The place is completely trashed inside. I don’t know what if anything remains.
Check out this link, and these photos were probably taken in the very early 2000’s, and it surely didn’t get better since then….
Was Roseland in Manhattan a theater at one time? I have been in there a few times for concerts, and it seems like it may have been a theater at one time.
And of course there’s the Hammerstein Ballroom, still used for concerts, with the seats ripped out, but still has a lot of it’s theater features. I think it was the Manhattan Opera House.
There are many theater conversions to churches that went well. They are perhaps the “best” conversion a theater can have in regard to the integrity of the building. I don’t really even consider church converstions, “conversions”, as they usually remain completely intact, right down to the seats! They are basically still “theaters”. The list probably goes on forever, but here’s a few theater to church conversions, just off the top of my head:
Loews Valencia in Jamaica – completely intact
Colonial Theater in Bushwick – completely intact
Loews Gates in Bushwick – completely intact and renovated
Rivoli i in Bushwick – intact
….the list goes on.
The Meserole Theater actually is a great coversion. The entire interior of the theater is intact. The floor has been leveled, but that was perhaps the most severe thing done, otherwise much remains right in view in the store. They even project slides of sales onto the old screen area!
Well you know what was discovered above the “fake” ceiling in the Madison, so who knows, perhaps the dome of the Parthenon also still exists! It would be harder to view of course, as unlike the Madison, the Parthenon never had a balcony.
I do have a thought about the stairs though, now that you mention it. The person I spoke to mentioned that the floor of the lobby sloped upwards as you walked from street level to the seating area, and then once at that high point, had a very gradual grade down towards the screen…much less than other theaters. Perhaps that upward grade was for some reason made into that stairway, to lessen that upward grade in the floor, and that of the theater too. I also believe that due to his description of the lobby being quite large, the width of the theater, that probably is the space occupiued bu the pharmacy, and the Bingo Hall is that of the old auditorium. The basement may have just been “a basement”, but hopefully someone will let us know if they know.
Thanks again Panzer. I to am fascinated with building conversions to other uses. It is also the first time I have seen the inside of Loews 46th St, now a furniture store. The Eagle Theater in Manhattan was also interesting with all the mattresses thrown in there, it must be a mattress store.
The Keiths is definitely a great example of a classic theater, and while a diamond in the rough, it is very intact which is pretty great.
I was in the Keith’s balcony when I was a kid, I went up the stairway when my parents were there for a flea market, and I went “exploring”. It was easy then, as a ckid could get away with being places he should n’t be… I don’t think that would be as easy as as an adult, haha. The Keoiths is the theater that got me interested in old theaters, as I mentioned before in this page.
I asked someone I know, and he said that the theater had no balcony, which made the theater look more open when you walked into the auditorium, than theaters where there was a balcony above. The outer lobby was extrmely shallow, and only the ticket window was there, and then a few steps to get into the inner lobby, which was the full width of the theater itself, and quite large. There was a slight slope upwards as you walked through the lobby towards the seating area, and then a slight grade downwards towards the screen, much lighter of a slope than other theaters.
So it does appear that the Bingo hall was made out of a new floor they m ade through the space of the old auditorium, making a second floor within that space.
That is a very interersting observation John! It is quite possible that the Bingo hall does occupy what was once the Balcony, or at least the Balcony’s mezzanine. How big was the hall? This is the most information we have had on this theater yet.
If the Bingo Hall is upstairs, I wonder what occupies the main level? Has anyone ever gone in the pharmacy that is in the building? I always assumed that occupied the lobby, while the Bingo Hall occupied the auditorium, but it appears that may not be the case.
I saw this theater last night when I went to a Yankee Game. It is currently being used as a sports bar, or at least the lobby on both River Rd, and the other lobby on Jerome Ave is. I don’t know what if anything remains of the interior…any information would be appreciated.
I wonder if this is the church group that used to rent one of the theaters in the old Patchogue Multiplex. They also had a “CHurch at the Movies” group that rented one of the auditoriums on Sundays for church service.
It’s a good way to take in some extra money when they really don’t need the auditorium for movies anyway on Sunday mornings.
Thanks so much Warren! Those are very interesting. There is a photo linked up above, I think by JF Lundy a long time ago, of when the theater was new, and those boxes look just like them….of course, deteriorated. I would love to see any other photos there may be of the interior.
What a shame! It’s a horror what they have done comparing to the photo of the theater above, when it was still operating. Thanks for the photos, no matter how depressing.
Great photo! I didn’t realize the Kings was caddycorner on the property. Like many theaters, while the front part of the building, with the lobby is in line with the rest of the block, the theater auditorium itself is in a totally different position.
I haven’t been in the midway since the early 90’s, before the renovation, it was still a 4-plex last I was in it. It was always clean and well kept. I do vaguely remember the lobby, and it had a nice ornate railing going up to the second floor. That’s about all I remember though…
Thanks Lost…. I know what you probably mean, while I have never been in the Parthenon building, I was in the Glenwood Theater further down Myrtle, and it also was a Bowling alley when I was in it as a kid. Not that I would have noticed anything as a kid, but I don’t remember any hint that it was a theater. In fact, I didn’t even put two and two together that it once was a theater until years later. I remember the marquee, they kept the old theater marquee with “Glenwood” on it flashing, except it said “Bowl”. If I remember correctly, the balcony may have been somewhere where you could eat, I vaguely remember being “upstairs” looking down at the bowling alley when we were eating something. But I ewas too young to really remember clearly.
Luis, I completely agree with you. And Radio City was another theater I loved to see a movie in as a kid. I saw a few films there as a kid, and my parents took me to a movie there in the late 70’s when they were going to close Radio City. It was supposed to be the last movie to be screened there. Luckily the theater was saved. The last movie I saw there was The Lion King in the early 90’s, when Disney premiered it there.
The Elmwood was another theater I liked. And yes, the curtain thing at the Zeigfeld is great. I used to go there a lot too. The Trylon on Queens Blvd still did the curtain thing to until it’s unfortunate demise.
The place is completely trashed inside. I don’t know what if anything remains.
Check out this link, and these photos were probably taken in the very early 2000’s, and it surely didn’t get better since then….
View link
Was Roseland in Manhattan a theater at one time? I have been in there a few times for concerts, and it seems like it may have been a theater at one time.
And of course there’s the Hammerstein Ballroom, still used for concerts, with the seats ripped out, but still has a lot of it’s theater features. I think it was the Manhattan Opera House.
I forgot about perhaps one of the best church conversions…. the 175th St in Manhattan….now the United Palace.
There are many theater conversions to churches that went well. They are perhaps the “best” conversion a theater can have in regard to the integrity of the building. I don’t really even consider church converstions, “conversions”, as they usually remain completely intact, right down to the seats! They are basically still “theaters”. The list probably goes on forever, but here’s a few theater to church conversions, just off the top of my head:
Loews Valencia in Jamaica – completely intact
Colonial Theater in Bushwick – completely intact
Loews Gates in Bushwick – completely intact and renovated
Rivoli i in Bushwick – intact
….the list goes on.
The Meserole Theater actually is a great coversion. The entire interior of the theater is intact. The floor has been leveled, but that was perhaps the most severe thing done, otherwise much remains right in view in the store. They even project slides of sales onto the old screen area!
I believe you are correct. I believe it’s the building linked below in Google Street View:
View link
Well you know what was discovered above the “fake” ceiling in the Madison, so who knows, perhaps the dome of the Parthenon also still exists! It would be harder to view of course, as unlike the Madison, the Parthenon never had a balcony.
I do have a thought about the stairs though, now that you mention it. The person I spoke to mentioned that the floor of the lobby sloped upwards as you walked from street level to the seating area, and then once at that high point, had a very gradual grade down towards the screen…much less than other theaters. Perhaps that upward grade was for some reason made into that stairway, to lessen that upward grade in the floor, and that of the theater too. I also believe that due to his description of the lobby being quite large, the width of the theater, that probably is the space occupiued bu the pharmacy, and the Bingo Hall is that of the old auditorium. The basement may have just been “a basement”, but hopefully someone will let us know if they know.
Thanks again Panzer. I to am fascinated with building conversions to other uses. It is also the first time I have seen the inside of Loews 46th St, now a furniture store. The Eagle Theater in Manhattan was also interesting with all the mattresses thrown in there, it must be a mattress store.
The Keiths is definitely a great example of a classic theater, and while a diamond in the rough, it is very intact which is pretty great.
I was in the Keith’s balcony when I was a kid, I went up the stairway when my parents were there for a flea market, and I went “exploring”. It was easy then, as a ckid could get away with being places he should n’t be… I don’t think that would be as easy as as an adult, haha. The Keoiths is the theater that got me interested in old theaters, as I mentioned before in this page.
Thanks! That is very interesting, and this theater is such an appropriate spot to put that link!
I asked someone I know, and he said that the theater had no balcony, which made the theater look more open when you walked into the auditorium, than theaters where there was a balcony above. The outer lobby was extrmely shallow, and only the ticket window was there, and then a few steps to get into the inner lobby, which was the full width of the theater itself, and quite large. There was a slight slope upwards as you walked through the lobby towards the seating area, and then a slight grade downwards towards the screen, much lighter of a slope than other theaters.
So it does appear that the Bingo hall was made out of a new floor they m ade through the space of the old auditorium, making a second floor within that space.
That is a possibility, John, that a second story was built through the old auditorium.
That is a very interersting observation John! It is quite possible that the Bingo hall does occupy what was once the Balcony, or at least the Balcony’s mezzanine. How big was the hall? This is the most information we have had on this theater yet.
If the Bingo Hall is upstairs, I wonder what occupies the main level? Has anyone ever gone in the pharmacy that is in the building? I always assumed that occupied the lobby, while the Bingo Hall occupied the auditorium, but it appears that may not be the case.
I drove by this morning and there is a huge banner across the front of the building:
“THE PLAZA HAS GOT TO GO!!!”
I saw this theater last night when I went to a Yankee Game. It is currently being used as a sports bar, or at least the lobby on both River Rd, and the other lobby on Jerome Ave is. I don’t know what if anything remains of the interior…any information would be appreciated.
Thanks for the report John…
I wonder if this is the church group that used to rent one of the theaters in the old Patchogue Multiplex. They also had a “CHurch at the Movies” group that rented one of the auditoriums on Sundays for church service.
It’s a good way to take in some extra money when they really don’t need the auditorium for movies anyway on Sunday mornings.
I think he means the advertising on this site on the theater pages….all the theaters.
I think it has mostly been cut up into various floors, and classrooms. I don’t think any of the interior survives, but I am not sure.
Thanks so much Warren! Those are very interesting. There is a photo linked up above, I think by JF Lundy a long time ago, of when the theater was new, and those boxes look just like them….of course, deteriorated. I would love to see any other photos there may be of the interior.
What a shame! It’s a horror what they have done comparing to the photo of the theater above, when it was still operating. Thanks for the photos, no matter how depressing.
Great photo! I didn’t realize the Kings was caddycorner on the property. Like many theaters, while the front part of the building, with the lobby is in line with the rest of the block, the theater auditorium itself is in a totally different position.
I haven’t been in the midway since the early 90’s, before the renovation, it was still a 4-plex last I was in it. It was always clean and well kept. I do vaguely remember the lobby, and it had a nice ornate railing going up to the second floor. That’s about all I remember though…
Thanks Lost…. I know what you probably mean, while I have never been in the Parthenon building, I was in the Glenwood Theater further down Myrtle, and it also was a Bowling alley when I was in it as a kid. Not that I would have noticed anything as a kid, but I don’t remember any hint that it was a theater. In fact, I didn’t even put two and two together that it once was a theater until years later. I remember the marquee, they kept the old theater marquee with “Glenwood” on it flashing, except it said “Bowl”. If I remember correctly, the balcony may have been somewhere where you could eat, I vaguely remember being “upstairs” looking down at the bowling alley when we were eating something. But I ewas too young to really remember clearly.
Luis, I completely agree with you. And Radio City was another theater I loved to see a movie in as a kid. I saw a few films there as a kid, and my parents took me to a movie there in the late 70’s when they were going to close Radio City. It was supposed to be the last movie to be screened there. Luckily the theater was saved. The last movie I saw there was The Lion King in the early 90’s, when Disney premiered it there.
The Elmwood was another theater I liked. And yes, the curtain thing at the Zeigfeld is great. I used to go there a lot too. The Trylon on Queens Blvd still did the curtain thing to until it’s unfortunate demise.
It’s such a classic marquee.