UA Lynbrook 6
321 Merrick Road,
Lynbrook,
NY
11563
321 Merrick Road,
Lynbrook,
NY
11563
13 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 207 comments
There is now a construction fence around the entire building and adjacent parking lot.
Status update?
Can anyone “swipe” some memorabilia?
There is paper covering the front doors and a “Asbestos abatement” notice taped to the glass. There is an opening in the paper and I looked and saw dozens of theater seats piled in the lobby.
The adjacent parking lot is closed and there was a dumpster and a crane next to the theater; a worker there said they were removing the stage house roof (although he didn’t call it that…lol)
The beginning of the end.
Photos of the “progress” would be appreciated…
Still standing? No demolition as yet?
Is Regal still going to operate this theater or another theater chain? Looking at the pictures it looked like it really was time to get a new theater. What a shame they took and chopped that theater up. I saw the photo where they had the roadshow engagement of Camelot in 70MM
Sirs: Also I would like to see agAin is Studio 1 movie theater fully restored for the 21st ACentury ! It would be very nice to have that theater again! I saw two films in that theater: they were :‘Jason and the Argonuts (1963) and 'The Haunting ’(1963).
Sirs: I hope thart they will restore UALynbrook Theater fot the 21st Century,which is part regal Group.
So when is Mylie Cyrus coming with her wrecking ball to get this long awaited project started?
The index of materials physically at Hofstra includes other than those listed by theatrefan. I remember that Calderone’s Strand in Hempstead was listed. Perhaps there is something on the Lynbrook. Always wanted to get there to take a photo of the Strand image to put on CT.
I have checked the Calderone Theatres digital collection and unfortunately the Lynbrook is not one of the theatres that they have photo’s of. The collection does however contain lot of vintage photos of the Calderone, Cove, Heampstead, Mineola, Rivoli & Valley Stream Theatres.
Ed, Hofstra has a whole Calderone archive. Some of it can be seen online. For the rest you have to make an appointment. Never actually been there. Might be some Lynbrook interior photos there.
You the man, Ed…
Well, this was certainly the last Calderone theater still in operation. The Westbury auditorium was completely gutted to the bare brick walls and the lobby and storefronts were stripped down to the wooden framing members. That leaves the namesake Calderone in Franklin Ave in Hempstead as the sole physically intact (or as close as can be) survivor – or at least it will be once the Lynbrook is demolished.
I’m going to try to contact Lynbrook historian Arthur Mattson with the suggestion that he see if he can get permission to take photographs of any existing original interior decoration, once the false ceilings and partition walls are taken down, and before they are pounded to dust and forever lost. No interior photography or artistic renderings of the original lobby and auditorium appear to be extant. If he’s in the least bit interested, I figure he’d have sufficient prominence or clout with the village to be able to facilitate such an endeavor. Worth a shot.
The last theater opened by Calderone was the namesake showplace in Hempstead. Building still exists. Church was supposed to be renovating the auditorium.
The former Westbury, now The Space, is still a functioning venue, albeit mostly for concerts.
A smaller space operated by Calderone in St. James on Second Avenue still exists but as an office building. See references with photos elsewhere on CT.
Last of the Calderone movie houses
Wow, the Shore is just a plain ugly grey box, it looks like they ran out of money during the design and construction phase. Some of the Canadian complexes opened during the same era were much better in terms of design and aesthetics. No wonder they had to merge with Loews to survive. It’s a shame the original Shore had to be demolished.
I concur. It’s been done elsewhere if the facade was given landmark status. It’s bad enough current office buildings are just glass boxes. See my comments above on this subject and check out the picture of the ugly current Shore in Huntington.
Is really is a shame that even the front facade could not somehow be salvaged and reincorporated into the new multiplex to somehow give it a little bit of personality.
More…
Local reviews
People on social media had a lot to say when the Herald asked, “What do you think about [the new owners] tearing down the current theater to build a new state-of-the art structure? What memories do you have of the Lynbrook UA theater?
•“The fondest memory I have is taking my kids there for the free movie “Baby’s Day Out” on Breakfast with Santa Day in Lynbrook.” — Carol Anne Walter
•“It needed to be done … plus it will bring a much-needed boost to the Lynbrook business district.” — Craig Caparelli
•“We are excited to see this new theater being built. We moved here a year ago, and this is one of many upgrades to the area that we’re looking forward to.” —Ivy A. Reilly
•“In 1976, when I was in Lynbrook High School, I won tickets to the premiere of “Rocky.” The theatre is a landmark — it’s a shame that it was not kept up.” — Dolores Gilmurray
•“I remember seeing live performers there! The theater was so packed we sat on the floor in the balcony. Those days are long gone, and the theater was left in disrepair … will be sad to see another landmark obliterated.” — Patricia Petrich Overs
*“I remember that movie theatre fondly. My mom and I went to see On Golden Pond there back in the 80’s. That is the last movie I remember seeing with her before she passed away. I’m sure we saw other movies but that is the one and that is the theatre that sticks in my mind. Great memory. I wish they could or would somehow keep the facade of the existing theatre. People are so quick to demolish old structures which unfortunately destroys the history and some beautiful structures.” — Debra Ford
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Continued…
Local business owners say they are eager to have the new theater up and running as soon as possible, to capitalize on the added foot traffic in the area. Barbara Ferrufino, co-manager of the Cuzco Peru, which is attached to the theater, said that business has already taken a hit in the three weeks since it closed. “We weren’t really prepared for this,” she said, adding that couples often came to the restaurant before or after a screening. In an effort to compensate for the theater’s closing, she said, the restaurant would have to start spending money on advertising to attract more people, though she said she was optimistic that the new theater will ultimately help the business.
Erika Rojas, assistant manager of Cold Stone Creamery, on Broadway, said she estimated that sales have dropped by 15 percent since the theater closed, which wasn’t as bad as she had anticipated. “We just hope it comes faster,” she said with a laugh.
Chris Holmes, assistant manager of Burger Bandit, also on Broadway, said his business gets a lot of Rockville Centre moviegoers, and he didn’t think the closing would hurt business too much. He anticipated that the construction could even bring workers in for lunch. “They really just have to get better movies, to be honest,” Holmes said. “This one didn’t get ‘Avengers 2’ until like a month after it came out.”
Joe Carusone, owner of Vincent’s Pizzeria and Restaurant and Carvel, both on Atlantic Avenue, said he wasn’t concerned about the construction process. January is a slow month for most businesses anyway, he said, and ultimately, the new theater will be a good thing for the village. “In the future, I think it’s going to drive more people to the area,” Carusone said. “I think it’s going to be a great thing for the town as a whole.”
Article from the local paper the Lynbrook Herald, by Nick Ciccone
Movie house to be demolished
After more than a decade of discussion about its fate, the United Artists movie theater on Merrick Road in Lynbrook closed its doors for good on Jan. 10 — the start of an expected 16-month renovation that its new ownership, the Regal Entertainment Group, promises will bring a state-of-the art movie experience to the village.
“You want to grow with the times, but in a smart way,” said Mayor Bill Hendrick, adding that he hoped the updated theater would improve the village’s commercial area. “I’m getting calls all the time — people want Lynbrook,” he said.
Regal first took an interest in the property in 2011, and its developer, Blumenfeld Development Group, considered several building designs over the years. The new theater will feature luxury reclining seats in all screening rooms, along with surround sound and bright 2D and 3D images.
The project, funded by Regal, will cost an estimated $25 million. The existing structure will be demolished, and the new theater will wrap around the Cuzco Peru Restaurant in a U shape. The municipal parking on the west side of the theater will no longer exist, which will mean a loss of 51 parking spaces. But Building Department Superintendent Brian Stanton said there would be 171 fewer seats in the new theater — a total of 1,434 — and parking regulations on Atlantic Avenue can be amended to accommodate peak movie hours.
Gutting the building
Stanton said that before the building can be demolished, ALL Construction Inc. will disconnect interior electrical and gas hookups and rip out the seats. A demolition permit cannot be issued, he said, until the interior work is completed. The building is expected to be demolished in late summer.
Once that work begins, Hendrick said, any traffic issues that arise will be addressed. “The fact that we have our own Police Department helps us greatly,” he said. “We can re-route and do what we have to do with the [Department of Public Works] and police that other places can’t do.”
Members of Hose Co. No. 1, the firehouse on Blake Avenue, behind the theater, will be given parking spaces on the theater property during the construction.
Photo added, to illustrate that development.
The marquee is still up, but the words United Artists have been removed.
Just uploaded a pic of the theater I took yesterday morning, on the way to work. When I drove past again last night, the marquee was dark. I presume prep work for demolition will be starting any day, if it hasn’t already begun. Glass entrance doors had not yet been whitewashed as of last night. I wonder if I’d be able to persuade a worker to let me in when all the partitions and false ceilings are down, just to see if anything remains of the original interior design, before it’s all eradicated for good! Might be tough with my work schedule, to arrange for that, so if anyone else cares to try…