The former Loew’s Valencia (one of the 5 Loew’s “Wonder” theaters in NYC) is now known as the Tabernacle of Prayer. The church has done a great job of keeping the interior in immaculate condition (although, I believe some of the nudity and more risque depictions in it’s statuary and ornamentation have been discretely concealed). The intricately detailed exterior facade of the theater was obscured by the elevated tracks of the J train for just about it’s entire existence as a movie theater. Around the time of it’s closing, the tracks along Jamaica Avenue were removed and the glory of the theater’s exterior architecture revealed.
The location is Jamaica Ave just West of Merrick Blvd. The last movie to play here was “The Greatest” starring Muhammad Ali.
The Kieth’s was an absolutely spectacular theater. Even as a triplex, seeing a film here (particularly in the intact balcony auditorium) was a special treat. The theater actually survivied until 1986, when it was closed by the local real estate magnate and vandal who attempted to gut the theater despite it’s official landmark status and convert the space into a retail mall. There has been much legal and civic turmoil regarding it’s fate over the last 17 years. The operators of the nearby historic Flushing Town Hall have been rumored to be interested in acquiring the theater to restore it to legitemate use as a cultural center, but any efforts there have been thwarted by legal entanglements and lack of funding.
Recently, a deal was announced whereby a commercial interest would redevelop the site for mixed usage but would restore the theater’s landmarked sections to their original glory. Unfortunately, NYC officials did not have the wisdom to give landmark status to the gorgeous auditorium (with it’s atmospheric Moroccan details), but at least the stunning lobby and grand foyer will be preserved under the new plan. I wonder if such a restoration would include a replica of the original fountain that was the centerpiece of the lobby. It was removed years before the landmark commission ever considered the theater for designation, replaced by a large candy-counter.
Minor correction: The Harris remained an active movie house into the very early ‘90’s. It was the very last of the original 42nd street playhouses turned 24-hour movie grindhouses to be closed and reclaimed by the 42nd Street redevelopment project.
This theater still sits vacant and boarded up with a “for lease” sign on the marquee. I have a photo of it’s exterior that I will try to upload to this site if I can get a good scan.
Some more details: The UA Lefrak was located on 99th Street just north of the Long Island Expressway to service the large apartment complex called Lefrak City. It was known as the Cinema Bombay when it converted to Bollywood fare in the 1980’s. My guess is the theater dated to the early 60’s.
The Corona Theater is not the same as the now-Spanish language Plaza. The Corona was located on Junction Blvd just north of Roosevelt Avenue. When I was a boy growing up a just a few blocks away from this theater in the early ‘70’s, the theater was used as a bingo hall. The shell of the building is still clearly identifiable from the elevated train platform on Roosevelt, but the marquee is long gone and the former entrance converted to retail space.
The Plaza, is located on Roosevelt Avenue and 103rd street (about 10 blocks east of The Corona), and is so named because it is set back from Roosevelt on a small concrete plaza. It was twinned sometime in the ‘80’s.
Just a note to correct the theater history: Rock impresario Bill Graham took control of the Village Theater and dubbed it the Fillmore East in 1968, not ‘66. The opening night headlined Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin. Graham closed the Fillmore East (and it’s sister Fillmore West in San Francisco) in the 1971. I’m not sure what the history of the building was between that time and it’s reopening as The Saint in 1980. The theater was located on 2nd Avenue between East 6th and East 7th. I believe the narrow 2nd Avenue facade remains more or less the unaltered.
If we’re talking about the Floral Terrace catering hall on Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park, this was once the Floral Theater. It must have been a beauty. The outside of the building is instantly recognizable as an old movie-theater. Most of the original architectural elements appear lost in the conversion with the spectacular exception of the upper reaches of the auditorium’s magnificent arched ceiling, which you can practically reach up and touch if you attend a function in the upper ballroom. The top of the proscenium arch is clearly identifiable and a serving bar is cleverly ensconced in an alcove formed by the crowning arch of what might have been a side-box? This theater must easily go back to the 1920’s.
Theater is located on Broadway between 75th and 76th streets. It is well maintained, with all most of the architectural elements intact, however, there are some incredibly large murals over the exit doors on either side of the proscenium that have been obscured by what must be decades of dust and smoke from cigarettes, pipes and self-rolled materials of all origin. I would love to see these restored so that I could discern just exactly what it is they are supposed to depict! A gorgeous theater, nonetheless. The best place in NYC to see a concert, in my humble opinion.
This theater was the westernmost theater (closest to 8th Ave) on the south side of 42nd street located more or less on the spot where the shell of the old Empire Theater was relocated
The theater has been lovingly restored to it’s original luster after many years as a typical 42nd Street grind-house. The original lobby occupied the ground floor of the 5 or 6 story Selwyn building, which collapsed while renovations were being made to the theater in December of 1999 (just days before the huge annual New Years Eve celebration in Times Square — making cleanup and safety concerns a pressing concern). As I recall the theater from the ‘70’s and '80’s, there was a huge boxy marquee that ran the entire width of the Selwyn building… and just to the right of the theater entrance (but still under the marquee), one could grab a quick bite or soft-drink at the VERY greasy-spoon diner called The Grand. On the exposed east-side brick wall of the Selwyn theater could be seen a large but fading mural advertising the pleasures of enjoying a fine movie at one of 42nd Street’s many air-conditioned theaters. I have a photo of it somewhere. If I can find it and get a good scan, I’ll email it to this site’s host.
Located on East 14th street opposite Irving Place (between Park/4th Ave and Third Ave). It opened as a concert hall, if I’m not mistaken, before turning to movies and then back to concerts by the 1970’s (though rock and pop, rather than the classical and chamber pieces for which it was intended). It was re-christened the Palladium in 1976 with a concert by The Band, who were on their last tour and just weeks away from their farewell “Last Waltz” concert in San Francisco. By the mid ‘80’s, the concert hall gave way to a discotheque, with the orchestra seats stripped out and the floor leveled for dancing (similar to how Studio 54 was created out of the Gallo Opera House and The Academy out of the 42nd Street Apollo Theater). Like the old Loews Commodore (later known as the Fillmore East) on 2nd Avenue and East 6th, this building was razed to make way for the expansion of a local university.
In the 1970’s, my grandfather took me to see the original 1933 King Kong at the DW Griffith (as it was known at the time). This was a newly reconstructed version of the movie that had restored several minutes (Kong stripping Fay Wray on his mountain perch, Kong trampling and chewing on several humans, etc) that had been cut from the film for its post-Hayes Office theatrical re-release. The film ran at this theater for a number of weeks. Admission for the first week or so was 10 cents, in honor of 1933 ticket prices. It is located on East 59th between 2nd and 3rd Aves.
I’m not sure I’m thinking of the right theater (I’m fairly confident), but I believe this is the first theater in which I was able to purchase a fresh cup of coffee from the small concession stand that was situated almost as soon as you walked through the outer doors. Coffee maybe fairly commonplace in NYC art houses, but my memory of this theater’s concessions goes back at least 20 years.
This theater was divided into a quartet in the 1970’s (by twinning both the orchestra and balcony areas) and remained as such until closed for renovations in the late 90’s. While it is sad that the original architecture is lost, the Midway happens to be one of the cleanest and best run cinemas in Queens, featuring excellent site lines due to it’s stadium-style seating plans, comfortable rocker-seats and high quality projection and sound systems.
The Thalia is now known as the Leonard Nimoy Thalia, as the former Mr. Spock was evidently a significant benefactor of the theaters renovations. It is located at Broadway and West 95th street. And the strange slope of the auditorium was that it sloped UP TOWARDS the screen!!! I do not know if this peculiarity survives the renovations.
During the very early stages of the redevelopment of 42nd street and Times Square maybe 10 or 12 years ago, I believe the outer lobby of the Rialto was used as a crude and temporary Visitors Information center or perhaps a volunteer center with information available about the plans to clean up and reclaim the area. Today, the shell of the old Newsreel Theater (later known as the Embassy 1) serves as the official Times Square Visitors Information Center. Anyway, I remember my Grandfather telling me that this is the theater where many of those classic Universal horror films (Dracula, Frankenstein) of the 30’s and 40’s would premier.
I remember standing in line as a small child with my grandfather at Christmas time to see whatever movie happened to be playing along with the Rockettes Holiday show. There used to be a big Easter Show as well. Those lines would wind down 50th street and then turn into Rockefeller Plaza zig-zag back and forth like those ridiculous queues in Disney World during peak periods. Having been to Radio City years before I ever set foot in a theme park, I had never experienced the like before. I still have the souvenir program for what was to have been the final movie presentation at Radio City (a Prince and the Pauper story entitled “Crossed Swords”) back in 1978. Luckily, I never peeled off the “Final Attraction” sticker affixed to the front cover, even though the closing of the theater (temporary as it would be) wound up being delayed and at least one or two other features played there before it was reborn as a concert and special event venue.
Another stunning restoration on 42nd street (along with the New Amsterdam right across the street). Actually, this restoration preceded Disney’s restoration of the New Amsterdam by a year or two. The theater is a gorgeous little jewel-box that serves as a year-round center for children’s and family oriented entertainment. We take the kids in to about 4 or 5 shows here each year and have never been disappointed. Hard to imagine that this was once a porno theater.
A historical note: Not only was this Broadway’s first burlesque house, but it was the home of the fabled “Minsky’s Follies” until then Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia shut it down during his very public crackdown on vice in the City during the 1940’s. It was renamed Victory in a nod to the groundswell of patriotism felt across the nation during the 2nd World War.
The building is located on Broadway and 147th Street.
I remember this as both Mann’s National
The former Loew’s Valencia (one of the 5 Loew’s “Wonder” theaters in NYC) is now known as the Tabernacle of Prayer. The church has done a great job of keeping the interior in immaculate condition (although, I believe some of the nudity and more risque depictions in it’s statuary and ornamentation have been discretely concealed). The intricately detailed exterior facade of the theater was obscured by the elevated tracks of the J train for just about it’s entire existence as a movie theater. Around the time of it’s closing, the tracks along Jamaica Avenue were removed and the glory of the theater’s exterior architecture revealed.
The location is Jamaica Ave just West of Merrick Blvd. The last movie to play here was “The Greatest” starring Muhammad Ali.
The theater is also on the National Register of Historic Places and is situated on Northern Boulevard opposite Main Street.
The Kieth’s was an absolutely spectacular theater. Even as a triplex, seeing a film here (particularly in the intact balcony auditorium) was a special treat. The theater actually survivied until 1986, when it was closed by the local real estate magnate and vandal who attempted to gut the theater despite it’s official landmark status and convert the space into a retail mall. There has been much legal and civic turmoil regarding it’s fate over the last 17 years. The operators of the nearby historic Flushing Town Hall have been rumored to be interested in acquiring the theater to restore it to legitemate use as a cultural center, but any efforts there have been thwarted by legal entanglements and lack of funding.
Recently, a deal was announced whereby a commercial interest would redevelop the site for mixed usage but would restore the theater’s landmarked sections to their original glory. Unfortunately, NYC officials did not have the wisdom to give landmark status to the gorgeous auditorium (with it’s atmospheric Moroccan details), but at least the stunning lobby and grand foyer will be preserved under the new plan. I wonder if such a restoration would include a replica of the original fountain that was the centerpiece of the lobby. It was removed years before the landmark commission ever considered the theater for designation, replaced by a large candy-counter.
Minor correction: The Harris remained an active movie house into the very early ‘90’s. It was the very last of the original 42nd street playhouses turned 24-hour movie grindhouses to be closed and reclaimed by the 42nd Street redevelopment project.
This theater still sits vacant and boarded up with a “for lease” sign on the marquee. I have a photo of it’s exterior that I will try to upload to this site if I can get a good scan.
Some more details: The UA Lefrak was located on 99th Street just north of the Long Island Expressway to service the large apartment complex called Lefrak City. It was known as the Cinema Bombay when it converted to Bollywood fare in the 1980’s. My guess is the theater dated to the early 60’s.
The Corona Theater is not the same as the now-Spanish language Plaza. The Corona was located on Junction Blvd just north of Roosevelt Avenue. When I was a boy growing up a just a few blocks away from this theater in the early ‘70’s, the theater was used as a bingo hall. The shell of the building is still clearly identifiable from the elevated train platform on Roosevelt, but the marquee is long gone and the former entrance converted to retail space.
The Plaza, is located on Roosevelt Avenue and 103rd street (about 10 blocks east of The Corona), and is so named because it is set back from Roosevelt on a small concrete plaza. It was twinned sometime in the ‘80’s.
Just a note to correct the theater history: Rock impresario Bill Graham took control of the Village Theater and dubbed it the Fillmore East in 1968, not ‘66. The opening night headlined Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin. Graham closed the Fillmore East (and it’s sister Fillmore West in San Francisco) in the 1971. I’m not sure what the history of the building was between that time and it’s reopening as The Saint in 1980. The theater was located on 2nd Avenue between East 6th and East 7th. I believe the narrow 2nd Avenue facade remains more or less the unaltered.
Theater location is Broadway and 181st Street.
If we’re talking about the Floral Terrace catering hall on Jericho Turnpike in Floral Park, this was once the Floral Theater. It must have been a beauty. The outside of the building is instantly recognizable as an old movie-theater. Most of the original architectural elements appear lost in the conversion with the spectacular exception of the upper reaches of the auditorium’s magnificent arched ceiling, which you can practically reach up and touch if you attend a function in the upper ballroom. The top of the proscenium arch is clearly identifiable and a serving bar is cleverly ensconced in an alcove formed by the crowning arch of what might have been a side-box? This theater must easily go back to the 1920’s.
Theater is located on Broadway between 75th and 76th streets. It is well maintained, with all most of the architectural elements intact, however, there are some incredibly large murals over the exit doors on either side of the proscenium that have been obscured by what must be decades of dust and smoke from cigarettes, pipes and self-rolled materials of all origin. I would love to see these restored so that I could discern just exactly what it is they are supposed to depict! A gorgeous theater, nonetheless. The best place in NYC to see a concert, in my humble opinion.
This theater was the westernmost theater (closest to 8th Ave) on the south side of 42nd street located more or less on the spot where the shell of the old Empire Theater was relocated
The theater has been lovingly restored to it’s original luster after many years as a typical 42nd Street grind-house. The original lobby occupied the ground floor of the 5 or 6 story Selwyn building, which collapsed while renovations were being made to the theater in December of 1999 (just days before the huge annual New Years Eve celebration in Times Square — making cleanup and safety concerns a pressing concern). As I recall the theater from the ‘70’s and '80’s, there was a huge boxy marquee that ran the entire width of the Selwyn building… and just to the right of the theater entrance (but still under the marquee), one could grab a quick bite or soft-drink at the VERY greasy-spoon diner called The Grand. On the exposed east-side brick wall of the Selwyn theater could be seen a large but fading mural advertising the pleasures of enjoying a fine movie at one of 42nd Street’s many air-conditioned theaters. I have a photo of it somewhere. If I can find it and get a good scan, I’ll email it to this site’s host.
Located on East 14th street opposite Irving Place (between Park/4th Ave and Third Ave). It opened as a concert hall, if I’m not mistaken, before turning to movies and then back to concerts by the 1970’s (though rock and pop, rather than the classical and chamber pieces for which it was intended). It was re-christened the Palladium in 1976 with a concert by The Band, who were on their last tour and just weeks away from their farewell “Last Waltz” concert in San Francisco. By the mid ‘80’s, the concert hall gave way to a discotheque, with the orchestra seats stripped out and the floor leveled for dancing (similar to how Studio 54 was created out of the Gallo Opera House and The Academy out of the 42nd Street Apollo Theater). Like the old Loews Commodore (later known as the Fillmore East) on 2nd Avenue and East 6th, this building was razed to make way for the expansion of a local university.
In the 1970’s, my grandfather took me to see the original 1933 King Kong at the DW Griffith (as it was known at the time). This was a newly reconstructed version of the movie that had restored several minutes (Kong stripping Fay Wray on his mountain perch, Kong trampling and chewing on several humans, etc) that had been cut from the film for its post-Hayes Office theatrical re-release. The film ran at this theater for a number of weeks. Admission for the first week or so was 10 cents, in honor of 1933 ticket prices. It is located on East 59th between 2nd and 3rd Aves.
Folks from my generation will remember this theater as the home of Beatlemania!
Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation.
I’m not sure I’m thinking of the right theater (I’m fairly confident), but I believe this is the first theater in which I was able to purchase a fresh cup of coffee from the small concession stand that was situated almost as soon as you walked through the outer doors. Coffee maybe fairly commonplace in NYC art houses, but my memory of this theater’s concessions goes back at least 20 years.
As a venue for rock concerts in the 1970’s, this theater was called The 46th Street Rock Palace.
This theater was divided into a quartet in the 1970’s (by twinning both the orchestra and balcony areas) and remained as such until closed for renovations in the late 90’s. While it is sad that the original architecture is lost, the Midway happens to be one of the cleanest and best run cinemas in Queens, featuring excellent site lines due to it’s stadium-style seating plans, comfortable rocker-seats and high quality projection and sound systems.
The Thalia is now known as the Leonard Nimoy Thalia, as the former Mr. Spock was evidently a significant benefactor of the theaters renovations. It is located at Broadway and West 95th street. And the strange slope of the auditorium was that it sloped UP TOWARDS the screen!!! I do not know if this peculiarity survives the renovations.
During the very early stages of the redevelopment of 42nd street and Times Square maybe 10 or 12 years ago, I believe the outer lobby of the Rialto was used as a crude and temporary Visitors Information center or perhaps a volunteer center with information available about the plans to clean up and reclaim the area. Today, the shell of the old Newsreel Theater (later known as the Embassy 1) serves as the official Times Square Visitors Information Center. Anyway, I remember my Grandfather telling me that this is the theater where many of those classic Universal horror films (Dracula, Frankenstein) of the 30’s and 40’s would premier.
I remember standing in line as a small child with my grandfather at Christmas time to see whatever movie happened to be playing along with the Rockettes Holiday show. There used to be a big Easter Show as well. Those lines would wind down 50th street and then turn into Rockefeller Plaza zig-zag back and forth like those ridiculous queues in Disney World during peak periods. Having been to Radio City years before I ever set foot in a theme park, I had never experienced the like before. I still have the souvenir program for what was to have been the final movie presentation at Radio City (a Prince and the Pauper story entitled “Crossed Swords”) back in 1978. Luckily, I never peeled off the “Final Attraction” sticker affixed to the front cover, even though the closing of the theater (temporary as it would be) wound up being delayed and at least one or two other features played there before it was reborn as a concert and special event venue.
Another stunning restoration on 42nd street (along with the New Amsterdam right across the street). Actually, this restoration preceded Disney’s restoration of the New Amsterdam by a year or two. The theater is a gorgeous little jewel-box that serves as a year-round center for children’s and family oriented entertainment. We take the kids in to about 4 or 5 shows here each year and have never been disappointed. Hard to imagine that this was once a porno theater.
A historical note: Not only was this Broadway’s first burlesque house, but it was the home of the fabled “Minsky’s Follies” until then Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia shut it down during his very public crackdown on vice in the City during the 1940’s. It was renamed Victory in a nod to the groundswell of patriotism felt across the nation during the 2nd World War.