Ridgewood Theatre

55-27 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood, NY 11385

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Showing 326 - 350 of 2,835 comments

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 23, 2010 at 1:34 pm

You’re welcome. I know LM sent me a photo of the old Majestic Theater on Seneca Avenue between Greene Ave and Harman St in Ridgewood, that I printed out, and shared with friends and family.

NativeForestHiller
NativeForestHiller on June 23, 2010 at 1:32 pm

ok, thank you, Peter!

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 23, 2010 at 1:18 pm

I might have something from spring 2004. I would have to check.

NativeForestHiller
NativeForestHiller on June 23, 2010 at 1:01 pm

I add my name to those who miss LostMemory’s postings on Cinema Treasures, and I hope he is in good health. Maybe someone has his phone number or e-mail? If you know his name, and would like to e-mail me in private at then please do.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 23, 2010 at 8:44 am

You and me both, John D.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on June 22, 2010 at 7:19 pm

Re Lost Memory, the problem is that he has not submitted anything since very early 2010. His most recent post re the Howard to which East Coast Rocker refers was actually submitted in the first half of 2009. So, the question of where LM is – and HOW he is – remains an open one. Hope, on my part, that he is doing very fine.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 22, 2010 at 9:22 am

You’re welcome, John D.

Thanks for the skinny on Gimme da Ma Ma Ma(Ken), East Coast Rocker.

In honor of Lost Memory :

MURRAY THE K’S SWINGIN' SOIREE IS NOW IN SESSION !!!!!

EcRocker
EcRocker on June 21, 2010 at 10:38 pm

John he pops up when you least expect it. I have been to other theatre listings on here and he responded out of the blue. He did that for the Howard Theatre in Wash DC that is being renovated from a vaudeville /movie theatre to a dinner/ dance type theatre. The Howard in it’s hey dey had some of the biggest act play there. Primarily black jazz R&B and blues.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on June 21, 2010 at 8:24 pm

At the risk of provoking an avalanche of comments – just as occurred when I asked the same question about Warren last year – does anyone know what has become of Lost Memory? He has not, to the best of my not so lost memory, posted anything for quite a while. Perhaps the list of organs that were installed in old movie houses finally ran out! Seriously, I hope he is doing well – and I very much hope to hear from him soon.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on June 21, 2010 at 8:14 pm

Thanks for the update, Peter. By the way, the stuff that suddenly appears and disappears inside the outer lobby gate belongs to the site manager, who uses the place as an outdoor storage bin. When I last passed by, the area was filled with air conditioners and auto tires. These miraculously were gone by the time of your visit. So this is not much of a mystery.

NativeForestHiller
NativeForestHiller on June 21, 2010 at 3:41 pm

We haven’t abandoned hope. As Chair of Friends of The Ridgewood Theatre, I am always trying to bring together preservation-minded performing arts tenants with the co-owners of the theater.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 21, 2010 at 3:10 pm

Not so far, at least.

larry
larry on June 21, 2010 at 3:09 pm

It seems very obvious that nothing is going to happen here.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 21, 2010 at 2:34 pm

I walked by the Ridgewood Theatre at about 10 a.m. this past Friday June 18 2010. No change since my last visit on May 21, 2010, except that the stuff between the outer lobby gate and inner lobby doors was gone.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 21, 2010 at 11:02 am

Eloquently put, East Coast Rocker. Thanks.

EcRocker
EcRocker on June 20, 2010 at 6:01 pm

View link

It is the most ironic ruin of Detroit. Nowhere is the automobile more triumphant than here. Yet this site contains a double irony for it here that Henry Ford created his first car in a tiny shop that once stood on this site.

After going to that site and seeing what was done I would have rather in this case tore it down. It was hard to look at. Almost as bad as seeing the High Rise dorm that NYU put up where the Academy of Music used to stand

Panzer65
Panzer65 on June 16, 2010 at 5:02 pm

Indeed but there’s one distinct difference….The Michigan was a palace style venue that has been desecrated, while the Richmond Hill is a perfect example of a functioning neighborhood style movie house…I hope they protect it in some way..and when they do, it should remain untouched as a throwback to the way movies were meant to be viewed.

Panzer65
Panzer65 on June 16, 2010 at 5:02 pm

Indeed but there’s one distinct difference….The Michigan was a palace style venue that has been desecrated, while the Richmond Hill is a perfect example of a functioning neighborhood style movie house…I hope they protect it in some way..and when they do, it should remain untouched as a throwback to the way movies were meant to be viewed.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 16, 2010 at 4:58 pm

I’m not sure about the plans for turning the RKO Madison into a parking garage.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 16, 2010 at 4:57 pm

I just looked at the Michigan Theatre photos. It’s surreal. It still looks like an old theater inside, except when you look down and see the parking lot. Just like the RKO Keith’s Richmond Hill. It still looks like an old theatre inside, until you look down and see a flea market instead of aisles and rows of theatre seats.

Panzer65
Panzer65 on June 16, 2010 at 4:55 pm

Extending the train route that runs along Myrtle ave would definitely bring much vibrancy to the shopping district, and perhaps less parking problems. If this plan was already completed, the Ridgewood would no doubt still be an active cinema.

One more thing about the proposed parking garage, I remember reading the RKO Madison page that after its demise, the same proposal was destined for the Madison also?

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on June 16, 2010 at 4:48 pm

Good point, Panzer65. Thanks.

You’ve reminded me that most of the development of Ridgewood was brought about by the extension of the Myrtle Avenue el from Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues, first to Fresh Pond Road, then finally to Metropolitan Avenue.

Panzer65
Panzer65 on June 16, 2010 at 4:44 pm

Indeed Peter, New York being a city that evolved by way of the train and trolley, its planners never realized that the automobile would dominate as the prime source of transportation.As with classic movie houses, their existence would only flourish for a short time until the the dawn of the television age. That being said,most older NYC infrastructure cannot support such vehicle activity. That being said, the best solution is to build municipal parking garages where feasible, without compromising historic structures. The city should look into revenue generating methods of vehicle parking facilities, instead of so many residential buildings.