Thanks gentlemen for your responses, I guess it explains
the 1969 baptism of my cousin Lourdes in that church.
Her godparents lived right across the street from it.
Bway, I stood physically ouside the bldg. 246 Broadway.
The Chase building is now the Echo drugstore, after that
are small businesses no more than one story high, and
then a tall bldg. with a storefront that sells lamps.
On the rightside of 246 Bway, there is a stairway that
goes up, it was probably the egress for the movie customers
on their way out.
Remember in that picture, there is a gap of air space where
you read predecessor name of Chase Manhattan.
Wow this is fun !!
Thanks Bway for your response,
You are correct about the perplexed part of Ridgewood needing
gentrification, I should have been more clearer.
Here’s what I meant.
There are actually two Ridgewoods, the former are the neighborhoods
beginning after Irving or Wyckoff that stretches to Seneca or
Forest Avenue. these neighborhoods are more hispanic, bargain 99ct
stores and bodegas. This is where the Ridgewood and the now defunct
Madison are located.
After Forest Ave, up to Fresh Pond rd, Metropolitan Ave and where
Glendale begins is called Upper Ridgewood, code name for legacy
residents,quiet and safer. This is the part of Ridgewood I lived
in, in the early 90’s.
Which by the way is also changing, the Italians and Germans are
moving out and the Romanians and Eastern Europeans are moving in.
I guess everything runs in cycles.
During the 60’s when the neighborhood was hispanic/puerto-rican
and hippies, my loving, now deceased aunt and her frisky handed
boyfriend took me to the Charles theatre to see “ the Killing of
Sister George”.
I guess I was about 6 or 7, strange movie, I do remember breasts
and murder, but mostly what I remembered was that my aunt and boyfriend only watched a quarter of the movie (lol).
It was a small theatre, sat about 500, and a big “ CHARLES"
on the marquee.
Thanks Aunt Dolores.
I just visited Monica’s website tribute to the Ridgewood Theatre,
Its a very site which details her love and honor for this theatre.
The last time I visited this theatre was in the late 80’s and even
in that time, I felt the conditions were deplorable and rancid.
But it still did business, even with its cramped, partitioned,
five closets.
I remember going to the Ridgewood in the 70’s to see action flicks
when it was just one screen.
Its still here and God bless its longevity, I wish I can say the same for the Loews Gates and RKO Madison.
I forsee its future when Ridgewood gets gentrified after Bushwick,
It will be a moviehouse ala Angelika.
Thanks for your memories Peter, some of those neighborhoods bring
back good memories. I remember a church on Pilling St. between
Broadway and Bushwick, I think it was catholic.
I would say that the blight began somewhat in the early 70’s.
The neglect was shaping in, many of the businesses that began
around the 50’s and 60' where shutting down and of course the
“white flight” was ending its exodus (not trying to be facetious).
By then it was all black and hispanic. I moved to East Flatbush
in 75' then Midwood in the 80' where I remembered the Kingsway
.In the 90’s Upper Ridgewood, Carmel, NY and now temporary in
Williamsburgh, where I found what used to be a theatre off Broadway
and Havemeyer called the Aster.
After the blackout in 77, Bushwick went downhill for about 20 years.
It is now resurging with new homes, yuppies and immigrants.
I did a check of the building, the Aster theatre was at
246 Broadway, between the now gone Chase Manhattan bldg.
and building with storefront lighting.
It is now a chinese restaurant named “ Good Friends”.
Thanks Peter K., I’m sold on that information.
How long where you in Bushwick and what was your
fondest memories.
I first lived on Schaffer bet. Bushwick and B'way,
then my last years where on Weirfield St Cent/Eveg.
And I moved away in 75' before the urban blight.
There seems to full information on this “ Aster"
theatre, I was checking information on the Commodore
and someone inquired about a "Aster” on Broadway,
and the person named CJDV had a bulk of bio on
that theatre. It did go under several name changes.
Check it out.
Not to add to the confusion of geography, as a child of
Bushwick during the 60'/70', I always thought that Chauncey
St belonged to either Bushwick or Bed/Stuy.
You guys have great memories, I’ve always known that bldg
as a church.
Does anyone know when the Colonial finally closed.
Thanks Lostmemory for your response, I really couldn't
tell the name from the angle of the picture.
I live around the corner from B'way, So I will check
the address number for that bldg.
I noticed something else in that picture.
There seems to be air space over the theatre.
As of today, there’s a full bldg. on that spot.
My mother-in-law told me, that there was a movie theatre on
that site. Does anyone know how well it did with the Commodore
and Williamsburgh as its competitors?
That Aster on B'way & Havemeyer is a shocker, from the location
of it, it must be the Payless shoestore.
The only time I went to this theatre was in 1974 to
see Bruce Lee’s “ Enter the Dragon”.
By that time Bushwick was beginning its descent into
urban neglect.
It was a huge, ornately decorated with an upper balcony.
It was abandoned during the 80’s and it is now a church
Thanks gentlemen for your responses, I guess it explains
the 1969 baptism of my cousin Lourdes in that church.
Her godparents lived right across the street from it.
Bway, I stood physically ouside the bldg. 246 Broadway.
The Chase building is now the Echo drugstore, after that
are small businesses no more than one story high, and
then a tall bldg. with a storefront that sells lamps.
On the rightside of 246 Bway, there is a stairway that
goes up, it was probably the egress for the movie customers
on their way out.
Remember in that picture, there is a gap of air space where
you read predecessor name of Chase Manhattan.
Wow this is fun !!
Thanks Bway for your response,
You are correct about the perplexed part of Ridgewood needing
gentrification, I should have been more clearer.
Here’s what I meant.
There are actually two Ridgewoods, the former are the neighborhoods
beginning after Irving or Wyckoff that stretches to Seneca or
Forest Avenue. these neighborhoods are more hispanic, bargain 99ct
stores and bodegas. This is where the Ridgewood and the now defunct
Madison are located.
After Forest Ave, up to Fresh Pond rd, Metropolitan Ave and where
Glendale begins is called Upper Ridgewood, code name for legacy
residents,quiet and safer. This is the part of Ridgewood I lived
in, in the early 90’s.
Which by the way is also changing, the Italians and Germans are
moving out and the Romanians and Eastern Europeans are moving in.
I guess everything runs in cycles.
During the 60’s when the neighborhood was hispanic/puerto-rican
and hippies, my loving, now deceased aunt and her frisky handed
boyfriend took me to the Charles theatre to see “ the Killing of
Sister George”.
I guess I was about 6 or 7, strange movie, I do remember breasts
and murder, but mostly what I remembered was that my aunt and boyfriend only watched a quarter of the movie (lol).
It was a small theatre, sat about 500, and a big “ CHARLES"
on the marquee.
Thanks Aunt Dolores.
I just visited Monica’s website tribute to the Ridgewood Theatre,
Its a very site which details her love and honor for this theatre.
The last time I visited this theatre was in the late 80’s and even
in that time, I felt the conditions were deplorable and rancid.
But it still did business, even with its cramped, partitioned,
five closets.
I remember going to the Ridgewood in the 70’s to see action flicks
when it was just one screen.
Its still here and God bless its longevity, I wish I can say the same for the Loews Gates and RKO Madison.
I forsee its future when Ridgewood gets gentrified after Bushwick,
It will be a moviehouse ala Angelika.
Thanks for your memories Peter, some of those neighborhoods bring
back good memories. I remember a church on Pilling St. between
Broadway and Bushwick, I think it was catholic.
I would say that the blight began somewhat in the early 70’s.
The neglect was shaping in, many of the businesses that began
around the 50’s and 60' where shutting down and of course the
“white flight” was ending its exodus (not trying to be facetious).
By then it was all black and hispanic. I moved to East Flatbush
in 75' then Midwood in the 80' where I remembered the Kingsway
.In the 90’s Upper Ridgewood, Carmel, NY and now temporary in
Williamsburgh, where I found what used to be a theatre off Broadway
and Havemeyer called the Aster.
After the blackout in 77, Bushwick went downhill for about 20 years.
It is now resurging with new homes, yuppies and immigrants.
I did a check of the building, the Aster theatre was at
246 Broadway, between the now gone Chase Manhattan bldg.
and building with storefront lighting.
It is now a chinese restaurant named “ Good Friends”.
Thanks Peter K., I’m sold on that information.
How long where you in Bushwick and what was your
fondest memories.
I first lived on Schaffer bet. Bushwick and B'way,
then my last years where on Weirfield St Cent/Eveg.
And I moved away in 75' before the urban blight.
There seems to full information on this “ Aster"
theatre, I was checking information on the Commodore
and someone inquired about a "Aster” on Broadway,
and the person named CJDV had a bulk of bio on
that theatre. It did go under several name changes.
Check it out.
Not to add to the confusion of geography, as a child of
Bushwick during the 60'/70', I always thought that Chauncey
St belonged to either Bushwick or Bed/Stuy.
You guys have great memories, I’ve always known that bldg
as a church.
Does anyone know when the Colonial finally closed.
Thanks Lostmemory for your response, I really couldn't
tell the name from the angle of the picture.
I live around the corner from B'way, So I will check
the address number for that bldg.
I noticed something else in that picture.
There seems to be air space over the theatre.
As of today, there’s a full bldg. on that spot.
My mother-in-law told me, that there was a movie theatre on
that site. Does anyone know how well it did with the Commodore
and Williamsburgh as its competitors?
That Aster on B'way & Havemeyer is a shocker, from the location
of it, it must be the Payless shoestore.
The only time I went to this theatre was in 1974 to
see Bruce Lee’s “ Enter the Dragon”.
By that time Bushwick was beginning its descent into
urban neglect.
It was a huge, ornately decorated with an upper balcony.
It was abandoned during the 80’s and it is now a church
The building is still there, its now partitioned
for two 99c stores.
Also the neighborhood is going through gentrification
and luxury apartments.