Montauk Theatre

I posted a picture of the demolition today:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffs4653/5714685866

The Passaic Bookstore….. sigh…. I would purchase all my Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines there… well, in the adjoining comic book store. To be honest with you, I’d rather live in Paterson or Newark over Passaic. The Art Deco skyscraper there is finally about to get a buyer and a tenant (medical purposes). I’m very scared to think of the alterations that might occur on that landmark, especially in that massive lobby. Time will tell. I’m only 31 years old so consider me a geek if you must, but I love these buildings…

Movies 534, I appreciate your enthusiasm for The Montauk, but to equate its destruction to The Roxy in Manhattan is a great insult to the magnificent Roxy; perhaps the greatest movie palace ever built. There is virtually no comparison to be made between the two. That said, it is still a great loss to lose any remaining single screen movie theater; especially one that was apparently in such good condition. Theaters like this will NEVER be built again. It is a way of life that has passed.

Progress comes in many forms. There was a time when Banks built huge halls of marble with chandeliers. They projected strength and security. Department stores downtown occupied full blocks and had elaborate sales floors; especially on the ground level.

With the notable exception of New York, the Banks and full block Department Stores of old are gone. Same as the Movie Palaces. They no longer serve todays needs. In New York, some banks still serve their original purpose; most notably the Apple Bank (former Central Savings Bank) on the Upper West Side. Several others have become fabulous catering halls: Citibank Wall Street, The Greenwich Savings Bank, The Bowery Savings Banks on both Bowery and 42nd Street and, soon, the Williamsburg Savings Bank in Williamsburg.

Many of the most prominent Department Stores in Manhattan (Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, are still with us but across the country most have been demolished. B Altman is still here as well though is now a graduate school for City University.

Theaters had to be repurposed to survive as well. Arguably, New York has the country’s greatest collection of surviving movie palaces even though virtually none still show movies. How did they do it? By using a great variety of ways to preserve them. Many are churches (Loews Metropoilitan, The Hollywood, Loew’s Valenica, The Elmwood, Loews Gates, The Stanley (Jersey City), among others. Loews 175th Street is a combination Church and concert hall. Other theaters serve purely as Live theater venues like The New Amsterdam and many of today’s Broadway houses. Others are strict live performance venues like Radio City, The Apollo, Loews Paradise, The Beacon, The St. George and, coming soon, Loews Kings! One became a gym for Long Island University and will hopefully be restored as the Brooklyn Paramount. Loew’s Jersey (yes, I know it is Jersey City but I am counting it) is gradually being restored by volunteers and actually does show movies! The Ziegfeld and The Paris are the only two that still show first run films. The common thread for all these uses is that New York is a vibrant and very prosperous city that is still growing in population. It is also a city full of immigrants and very proudly so.

Alas, smaller fading cities don’t realize that their past can help them revitalize themselves for the future. It’s a shame that this treasure has been lost, but that makes the remaining palaces that much more valuable.

So, on to preserving Loews Canal, the RKO Keiths Richmond Hill, The Brooklyn Paramount, etc. These we still have.

Mikeymike: I’m SO glad you took the pictures that you did while the theater was still intact. Thank you!

So, here is the deal with the Montauk… I pass it every day while I drive to work. The whole side is demolished (original entrance, projection room, balcony), if you know the area it’s in the region of the entrance to the Hotel Passaic. The Main Ave facade is still standing. as it the screen area of the theater. I plan on going to photograph what is left on Saturday to add to my photobucket album. I’m the guy that posted the interior pictures… see link above.
Now here is where it gets sad and I regret to inform everyone of this… there is no immediate plan to build a school on the site. The NJSDA owns the property and had a contract to demolish it already executed, that’s why the building is coming down. With all the crazy finances in the State of NJ, the project is on hold. There isn’t even a guarentee that a school will be built now on that site. Anyone who knows Passaic should think of where Beth Israel Hospital was… that whole site has been a vacant lot for years now… awaiting a school that might never be built.
Sorry to ramble, but like I said, every day I drive by the Montauk and see it disappearing more and more in the name of “progress”.

You walk around Passaic and see high school kids with baby carriages. The new immigrants are having lots of children at a rapid rate.

BUT – this rare surviving single screen theater should have been saved. With all the “junk” buildings in Passaic, they had to tear this down for a new school?

Anyone taking photos? showing interior, too, from outside now?

The Montauk is half gone. The balcony, projection booth and lobby are rubble. All that remain is the marquee, outer lobby, auditorium, proscenium and stage. You can see the remains from the street and it was in great shape.

Nice going, Passaic.

Was in Passaic today and stopped by the Montauk Theatre. I spoke to 2 construction men coming out of the theatre and asked about the theatre’s fate. Apparently demolition is scheduled for November but they couldn’t give me an exact date. The houses on the non store front side of the theatre have been torn down so there is a clear view of the theatre’s side that was previously blocked.

The Montauk opens: January 30, 1924.

View link

The only art deco elements to the Montauk are some of the light fixtures which were changed in the mid-1930’s. The original design and architecture is definitely Adamesque.

I was one of several people instrumental in saving the Loew’s Jersey in Jersey City. It was a LOT of hard work and literally thousands of volunteer hours. The first thing you … See Moreneed to do is raise community awareness; hit the streets and get signatures on petitions; get the local media involved and explain why the theater is important and how it can be an asset to the community; try to get access to the building and present shows in order to create awareness of the space and its potential.

With the Loew’s, we were fighting a corporate giant (Hartz Mountain) that wanted the theater demolished. Here you have a theater owned by the City and they want to tear it down, so support from the local politicians will be difficult. In Jersey City, we were able to get members of the City Council on our side, but the effort there took years before the Jersey was saved.

Personally, I think a school on Main Street in the heart of downtown is ridiculous. But there seems to be little to no interest in that town for any kind of historical preservation. The Central was MUCH more significant (historically speaking) than the Montauk based on the legends who played there (including Glenn Miller’s final U.S. appearance) and they allowed that fabulous showplace to be demolished for a McDonalds!

Tony, I don’t remember that sign. However, my Passaic memories only go back about 40 years. I’ll ask my older brothers and relatives if that rings a bell.

Even in the time I’ve known downtown, it has changed so drastically. I can only imagine the Passaic my parents knew in the 40’s and 50’s. It must have been quite a place!