Green Acres Cinemas
610 W. Sunrise Highway,
Valley Stream,
NY
11581
610 W. Sunrise Highway,
Valley Stream,
NY
11581
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 97 comments
Intro should mention that The Sunrise Multiplex Cinemas was closed January 19, 2015.
Boy had this place hung on a bit it could have been a top grosser again
And now the adjacent Sunrise Multiplex has closed. After the shooting and the installation of metal detectors things took a downturn. Also the opening of the Jamaica Multiplex probably cut into their business since people in eastern Queens had an alternative.
Persons of color were long a part of the Valley Stream makeup. So it’s more of the demeanor of the people coming in.
I just read buick8’s comment, and I have a big scoop for him (or her). Making thinly veiled racist comments is unacceptable here, and I have further news for buick8. Neighborhoods wouldn’t “change for the worse” if ignorant people didn’t panic and move away at the sight of the first person of color.
This theater should be tagged as “demolished,” rather than “closed,” because it WAS demolished. Olive Garden now stands on its site.
I remember seeing High Plains Drifter there back in the early 70’s. Real hot summer say and I went with my brother and Dad. I was yearning for a pair of cowboy boots after the show because I was too young to get Colt Peacemaker. Had to move from the area in the Mid 70’s as the population in the area was changing for the worse.
This was my hometown theater. Sad to have seen it go.
Paktype, I think “Return of the Jedi” played the Sunrise Cinemas multiplex down the road. In 70mm, too, if I recall. Trying to remember what summer flick I may have seen at Green Acres that year… Maybe “Wargames?” That played here for sure that year. And I recall seeing “The Right Stuff” here, too, but I’m not sure when exactly that came out.
I loved this theater. It’s a shame that it’s no longer there. :( It certainly had more of an ‘'authentic’‘ movie theater feel than the larger rowdy ghetto movie theater (with the metal detectors mind you) at Green Acres. Now, in it’s place is a disgusting Olive Garden. I don’t know who in their right mind(s) would ever eat there. It sucks! Plus, people always seem to get sick when they eat Olive Gardens in general. I wouldn’t be caught dead there!
I think I saw “Return of the Jedi” here in 1983. I might be wrong about that, it could have been the Sunrise, though.
Hey saps… I took the hint and got over to the theater site today. Alas, it was too late to get any image that even vaguely resembles the old gal. Demolition is complete and the process of hauling away the twisted metal and debris is well underway. I uploaded a few shots anyway, showing what the area looked like as of late this afternoon.
They are demolishing this building down to the ground, it seems — it’s horrifying yet fascinating. I hope someone (hint, hint) can get some photos posted here of this debasement while it’s happening. A truly shocking sight.
Always amazes me that people in New York actually go to a place like Olvie Garden. You can get superior Italian food from the kitchen of your local pizzeria, in these parts! I can understand in Manhattan, around Times Square, say, where you have a lot of tourists looking for something familiar and predictable… but in the local neighborhoods? Anyway, whatever greatness this theater once had was greatly diminished when this was triplexed – and later completely obliterated when it was gutted for mutli-plexing. Turning it into an ersatz ristorante can’t possibly do any more damage to the long-deceased Century’s Green Acres Theatre.
Ugh.
There is now a fence around the place with a sign that says “Coming soon, Olive Garden Resturant.
Should be National Amusements. When they closed the Brookhaven and Commack Multiplexes they boarded them up.
I drove by today and saw that two of the front glass doors were busted wide open. Really shocking looking — no plywood repairs or anything.
I wonder who is in control of this theater.
I was very sad to see this wonderful theater close!The staff were friendly and polite. We enjoyed going to this theater because it was more cozier, clean and less crowded. We now only go to the Sunrise during the weekday- forget the weekends! Too crowed.Please tell the Owner that we thank you for all the good times. Sorry to see you close :–(
One last comment: when it was made into a triplex and then a six screen multiplex, it was one of the better reconstruction jobs. When the six screen facility opened, it was actually extremely nice though the theaters were small.
Another great LI movie theater gone. This closing really hits home with me because after all these years, this theater is the one I remember the most and where I really fell in love with movies. When it was a single screen theater, it was not ornate like the older theaters built in the 20s but there was just something spectacular about it. The front entrance had a really long marquee that ran along the entire north side facing Sunrise Highway. There was this beautiful rich red tile at the entrance. For some reason, going to a movie here really meant something to me. I can still recall the excitement of going there and just seeing the theater made me feel good. It’s a fond memory that I suspect a lot of us here on this site can relate to. I’ve probably related the movies I saw here in other posts but the two that stand out were “Mary Poppins” during its re-release in (I think) 1974 and “Jaws” in 1975. We waited on line for both movies and I remember everyone in the theater screaming when the guys head rolls out of the boat in “Jaws”. To hear an audience that large collectively scream is something wonderful.
Many of the old theatres had downstair dressing rooms and cages for animal acts. Before they levelled and rebuilt the Southampton they used some of the downstairs area for an additional auditorium. The entrance was separate from the lobby. Stairs descending from the outside, albeit covered by a canopy.
Not sure how many dressing rooms there were.My key is for dressing room 11. If I recall correctly there was nothing under the stage, They were backstage(behind the screen) upstairs, 2 or 3 levels?
How many dressing rooms were there? Were they on the main or basement level?
Funny you should ask robboehm. While going through a drawer of old stuff last month I came across 2 items from my days at the Grove. My name tag, w/ the Century logo on it,listing me as Chief-of-Staff (pretty heady for someone in high school)and an old key to one of the dressing rooms with a huge key fob saying Grove Theatre and the # of the dressing room. We went on a backstage exploration one day thru the dressing rooms. I also had one of the old 8x10 frames that hung in the lobby where the days show schedule was put up for the audience to see.
Do you have any Century memorabilia? I had all sorts of programs, announcement of the Meadow and Shore before I moved. Never thought I’d have use for them. Who could have anticipated CT?