Bayside Theatre
38-39 Bell Boulevard,
Bayside,
NY
11361
38-39 Bell Boulevard,
Bayside,
NY
11361
5 people
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Showing 26 - 40 of 40 comments
Yes, Lost, I love to work set up to your punch lines!
Warren… you posted the 39-01 address wayyyyy back in August, 2004. Where did that information come from? Could it have been an address of the older Bayside Theater you reference in your follow up post in November of 2004? Today, 39-01 Bell would be the Citibank branch across the street from the Bayside Theater building.
Lost, you beat me to the punch… and as usual, delivered it with more speed and efficiency!
I’m wondering what the decor was after the Skouras renovations to the the theater. The exterior walls would hint at a Spanish-Missionary flavor, not unsimilar to that of the Lynbrook Theater on Long Island, though a bit more ornate. Did the original interior reflect that motif as well? And how different were the Skouras designs? Attending this theater as the Bayside Quad and, later, The Movies at Bayside, I recall no detail about the its interior appointments. As best I can recall, the rooms were dark and unadorned. I assume the Skouras decor was concealed under false plasterboard walls and ceilings.
As I think about it, I believe 39-01 is incorrect. In fact, it has to be. Currently, addresses in Queens run as follows: For north-south streets such as Bell Blvd, the digits before the hyphen representing the cross street at the northern end of the block and the digits after the hyphen representing the house or building #. The scheme for the house numbers is routinely odd numbers on the eastern side of the block and even numbers on the western side. Thus, 39-01 would be the first address on the south-east corner of the block. Proceed south towards 40th and the numbers would theoretically progress 39-03, 39-05 and so forth and then re-setting once you cross 40th to 40-01, 40-03, etc. West-east addresses follow the same format with the pre-hyphen digits representing the cross street at the western end of the block and the house numbers running odd on the north side of the block and even on the south.
The Bayside theater is on the north east corner of Bell and 39th Ave, so the number for the building would have been at the end of the 38-xx series of addresses. I’d say that 38-39 makes the most sense and would offer that the reference to “28-39” in the article was merely a typo.
Here’s a post that belongs on this page… I took a number of photographs of the restored Spanish-influenced exterior facade of the former Bayside Theater a few mornings ago. As noted previously on this page, the interior (from lobby to stage house) has been completely gutted and converted to retail and office space. The exterior was cleaned and repaired, though certain modifications, naturally, had to be made as part of the building’s conversion:
View from north on Bell Blvd
New entrance and canopy (where original theater entrance & marquee were)
Corner view 39th Ave and Bell Blvd
Bell Blvd facade detail
Close-up window ornamentation
Detail of shield ornamentation
Alternate angle Bell Blvd ornamentation
39th Avenue facade detail 1
39th Ave facade detail 2
Ornamentaton over windows
39th Ave office entrance (this was a gated archway that led to fire escape alleys
39th Ave shield ornamentation detail
39th Ave facade towards rear of building
Rear view down 39th Ave showing stage fly loft
New corner entrance for bank 39th Ave at Bell
Ornamentation detail at corner of 39th and Bell
Corner tower Bell and 39th (this served as latter day theater entrance after quad work)
View down 39th Ave from Bell
Front facade from corner of Bell & 39th Ave
Fire escape from Stage Loft
At first, I thought that fire escape in the last photo was the original balcony exit… then I realized that it led from the top of the stage loft area. I’m guessing it was added with the conversion of the interior space to offices. The main entrance under the canopy on Bell (where the Love My Shoes outlet is located) was, obviously, where the orignal theater entrance and marquee were located. About the time the theater was divided into a quartet, those doors were shut (and kept for exiting only) and the retail space leading to the corner where the Washington Mutual Bank is now located was converted to a ticket-lobby. A corner entrance (with doors that opened onto both Bell Blvd and 39th Ave) was utilized until the theater was permanently shuttered. As shown in the photos, the current bank entrance features a catty-corner double doorway.
The office entrance with the high glass archway shown down the block on 39th Ave was originally an open archway that led to the alley where the theater’s fire escapes and auditorium exit doors deposited patrons. This space has now been enclosed to form the street entrance to the office space in the old theater building (which sits behind the retail space on 39th Ave.
the owner of the theater was Rosie?? what was it right before it was a church? there was a fire!?! lol. sry im asking too much questions.
/theaters/13793/
okay, first of all… i go to that church. Yes, it still stands.It’s called The Cham Presbyterian Church I heard that a girl commited suicide in the movie theater,is that true?? does anybody have a picture of the victory theater? or the bowling alley. im soo interested.
To:
you saw spirits??!?! i don’t get that. i want to go down to the basement but it is banned. It is haunted, i think..it gives my the creeps.
To: Moviemike13
how’d you know it’s an asian church?-korean, i would say- lol
I created a listing for the Victory Theater based on the description Warren provided above plus some digging around I did through the City’s online records (yes, I know how incomplete and misleading those ‘records’ can be). Anyway, I also posted some current photos of that former theater’s exterior for anyone who is interested. I’m surprised Warren didn’t go ahead and create the listing himself some time back. Anyway… if anyone has more info on that theater’s history, please visit the page and add your comments!
/theaters/13793/
I lived in Bay Terrace from 1955. My friends and I would take the Q13 bus to the Bayside theater on Sat. afternoons for many hours of entertainment and fun. One Saturday the manager/owner came over to my friend and me and asked if we would like to get in free. Of course we said yes. He had us lug the film cases from the loby area to the projection room. Up behind the balcony, up metal stairs, into the secret parts of the theater. We loved it even if it was hard work.
Popcorn, Sandwichs from home and grape soda. What a time.
I had the pleasure of working at The Bayside Theatre in the late 70’s early 80’s. At 15 I was approached by the manager. A tough lady with a big beehive hairdo named Rosie who lived upstairs from the theatre. This certainly was a growing up experience for me. The place was creepy and in bad need of repair. I lived up the street and could be there in less than 5 minutes. I remember when we showed movies in what they called “sensaround” paint chips from the ceiling would fall down. There was also a fire during this time. We were showing “Guyana Cult of the Dammed” I remember being called to come in and help clean up. It smelled awfull. If I had to go turn the heat on it was a horrifying experience. It was down in the basement. It was an erie place. I always thought it was a bit haunted. I remember going to the back and seeing a calendar hanging on the wall from 1951. I would for sure say that there were spirits still lingering in that place.
Yes! The other theater mentioned here was called “The Victory” I had grow up right down the street from the location but I am not sure to when it closed down. My guess is in the 60’s. I only remember it when bottom was a bowling alley for a little time then closed and turned into a bingo hall through out the 70’s to early 90’s. The top floor was always vacant to my knowledge, but I remember seeing it once filled with theater seats in the 70’s.
Now it’s an Asian church.
As for the good old Bayside on Bell, I used to go there a lot and remember it when it was a one screen theater, which was in need of a lot of work. It always seemed very old and dirty. The screen had this non working ugly whitish color that stayed open on the side of the screen. I remember also that the lighting was very low during intermissions and a weird dusty smell.
Then in the early 80’s became a twin with a theater on the top and bottom then a quad a little later, which I never really liked too much.
The screens were too small.
I preferred the Lowes Bay Terrace that wasn’t too far from this one off Bell.
i heard of the victory ,i think its a bingo hall at that location
No knowledge of that but I am in the area so I will try to check it out.
Forgot to add that when it re-opened as a 4-plex in the ‘70’s, it was known as the Bayside Quad. In its last years it was known as The Movies At Bayside.
On the corner of Bell Blvd and 39th Avenue in the heart of a thriving commercial strip — plenty of pubs, bars and restaurants that fairly hop on a Friday or Saturday night. But, RobertR is correct in saying that this one-time single screen first-run neighborhood theater was allowed to fall into a shameless state of shabbiness. The sound was lousy, the floors sticky and the movies were grossly under-projected. The last time I saw a movie there, I swore the place off. The attractive stucco facade is being nicely renovated as the site is prepped for impending retail usage.