It’s funny, I never quite thought of this area as a “Transportation Hub” though I suppose at one time (when the LIRR station was still open) it could have been perceived as one.
The Q-10 bus on Lefferts is less important since the Air-Train opened. The LIRR station is long closed and abandoned. And, oddly, the J Train (an also ran of NYC subway lines) has a station at 121st Street rather than at Lefferts Blvd where is obviously should have been. I remember hearing tales about Jamaica Avenue being originally an Indian Trail which became the main east-west route back in the 1800’s. Stage Coaches plied the route when it was a dirt road. Ah, the past…….
I don’t really see much of a chance of resurrection in this part of Richmond Hill. The reality is that this area has been dormant for the last 40 years (since the Keiths closed). Sure, Jahns, Triangle Hofbrau, the bowling alley and Salerno’s were still there, but this area never had a “spark”. It wasn’t Austin Street in Forest Hills, Steinway St. in Astoria or Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. It was even a poor cousin to Liberty Avenue on the South side of Richmond Hill. I see this area slumbering for many more moons unless, of course, the RKO Keith’s somehow gets resurrected back into a theater/performing arts space that brings significant numbers of people back to this forlorn corner of Queens.
Just passed by the theater this morning. It just looks so sad with the missing lettering. Jahn’s has a banner up that says that it is soon to become a Mexican Restaurant. The interior has been totally gutted. It looks so much smaller than I remembered it.
Finally, on the other side of the theater, is a restaurant that I’m pretty sure was Salerno’s for most of the last few deacades. It now has another Italian name (which escapes me, but is similar to Salerno’s) and get this……It is an Italian/Indian restaraunt. Yes, you read that correctly. I’m not sure if half of the space is Indian and the other half Italian or whether this is a new trendy fusion menu. I doubt that. Alas…..time marches on!
What a pretty exterior! Can anyone provide info on the state of the interior renovation? Also, the theater exterior appears to be for a theater that would accomodate more than the 300 seats stated in the intro.
Does anyone know the current state of this theater? The intro says it has been converted into a succesful children’s theater but it is also listed as “Closed”. Which one is it? Also, can anyone share information about the interior? This is a particularly large theater in Puerto Rico with possibly only the Yaguez in Mayaguez being larger.
The article says absolutely nothing about the history of the theater or the condition of the theater. So frustrating. If the original ornamentation is still in place then it might be eligible for registry on the state register of historic places and perhaps eligible for tax breaks or grants.
Thanks Warren, I had read that article and found it interesting that she referenced how upset she was at the damage done to the marquee at the RKO Keiths. As I mentioned in a post above I have written on two occasions to the Richmond Hill Historical Society to ask them of their efforts to save the Keiths. If any organization exists that should spearhead the fight it should be them. Alas, I never received a response. Though I am gratified that she obviously was concerned about the potential threats to the Keiths, it doesn’t look like there is any high profile effort on their behalf to save this beautiful relic of a bygone era. And now that she has passed, the article seems pessimistic about who might take her place.
This message is for Stuartwsa…..I think we may have discovered an unlisted theater. If the theater that I saw is The Community Theatre as you say than it needs to be added as a new theater as there is none posted under that name on CT. I also didn’t find it under the name “Bijou” which is on the front of this handsome structure over the entrance. Besides the fact that it was opened in 1937, do you have any additional information on this theater? number of seats? Style?
Thanks for your comments David. I agree with Ed Solero. Crime is absolutely not an issue in this area as it is solidly middle class, but make no mistake……an archtitectural crime most foul was committed here and, sadly, the guilty party will get away with it.
I don’t think I have ever said this before about any other theater, but what this religious group has done to this theater is no different than if they had just torn the entire thing down. It is just that ugly and that reflects on the organization that built it and financed it. It is actually more painful to see the remnant of the exterior and be constantly reminded of what was lost. If there is any consolation, it is this: If they had torn it own, what they would have replaced it with would most likely also been an abomination. They should be ashamed of themselves!
It’s absolutely hideous! Even “renovated” it already looks like it’s falling apart. Some religious institutions take an old theater and revel in its architectural distinction and glory as at Loew’s 175th Street and Hollywood theaters in Manhattan, The Metropolitan in Brooklyn, The Elmwood and The Valencia (both in Queens) and The Stanley in Jersey City. Many other examples exist.
Others destroy what they find as these people appear to have done and what is currenty also happening to the old Prospect (Olympic) Theater in the Bronx. They might as well have been demolished.
I did read that passage and that is why I asked if any attempt would be made to harken back to the original details of the theater. I have no expectation that much of the original decoration remains, but certeinly there are photos and something creative can be acheived instead of just a black box.
What’s wrong with the intro photo? If anything, the photo is better than the current exterior as the marquee is not the original and kind of mars the Jersey. I hope the day comes when the monstrous current marquee is relaced with a beautiful replica of the original.
Do any CT members know anything about East St. Louis? Is there any movement to Landmark this theater? (Not that it would make much difference). Seriously, this city looks to be in even worse shape than Camden, New Jersey. Is there any real hope for the Majestic or East St. Louis?
Agreed! However, on another issue that I see commented on regularly on CT: I went to see Bill Maher’s Religulous last Saturday night. It was virtually a full house. The commercials had ended and the lights went down and then the screen went blank.
In the old days, when there was a projectionist, the audience would know that the someone was aware of it since there WAS a projectionist. Not today. The screen sat there for at least 5 minutes. Everyone in the theater was waiting for someone (preferably close to the exit) to go tell the ticket take (or someone) that there was a problem. Eventually, someone did. Net result: No previews……It went direct to the film! WooHoo!
You’re right Macbear, I don’t believe 99% of the public have any issue with focus at the theater. I have been going to the movies for about 40 years and I have NEVER sat in a theater and said to myself “this is out of focus”! Yet, many posters on CT complain about it. Since you are in the business, you obviously have a much more exacting eye (as you should) and, as professionals, we should all try to do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Having said that, my untrained eye doesn’t have a problem with focussing at the theaters that I attend and that makes me happy because otherwise it would drive me bananas!
Thanks for your comments Leon. I do hope that I never feel the same way you do. I’m approaching 50 and I am starting to think back about how I grew up in a simpler time. I’m starting to sound like the old people did when I was in my teens and 20’s! Today’s youth won’t ever truly know what it was like to attend regular movies at a real Movie Palace! They’ll also never know what it was like to have stores closed on Sundays; have only 3 TV networks, not have access to cash after 3:00PM on a weekday. While that sounds negative, it resulted in a slower pace of life even in a city like New York. It is why I am so passionate about keeping as many of the “quality” buildings from the past.
I do, however, believe a city needs to grow to survive and be relevant. As such, I beleive that Atlantic Yards should be built, that Columbia should build its new camppus in West Harlem and that Willets Point should be leveled and built anew. But we must also preserve the Loew’s Kings, renovate as many of the obsolete office towers in FiDi into residences as we can, and create more historic districts so that we don’t forget our past.
That’s why I’m glad that we still have theaters like Radio City, The Hollywood, The New Amsterdam, The Apollo, Loews' 175th St, The Beacon, The Paradise, The Ziegfeld, The Valencia, The St. George, The Brooklyn Paramount, The Metropoiltan, The Elmwood, The Paris and others. Of all these theaters only The Ziegfeld and Paris regularly show films but I’m still thrilled that we still have them.
They will NEVER build theaters like this again and once they are gone, they are gone forever. I never got to see the Roxy or the old Penn Station and anyone who truly loves architecture must feel a profound sense of loss.
Leon, with all due respect, it is not a question of sensitivity. My favorite shows are Family Guy and Real Time with Bill Maher so I am very politically incorrect. Your comment was just way over the top and not at all funny.
I totally disagree with the comments about Radio City and Cablevision. While I think that Cablevision, as a whole, is a vile company, they are the ones who stepped up and spent $70MM to restore Radio City when it was on the verge of closing. Would you really have preferred Radio City to have been gutted for office space as was done at The Paramount? Really?
Times change! The movie exhibition business has changed. With very, very few exceptions, it is not economically feasible for the old movie palaces to pay their own way showing just films. Many were demolished. Some were able to survive by becoming concert halls/performaing arts spaces, clubs, retail spaces and, much more frequently, churches. The point is that finding an alternate use allows these wondrous buildings to survive so that future generations will be able to see how others “used” to go to the movies.
When I was growing up, many banks had sumptuous banking halls with three story lobbies, Corinthian Columns, Chandeliers,brass railings and intricately carved wood panellings. Guess what? Times changed and very few of these halls remain. Thankfully, in New York, The old Citibank at 55 Wall Street, the old Bowery Savings Bank branches on 42nd Street and The Bowery and the Greenwich Savings Bank all survive as glittering event spaces. The architecture has been saved! One of the few old banking halls to survive as an actual bank is the Apple Bank at 74th and Broadway. As in movie palaces, the survival of the building still in its original use is very rare.
I’m a realist. Would I prefer that the Hollywood theater still showed movies instead of being a church? Yes, of course! But I am greatful that the church who bought this theater invested millions to restore it to the grandeur that it had at its peak. I hold out hope that one day it will return to being a live Broadway theater again.
p.s. Cablevision is now spending millions on The Beacon to restore that beautiful palace, but since it won’t show movies, I guess it doesn’t interest you.
Thanks Ken mc for the photo. I never realized that the old Howard Johnsons was once a Childs!
It’s funny, I never quite thought of this area as a “Transportation Hub” though I suppose at one time (when the LIRR station was still open) it could have been perceived as one.
The Q-10 bus on Lefferts is less important since the Air-Train opened. The LIRR station is long closed and abandoned. And, oddly, the J Train (an also ran of NYC subway lines) has a station at 121st Street rather than at Lefferts Blvd where is obviously should have been. I remember hearing tales about Jamaica Avenue being originally an Indian Trail which became the main east-west route back in the 1800’s. Stage Coaches plied the route when it was a dirt road. Ah, the past…….
I don’t really see much of a chance of resurrection in this part of Richmond Hill. The reality is that this area has been dormant for the last 40 years (since the Keiths closed). Sure, Jahns, Triangle Hofbrau, the bowling alley and Salerno’s were still there, but this area never had a “spark”. It wasn’t Austin Street in Forest Hills, Steinway St. in Astoria or Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. It was even a poor cousin to Liberty Avenue on the South side of Richmond Hill. I see this area slumbering for many more moons unless, of course, the RKO Keith’s somehow gets resurrected back into a theater/performing arts space that brings significant numbers of people back to this forlorn corner of Queens.
Somehow, I doubt that they are both open at the same time! :–)
It’s Both!!!! Pool Hall on one side and medical offices on the other!
Oh, and the Triangle Hofbrau is a pool hall! :–(
Just passed by the theater this morning. It just looks so sad with the missing lettering. Jahn’s has a banner up that says that it is soon to become a Mexican Restaurant. The interior has been totally gutted. It looks so much smaller than I remembered it.
Finally, on the other side of the theater, is a restaurant that I’m pretty sure was Salerno’s for most of the last few deacades. It now has another Italian name (which escapes me, but is similar to Salerno’s) and get this……It is an Italian/Indian restaraunt. Yes, you read that correctly. I’m not sure if half of the space is Indian and the other half Italian or whether this is a new trendy fusion menu. I doubt that. Alas…..time marches on!
What a pretty exterior! Can anyone provide info on the state of the interior renovation? Also, the theater exterior appears to be for a theater that would accomodate more than the 300 seats stated in the intro.
Does anyone know the current state of this theater? The intro says it has been converted into a succesful children’s theater but it is also listed as “Closed”. Which one is it? Also, can anyone share information about the interior? This is a particularly large theater in Puerto Rico with possibly only the Yaguez in Mayaguez being larger.
Thanks JHB. That’s a great shot of the Loew’s Pitkin under Brownsville II.
Agreed!
I also believe that the exterior will be retained. At this point it is the most we could expect.
The article says absolutely nothing about the history of the theater or the condition of the theater. So frustrating. If the original ornamentation is still in place then it might be eligible for registry on the state register of historic places and perhaps eligible for tax breaks or grants.
Thanks Warren, I had read that article and found it interesting that she referenced how upset she was at the damage done to the marquee at the RKO Keiths. As I mentioned in a post above I have written on two occasions to the Richmond Hill Historical Society to ask them of their efforts to save the Keiths. If any organization exists that should spearhead the fight it should be them. Alas, I never received a response. Though I am gratified that she obviously was concerned about the potential threats to the Keiths, it doesn’t look like there is any high profile effort on their behalf to save this beautiful relic of a bygone era. And now that she has passed, the article seems pessimistic about who might take her place.
This message is for Stuartwsa…..I think we may have discovered an unlisted theater. If the theater that I saw is The Community Theatre as you say than it needs to be added as a new theater as there is none posted under that name on CT. I also didn’t find it under the name “Bijou” which is on the front of this handsome structure over the entrance. Besides the fact that it was opened in 1937, do you have any additional information on this theater? number of seats? Style?
Thanks for your comments David. I agree with Ed Solero. Crime is absolutely not an issue in this area as it is solidly middle class, but make no mistake……an archtitectural crime most foul was committed here and, sadly, the guilty party will get away with it.
I don’t think I have ever said this before about any other theater, but what this religious group has done to this theater is no different than if they had just torn the entire thing down. It is just that ugly and that reflects on the organization that built it and financed it. It is actually more painful to see the remnant of the exterior and be constantly reminded of what was lost. If there is any consolation, it is this: If they had torn it own, what they would have replaced it with would most likely also been an abomination. They should be ashamed of themselves!
It’s absolutely hideous! Even “renovated” it already looks like it’s falling apart. Some religious institutions take an old theater and revel in its architectural distinction and glory as at Loew’s 175th Street and Hollywood theaters in Manhattan, The Metropolitan in Brooklyn, The Elmwood and The Valencia (both in Queens) and The Stanley in Jersey City. Many other examples exist.
Others destroy what they find as these people appear to have done and what is currenty also happening to the old Prospect (Olympic) Theater in the Bronx. They might as well have been demolished.
Very unfortunate.
I did read that passage and that is why I asked if any attempt would be made to harken back to the original details of the theater. I have no expectation that much of the original decoration remains, but certeinly there are photos and something creative can be acheived instead of just a black box.
What’s wrong with the intro photo? If anything, the photo is better than the current exterior as the marquee is not the original and kind of mars the Jersey. I hope the day comes when the monstrous current marquee is relaced with a beautiful replica of the original.
Yes, I thought the same thing. The roof appears to be missing. I don’t really have any hope for this theater.
Do any CT members know anything about East St. Louis? Is there any movement to Landmark this theater? (Not that it would make much difference). Seriously, this city looks to be in even worse shape than Camden, New Jersey. Is there any real hope for the Majestic or East St. Louis?
Agreed! However, on another issue that I see commented on regularly on CT: I went to see Bill Maher’s Religulous last Saturday night. It was virtually a full house. The commercials had ended and the lights went down and then the screen went blank.
In the old days, when there was a projectionist, the audience would know that the someone was aware of it since there WAS a projectionist. Not today. The screen sat there for at least 5 minutes. Everyone in the theater was waiting for someone (preferably close to the exit) to go tell the ticket take (or someone) that there was a problem. Eventually, someone did. Net result: No previews……It went direct to the film! WooHoo!
You’re right Macbear, I don’t believe 99% of the public have any issue with focus at the theater. I have been going to the movies for about 40 years and I have NEVER sat in a theater and said to myself “this is out of focus”! Yet, many posters on CT complain about it. Since you are in the business, you obviously have a much more exacting eye (as you should) and, as professionals, we should all try to do our jobs to the best of our abilities. Having said that, my untrained eye doesn’t have a problem with focussing at the theaters that I attend and that makes me happy because otherwise it would drive me bananas!
Thanks for your comments Leon. I do hope that I never feel the same way you do. I’m approaching 50 and I am starting to think back about how I grew up in a simpler time. I’m starting to sound like the old people did when I was in my teens and 20’s! Today’s youth won’t ever truly know what it was like to attend regular movies at a real Movie Palace! They’ll also never know what it was like to have stores closed on Sundays; have only 3 TV networks, not have access to cash after 3:00PM on a weekday. While that sounds negative, it resulted in a slower pace of life even in a city like New York. It is why I am so passionate about keeping as many of the “quality” buildings from the past.
I do, however, believe a city needs to grow to survive and be relevant. As such, I beleive that Atlantic Yards should be built, that Columbia should build its new camppus in West Harlem and that Willets Point should be leveled and built anew. But we must also preserve the Loew’s Kings, renovate as many of the obsolete office towers in FiDi into residences as we can, and create more historic districts so that we don’t forget our past.
That’s why I’m glad that we still have theaters like Radio City, The Hollywood, The New Amsterdam, The Apollo, Loews' 175th St, The Beacon, The Paradise, The Ziegfeld, The Valencia, The St. George, The Brooklyn Paramount, The Metropoiltan, The Elmwood, The Paris and others. Of all these theaters only The Ziegfeld and Paris regularly show films but I’m still thrilled that we still have them.
They will NEVER build theaters like this again and once they are gone, they are gone forever. I never got to see the Roxy or the old Penn Station and anyone who truly loves architecture must feel a profound sense of loss.
Leon, with all due respect, it is not a question of sensitivity. My favorite shows are Family Guy and Real Time with Bill Maher so I am very politically incorrect. Your comment was just way over the top and not at all funny.
I totally disagree with the comments about Radio City and Cablevision. While I think that Cablevision, as a whole, is a vile company, they are the ones who stepped up and spent $70MM to restore Radio City when it was on the verge of closing. Would you really have preferred Radio City to have been gutted for office space as was done at The Paramount? Really?
Times change! The movie exhibition business has changed. With very, very few exceptions, it is not economically feasible for the old movie palaces to pay their own way showing just films. Many were demolished. Some were able to survive by becoming concert halls/performaing arts spaces, clubs, retail spaces and, much more frequently, churches. The point is that finding an alternate use allows these wondrous buildings to survive so that future generations will be able to see how others “used” to go to the movies.
When I was growing up, many banks had sumptuous banking halls with three story lobbies, Corinthian Columns, Chandeliers,brass railings and intricately carved wood panellings. Guess what? Times changed and very few of these halls remain. Thankfully, in New York, The old Citibank at 55 Wall Street, the old Bowery Savings Bank branches on 42nd Street and The Bowery and the Greenwich Savings Bank all survive as glittering event spaces. The architecture has been saved! One of the few old banking halls to survive as an actual bank is the Apple Bank at 74th and Broadway. As in movie palaces, the survival of the building still in its original use is very rare.
I’m a realist. Would I prefer that the Hollywood theater still showed movies instead of being a church? Yes, of course! But I am greatful that the church who bought this theater invested millions to restore it to the grandeur that it had at its peak. I hold out hope that one day it will return to being a live Broadway theater again.
p.s. Cablevision is now spending millions on The Beacon to restore that beautiful palace, but since it won’t show movies, I guess it doesn’t interest you.