Technically, the Rivoli should be listed as the United Artists Twin, which is what it closed as. It would really be an insult to change the name of it to that nondescript name, after it’s whole life being the Rivoli, and what it is known as. I know it’s the policy, but in cases like that, it would be almost insane to call the Rivoli the “United Artists Twin” here. But then again, why should the Mayfair be listed as the Embassy 2,3,4 here?
Quote AlAlvarez:
“My point is that the new 42nd street has no personality AND no profit.”
The Times Square of the 1970’s and 1980’s had no profit anymore either. Again, you are lamenting an era in Times Square that was dead by the 1960’s already. The current Times Square didn’t destroy the pre-1970’s Times Square", that was already dead in the 1970’s and 80’s already.
It’s a fantasy to think that if Times Square would not have been rejuvenated in the 90’s, that these beautiful old theaters along 42nd St would be filled with people today watching the latest movies and rolling in the profits. That’s a fantasyworld, not reality.
And I agree with Luis….dirt, crime, prostitution, drug addicts, and abandoned deteriorating theaters don’t qualify as “great personality”. And if you think the theaters were falling apart in the 1970’s and 1980’s, think of the condition they would look like today. The current Times Square didn’t “chase out” the historical vibrant Times Square of the 1950’s and earlier…..it died in the 70’s already.
Quote:“I’m sure you know that almost all the 42nd Street theaters showed mainstream Hollywood and genre movies (karate, gore), not porn.”
Of course I do. But just like everywhere else, it’s next to impossible to run a theater like that just on film anymore. No way you are going to fill a theater like the New Amsterdam, or any of the others there, on just film and still turn a profit. You can probably count on a few hands the theaters left in the whole country still doing that.
Good riddance to the porn industry in Times Square. Yes, it would have been so much better if they were showing porn in a run down New Amsterdam Theater instead of Disney restoring it and showing “Mary Poppins”….
And the internet would have destroyed whatever was left of the porn business anyway, even if Guiliani didn’t.
All those “decaying dumps” weren’t profitable at the end, that’s why they closed. You again, are mixing up the Times Square of the pre-60’s and the current one, forgetting the one of the 70’s and 80’s where they closed because they were falling apart and NOT profitable anymore.
As a great fan of old theaters, it’s hard to say what I am about to say, but it’s the truth….it’s utterly impossible for most of these old beautiful “cinematreasures” to be profitable as single scream large theaters anymore. And this is not a Times Square phenomenon, it’s a national one. There aren’t many left still operating as a large 2000 or 3000 seat movie theater.
The multiplexes have a hard time turning a profit, much less a cavernous old theater.
You are lamenting a time and era, not a place.
Rather have “Mary Poppins” (the restored this beautiful theater to it’s former glorry, instead of a cave with water coming through the ceiling), and “Applebees”, and “McDonalds” than the street a ghost town after dark, and where you don’t know whether a hooker will attack you, a mugger jump up behind you, offered drugs, or shot in a drive by where a drug deal went bad.
Times Square wasn’t “destroyed” with the redo, the real Times Square died in the 60’s already. The current one just picked up the pieces of the horror it was in the 70’s and 80’s.
You can keep your 1970’s and 1980’s Times Square. I’ll take the current one.
Also, I see the missing A from the marquee was found! LOL. Perhaps the R that was replaced by the “non conforming” G is also in there somewhere..haha.
Well, unfortunately, the other letters sound like they will also be missing soon….sad to see a theater being broken up.
Wow, thanks! It’s quite sad to see, and now it’s clear it will never be a theater again, but thanks so much for posting the link to the photos here! It doesn’t look to be in bad shape.
I wonder what theater bought all the chairs.
No, unfortunately you have to go to their CHambers St location to do this. I know someone that did…and it’s all there, but you have to do it there. It also helps if you have the section, lot, and block when you go there for whatever you want to see the 1930’s photos of, although you don’t have to, they have books there. But it would save you a lot of time. Block and lot numbers can be gotten from their website. You just type in an address, and it will give you the block and lot. It’s all organized by block numbbers.
Thanks! Now that is how I remember the Joy the first time I saw it. Wow, what a difference only about 15 years make, as look at my photo I posted last week! Such a shame.
I drove passed the Trail a couple weeks ago when I was in the Miami area, on my way to get a Cuban Sandwich at Sarucci’s (wow are those good), and this theater caught my eye…. I guess the 2007 plan to tear it down is over (hopefully), as the theater is still there. It didn’t look too bad, although it definitely was still closed.
It has to do with your browser. Unfortunately, if you are not logged in when you type your comment, and it brings you to the log in page, unfortunately, when you go back, your computer may have cleared the cache, thus your typing is gone. Internet Explorer does that. Mozilla Firefox doesn’t do that, and your message would still be there, but unfortunately IE sometimes clears it.
So the tip would be to just make sure you are logged in before you begin typing.
I have seen that photo before, it is definitely one of the last photos taken before the Bushwick began it’s treck into shambles. The Pilgrim Church moved into the Bushwick Theater shortly after it closed to movies. But it was very brief as them moved out for some reason as soon as the Loews Gates became available. It’s possible that they got a better “deal” on the Gates, perhaps even easy ownership, whereas they may have just been a tenant at the Bushwick. But that is just speculation. But there had to be a good reason that they moved out of the Bushwick and into the Gates instead, and it had to do with the “deal” they were getting. Obviously the Gates was the better deal for their church.
Anyway, that event did set the fate of the Bushwick, as nothing ever occupied it after the Pilgrim Church. And while the Loews Gates is supposedly beautifully restored, the interior of the Bushwick fell into shambles, and as we know, is now gutted. and reused a s the school.
Interestingly, if they got a good deal on the Bushwick, the Bushwick may be the theater that is beautifully restored, and the Loews Gates may be the one that fell into shambles….
A tale of two theaters…
The use for this theater should be changed to “Church” instead of “unknown”, as it is being used by a church. The building is in nuce shape, I would assume as a church, it may still look like a theater inside.
Click here is a google street view image of the old Metro theater:
The first minute of this video has a great shot of the Madison Theater in it, now the Liberty Dept Store.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yBz3ftS3fE
This wouldn’t happen to be this theater would it?
View link
I dunno, who ever loaded it to youtube.
Projector in the Lobby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmY9yoG1Cug
Wow, that is very interesting, I really thought those were windows. I didn’t realize they were actually terra cotta!
Technically, the Rivoli should be listed as the United Artists Twin, which is what it closed as. It would really be an insult to change the name of it to that nondescript name, after it’s whole life being the Rivoli, and what it is known as. I know it’s the policy, but in cases like that, it would be almost insane to call the Rivoli the “United Artists Twin” here. But then again, why should the Mayfair be listed as the Embassy 2,3,4 here?
Does the theater/church still have film projection capabilities?
Quote AlAlvarez:
“My point is that the new 42nd street has no personality AND no profit.”
The Times Square of the 1970’s and 1980’s had no profit anymore either. Again, you are lamenting an era in Times Square that was dead by the 1960’s already. The current Times Square didn’t destroy the pre-1970’s Times Square", that was already dead in the 1970’s and 80’s already.
It’s a fantasy to think that if Times Square would not have been rejuvenated in the 90’s, that these beautiful old theaters along 42nd St would be filled with people today watching the latest movies and rolling in the profits. That’s a fantasyworld, not reality.
And I agree with Luis….dirt, crime, prostitution, drug addicts, and abandoned deteriorating theaters don’t qualify as “great personality”. And if you think the theaters were falling apart in the 1970’s and 1980’s, think of the condition they would look like today. The current Times Square didn’t “chase out” the historical vibrant Times Square of the 1950’s and earlier…..it died in the 70’s already.
Quote:“I’m sure you know that almost all the 42nd Street theaters showed mainstream Hollywood and genre movies (karate, gore), not porn.”
Of course I do. But just like everywhere else, it’s next to impossible to run a theater like that just on film anymore. No way you are going to fill a theater like the New Amsterdam, or any of the others there, on just film and still turn a profit. You can probably count on a few hands the theaters left in the whole country still doing that.
That’s not even a fraction of the porn that was one there, not even a fraction. PLUS, that also isn’t using a theater.
Good riddance to the porn industry in Times Square. Yes, it would have been so much better if they were showing porn in a run down New Amsterdam Theater instead of Disney restoring it and showing “Mary Poppins”….
And the internet would have destroyed whatever was left of the porn business anyway, even if Guiliani didn’t.
All those “decaying dumps” weren’t profitable at the end, that’s why they closed. You again, are mixing up the Times Square of the pre-60’s and the current one, forgetting the one of the 70’s and 80’s where they closed because they were falling apart and NOT profitable anymore.
As a great fan of old theaters, it’s hard to say what I am about to say, but it’s the truth….it’s utterly impossible for most of these old beautiful “cinematreasures” to be profitable as single scream large theaters anymore. And this is not a Times Square phenomenon, it’s a national one. There aren’t many left still operating as a large 2000 or 3000 seat movie theater.
The multiplexes have a hard time turning a profit, much less a cavernous old theater.
You are lamenting a time and era, not a place.
Rather have “Mary Poppins” (the restored this beautiful theater to it’s former glorry, instead of a cave with water coming through the ceiling), and “Applebees”, and “McDonalds” than the street a ghost town after dark, and where you don’t know whether a hooker will attack you, a mugger jump up behind you, offered drugs, or shot in a drive by where a drug deal went bad.
Times Square wasn’t “destroyed” with the redo, the real Times Square died in the 60’s already. The current one just picked up the pieces of the horror it was in the 70’s and 80’s.
You can keep your 1970’s and 1980’s Times Square. I’ll take the current one.
Also, I see the missing A from the marquee was found! LOL. Perhaps the R that was replaced by the “non conforming” G is also in there somewhere..haha.
Well, unfortunately, the other letters sound like they will also be missing soon….sad to see a theater being broken up.
Wow, thanks! It’s quite sad to see, and now it’s clear it will never be a theater again, but thanks so much for posting the link to the photos here! It doesn’t look to be in bad shape.
I wonder what theater bought all the chairs.
Wow, I forgot what a pit Times Square used to be. Some difference.
No, unfortunately you have to go to their CHambers St location to do this. I know someone that did…and it’s all there, but you have to do it there. It also helps if you have the section, lot, and block when you go there for whatever you want to see the 1930’s photos of, although you don’t have to, they have books there. But it would save you a lot of time. Block and lot numbers can be gotten from their website. You just type in an address, and it will give you the block and lot. It’s all organized by block numbbers.
Can you still tell it was a theater on the inside?
Thanks! Now that is how I remember the Joy the first time I saw it. Wow, what a difference only about 15 years make, as look at my photo I posted last week! Such a shame.
I drove passed the Trail a couple weeks ago when I was in the Miami area, on my way to get a Cuban Sandwich at Sarucci’s (wow are those good), and this theater caught my eye…. I guess the 2007 plan to tear it down is over (hopefully), as the theater is still there. It didn’t look too bad, although it definitely was still closed.
It has to do with your browser. Unfortunately, if you are not logged in when you type your comment, and it brings you to the log in page, unfortunately, when you go back, your computer may have cleared the cache, thus your typing is gone. Internet Explorer does that. Mozilla Firefox doesn’t do that, and your message would still be there, but unfortunately IE sometimes clears it.
So the tip would be to just make sure you are logged in before you begin typing.
I think the Loews Jersey still has the name on the Marquee too.
I have seen that photo before, it is definitely one of the last photos taken before the Bushwick began it’s treck into shambles. The Pilgrim Church moved into the Bushwick Theater shortly after it closed to movies. But it was very brief as them moved out for some reason as soon as the Loews Gates became available. It’s possible that they got a better “deal” on the Gates, perhaps even easy ownership, whereas they may have just been a tenant at the Bushwick. But that is just speculation. But there had to be a good reason that they moved out of the Bushwick and into the Gates instead, and it had to do with the “deal” they were getting. Obviously the Gates was the better deal for their church.
Anyway, that event did set the fate of the Bushwick, as nothing ever occupied it after the Pilgrim Church. And while the Loews Gates is supposedly beautifully restored, the interior of the Bushwick fell into shambles, and as we know, is now gutted. and reused a s the school.
Interestingly, if they got a good deal on the Bushwick, the Bushwick may be the theater that is beautifully restored, and the Loews Gates may be the one that fell into shambles….
A tale of two theaters…
The use for this theater should be changed to “Church” instead of “unknown”, as it is being used by a church. The building is in nuce shape, I would assume as a church, it may still look like a theater inside.
Click here is a google street view image of the old Metro theater:
Click here is a google street view image of the old Metro theater
Also, John had asked for an aerial view of the property, so below is a link to that too. Note that south is on the top for this view:
Click Here for the Aerial image
I’m sorry, I posted the wrong link above, that was of the Joy Theater….
Here’s the photo of the Saenger I meant to link to:
Click here for photo