structure, presumably the movie theater, once occupied this site.
Secondly, in 1934, two C of O’s were simultaneously issued for this lot. The first concerned the “New Construction” for a brick residential structure, the current configuration at 206. The second speaks of an “Alteration” involving a one-story commercial building, the situation that currently exists at 208.
Given this, it seems more than plausable that the building that once housed the theater was essentially cut in two at that time, with one half demolished and replaced by the 206 Driggs residence and the other converted to new commercial use at 208 Driggs. If this is the case, the best description for this site could well be “partially demolished”.
This must have been an extremely modest endeavor that probably provided little more than nickleodium type fare to the public during its brief existence. If it did not appear in the Index, I am sure that absolutely no one in Greenpoint would have remembered that a theater once stood here.
Since the facade of the residential building that I referenced in the introduction has been drastically re-worked, it is very difficult to determine its age. (Hopefully, Building Dept. records could shed some light here.) Unless, however, this was, in fact, a really tiny operation, I just do not see how this building could have housed a movie theater. But who knows?
Site manager, there is a problem with the google map. The location should be at the corner of Driggs and Eckford. My address number is correct. Please address.
I held up posting this theater until I had the opportunity to visit the site. The old building – a very modest theater site – definitely still seems to be there.
Upon subsequently consulting the NYC Building Department data, I believe that 257 Driggs may be the more appropriate address for this theater. For one thing, the building only narrowly abuts Driggs at the corner and is mostly situated along Eckford Street. This was probably where the main entrance was situated. In addition, the Buildings Dept’s data indicates a residencial building at 255 Driggs, though I did not identify such a building on my site visit.
My guess is that this was an old fashioned nickleodium type theater that just could not keep up with the competition – especially when the new and modern Winthrop was slated to open a few blocks away in 1923. But, there are still a lot of blanks to fill in about this old place. Please pitch in with your thoughts.
I was able to visit the site today and have much to report.
Bway, I really think that the building at the Grove St. corner (403 Evergreen) was part of the brewery, and was never a movie house. At the second floor level, this structure and the adjacent building, which you referred to as the brewery’s entrance (405 Evergreen), are united by a common walkway. This does not appear to be a recent alteration and, as such, indicates a ong-term connection. More importantly, during my visit, I entered the 403 building, which is a VERY well maintained and recently renovated Pentacostal Church, and asked the attendant about its former use. He noted that its prior role as a brewery was known to the congregation. It is also clear that both this building and the brewery’s old entrance building (405 Evergreen) belong to the same church.
If the old movie house did exist on this block, the only possible candidate is that “mysterious” v-roofed building that was situated between the old Victorian house and the brewery’s entrance. Perhaps the brewery owned this building and packaged it as either an airdrome or a “very” small silent movie house – the type that could not remain economically viable after the early 1920’s. This might also provide further support for the theory that the Linden Garden restaurant and the similarly named airdrome have something in common. Finally, common ownership of the entire site might also have something to do with the unclarity of the street addresses.
So, hopefully we are making someprogress on this issue – or not.
I made a quick site visit earlier today – very quick one since I had to run to the B52 bus to make my next stop. In a nutshell, 208 St. Nicholas is now occupied by a brick building that is very similar to the houses constructed in the late teens and early nineteen-twenties. Thus, this is the buiilding that clearly replaced the Idle Hour Theatre after its demolition.
This is some really great history, Bway. If I can make it out there later today to view the the current site for myself, I will.
The evidence you provided clearly proves that the theater could not have been situated on the site of the current vacant lot at the west side of Linden. With this now off the table, there is precious little land on the rest of the block left to accommodate BOTH a brewery, which had to be a pretty substancial structure, AND the theater. While I certainly agree that the building at Grove very much resembles the other “nabe” theaters noted on your previous comment, one can also easily imagine a brewery operating out of it. Given all this, the possibility that the New Linden was actually situated on the EAST side of Linden increases, though obviously nothing difinitive can be stated at this time.
The fact that the actual address of the New Linden may not match the current one is not necessarily a difinitive disqualifier. Street number designations did change over time, and sometimes the occupants just used the wrong number. (For decades, the DeKalb branch of the Brooklyn Public Library used the Bushwick Ave. address actually assigned to the building situated across the street!) With this in mind, it is interesting to note that the first picture appearing on your B'klyn Genealogy (BG) link cites a 404 Evergreen Ave. address for the old Victorian building/restaurant. This address now clearly would place it on the Southside of Evergreen. So this citation either represents a prior address designation – or an outright error. The same could clearly have ocurred with the New Linden.
Also, if you look at the second picture in the BG link, which was probably shot in the mid-late 1920’s, and scroll to the right, you will see that the restaurant at the Linden corner had been re-named the Linden Garden at about that time. This was, of course, the same name as the Linden Garden Airdrome! Whether this provides some link to the old theater’s existence or is merely coincidential is an open question. But it is certainly worth mentioning.
Let me now end this long post with an innnocent off-topic tidbit. Just north of the restaurant on Linden is a small one story taxpayer building. In the late 1970’s – and probably even a bit later – it housed a pretzel factory. During my District Manager days with the community board, I would frequently pass by this place on my way to work and, almost as frequently, buy three warm and very tasty pretzels – for a quarter! While this provided no benefits to my waistline, I will always remember the wonderful taste of the pretzels, which I eagerly consumed with my morning cup of coffee.
I think the cross streets were Linden and Gates – on the south and – now Brooklyn – side. I am sure that nothing cinematic has existed here for many decades, certainly not since this site joined the County of Kings!
BB, I vaguely remember the place, which I believe was considered to be something of a dive, though I doubt if I ever went there. While I grew up across the street from St. Stans at 606 Humboldt, by the time that I started to frequent bars, my family had moved to Morgan Ave. and had a different selection to choose from. At the time, there was literally a saloon on every block in Greenpoint. They were as much a part of the neighborhood as were – well – the local movie houses.
Bway, at one time, I thought that the building you referenced might have been the old opera house, but I don’t think this is the case for at least two reasons. First, it is situated at the southwest corner of these two streets while the Index places it at or near the northwest corner. (Not an absolute disqualifier but still pretty significant.) Second – and more importantly – in checking some of the Building Dept. info for this site, I just do not think that the current building is that old.
With that said, I very fondly remember this building as the home of the New Garden Chinese Restaurant. It was, at the time – late 50’s/early 60’s – just about the only restaurant in Greenpoint that was not a diner. While, in retrospect, the quality of the food was pretty poor – their best dish was breaded veal cutlet, which was very tasty – we didn’t know the difference and thought it was a real classy place. The grand staircase leading to this second floor establishment made it seem almost regal!) At one time – before my time but well within my parants memory – this large restaurant hosted dance parties. This proved to be a harbinger for the future, since the place now hosts a Polish nightclub.
I think the old opera house was actually situated between the Greenpoint Y and Manhattan Ave. As a review of the goggle map indicates, nothing of interest currently exists in this area.
Vic, great hearing from you and I really enjoyed reading your comments. If you can post any of the pictures that you mentioned on this page, I hope you will do so. (I have never been able to master this process.)
If a theater ever did exist here – and the documentation of an old theater that I relied on did not come out of nowhere – I would opt for the small, “v” roofed building, that was once situated just east of 405 Evergreen in what is now part of the parking lot. It provided a link between 405 and the big residential cum restaurant building at the Linden St. corner. You can find it pictured in at least one of the photos that Bway posted above. Did you ever find out anything about this building as part of your research?
Also, did you work here as a member of the church community or was the site being used for anything else during your time there? Finally, do you remember whatever happened to the Mt. Horeb Lodge, which used 405 as its headquarters during the 1970’s and allowed the Bushwick Block Captains to hold their meetings there. I attended many meetings in that building, which the Block Captains for some reason insisted on holding on late Sunday afternoons.
Second finally – Do you remember the old pretzel factory once located around the corner on Linden St?
Hope to hear from you very soon.
The 5th picture in the attached series, previously presented on another page by JF Lundy, provides a vintage picture of the Midway which was shot in 1928. There are many other great pictures of Manhattan Ave. in this attachment. Enjoy.
View link
So sorry for getting JF’s name wrong. It is of course JF LUNDY! And, it is a wonderful – not wonderdul – treasure trove that he was kind enough to provide.
The great JF Lufty recently posted the attached on another page. It depicts MANY pictures of 1928 ers Manhattan Avenue, including two rare shots of the Meserole’s one time competitor, the Garden Theatre.
Please enjoy this wonderdul treasure trove.
View link
Here is the full e-bay sales ad that JF recently posted on the Phillip’s Lyceum page. This contains many pictures of 1928 Manhattan Avenue, including at least two that depict the Garden Theatre.
This is a real treasure trove that should really be savored.
Thanks JF!
View link
I don’t think JF’s link went through. Hope mine does.
This picture not only shows the old Garden’s awning but also addresses an item noted by Warren in his 5/23/09 comment. What had seemed to be a vertical theater marquee on the enlarged photo referenced in that comment – which unfortunately has been lost – actually advertised a bank, which was situated just south of the Garden.
View link
Thanks so much JF for these treasures. I will peruse them very closely when I have a chance. I believe you have uncovered a rare view of the very old Garden Theatre. This is a great find!
well, I did what I should have done at the outset and checked the Building Dept. data base. The map was correct, and the old Phillip’s Lyceum was situated at the southeast corner of Monrose Ave. and Leonard St. and is now part of PS 250, with the park being situated across the street. Hopefully, the introduction will be changed accordingly. Sorry.
Upon looking at the map, a possibility exists that the old theater was situated on the southeast side of Montrose and Leonard Street and not, as I initially surmised, on the southwest corner. This would place it within the current confines of PS 250. Before submitting the theater, I checked the school’s address and came across street number in 100-110 range. But since the school covers the entire block from Leonard to Manhattan Avenue, it could also have included the theater’s address. Given the lack of any other information, you really can’t tell for sure.
By the way, PS 250 was also constructed as part of the above noted Urban Renewal project.
When I was a student at Most Holy Trinity High School during the mid-1960’s we would play softball on an asphant covered field that, in all probability, included the old theater’s site.
The Urban Renewal Plan noted in the introduction dratically transformed the area and produced seven twenty-two story apartment buildings, named Lindsey Park, in what had previously been a low scale community dominated by the mighty steeples of Most Holy Trinity Church. While this project did replace some blight and definitely increased the amount of badly needed recreation space, alot was also lost.
Frances Hamburger Sternberg, after whom the park is now named, was a community leader who grew up in the area and lived in Lindsey Park. We both served for many years on Brooklyn Community Board 1. Also, the complex was named after a local City Alderman and NOT after Mayor Lindsey.
This was a small community theater that probably did not or could not adapt to the sound era. Given its close proximity to the plush Republic Theatre – and even the presense of the somewhat better situated “nabe” Nassau Theatre situated a block or so away – this was hardly an irrational business decision. So, the Garden was probably a distant memory when the entire block was destroyed to make way for Robert Moses' BQE in the 1950’s.
I am surprised that this has not been noted on this page previously, but Mayor Bloomberg held his State of the City Speech at this theater earlier today. Though this had nothing cinematic about it – and the Mayor is hardly an idol of the silver screen – it is certainly worth noting.
Bway, you are right. The “odd” building was the old theater. The site manager corrected the initial map discrepency after I had brought it to his attention.
Here is the link to the Greenpoint Star’s page. Hope you enjoy it.
/theaters/34820/
I went ahead and added the Driggs Palace and the Greenpoint Star to the theater listing. The link to the Driggs Palace appears below.
Incidently, I guessed wrong about this old theater’s location. It actually was situated at the northweat corner of Driggs and Newell – just across from the St. Stan’s convent. Part of this structure may still exist.
/theaters/34823/
A perusal of the Building Dept. data does shed some useful light on this item.
First, both 206 and 208 Driggs share a common building lot number. This clearly implies that a single structure, presumably the movie theater, once occupied this site.
Secondly, in 1934, two C of O’s were simultaneously issued for this lot. The first concerned the “New Construction” for a brick residential structure, the current configuration at 206. The second speaks of an “Alteration” involving a one-story commercial building, the situation that currently exists at 208.
Given this, it seems more than plausable that the building that once housed the theater was essentially cut in two at that time, with one half demolished and replaced by the 206 Driggs residence and the other converted to new commercial use at 208 Driggs. If this is the case, the best description for this site could well be “partially demolished”.
This must have been an extremely modest endeavor that probably provided little more than nickleodium type fare to the public during its brief existence. If it did not appear in the Index, I am sure that absolutely no one in Greenpoint would have remembered that a theater once stood here.
Since the facade of the residential building that I referenced in the introduction has been drastically re-worked, it is very difficult to determine its age. (Hopefully, Building Dept. records could shed some light here.) Unless, however, this was, in fact, a really tiny operation, I just do not see how this building could have housed a movie theater. But who knows?
Site manager, there is a problem with the google map. The location should be at the corner of Driggs and Eckford. My address number is correct. Please address.
I held up posting this theater until I had the opportunity to visit the site. The old building – a very modest theater site – definitely still seems to be there.
Upon subsequently consulting the NYC Building Department data, I believe that 257 Driggs may be the more appropriate address for this theater. For one thing, the building only narrowly abuts Driggs at the corner and is mostly situated along Eckford Street. This was probably where the main entrance was situated. In addition, the Buildings Dept’s data indicates a residencial building at 255 Driggs, though I did not identify such a building on my site visit.
My guess is that this was an old fashioned nickleodium type theater that just could not keep up with the competition – especially when the new and modern Winthrop was slated to open a few blocks away in 1923. But, there are still a lot of blanks to fill in about this old place. Please pitch in with your thoughts.
I was able to visit the site today and have much to report.
Bway, I really think that the building at the Grove St. corner (403 Evergreen) was part of the brewery, and was never a movie house. At the second floor level, this structure and the adjacent building, which you referred to as the brewery’s entrance (405 Evergreen), are united by a common walkway. This does not appear to be a recent alteration and, as such, indicates a ong-term connection. More importantly, during my visit, I entered the 403 building, which is a VERY well maintained and recently renovated Pentacostal Church, and asked the attendant about its former use. He noted that its prior role as a brewery was known to the congregation. It is also clear that both this building and the brewery’s old entrance building (405 Evergreen) belong to the same church.
If the old movie house did exist on this block, the only possible candidate is that “mysterious” v-roofed building that was situated between the old Victorian house and the brewery’s entrance. Perhaps the brewery owned this building and packaged it as either an airdrome or a “very” small silent movie house – the type that could not remain economically viable after the early 1920’s. This might also provide further support for the theory that the Linden Garden restaurant and the similarly named airdrome have something in common. Finally, common ownership of the entire site might also have something to do with the unclarity of the street addresses.
So, hopefully we are making someprogress on this issue – or not.
I made a quick site visit earlier today – very quick one since I had to run to the B52 bus to make my next stop. In a nutshell, 208 St. Nicholas is now occupied by a brick building that is very similar to the houses constructed in the late teens and early nineteen-twenties. Thus, this is the buiilding that clearly replaced the Idle Hour Theatre after its demolition.
This is some really great history, Bway. If I can make it out there later today to view the the current site for myself, I will.
The evidence you provided clearly proves that the theater could not have been situated on the site of the current vacant lot at the west side of Linden. With this now off the table, there is precious little land on the rest of the block left to accommodate BOTH a brewery, which had to be a pretty substancial structure, AND the theater. While I certainly agree that the building at Grove very much resembles the other “nabe” theaters noted on your previous comment, one can also easily imagine a brewery operating out of it. Given all this, the possibility that the New Linden was actually situated on the EAST side of Linden increases, though obviously nothing difinitive can be stated at this time.
The fact that the actual address of the New Linden may not match the current one is not necessarily a difinitive disqualifier. Street number designations did change over time, and sometimes the occupants just used the wrong number. (For decades, the DeKalb branch of the Brooklyn Public Library used the Bushwick Ave. address actually assigned to the building situated across the street!) With this in mind, it is interesting to note that the first picture appearing on your B'klyn Genealogy (BG) link cites a 404 Evergreen Ave. address for the old Victorian building/restaurant. This address now clearly would place it on the Southside of Evergreen. So this citation either represents a prior address designation – or an outright error. The same could clearly have ocurred with the New Linden.
Also, if you look at the second picture in the BG link, which was probably shot in the mid-late 1920’s, and scroll to the right, you will see that the restaurant at the Linden corner had been re-named the Linden Garden at about that time. This was, of course, the same name as the Linden Garden Airdrome! Whether this provides some link to the old theater’s existence or is merely coincidential is an open question. But it is certainly worth mentioning.
Let me now end this long post with an innnocent off-topic tidbit. Just north of the restaurant on Linden is a small one story taxpayer building. In the late 1970’s – and probably even a bit later – it housed a pretzel factory. During my District Manager days with the community board, I would frequently pass by this place on my way to work and, almost as frequently, buy three warm and very tasty pretzels – for a quarter! While this provided no benefits to my waistline, I will always remember the wonderful taste of the pretzels, which I eagerly consumed with my morning cup of coffee.
Talk soon.
I think the cross streets were Linden and Gates – on the south and – now Brooklyn – side. I am sure that nothing cinematic has existed here for many decades, certainly not since this site joined the County of Kings!
BB, I vaguely remember the place, which I believe was considered to be something of a dive, though I doubt if I ever went there. While I grew up across the street from St. Stans at 606 Humboldt, by the time that I started to frequent bars, my family had moved to Morgan Ave. and had a different selection to choose from. At the time, there was literally a saloon on every block in Greenpoint. They were as much a part of the neighborhood as were – well – the local movie houses.
Bway, at one time, I thought that the building you referenced might have been the old opera house, but I don’t think this is the case for at least two reasons. First, it is situated at the southwest corner of these two streets while the Index places it at or near the northwest corner. (Not an absolute disqualifier but still pretty significant.) Second – and more importantly – in checking some of the Building Dept. info for this site, I just do not think that the current building is that old.
With that said, I very fondly remember this building as the home of the New Garden Chinese Restaurant. It was, at the time – late 50’s/early 60’s – just about the only restaurant in Greenpoint that was not a diner. While, in retrospect, the quality of the food was pretty poor – their best dish was breaded veal cutlet, which was very tasty – we didn’t know the difference and thought it was a real classy place. The grand staircase leading to this second floor establishment made it seem almost regal!) At one time – before my time but well within my parants memory – this large restaurant hosted dance parties. This proved to be a harbinger for the future, since the place now hosts a Polish nightclub.
I think the old opera house was actually situated between the Greenpoint Y and Manhattan Ave. As a review of the goggle map indicates, nothing of interest currently exists in this area.