What a shame that this theater didn’t survive to enjoy the revival of the Lower East Side although revival might not be a good term as I don’t think that the Lower East Side was EVER known as a nice neighborhood. I have to admit, that of all of the crummy New York Neighborhoods that I remember growing up in the 70’s and 80’s I would have picked the Lower East Side as dead last in potential for revival. But when I go there today, it is truly astounding! Trendy restaurants, including one of my favorites (Kampuchea), lounges, bars, boutiques, museums (including the amazing Tenement Museum on Orchard Street) and new Condominiums and luxury rental towers.
Times have changed so much that I feel very comfortable walking home (at night) from the Lower East Side through Chinatown to my home in the Financial District without the least worry for my safety. This is quite a difference from way back when when you made sure your car door was locked when driving through and that is all you did back then…….Drive Through!
The revival of many parts of New York in the last 15 years has been nothing short of spectacular. I’m confident that we won’t go back to the bad old days in spite of the current challenging economic environment.
While it is too late for Loews Delancey, I hold out some hope for Loews Canal which I think may be largely intact and quietly hibernating and waiting to be rediscovered.
By the way, I say “some churches” because there is a wide abundance of architecturally significant churches today. If they can no longer serve as churches it will be hard to find alternate uses for all of them; just as the process has be difficult for obsolete movie palaces. The goal should be to save the most significant among them.
Let’s not forget the third type of profound arhitecture most often found in vibrant important communities: Banks! One need look no further than downtown Williamsburg for a very impressive collection of early 20th Century Banking Halls full of Greek Columns, Chandeliers, Marble, wood panelling and brass rails. Churches/Synagogues, Banks and Theaters are what defined neighborhoods n the early 20th Century. While many churches remain, there are but a precious few Banks from that era and we all know that there are too few remaining movie palaces.
I often wonder, “What are we building today, that people 75 years from now will be mourning the loss of?” I have to admit that I really can’t think of anything significant. That makes the preservation of the Theaters/Banks and some churches of our past all the more important.
This church reminds me of St Fancis Xavier in Manhattan; except it appears so much larger! New York is filled with hidden treasures.
This isn’t so much off topic as St John’s was a vital part of the fabric of Bushwick, as were its major theaters. They certainly were the major historic markers and by preserving them you keep a vital link to the past while at the same time creating a new neighborhood for a new generation who don’t remember the days when whole blocks went up in flames, the subways were a disaster and crime was rampant.
Here’s to hoping that St. John’s and its illustrious stained glass windows can one day be restored to Bushwick!
Thanks for the update Bway. So, am I correct to assume that the stained glass is still there? This fascinates me. From a distance, it truly looks like an abandoned cathedral; emblematic of the Bushwick of the 70’s. Was this ever truly a cathedral? I know that the current Cathedral is St. James in downtown Brooklyn. A reopening of this building would be a wonderful symbol of the rebirth of Bushwick. I know there is still a ways to go, but I know that the neighborhood has progressed dramatically from those days when Bushwick (along with the South Bronx) was known mainly for burning.
Alas, I really don’t see the need for a larger church since they seem to be alienating more and more people by the day. The only time I set foot in a church is as an architectural fan and nothing else. That said, I also believe the best examples of church architecture, like those of theater architecture, need to be preserved for the same basic reason: They are beautiful, they don’t build ‘em like this anymore, and they never will again.
Thanks Warren! I moved to nearby South Ozone Park (118th Street & 111th Avenue)in November of 1970 and so the Keiths was already closed by then. I went every once in a while to Jahn’s which was right next door to the Keiths and it’s funny how I didn’t really give it much thought that this old theater sat unused (as far as I’m concerned, a flea market counts as unused). I was never curious as to what it looked like inside.
Back then, we had an embarassment of movie palaces still open and so it took a lot for one to stand out. From my youth, the only ones that I have clear recollections of being in awe when walking through the lobby and sitting in the auditorium watching a film were Loew’s Valencia, Radio City and the RKO Keiths Flushing. The Elmwood gets an honorable mention. Most of the other theaters were probably in such bad shape or had their decorative elements painted over or hidden that you didn’t wonder what it was like in its prime.
Oddly enough. my interest in palaces started in the late 80’s when I started to go “clubbing” and many of the most famous discos of the era were in old theaters like Studio 54 (Gallo Opera ouse), The Saint (Loews Commodore), Shout (Miller), Club USA (Forum) and Palladium (Academy of Music). I remember admiring the beauty of these theaters and wanting to know more.
That’s why I am so grateful for Cinema Treasures. I have found out more about theaters and the business of movie exhibition than I ever could have imagined through the posting of dedicated people like Warren Harris, Howard Bass and many others.
It has been fascinating to see the efforts to save theaters like The Boyd (Successful), The Jersey (Successful), The St. George (Successful) and The Ridgewood (Work in Progress) and painful to see the lack of success at theaters like the RKO Keiths Flushing and Richmond Hill, Loews Kings and the Demille.
For now, I am trying to generate interest in landmarking Ziegfeld Theatre now that it is approaching its 40th anniversary and will therefore be eligible.
We have gone from a wealth of palaces to a precious few. Cinema Treasures is helping to protect what is left and for that we should all be thankful!
This message is for everyone who has loves the Ziegfeld and its storied history.
The Ziegfeld will celebrate its 40th Anniversary later this year in December. New York’s Landmark laws do not allow any building to receive landmark status until they have reached this propitious milestone. Do anyone know if there is any kind of movement underway to bring The Ziegfeld up for landmarking?
I don’t see how this would not be eligible. This theater was the last of the great movie palaces to be build in New York and has its own singular style that incorporates modernism while still maintaining a sense of luxury that was common in the palaces of yesteryear.
It is the largest single screen theater still extant in Manhattan that is still in use. The list of movie premieres that have been held held here is long and storied and it continues to be the premiere red carpet venue in New York.
This theater needs to be protected and I would hope that the owner, which I beleive is a billionaire who owns the neighboring Alliance/Bernstein tower would agree to the designation as a way to give back to the City of New York; the city which enabled him to make his fortune. Clearview only has a lease to the theater. They are not the owners.
I think it is time to start a movement: Landmark the Ziegfeld!
A list of New York’s restored Palaces would include the following:
Radio City
Hollywood
Loews 175th Street
New Amsterdam
Beacon
Apollo
Ziegfeld
Loews Paradise
Loews Valencia
St. George
Hudson
and also the 2 Jersey City palaces (which is so close to NY that you have to include them:
Loews Jersey
Stanley
In my opinion, this bounty is the country’s best collection of RESTORED Palaces, which only Los Angeles would be able to dispute. I am aware that LA has a good number of restored beauties, but do they have them in this number and quality? That would make an interesting discussion. I listed 13 above, but, of course, there are other Broadway Legit houses that operated for decades as movie venues and, of course, there are the diamonds in the rough that await restoration like the Loews Kings, the Brookln Paramount, The RKO Keiths Flushing, RKO Keiths Richmond Hill, even the Ridgewood.
I know that LA compares in the quality of their restored palaces, but does it compare in sheer quantity?
Originally, Cablevision stated it would spend “at least” $10MM for the restoration. As Warren correctly pointed out, that was not nearly enough for a true restoration, but luckily, Cablevison’s pockets were deep enough to do a job that, from what I can see and have read, is nothing short of spectacular. Kudos to Cablevision.
Manhattan now has 5 of the most beautifully restored Palaces ever built in America:
Radio City
Hollywood
Loews 175th Street
New Amsterdam
Beacon
Now, if we coud only find a Corporate parent for the Loews Kings in Brooklyn!!!!!
Is St. Johns a catholic church? Is it the huge church that can be seen in the distance while you are riding on the J train looking south? I’ve often wondered about this building. It looks ginormous! I thought it was totally abandoned. Is this building a shambles? um….I should just google this info. This is Cinema Treasures after all! :–)
Thanks Jeffrey1955. That sounds great, but there is no way that a renovation of the Keiths could be deemed anywhere near shovel ready.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing would make me happier than having this theater restored, but there is the immediate problem that the city doesn’t own it. Boymelgreen Develpment does and they have no interest in restoration. They were also asking for a lot of money to sell the property. Even the the city used eminent domain (which would be really hard to do) that process would take years.
Unfortunately, this is in the hands of the awful Boymelgreens.
Besides, if any theater were to be the beneficiary of stimulus funds then it should be the Loews Kings in Brooklyn which, though in ruins, is probably in better shape the the Keiths.
There is however, a spectacular theater that the city does own and is desperatel in need of funding for renovation: The Loews Kings in Brooklyn! If any theater were to be the beneficiary of stimulus funds it should be Kings which, though in ruins, is probably in better shape the the Keiths.
The current owner is Boymelgreen who is in a lot of financial hot water due to the real estate meltdown. Last year, this property was placed on the market. I believe the price is referenced above in a prior post, but there were no takers so I’m pretty sure that Boymelgreen still owns it.
For the umpteenth time…..the Alabamans are NOT purchasing this theater. Please read all of the above posts. Well, not all of them. For the Ridgewood, that wouldprobably take a week. Just the last 30 or so!
Also, nothing in that article says anything about really saving the theater. Moving seat? “Furnishings”? It’s nonsense, as Michael Perlman himself pretty much posted in a prior comment as well.
Wait, wait…In my defense….In my post, in the scond paragraph, I did say “I don’t get it” and then in the very next post, Peter K says “Thanks Lost Memory, I don’t get it either” It makes sense that I would assume he was talking about me! :–)
So, I just want to let everyone know I’m not an egomaniac!
Warren, you are correct. I believe that RKO made a mistake even opening this theater here. Let’s not forget that, back in the day, the Loews Willard and Garden theaters were just down Jamaica Avenue towrd Wodhaven and the incredible Valencia, Savoy, Hillside, Alden and other Jamaica palaces were just up the road in the other direction. Add in the Midway and Forest Hills (not far away), the Austin in Kew Gardens and the two fairly big theaters The Lefferts and The Casino which were on Richmond Hill’s true main retail street, Liberty Avenue, and it didn’t leave you much audience to fight over. The battle was over before it ever really started.
I agree Bway! What’s truly special about this theater is that the church, who beautifully restored and maintined this palace over the years, has made it available to be used by the public for secular purposes; i.e. concerts. This is pretty rare and I look forward to someday being able to attend a concert here someday as well. The groups that play here don’t tend to be my cup of tea, but like Bway says. if I am remotely interested, I would love to go just to expeirience the theater in a non-religious way.
I just found out that the B-52’s are expected to play the St. George on Staten Island later this year. That’s a group I would love to see!
It’s an odd area. Kew Gardens, which is right next door is a beautiful neighborhood of many stately homes on winding tree lined streets. The area is also interspersed with fairly large buildings that were almost all rentals but were mostly converted to coops in the 80’s. Richmond Hill to the south has lots of old Victorian homes and is also pretty nice and yet……..
I kind of don’t get it! It is also why I don’t view that as a area in decline. I think most people would be overjoyed to live in this immediate neighborhood. The problem is that this particular nexus is so bland. There’s no other way to describe it and maybe it starts with the RKO Keiths being a Bingo Hall/Flea Market for over 40 years. It’s kind of the 800 lb flea bitten gorilla in the room!
The status of this theater should be changed demolished based on the intro.
So, has the church finished “Raping” the old Prospect Theatre?
Hopefully, they ran out of money before too much damage could be done.
What a shame that this theater didn’t survive to enjoy the revival of the Lower East Side although revival might not be a good term as I don’t think that the Lower East Side was EVER known as a nice neighborhood. I have to admit, that of all of the crummy New York Neighborhoods that I remember growing up in the 70’s and 80’s I would have picked the Lower East Side as dead last in potential for revival. But when I go there today, it is truly astounding! Trendy restaurants, including one of my favorites (Kampuchea), lounges, bars, boutiques, museums (including the amazing Tenement Museum on Orchard Street) and new Condominiums and luxury rental towers.
Times have changed so much that I feel very comfortable walking home (at night) from the Lower East Side through Chinatown to my home in the Financial District without the least worry for my safety. This is quite a difference from way back when when you made sure your car door was locked when driving through and that is all you did back then…….Drive Through!
The revival of many parts of New York in the last 15 years has been nothing short of spectacular. I’m confident that we won’t go back to the bad old days in spite of the current challenging economic environment.
While it is too late for Loews Delancey, I hold out some hope for Loews Canal which I think may be largely intact and quietly hibernating and waiting to be rediscovered.
By the way, I say “some churches” because there is a wide abundance of architecturally significant churches today. If they can no longer serve as churches it will be hard to find alternate uses for all of them; just as the process has be difficult for obsolete movie palaces. The goal should be to save the most significant among them.
Let’s not forget the third type of profound arhitecture most often found in vibrant important communities: Banks! One need look no further than downtown Williamsburg for a very impressive collection of early 20th Century Banking Halls full of Greek Columns, Chandeliers, Marble, wood panelling and brass rails. Churches/Synagogues, Banks and Theaters are what defined neighborhoods n the early 20th Century. While many churches remain, there are but a precious few Banks from that era and we all know that there are too few remaining movie palaces.
I often wonder, “What are we building today, that people 75 years from now will be mourning the loss of?” I have to admit that I really can’t think of anything significant. That makes the preservation of the Theaters/Banks and some churches of our past all the more important.
This church reminds me of St Fancis Xavier in Manhattan; except it appears so much larger! New York is filled with hidden treasures.
This isn’t so much off topic as St John’s was a vital part of the fabric of Bushwick, as were its major theaters. They certainly were the major historic markers and by preserving them you keep a vital link to the past while at the same time creating a new neighborhood for a new generation who don’t remember the days when whole blocks went up in flames, the subways were a disaster and crime was rampant.
Here’s to hoping that St. John’s and its illustrious stained glass windows can one day be restored to Bushwick!
Thanks for the update Bway. So, am I correct to assume that the stained glass is still there? This fascinates me. From a distance, it truly looks like an abandoned cathedral; emblematic of the Bushwick of the 70’s. Was this ever truly a cathedral? I know that the current Cathedral is St. James in downtown Brooklyn. A reopening of this building would be a wonderful symbol of the rebirth of Bushwick. I know there is still a ways to go, but I know that the neighborhood has progressed dramatically from those days when Bushwick (along with the South Bronx) was known mainly for burning.
Alas, I really don’t see the need for a larger church since they seem to be alienating more and more people by the day. The only time I set foot in a church is as an architectural fan and nothing else. That said, I also believe the best examples of church architecture, like those of theater architecture, need to be preserved for the same basic reason: They are beautiful, they don’t build ‘em like this anymore, and they never will again.
Thanks Warren! I moved to nearby South Ozone Park (118th Street & 111th Avenue)in November of 1970 and so the Keiths was already closed by then. I went every once in a while to Jahn’s which was right next door to the Keiths and it’s funny how I didn’t really give it much thought that this old theater sat unused (as far as I’m concerned, a flea market counts as unused). I was never curious as to what it looked like inside.
Back then, we had an embarassment of movie palaces still open and so it took a lot for one to stand out. From my youth, the only ones that I have clear recollections of being in awe when walking through the lobby and sitting in the auditorium watching a film were Loew’s Valencia, Radio City and the RKO Keiths Flushing. The Elmwood gets an honorable mention. Most of the other theaters were probably in such bad shape or had their decorative elements painted over or hidden that you didn’t wonder what it was like in its prime.
Oddly enough. my interest in palaces started in the late 80’s when I started to go “clubbing” and many of the most famous discos of the era were in old theaters like Studio 54 (Gallo Opera ouse), The Saint (Loews Commodore), Shout (Miller), Club USA (Forum) and Palladium (Academy of Music). I remember admiring the beauty of these theaters and wanting to know more.
That’s why I am so grateful for Cinema Treasures. I have found out more about theaters and the business of movie exhibition than I ever could have imagined through the posting of dedicated people like Warren Harris, Howard Bass and many others.
It has been fascinating to see the efforts to save theaters like The Boyd (Successful), The Jersey (Successful), The St. George (Successful) and The Ridgewood (Work in Progress) and painful to see the lack of success at theaters like the RKO Keiths Flushing and Richmond Hill, Loews Kings and the Demille.
For now, I am trying to generate interest in landmarking Ziegfeld Theatre now that it is approaching its 40th anniversary and will therefore be eligible.
We have gone from a wealth of palaces to a precious few. Cinema Treasures is helping to protect what is left and for that we should all be thankful!
This message is for everyone who has loves the Ziegfeld and its storied history.
The Ziegfeld will celebrate its 40th Anniversary later this year in December. New York’s Landmark laws do not allow any building to receive landmark status until they have reached this propitious milestone. Do anyone know if there is any kind of movement underway to bring The Ziegfeld up for landmarking?
I don’t see how this would not be eligible. This theater was the last of the great movie palaces to be build in New York and has its own singular style that incorporates modernism while still maintaining a sense of luxury that was common in the palaces of yesteryear.
It is the largest single screen theater still extant in Manhattan that is still in use. The list of movie premieres that have been held held here is long and storied and it continues to be the premiere red carpet venue in New York.
This theater needs to be protected and I would hope that the owner, which I beleive is a billionaire who owns the neighboring Alliance/Bernstein tower would agree to the designation as a way to give back to the City of New York; the city which enabled him to make his fortune. Clearview only has a lease to the theater. They are not the owners.
I think it is time to start a movement: Landmark the Ziegfeld!
OK! I’ll play…..November 1967
A list of New York’s restored Palaces would include the following:
Radio City
Hollywood
Loews 175th Street
New Amsterdam
Beacon
Apollo
Ziegfeld
Loews Paradise
Loews Valencia
St. George
Hudson
and also the 2 Jersey City palaces (which is so close to NY that you have to include them:
Loews Jersey
Stanley
In my opinion, this bounty is the country’s best collection of RESTORED Palaces, which only Los Angeles would be able to dispute. I am aware that LA has a good number of restored beauties, but do they have them in this number and quality? That would make an interesting discussion. I listed 13 above, but, of course, there are other Broadway Legit houses that operated for decades as movie venues and, of course, there are the diamonds in the rough that await restoration like the Loews Kings, the Brookln Paramount, The RKO Keiths Flushing, RKO Keiths Richmond Hill, even the Ridgewood.
I know that LA compares in the quality of their restored palaces, but does it compare in sheer quantity?
Originally, Cablevision stated it would spend “at least” $10MM for the restoration. As Warren correctly pointed out, that was not nearly enough for a true restoration, but luckily, Cablevison’s pockets were deep enough to do a job that, from what I can see and have read, is nothing short of spectacular. Kudos to Cablevision.
Manhattan now has 5 of the most beautifully restored Palaces ever built in America:
Radio City
Hollywood
Loews 175th Street
New Amsterdam
Beacon
Now, if we coud only find a Corporate parent for the Loews Kings in Brooklyn!!!!!
Is St. Johns a catholic church? Is it the huge church that can be seen in the distance while you are riding on the J train looking south? I’ve often wondered about this building. It looks ginormous! I thought it was totally abandoned. Is this building a shambles? um….I should just google this info. This is Cinema Treasures after all! :–)
As per the NY Times article, it appears that the current seating at the Beacon is 2,829.
Jayar1…Thanks for that photo link. That is the most beautiful photo of the RKO Bushwick that seen so far. Truly spectacular!
Thanks Jeffrey1955. That sounds great, but there is no way that a renovation of the Keiths could be deemed anywhere near shovel ready.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing would make me happier than having this theater restored, but there is the immediate problem that the city doesn’t own it. Boymelgreen Develpment does and they have no interest in restoration. They were also asking for a lot of money to sell the property. Even the the city used eminent domain (which would be really hard to do) that process would take years.
Unfortunately, this is in the hands of the awful Boymelgreens.
Besides, if any theater were to be the beneficiary of stimulus funds then it should be the Loews Kings in Brooklyn which, though in ruins, is probably in better shape the the Keiths.
There is however, a spectacular theater that the city does own and is desperatel in need of funding for renovation: The Loews Kings in Brooklyn! If any theater were to be the beneficiary of stimulus funds it should be Kings which, though in ruins, is probably in better shape the the Keiths.
The current owner is Boymelgreen who is in a lot of financial hot water due to the real estate meltdown. Last year, this property was placed on the market. I believe the price is referenced above in a prior post, but there were no takers so I’m pretty sure that Boymelgreen still owns it.
For the umpteenth time…..the Alabamans are NOT purchasing this theater. Please read all of the above posts. Well, not all of them. For the Ridgewood, that wouldprobably take a week. Just the last 30 or so!
Also, nothing in that article says anything about really saving the theater. Moving seat? “Furnishings”? It’s nonsense, as Michael Perlman himself pretty much posted in a prior comment as well.
Wait, wait…In my defense….In my post, in the scond paragraph, I did say “I don’t get it” and then in the very next post, Peter K says “Thanks Lost Memory, I don’t get it either” It makes sense that I would assume he was talking about me! :–)
So, I just want to let everyone know I’m not an egomaniac!
Warren, you are correct. I believe that RKO made a mistake even opening this theater here. Let’s not forget that, back in the day, the Loews Willard and Garden theaters were just down Jamaica Avenue towrd Wodhaven and the incredible Valencia, Savoy, Hillside, Alden and other Jamaica palaces were just up the road in the other direction. Add in the Midway and Forest Hills (not far away), the Austin in Kew Gardens and the two fairly big theaters The Lefferts and The Casino which were on Richmond Hill’s true main retail street, Liberty Avenue, and it didn’t leave you much audience to fight over. The battle was over before it ever really started.
Yikes!!!! It’s not always about me! :–)
Thanks Lost Memory and yes, I do mean you!
Ummm. It was me not Lost Memory. That’s OK though. :–)
I agree Bway! What’s truly special about this theater is that the church, who beautifully restored and maintined this palace over the years, has made it available to be used by the public for secular purposes; i.e. concerts. This is pretty rare and I look forward to someday being able to attend a concert here someday as well. The groups that play here don’t tend to be my cup of tea, but like Bway says. if I am remotely interested, I would love to go just to expeirience the theater in a non-religious way.
I just found out that the B-52’s are expected to play the St. George on Staten Island later this year. That’s a group I would love to see!
It’s an odd area. Kew Gardens, which is right next door is a beautiful neighborhood of many stately homes on winding tree lined streets. The area is also interspersed with fairly large buildings that were almost all rentals but were mostly converted to coops in the 80’s. Richmond Hill to the south has lots of old Victorian homes and is also pretty nice and yet……..
I kind of don’t get it! It is also why I don’t view that as a area in decline. I think most people would be overjoyed to live in this immediate neighborhood. The problem is that this particular nexus is so bland. There’s no other way to describe it and maybe it starts with the RKO Keiths being a Bingo Hall/Flea Market for over 40 years. It’s kind of the 800 lb flea bitten gorilla in the room!
:–)