Paramount Theatre
1501 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1501 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
38 people
favorited this theater
Showing 501 - 509 of 509 comments
The name “Paramount Theater” has had a transient history in Manhattan since the mid ‘60’s demolition of this grand old auditorium — the Brooklyn Paramount notwithstanding. During the '70’s and '80’s there was a subterranean theater in the Gulf and Western building on Columbus Circle that was called The Paramount. I’m not sure if it opened concurrently with the G&W building nor am I sure if it was always known as The Paramount (I assume it was so dubbed when G&W became the parent company of Paramount Pictures). Regardless, the building has since been converted by Donald Trump to residential/hotel usage and the theater was demolished/converted to other use in the '80’s. Sometime after this, the old Felt Forum inside Madison Square Garden was briefly known as The Paramount during a period when both Paramount Pictures and the Garden were subsidiaries of the same parent corporation. This last Paramount, however, was never intended for the exhibition of motion pictures.
I mention this only as a footnote to history of The Paramount.
The WWF restaurant has closed . The space is currently empty. So much for progress
The recently replaced arched window above the marquee is much more shallowly set then the original arched window, which featured a stained-glass Paramount mountain in its center.
The organ in the theatre was a 4 manual 36 rank Wurlitzer- not a Cassevant. Jesse Crawford was the star organist. It was considered the definitive theatre organ by many in the organ world. The Wurlitzer now resides in Witchita Kansas in their Century Exhibition Hall
It was of the Publix movie chain when built.
And, my other grandfather, Joseph Aruta, painted the interior frescoes and all the gilt, as he did in many other NYC landmarks. I surely wish I could’ve seen this place before it was destroyed.
My grandfather, Wilfrid Lavallee, built the pipe organ for this grand theatre, for the Casavant Brothers Pipe Organ Company of Ste. Hyacinthe, Quebec. I would like to know what became of it when this wonderful place was gutted.
an section of the balcony is now at Famous Player’s Paramount in Toronto (above the escalator on the way to the private lounge.)
Prior to its landmark designation the buildings theater was demolished and converted into commercial office space.
Now, the World Wrestling Federation, a tenant occupying the stage portion and some of the seating areas, have undertaken the Marquee & Presidium Arch restoration.
The restoration is being performed without the availability of original design drawings. It is being done with the aid of historical photos, post cards and renderings from the 1920 period.