Scorpionfury… a recent comment here posted a link to a photo of the ceiling in the gift shop, which is a remnant of the old Demille Theatre (not sure if it dates back to the Columbia). I’ve also read that, while much of the theater’s interior was gutted, some of the auditorium decor remains in the dining area of the Famous Dave’s BBQ, around the corner on West 47th Street.
Can’t fix the google map location, since we don’t have an address, but I was able to correct the street view to an approximate location just south of Northern Blvd on the east side of Main Street. This is based on Warren’s comment from 2005 that the former theater site is now part of the storefronts at the base of the modern office building that occupies that corner. This also reconciles with the vintage photo linked by kencmcintyre, which claims to have been taken from the Northern Blvd (then known as Broadway) looking south along Main Street.
If you open Google maps in a different window, you can position a street view from the elevated Gowanus Expressway that runs above 3rd Avenue. This view shows what appears to be the usual theater roofline behind the facade. When you open the link and zoom in on the building (marked “A”), drop the street view marker onto the Gowanus, rather than on 3rd Avenue.
However, I’m suspicious that this structure has anything to do with the old cinema – which has been closed for over 95 years, according to Ken’s description. Seems to me that most early cinemas from this period tended to be lower profile buildings with very little in common with the big vaulted houses that appeared in later years. I suppose its possible that the cinema may have operated one or more flights above street level.
Well… my mistake. The view is wrong. I am on the wrong corner. According to city records, the address 4001 15th Ave was on the SE corner of 15th Ave and 40th Street. Condominium apartments were erected on that site in 1982, so the theater has been completely demolished and replaced, not gutted and re-purposed as the introductory comments to the page suggest. If someone at CT can unlock the street view, I will make the appropriate adjustments for a proper current view.
If you roll down the street in the google street view just a bit to the left, you’ll see a series of steel roll down gates with a blue sign above reading “Bondi Department Store.” The former Craft Theatre entrance would have been where the widest roll down gate is, to the right of the Bondi sign. Looking at an overhead satellite image, the auditorium structure is still there, running parallel to White Plains Road, behind the Bondi Department Store facade. It is likely that the auditorium is being used by Bondi as part of their floorspace.
The street view should be corrected as I’ve described to get a better view of the former theater site, without the sun glare.
Kris, I noticed that, too, the last (and only) time I was here in 2009 to see “Avatar” in the room that was converted to IMAX. I agree with your take… nothing remarkable about the building or rooms – standard boilerplate modern multiplex – but the painted doors are a nice touch of showmanship in a day when that seems to have all but disappeared. And it doesn’t matter that the paintings are a bit amateurish – that may even lend to their charm.
Bigjoe59… The Harris was in fine condition. It was the longest surviving of the original theaters on the block, showing movies several years into the ‘90’s. I guess it was deemed insignificant compared to the six other houses that were “protected” by the New 42nd Street organization. We see where that has gotten the Liberty and Times Square Theatres.
Coate and Techman707… I miss the “preview” option as well, but I have read comments elsewhere from Ross or Patrick that they are working on restoring the “preview” feature in the near future. So this is merely a temporary inconvenience.
Saps. CT management posted some instructions on how to post a link here, precisely as Tinseltoes did earlier today. Go to the “Blog” section by clicking on the word “Blog” at the top of this page. Once that page opens, look under the Categories listed on the right side and click on “Cinema Treasures.” When that page opens, scroll down a few articles and you’ll find one from June 2nd titled “How to make links with our new comment system.” It’s all spelled out there and it is much easier than it was back under the old site.
If I can make an off-topic suggestion to Patrick and Ross, might be nice to have a “Help” link at the top where members old and new can find instructions and helpful hints such as how to add a link, what comment policy is, how to add a photo, how to adjust street view, etc. Just a thought.
The other entrance referred to by Kyapiko is actually on River Ave, not Jerome Ave (which is in the other side of Yankee Stadium). Was this an alternate entrance for the theater as well? I know the sports bar was using both entrances – I just always assumed the River Ave entry was existing retail space. I added new photos, one a day shot of the 161st Street facade and a night shot of the River Avenue entrance – both taken within the last 3 years or so.
My mistake in description above. There are two inscriptions, one on either side of the columns above the main entrance. The banners for BAM Harvey do hide some ornamental details between the columns.
Hey Wally… My email is still . Perhaps you hit a typo. Feel free to try again, but if you have those pics on your computer, you should now be able to post them yourself using the newly restored add-a-photo feature. If you have any troubles with that, definitely send the pics my way and I’d be more than glad to post them for you!
You stole my memory, DARCYDT! Except I saw the sneak preview at the Sunrise Cinemas in Valley Stream. I don’t know how well you remember “Sea Wolves,” but I recall that it was a particularly dull geriatric action flick that practically put my friends and I to sleep. We literally knew NOTHING about “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – just interested to see how Spielberg was going to bounce back from “1941” ( which I really enjoyed, regardless of its flaws and the critical drubbing). Anyway, the point is we had NO IDEA what to expect from “Raiders” – not even much of an idea as to what it would be about – so you can imagine how completely blown away we were by the movie! It was a particularly jolting experience in the wake of the stultifying “Sea Wolves” that preceded it. I went back to see it again a couple of times during its initial 70mm engagement at the Sunrise and have viewed it from time to time on DVD and, while the movie still works beautifully for me and holds up to repeat viewings, nothing will ever replicate that first “blind” sneak preview viewing in the late spring of 1981.
You guys probably have your hands full tackling bugs and tweaking features based on suggestion comments from members – not to mention sifting through all the suggestions – but here are one or two more for you:
Was wondering if we could have the option to re-sort comments either from oldest to newest or vice versa. And regardless of the view (all comments, overview) would it be possible to have the “New Comment” box available (right now it is only on the “overview” screen).
I, for one, also liked how opening a link on the old site would launch a new browser window. This was particularly helpful when the link opened to a series of photos to scroll through. The old way, once we’re done scrolling through the images, we’d just close the browser window and still have the CT browser window open where we left off. With the new site, clicking on a link opens the new link in the same window as the current CT page. If we were to scroll through a series of new photos with the link, we would then need to scroll back through all of the photos again to return to the CT page we had jumped from. This can be quite annoying.
Finally, it seems that folks may have accidently clicked on the “update Street View” button on several theater pages without having selected a proper view of the building. Is there a way to request that the street view be reset in these instances rather than just leaving a comment in the thread that the view has to be fixed?
I think that’s it, for now. Again… having fun going through the new database and look forward to finding some time to get acquainted with the Add-a-Photo feature!
The Google Maps street view above is incorrect and seems about half a block off. The view shows mid block buildings, whereas the theater’s address would place it a bit to the west on the corner of 101st Street and 37th Avenue.
KingBiscuits, you might as well be talking about the old 42nd Street grindhouses, which the Movie-Plex replaced. Each of them were doing quite well on weekends and were only closed when they were evicted by the city for redevelopment.
Meanwhile, Monika, to answer your question posted above on April 25, 2011, the theater depicted in the linked image is indeed the Corona Theatre we are discussing here. The view is from the elevated IRT train platform looking down Junction Blvd to the north. The titles listed on the marquee were released in 1953, so we also have a time frame for the image. The art deco looking clock tower on the right side of the street (corner of Junction and 38th Ave) is no longer in existence.
Jeff and SWC… have to agree with Bway. Appears that all the links are still working fine and the photos that were embedded in the comments are still visible as well. As Bway said, you have to view all comments and page through to find the older posts with embedded pics.
When I first read SWC’s comment, I thought maybe the new website design would not allow embedded photos (since they have always been against the site comment policy), but I can still view them same as before. Perhaps your browser requires updating for the site to load properly? Just a thought.
As for any other complaints or issues (such as no “new comment” box when viewing all comments), I think Patrick and Ross are open to suggestions for improving the new site. I may offer a few comments myself with regards to minor issues like that. The forum for that would probably be the “Cinema Treasures relaunch” article in the Blog section of the site.
JeffM55 is correct. The address now provided is the current address for the Warehouse Supercenter that occupies the old UA Lefrak building. They must have a main entrance around the corner on 57th Avenue. Looks like some new research will be required to dig up the old address for the theater entrance.
Scorpionfury… a recent comment here posted a link to a photo of the ceiling in the gift shop, which is a remnant of the old Demille Theatre (not sure if it dates back to the Columbia). I’ve also read that, while much of the theater’s interior was gutted, some of the auditorium decor remains in the dining area of the Famous Dave’s BBQ, around the corner on West 47th Street.
Can’t fix the google map location, since we don’t have an address, but I was able to correct the street view to an approximate location just south of Northern Blvd on the east side of Main Street. This is based on Warren’s comment from 2005 that the former theater site is now part of the storefronts at the base of the modern office building that occupies that corner. This also reconciles with the vintage photo linked by kencmcintyre, which claims to have been taken from the Northern Blvd (then known as Broadway) looking south along Main Street.
If you open Google maps in a different window, you can position a street view from the elevated Gowanus Expressway that runs above 3rd Avenue. This view shows what appears to be the usual theater roofline behind the facade. When you open the link and zoom in on the building (marked “A”), drop the street view marker onto the Gowanus, rather than on 3rd Avenue.
However, I’m suspicious that this structure has anything to do with the old cinema – which has been closed for over 95 years, according to Ken’s description. Seems to me that most early cinemas from this period tended to be lower profile buildings with very little in common with the big vaulted houses that appeared in later years. I suppose its possible that the cinema may have operated one or more flights above street level.
Well… my mistake. The view is wrong. I am on the wrong corner. According to city records, the address 4001 15th Ave was on the SE corner of 15th Ave and 40th Street. Condominium apartments were erected on that site in 1982, so the theater has been completely demolished and replaced, not gutted and re-purposed as the introductory comments to the page suggest. If someone at CT can unlock the street view, I will make the appropriate adjustments for a proper current view.
If you roll down the street in the google street view just a bit to the left, you’ll see a series of steel roll down gates with a blue sign above reading “Bondi Department Store.” The former Craft Theatre entrance would have been where the widest roll down gate is, to the right of the Bondi sign. Looking at an overhead satellite image, the auditorium structure is still there, running parallel to White Plains Road, behind the Bondi Department Store facade. It is likely that the auditorium is being used by Bondi as part of their floorspace.
The street view should be corrected as I’ve described to get a better view of the former theater site, without the sun glare.
Kris, I noticed that, too, the last (and only) time I was here in 2009 to see “Avatar” in the room that was converted to IMAX. I agree with your take… nothing remarkable about the building or rooms – standard boilerplate modern multiplex – but the painted doors are a nice touch of showmanship in a day when that seems to have all but disappeared. And it doesn’t matter that the paintings are a bit amateurish – that may even lend to their charm.
Bigjoe59… The Harris was in fine condition. It was the longest surviving of the original theaters on the block, showing movies several years into the ‘90’s. I guess it was deemed insignificant compared to the six other houses that were “protected” by the New 42nd Street organization. We see where that has gotten the Liberty and Times Square Theatres.
Jona… the website Americanclassicimages.com hosts a pair of 1986 images here and here.
They also have this image from 1967, when the theater still used its original entrance on Broadway.
Coate and Techman707… I miss the “preview” option as well, but I have read comments elsewhere from Ross or Patrick that they are working on restoring the “preview” feature in the near future. So this is merely a temporary inconvenience.
Saps. CT management posted some instructions on how to post a link here, precisely as Tinseltoes did earlier today. Go to the “Blog” section by clicking on the word “Blog” at the top of this page. Once that page opens, look under the Categories listed on the right side and click on “Cinema Treasures.” When that page opens, scroll down a few articles and you’ll find one from June 2nd titled “How to make links with our new comment system.” It’s all spelled out there and it is much easier than it was back under the old site.
If I can make an off-topic suggestion to Patrick and Ross, might be nice to have a “Help” link at the top where members old and new can find instructions and helpful hints such as how to add a link, what comment policy is, how to add a photo, how to adjust street view, etc. Just a thought.
The other entrance referred to by Kyapiko is actually on River Ave, not Jerome Ave (which is in the other side of Yankee Stadium). Was this an alternate entrance for the theater as well? I know the sports bar was using both entrances – I just always assumed the River Ave entry was existing retail space. I added new photos, one a day shot of the 161st Street facade and a night shot of the River Avenue entrance – both taken within the last 3 years or so.
My mistake… it’s been a while since I was there, but this appears not to be a carving but iron or copper work.
Correction – 39th Avenue
My mistake in description above. There are two inscriptions, one on either side of the columns above the main entrance. The banners for BAM Harvey do hide some ornamental details between the columns.
Hey Wally… My email is still . Perhaps you hit a typo. Feel free to try again, but if you have those pics on your computer, you should now be able to post them yourself using the newly restored add-a-photo feature. If you have any troubles with that, definitely send the pics my way and I’d be more than glad to post them for you!
You stole my memory, DARCYDT! Except I saw the sneak preview at the Sunrise Cinemas in Valley Stream. I don’t know how well you remember “Sea Wolves,” but I recall that it was a particularly dull geriatric action flick that practically put my friends and I to sleep. We literally knew NOTHING about “Raiders of the Lost Ark” – just interested to see how Spielberg was going to bounce back from “1941” ( which I really enjoyed, regardless of its flaws and the critical drubbing). Anyway, the point is we had NO IDEA what to expect from “Raiders” – not even much of an idea as to what it would be about – so you can imagine how completely blown away we were by the movie! It was a particularly jolting experience in the wake of the stultifying “Sea Wolves” that preceded it. I went back to see it again a couple of times during its initial 70mm engagement at the Sunrise and have viewed it from time to time on DVD and, while the movie still works beautifully for me and holds up to repeat viewings, nothing will ever replicate that first “blind” sneak preview viewing in the late spring of 1981.
Add to that list the Corona Theatre in Corona, NY.
You guys probably have your hands full tackling bugs and tweaking features based on suggestion comments from members – not to mention sifting through all the suggestions – but here are one or two more for you:
Was wondering if we could have the option to re-sort comments either from oldest to newest or vice versa. And regardless of the view (all comments, overview) would it be possible to have the “New Comment” box available (right now it is only on the “overview” screen).
I, for one, also liked how opening a link on the old site would launch a new browser window. This was particularly helpful when the link opened to a series of photos to scroll through. The old way, once we’re done scrolling through the images, we’d just close the browser window and still have the CT browser window open where we left off. With the new site, clicking on a link opens the new link in the same window as the current CT page. If we were to scroll through a series of new photos with the link, we would then need to scroll back through all of the photos again to return to the CT page we had jumped from. This can be quite annoying.
Finally, it seems that folks may have accidently clicked on the “update Street View” button on several theater pages without having selected a proper view of the building. Is there a way to request that the street view be reset in these instances rather than just leaving a comment in the thread that the view has to be fixed?
I think that’s it, for now. Again… having fun going through the new database and look forward to finding some time to get acquainted with the Add-a-Photo feature!
The Google Maps street view above is incorrect and seems about half a block off. The view shows mid block buildings, whereas the theater’s address would place it a bit to the west on the corner of 101st Street and 37th Avenue.
Yes. The 7 train still runs along the same elevated tracks above Roosevelt Avenue.
KingBiscuits, you might as well be talking about the old 42nd Street grindhouses, which the Movie-Plex replaced. Each of them were doing quite well on weekends and were only closed when they were evicted by the city for redevelopment.
Meanwhile, Monika, to answer your question posted above on April 25, 2011, the theater depicted in the linked image is indeed the Corona Theatre we are discussing here. The view is from the elevated IRT train platform looking down Junction Blvd to the north. The titles listed on the marquee were released in 1953, so we also have a time frame for the image. The art deco looking clock tower on the right side of the street (corner of Junction and 38th Ave) is no longer in existence.
Looks like someone already “corrected” the street view so it can’t be adjusted to the proper main entrance around the block on Broadway.
Jeff and SWC… have to agree with Bway. Appears that all the links are still working fine and the photos that were embedded in the comments are still visible as well. As Bway said, you have to view all comments and page through to find the older posts with embedded pics.
When I first read SWC’s comment, I thought maybe the new website design would not allow embedded photos (since they have always been against the site comment policy), but I can still view them same as before. Perhaps your browser requires updating for the site to load properly? Just a thought.
As for any other complaints or issues (such as no “new comment” box when viewing all comments), I think Patrick and Ross are open to suggestions for improving the new site. I may offer a few comments myself with regards to minor issues like that. The forum for that would probably be the “Cinema Treasures relaunch” article in the Blog section of the site.
JeffM55 is correct. The address now provided is the current address for the Warehouse Supercenter that occupies the old UA Lefrak building. They must have a main entrance around the corner on 57th Avenue. Looks like some new research will be required to dig up the old address for the theater entrance.