First time since 1994 that I’ve seen a movie here. Saw “Blades of Glory” here yesterday. I love the new shape of the building. The centerpiece of the angle is blue and is a faux Art Deco. Auditorium #10 was room, comfy seats and high ceilings with lit up aisles. My father was extremely pissed about the “senior” discount was $7.50 for a matinee. I would’ve been too. I miss the old Cinema 10 because it was all red brick with white detail and the box office was outside. I miss the old carpet and running up the side stairs to the balcony. It’s not the same, but it looks nice anyway.
There’s an article in the News-Times today about the new owner’s transition of the theatre. There’s a stunning, clear picture of the facade on the front page of the newspaper. http://newstimes.com/news/story.php?id=1040903
Mar 30 2007 8:00 AM
Theater seller says new owner deserves town’s gratitude
By Nanci G. Hutson
The News-TIMES
The Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford was sold this week to a Sherman businessman.
NEW MILFORD — The man who sold Bank Street Theater this week thinks the buyer deserves the town’s gratitude for preserving the landmark theater.
“New Milford is very, very lucky to have found Gary Goldring,” said Richard Freedman, president of Garden Homes Management, who sold the theater to Goldring for $1 million, the same price he paid for the building two years ago.
Goldring, a Sherman entrepreneur, is taking an economic risk, Freedman said Wednesday.
“He’s a philanthropic buyer, who is buying this as a civic duty to the people of New Milford.”
Goldring said Tuesday he prefers not to speak publicly. But his contractor, Jim Stewart, plans to unveil details about his plans in the coming weeks.
Mayor Patricia Murphy hailed the sale as a victory for downtown, and expects there will be some upgrades, operational changes and civic events tied to the theater. Baileywick Books, next door to the theater, also changed hands. The 16-year-old book store was purchased Thursday by Janet Ryan of Brookfield, who will call it Bank Street Book Nook.
A major blow for the theater was the installation of stadium seating at Loews Cinema in Danbury.
“It’s very difficult for a small neighborhood theater to compete with a 16-screen, stadium-seated theater. It’s just a fact of the business,‘’ Freedman said.
Also, more home-viewing opportunities affected business, Freedman said.
Eventually, it was evident his company could no longer keep the theater open.
“We really tried to make it work,” Freedman said, referring to the considerable amount of money spent to replace all the seats and to renovate the lobby and auditoriums.
“Lots of towns have seen their neighborhood theaters placed at risk,” Freedman said.
He “vehemently'‘ disputes the theater’s decline is due to a lack of employee supervision, making it a hangout for teens and young adults who litter and behave disrespectfully to other patrons.
Freedman said he suspects unsupervised patrons are not just a problem at the theater but a challenge for all downtown businesses.
Freedman said, “We try and be good corporate citizens.”
“We own other real estate in New Milford (an apartment complex on Route 202 and a mobile home park off Route 37), and so instead of just closing the theater and doing something else with the building, I approached the town.‘’
The mayor helped broker a deal between Freedman and Goldring.
“This is a case where the building was saved, and all because of the generosity of one person,” Freedman said.
From the March 27, 2007 edition of the News-Times. Bank Street Theatre to be sold.
Mar 27 2007 11:57 PM
Bank Street Theater about to be sold
Sherman entrepreneur to buy New Milford landmark
By Nanci G. Hutson
The News-TIMES
The Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford is on the verge of being sold.
NEW MILFORD — The Bank Street Theater, the village center attraction whose history dates back to the silent movie era, will soon have a new owner.
Mayor Patricia Murphy confirmed Monday that the quiet sale of the theater to a Sherman entrepreneur for about $1 million is all but complete, though the deed has yet to be recorded in the town clerk’s office.
“I’m happy,” said Murphy, who helped broker the deal between Garden Home Management in Stamford and buyer Gary Goldring.
“The downtown is just trying to come back, and we don’t want to lose an anchor like the movie theater,” Murphy said.
Garden Homes bought the theater in 2005 for $1 million from Rosen Investment LLC. Rosen purchased the theater in 1997 from Rocky Barry, who bought the theater in 1990 and managed it until the Garden Homes purchase.
Garden Homes president Richard Freedman said he had nothing to talk about “yet.”
“Call me in about a week,” he said.
The mayor said she learned from Garden Homes in about November the company intended to either sell or close the theater. She asked to be given time to find a buyer because she recalled Goldring’s desire to do business here.
“So I went chasing him,” she said.
In her talks with Goldring, Murphy said, she was delighted to hear his plans to fix the marquee, rejuvenate the lobby and concession area, upgrade the screening rooms and even open the now-closed balcony.
Most importantly, though, she said, she welcomes Goldring’s desire to collaborate with restaurants and businesses to offer festivals, street fairs and other events intended to stimulate the downtown economy.
Under Garden Homes ownership, the theater seating was replaced and some modifications were made to the inside. The company’s plans to install a fourth screening room were approved, but the expansion never occurred.
In the past year or so, the art deco theater in the center of Bank Street appeared to be struggling. The movies seemed to be drawing a younger crowd, which was not always properly supervised due to a lack of adult managers on the premises, the mayor and other business owners said.
The large multiplex Loews Cinema in Danbury is also a strong competitor.
Yet even with the problems, local merchants are loathe to imagine the downtown without the theater’s presence.
“It is the heart of our downtown,‘’ said Patricia Sherry, a Town Council member who owns a tax service on Bank Street.
Bank Street Coffee House owner Rue Taylor said she heard nothing about a sale but is relieved to know the theater will not be another boarded-up business in the downtown area, like CVS Pharmacy and Elizabeth’s Restaurant on Main Street.
One prospect that has been whispered about is the construction of a larger theater complex on the southern Route 7 commercial corridor, where there are plans for additional retail shopping complexes.
Murphy said she has heard the rumors but will oppose any effort. She hopes Bank Street Theater will again become a thriving downtown business.
“He’s going to make it all pretty and nice, a more fun place to go, with adult supervision, I understand,‘’ Murphy said about Goldring.
Goldring was away on business and did not return a call with an assistant seeking comment.
I went by it last week. It does NOT look like the facade on this page. There’s a single chain link stretching to the right, but you can step over it. The front is boarded up, but you can see the movie poster holders, still. It almost looks like some sort of factory. Around the right and down 15 feet is small cinder block shed with brick on top and there’s a small hole in the wall that’s almost enough to slide in. There’s pipes inside and a door to the left, hopefully still open. There are metal rails on the windows in front, and I believe they are the originals.
I think the Fox is either a little Art Deco or Streamline Modern. I’ve been to shows here twice, once in 2001 and once in 2005. Right in downtown Boulder, near all the colleges. It’s all carpeted inside with a bar in the back and nice metal, faux brass railings with a dance floor. I don’t remember if there was a balcony, I think there’s one. The proscenium is impressive and the stage is state-of-the art with exceptional sound and lights.
Yeah, I was involved in the production and organizing of the last event EVER held at the Coliseum, with 5,000 people, Ralph Nader, Janine Garafolo, DL Hughley, Patti Smith, etc.
Sorry, well, not theatre-wise, although the former Long Wharf theatre will be moving downtown. They have Criterion Cinemas, but most of all, there’s hardly an empty storefront and the arts have been invested in heavily, but in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
The current storefronts are a barber, package store, Cosmetology Academy and an Indian restaurant. On the right side in the back is a small garage door, maybe from another use when it closed.
In the rear, it’s apparent that the current stucco was just spackled on carelessly as it’s chipping off everywhere to expose the original brickwork underneath.
I guess it’s not going to become an industrial park. View link
Barely down the street at the former Bowl Drive-In site, developer/businessman Joseph “Chick†Celentano is clearing land for the construction of a Penske Truck terminal. Not only will the site house the trucks, but also they will be registered in West Haven, boosting the tax base of both the city and the Allingtown Fire District.
There are 106 seats in the Fairmount. I went in and asked. It’s shady, of course. Tinted doors. You walk in and there’s a mini-dvd/video store on both sides and a front counter with the auditorium behind. Lots of older men walking out, adjusting their belts.
There is no 201 Cherry Street. I was there the other day – 199 is a Blockbuster and to the left is a Wachovia and in between is a grassy area and a curb with a new shopping center in the back.
Stopped by the other day. It’s located on the West Haven/New Haven line behind a Dairy Queen “restaurant”. In the vast acreage of weeds is trash, lots of pavement trails and directly in front are huge concrete blocks with the remains of metal fastening of what I presume were lightposts.
Well, there’s quite a bit of good news. Who wants to see films back at the Empress? Seems like local artist Jay LaPierre (did work locally and still does, Danbury, Ridgefield) is taking advantage of the closing of the Empress musical space and will convert it to a single-screen cinema (or try to) mirroring a comfy cinema/lounge area with 100 seats or so. The recent drop-down ceiling will definitely help with the sound. More on this as it develops.
First time since 1994 that I’ve seen a movie here. Saw “Blades of Glory” here yesterday. I love the new shape of the building. The centerpiece of the angle is blue and is a faux Art Deco. Auditorium #10 was room, comfy seats and high ceilings with lit up aisles. My father was extremely pissed about the “senior” discount was $7.50 for a matinee. I would’ve been too. I miss the old Cinema 10 because it was all red brick with white detail and the box office was outside. I miss the old carpet and running up the side stairs to the balcony. It’s not the same, but it looks nice anyway.
Was that last comment meant to be funny? Just wondering. I thought it was.
Had capacity for 400 cars.
There’s an article in the News-Times today about the new owner’s transition of the theatre. There’s a stunning, clear picture of the facade on the front page of the newspaper. http://newstimes.com/news/story.php?id=1040903
Mar 30 2007 8:00 AM
Theater seller says new owner deserves town’s gratitude
By Nanci G. Hutson
The News-TIMES
The Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford was sold this week to a Sherman businessman.
NEW MILFORD — The man who sold Bank Street Theater this week thinks the buyer deserves the town’s gratitude for preserving the landmark theater.
“New Milford is very, very lucky to have found Gary Goldring,” said Richard Freedman, president of Garden Homes Management, who sold the theater to Goldring for $1 million, the same price he paid for the building two years ago.
Goldring, a Sherman entrepreneur, is taking an economic risk, Freedman said Wednesday.
“He’s a philanthropic buyer, who is buying this as a civic duty to the people of New Milford.”
Goldring said Tuesday he prefers not to speak publicly. But his contractor, Jim Stewart, plans to unveil details about his plans in the coming weeks.
Mayor Patricia Murphy hailed the sale as a victory for downtown, and expects there will be some upgrades, operational changes and civic events tied to the theater. Baileywick Books, next door to the theater, also changed hands. The 16-year-old book store was purchased Thursday by Janet Ryan of Brookfield, who will call it Bank Street Book Nook.
A major blow for the theater was the installation of stadium seating at Loews Cinema in Danbury.
“It’s very difficult for a small neighborhood theater to compete with a 16-screen, stadium-seated theater. It’s just a fact of the business,‘’ Freedman said.
Also, more home-viewing opportunities affected business, Freedman said.
Eventually, it was evident his company could no longer keep the theater open.
“We really tried to make it work,” Freedman said, referring to the considerable amount of money spent to replace all the seats and to renovate the lobby and auditoriums.
“Lots of towns have seen their neighborhood theaters placed at risk,” Freedman said.
He “vehemently'‘ disputes the theater’s decline is due to a lack of employee supervision, making it a hangout for teens and young adults who litter and behave disrespectfully to other patrons.
Freedman said he suspects unsupervised patrons are not just a problem at the theater but a challenge for all downtown businesses.
Freedman said, “We try and be good corporate citizens.”
“We own other real estate in New Milford (an apartment complex on Route 202 and a mobile home park off Route 37), and so instead of just closing the theater and doing something else with the building, I approached the town.‘’
The mayor helped broker a deal between Freedman and Goldring.
“This is a case where the building was saved, and all because of the generosity of one person,” Freedman said.
John! Danbury Dave Bonan from Connecticut! Funny running into you here!
From the March 27, 2007 edition of the News-Times. Bank Street Theatre to be sold.
Mar 27 2007 11:57 PM
Bank Street Theater about to be sold
Sherman entrepreneur to buy New Milford landmark
By Nanci G. Hutson
The News-TIMES
The Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford is on the verge of being sold.
NEW MILFORD — The Bank Street Theater, the village center attraction whose history dates back to the silent movie era, will soon have a new owner.
Mayor Patricia Murphy confirmed Monday that the quiet sale of the theater to a Sherman entrepreneur for about $1 million is all but complete, though the deed has yet to be recorded in the town clerk’s office.
“I’m happy,” said Murphy, who helped broker the deal between Garden Home Management in Stamford and buyer Gary Goldring.
“The downtown is just trying to come back, and we don’t want to lose an anchor like the movie theater,” Murphy said.
Garden Homes bought the theater in 2005 for $1 million from Rosen Investment LLC. Rosen purchased the theater in 1997 from Rocky Barry, who bought the theater in 1990 and managed it until the Garden Homes purchase.
Garden Homes president Richard Freedman said he had nothing to talk about “yet.”
“Call me in about a week,” he said.
The mayor said she learned from Garden Homes in about November the company intended to either sell or close the theater. She asked to be given time to find a buyer because she recalled Goldring’s desire to do business here.
“So I went chasing him,” she said.
In her talks with Goldring, Murphy said, she was delighted to hear his plans to fix the marquee, rejuvenate the lobby and concession area, upgrade the screening rooms and even open the now-closed balcony.
Most importantly, though, she said, she welcomes Goldring’s desire to collaborate with restaurants and businesses to offer festivals, street fairs and other events intended to stimulate the downtown economy.
Under Garden Homes ownership, the theater seating was replaced and some modifications were made to the inside. The company’s plans to install a fourth screening room were approved, but the expansion never occurred.
In the past year or so, the art deco theater in the center of Bank Street appeared to be struggling. The movies seemed to be drawing a younger crowd, which was not always properly supervised due to a lack of adult managers on the premises, the mayor and other business owners said.
The large multiplex Loews Cinema in Danbury is also a strong competitor.
Yet even with the problems, local merchants are loathe to imagine the downtown without the theater’s presence.
“It is the heart of our downtown,‘’ said Patricia Sherry, a Town Council member who owns a tax service on Bank Street.
Bank Street Coffee House owner Rue Taylor said she heard nothing about a sale but is relieved to know the theater will not be another boarded-up business in the downtown area, like CVS Pharmacy and Elizabeth’s Restaurant on Main Street.
One prospect that has been whispered about is the construction of a larger theater complex on the southern Route 7 commercial corridor, where there are plans for additional retail shopping complexes.
Murphy said she has heard the rumors but will oppose any effort. She hopes Bank Street Theater will again become a thriving downtown business.
“He’s going to make it all pretty and nice, a more fun place to go, with adult supervision, I understand,‘’ Murphy said about Goldring.
Goldring was away on business and did not return a call with an assistant seeking comment.
I didn’t word it right, but Lynn Redgrave starred with James Earl Jones and Margot Kidder. She isn’t presenting the movie with them.
(According to the article), this venue was also known as Northwood Cinema and is a 2-screener.
Joe, is the Criterion in West Hartford going to be in the Blue Back Square Sprawl Development?
I went by it last week. It does NOT look like the facade on this page. There’s a single chain link stretching to the right, but you can step over it. The front is boarded up, but you can see the movie poster holders, still. It almost looks like some sort of factory. Around the right and down 15 feet is small cinder block shed with brick on top and there’s a small hole in the wall that’s almost enough to slide in. There’s pipes inside and a door to the left, hopefully still open. There are metal rails on the windows in front, and I believe they are the originals.
I think the Fox is either a little Art Deco or Streamline Modern. I’ve been to shows here twice, once in 2001 and once in 2005. Right in downtown Boulder, near all the colleges. It’s all carpeted inside with a bar in the back and nice metal, faux brass railings with a dance floor. I don’t remember if there was a balcony, I think there’s one. The proscenium is impressive and the stage is state-of-the art with exceptional sound and lights.
www.foxtheatre.com
They do have landmark status.
Yeah, I was involved in the production and organizing of the last event EVER held at the Coliseum, with 5,000 people, Ralph Nader, Janine Garafolo, DL Hughley, Patti Smith, etc.
Sorry, well, not theatre-wise, although the former Long Wharf theatre will be moving downtown. They have Criterion Cinemas, but most of all, there’s hardly an empty storefront and the arts have been invested in heavily, but in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Um, maybe. You should go back and see it now. You’d be changing your tune.
Owned by Clark Film and had a capacity for 600 cars.
Opened in 1948.
Showed adult fare in the 70s and 80s. Had a capacity for 800 cars.
Yes, was a Kent, had a capacity for 800 cars.
Had a capacity for 900 cars.
The current storefronts are a barber, package store, Cosmetology Academy and an Indian restaurant. On the right side in the back is a small garage door, maybe from another use when it closed.
In the rear, it’s apparent that the current stucco was just spackled on carelessly as it’s chipping off everywhere to expose the original brickwork underneath.
I guess it’s not going to become an industrial park.
View link
Barely down the street at the former Bowl Drive-In site, developer/businessman Joseph “Chick†Celentano is clearing land for the construction of a Penske Truck terminal. Not only will the site house the trucks, but also they will be registered in West Haven, boosting the tax base of both the city and the Allingtown Fire District.
There are 106 seats in the Fairmount. I went in and asked. It’s shady, of course. Tinted doors. You walk in and there’s a mini-dvd/video store on both sides and a front counter with the auditorium behind. Lots of older men walking out, adjusting their belts.
There is no 201 Cherry Street. I was there the other day – 199 is a Blockbuster and to the left is a Wachovia and in between is a grassy area and a curb with a new shopping center in the back.
Stopped by the other day. It’s located on the West Haven/New Haven line behind a Dairy Queen “restaurant”. In the vast acreage of weeds is trash, lots of pavement trails and directly in front are huge concrete blocks with the remains of metal fastening of what I presume were lightposts.
Well, there’s quite a bit of good news. Who wants to see films back at the Empress? Seems like local artist Jay LaPierre (did work locally and still does, Danbury, Ridgefield) is taking advantage of the closing of the Empress musical space and will convert it to a single-screen cinema (or try to) mirroring a comfy cinema/lounge area with 100 seats or so. The recent drop-down ceiling will definitely help with the sound. More on this as it develops.