Bay Ridge Theatre
7120 3rd Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11209
7120 3rd Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11209
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 34 of 34 comments
I can post some photos of the interior, later. Look for the link I will post soon.
This theater was built in 1915 clearly as a vaudeville theater as it had a big stage that protruded forward – entirely pointless if only movies were being shown. And 1915 was before the age of the Movie Palaces some of which had travelling stage shows.
WRESTLING took place there in the early 1960’s, often televised locally. It became a center for Bingo for many years.
I was a kid when the theater was showing movies: Tom Thumb. The Man From Laramie, Forbidden Planet, Old Yeller, and Samson and Delilah, were a few I recall seeing there. I also could see the flashing lights of the marquee sign from my window.
I will. as I said, post that link for interior photos, subsequently.
BTW, the McDonalds is still there as of today!
>> Architect: Unknown <<
Well, it WAS on the corner in white marble before McDonalds covered it over. It did give the name and “1915”. Anyone recall the architect’s name on it?
We just lost the nearby Fortway so I feel nostalgic for it.
This theater is now part of the New York Sports Clubs chain. I work out there 2-3 times a week. The logistics of a health club shoehorned into a theater are tricky, and the dressing room is small, but it’s nice. You can see some of the quality plaster work on the walls and ceiling in the weight room.
See
View link
Never saw this building as a movie theater ; remember it as a bingo hall in the 1970s.
In addition to running features following their showings at the Loew’s Alpine, the Bay Ridge picked up films after they ran at the RKO Dyker.
The Bay Ridge along with the Electra were the theatres of my childhood. Funny that ij mentions Hubert “Cubby” Selby in his comment.For those who don’t know, Selby was the author of “Last Exit to Brooklyn” and “Requiem For a Dream”. Cubby and I along with Gil Sorrentino (another respected author) almost lived in those theatres.
Since it was just up the street from PS-102, I would hit the Bay Ridge 2 or 3 times a week. I remember the day the ticket price went up from a dime to 11 cents…had to run home six blocks to get another penny. Vaudeville night was every Thursday with acts on their way up but mostly on their way down…Lash LaRue and his black whip for example. A beautiful theatre.
Bob Camfiord
The late author Hubert Selby grew up across the street from this theatre and there is a repro of it back them reproduced in the intro. that Selby wrote for a book on tatoos, as he writes about the theatre.
The Bay Ridge was a Loews location at least during the 40’s and 50’s
What circut(s) had this house?
Space is now a McDonalds and a two floor gym called EMPIRE GYM.
The second floor of the gym still has the original details from the theatre. I happen to be a member there and it still makes me sad
to look around the place.
after its run as a movie theater, it was home of boxing matches for a short time. it also housed, and my still, a bingo hall in the rear of the building.