WOW, holy crap, my brain is opening up!! Mikes comic hut!, Kam Ying, AND Happy Days Pizza!! Jack in the box had those awsome artery clogging deep fried tacos! now its Auto Zone i think, McD’s and IHOP are all thats left!
I know that, I grew up and have lived in the area since we moved as a kid in 73' Used to go to Murry’s for the cub scout uniforms, I remember there was one sit down chinese resturant right next to or a door or two down from the quartet! By the way! Here’s to Eckard’s gutting out the quartet only to have there own store shut down a few years later! Now the whole building will probably come down, wait! i know, another church! Thats what the area needs!
I know that, I grew up and have lived in the area since we moved as a kid in 73' Used to go to Murry’s for the cub scout uniforms, I remember there was one sit down chinese resturant right next to or a door or two down from the quartet! By the way! Here’s to Eckard’s gutting out the quartet only to have there own store shut down a few years later! Now the whole building will probably come down, wait! i know, another church! Thats what the area needs!
How little has changed?? Have you looked at the store fronts? Hardly ANYTHING is in english!!, Not for nothing but where and how am I supposed to shop locally without knowing what the buisneses are?
Hey Ed, now that you mentioned it, the movie poster fro running scared sat in the movie poster box right outside the theated for about 2 years after the theater closed before someone took it or they decided to strip the poster boxes away. I remember seeing the poster get lighter and lighter as it was bleached from the sun!
If what I read was true and it truely is back to the drawing board for the project, then someone please tell me why a little bit of scaffolding has gone up and the ornate moulding has been stripped from one set of windows???
The park on route 110 is “Adventure Land”, took my daughter there last year and yes its still open. Judging by the looks of everyone in attendence, looks like thats where all the old residents of flushing moved off to. The college point park was “adventures inn"which wasnt across the street from the old amusment park but on an angle on the corner. I vividly remember going there and for years parts of the sidewalk was blocked off because it sank into the ground! By the way, since we are so off track here, does anyone have any pictures of the prospects interior?? There are so many of the keiths but all the shots i’ve seen of the prospect have been from the side or a back wall, any front shots??
The park on route 110 is “Adventure Land”, took my daughter there last year and yes its still open. Judging by the looks of everyone in attendence, looks like thats where all the old residents of flushing moved off to. The college point park was “adventures inn"which wasnt across the street from the old amusment park but on an angle on the corner. I vividly remember going there and for years parts of the sidewalk was blocked off because it sank into the ground! By the way, since we are so off track here, does anyone have any pictures of the prospects interior?? There are so many of the keiths but all the shots i’ve seen of the prospect have been from the side or a back wall, any front shots??
Ed, an off topic thing, you mentioned “Jack’s” in flushing which was the last one to go, while visiting my sister in law in Housten Tx. I found there to be a Jack’s on every other block. Gotta love those greasy tacos! Too bad there isnt a fantasy land where there is an old theater every other block.
I have a nice photo of the taft i will post on here as soon as i get the chance. Warren, sine you seem to be THE theater guy around here, maybe you can help me out. I have a book on early queens and it shows a theater called the Janice that was also on main st. Was this the location of the Taft/Town, the seem to be in the same location in the pics. Thanks
Any chance of someone possible getting in the building for some final pictures? I read somewhere back that the were an awful lot of murals in the place. It’d be a shame for them to go without being recorded for “befor and after” pics. “World class” give it ten years tops before it looks like a world class mess.
RKO Plaza…….geez, can they even really still call it that? I know the rko company still exists in some current form, but at the last moment I cant help but think they will change the name also for legality’s sake. A lobby and a nonsense name to calm us while they rip it all down.
The reason the roads were cobblestone as recent as ‘68 is probably because they were in still very good condition. As the years progressed and main st and the surrounding areas were built up, they had to rip up the streets for con ed, sewer and water lines so they went with the cheaper asphalt roads. They looked 100 times better than the roads today but try driving on cobblestone in the snow and rain, with with the amount of traffic in downtown flushing, imagine the accidents?
Ok, This has been killing me, I’m getting so sick of people here saying “the damage is already done” and “the former owner destroyed it”. Thats all bull$#!% ! I’ve had the chance on numerous occasions to slip inside, the plywood wall out fron hasnt always been the most secure and there is no secuity. Yeah, the guy who owned it has done some damage to it but it HAS NOT been destroyed. Its dusty and has leaks but for the most part ITS WHOLE. Everyone has been falling for this excuse and for them to give us the lobby (and let me tell you the part they are gonna restore is no bigger square footage wise than your average mcdonalds restaurant. Someone had psted why cant they build the new building above the old one so the auditorium can be saved ?? The theater is pretty much intact and no worse for wear than the little trylon theater they are all trying to save on queens blvd. I mean the keiths even has its original stage curtains still hanging and i guess thats all gonna get ripped down as long as we get our little lobby. Look at the Lowe’s paradise theater in the bronx, that place was just as bed, and i had the pleasure of getting in there for a peek before the did and just compleated a full blown restoration. Sorry if i seem bitter but it just hurts that everyone is kind of just settling for “nothing” kinda like a tease of what used to be there.
Restored lobby…..nonsense
The ceiling had a circular design, with a “pie sliced” pattern depicting what looked like historical images, hard to tell in the darkness. Any who remembers the “Quartet” would remember the “second floor” where the video games and the bathrooms were. When the quartet wall were removed, you could see the areas in the original roosevelt walls where the balcony was located. It must have been removed back in the 70’s when it was converted to the quartet.
Hey all, just recently became a member. The Quartet was one of my childhood theaters and I had the luck of being able to get a peek inside during its “gutting” . About 4 or 5 years ago I saw the trucks in front of the place and i recognized the name on one of the trucks was one of my friends who is an electrician. Basicly he was there to “turn off all the power to the place and set up temporary power for the workers. The walls from the quading had been removed and to my astonishment, it was like a mini rko keiths!! sculpted paster everywhere a stage with carved collumns the detail to the ceiling was unbelievable. There were even painted murals. I was planning to get a digital camera so the following week i went out to by one . I came back and one of the sweepers let me in while everyone was at lunch. I basiclly walked into a compleatlly gutted room. Nothing. It was all gone down to just steal beams and bricks. What a total disapointment. I really never new the theater had been that "grand” and i guess nobody else rememberd thats how it was lost. A few weeks later the knucklheads actually cut down the entire marquee. And then for some dopey reason put up a new one the same basic dimentions of the old one. Anyone have any photos, either the roosevelt or even the quartet in its glory days?
WOW, holy crap, my brain is opening up!! Mikes comic hut!, Kam Ying, AND Happy Days Pizza!! Jack in the box had those awsome artery clogging deep fried tacos! now its Auto Zone i think, McD’s and IHOP are all thats left!
I know that, I grew up and have lived in the area since we moved as a kid in 73' Used to go to Murry’s for the cub scout uniforms, I remember there was one sit down chinese resturant right next to or a door or two down from the quartet! By the way! Here’s to Eckard’s gutting out the quartet only to have there own store shut down a few years later! Now the whole building will probably come down, wait! i know, another church! Thats what the area needs!
I know that, I grew up and have lived in the area since we moved as a kid in 73' Used to go to Murry’s for the cub scout uniforms, I remember there was one sit down chinese resturant right next to or a door or two down from the quartet! By the way! Here’s to Eckard’s gutting out the quartet only to have there own store shut down a few years later! Now the whole building will probably come down, wait! i know, another church! Thats what the area needs!
How little has changed?? Have you looked at the store fronts? Hardly ANYTHING is in english!!, Not for nothing but where and how am I supposed to shop locally without knowing what the buisneses are?
Hey Ed, now that you mentioned it, the movie poster fro running scared sat in the movie poster box right outside the theated for about 2 years after the theater closed before someone took it or they decided to strip the poster boxes away. I remember seeing the poster get lighter and lighter as it was bleached from the sun!
The ones that are missing are the second set to the left which are still there in your photos Ed.
If what I read was true and it truely is back to the drawing board for the project, then someone please tell me why a little bit of scaffolding has gone up and the ornate moulding has been stripped from one set of windows???
The park on route 110 is “Adventure Land”, took my daughter there last year and yes its still open. Judging by the looks of everyone in attendence, looks like thats where all the old residents of flushing moved off to. The college point park was “adventures inn"which wasnt across the street from the old amusment park but on an angle on the corner. I vividly remember going there and for years parts of the sidewalk was blocked off because it sank into the ground! By the way, since we are so off track here, does anyone have any pictures of the prospects interior?? There are so many of the keiths but all the shots i’ve seen of the prospect have been from the side or a back wall, any front shots??
The park on route 110 is “Adventure Land”, took my daughter there last year and yes its still open. Judging by the looks of everyone in attendence, looks like thats where all the old residents of flushing moved off to. The college point park was “adventures inn"which wasnt across the street from the old amusment park but on an angle on the corner. I vividly remember going there and for years parts of the sidewalk was blocked off because it sank into the ground! By the way, since we are so off track here, does anyone have any pictures of the prospects interior?? There are so many of the keiths but all the shots i’ve seen of the prospect have been from the side or a back wall, any front shots??
Any chance of anyone having a view from the front of the Prospect? How about an interior shot?
Ed, an off topic thing, you mentioned “Jack’s” in flushing which was the last one to go, while visiting my sister in law in Housten Tx. I found there to be a Jack’s on every other block. Gotta love those greasy tacos! Too bad there isnt a fantasy land where there is an old theater every other block.
Unreal, I can only imagine walking in that place in 1926 and ploping down my nickle.
I have a nice photo of the taft i will post on here as soon as i get the chance. Warren, sine you seem to be THE theater guy around here, maybe you can help me out. I have a book on early queens and it shows a theater called the Janice that was also on main st. Was this the location of the Taft/Town, the seem to be in the same location in the pics. Thanks
Any chance of someone possible getting in the building for some final pictures? I read somewhere back that the were an awful lot of murals in the place. It’d be a shame for them to go without being recorded for “befor and after” pics. “World class” give it ten years tops before it looks like a world class mess.
RKO Plaza…….geez, can they even really still call it that? I know the rko company still exists in some current form, but at the last moment I cant help but think they will change the name also for legality’s sake. A lobby and a nonsense name to calm us while they rip it all down.
The reason the roads were cobblestone as recent as ‘68 is probably because they were in still very good condition. As the years progressed and main st and the surrounding areas were built up, they had to rip up the streets for con ed, sewer and water lines so they went with the cheaper asphalt roads. They looked 100 times better than the roads today but try driving on cobblestone in the snow and rain, with with the amount of traffic in downtown flushing, imagine the accidents?
Ok, This has been killing me, I’m getting so sick of people here saying “the damage is already done” and “the former owner destroyed it”. Thats all bull$#!% ! I’ve had the chance on numerous occasions to slip inside, the plywood wall out fron hasnt always been the most secure and there is no secuity. Yeah, the guy who owned it has done some damage to it but it HAS NOT been destroyed. Its dusty and has leaks but for the most part ITS WHOLE. Everyone has been falling for this excuse and for them to give us the lobby (and let me tell you the part they are gonna restore is no bigger square footage wise than your average mcdonalds restaurant. Someone had psted why cant they build the new building above the old one so the auditorium can be saved ?? The theater is pretty much intact and no worse for wear than the little trylon theater they are all trying to save on queens blvd. I mean the keiths even has its original stage curtains still hanging and i guess thats all gonna get ripped down as long as we get our little lobby. Look at the Lowe’s paradise theater in the bronx, that place was just as bed, and i had the pleasure of getting in there for a peek before the did and just compleated a full blown restoration. Sorry if i seem bitter but it just hurts that everyone is kind of just settling for “nothing” kinda like a tease of what used to be there.
Restored lobby…..nonsense
The ceiling had a circular design, with a “pie sliced” pattern depicting what looked like historical images, hard to tell in the darkness. Any who remembers the “Quartet” would remember the “second floor” where the video games and the bathrooms were. When the quartet wall were removed, you could see the areas in the original roosevelt walls where the balcony was located. It must have been removed back in the 70’s when it was converted to the quartet.
Hey all, just recently became a member. The Quartet was one of my childhood theaters and I had the luck of being able to get a peek inside during its “gutting” . About 4 or 5 years ago I saw the trucks in front of the place and i recognized the name on one of the trucks was one of my friends who is an electrician. Basicly he was there to “turn off all the power to the place and set up temporary power for the workers. The walls from the quading had been removed and to my astonishment, it was like a mini rko keiths!! sculpted paster everywhere a stage with carved collumns the detail to the ceiling was unbelievable. There were even painted murals. I was planning to get a digital camera so the following week i went out to by one . I came back and one of the sweepers let me in while everyone was at lunch. I basiclly walked into a compleatlly gutted room. Nothing. It was all gone down to just steal beams and bricks. What a total disapointment. I really never new the theater had been that "grand” and i guess nobody else rememberd thats how it was lost. A few weeks later the knucklheads actually cut down the entire marquee. And then for some dopey reason put up a new one the same basic dimentions of the old one. Anyone have any photos, either the roosevelt or even the quartet in its glory days?