The American movie house at 910 Manhattan Ave. was the strongest of the second run movie houses in Greenpoint and the last to close. It also reopened for a time – under the name of the Chopin Theater in the 70’s and 80’s, but closed before Greenpoint could really support a local movie theater. It would be a cinematic gold mine today!
The most defining element of the American is the large American Eagle that still soars above its former entrance. In its hay day, the American was a second/third run movie theater that featured two and three movies per day plus a dish night every week. Part of my dear mother’s dinner set was initially acquirred during American Theater “Dish Nites”!
I passed by the old American recently and was really depressed by its most recent use; it is a Starbucks!! Ugh.
I was at the Winthrop’s last day as a movie house. It was a Sunday. As a nine year old who lived a block away from the theater, I had absolutely no clue that the whole place would be closed down the very next day. I think my parents did, which is why they took me and my six year old sister to a very crowded house that day. One of the movies was a horror flick, though I can’t remember the name. It WAS pretty scary.
The Winthrop – which everyone called the Winnie – was named after the park situated across the street. While Winthrop Park’s name had been changed to McGolrick back in 1940, we all called it either Winthrop or the tree park. The new name has only set in recently.
While a Met Food store currently occupies this site, initially an A&P store was located here. It served the community until the early 1990’s. Also, while the supermarket occupies the site, the old movie house was almost totally destroyed during the reconstruction. Thus, nothing really remains of the old Winnie.
At one time, the Winnie was only one of many movie theaters serving Greenpoint. The others that I remember were the first run Meserole and RKO Greenpoint and the second run American, Nassau and Midway. They are all gone and their sites currently occupied by a drug store (Meserole), a womens' and childrens' clothing store (RKO Greenpoint), a catering house (the Nassau) and, most annoyingly, a Srarbucks (The American). Thus “progress” moves on.
The American movie house at 910 Manhattan Ave. was the strongest of the second run movie houses in Greenpoint and the last to close. It also reopened for a time – under the name of the Chopin Theater in the 70’s and 80’s, but closed before Greenpoint could really support a local movie theater. It would be a cinematic gold mine today!
The most defining element of the American is the large American Eagle that still soars above its former entrance. In its hay day, the American was a second/third run movie theater that featured two and three movies per day plus a dish night every week. Part of my dear mother’s dinner set was initially acquirred during American Theater “Dish Nites”!
I passed by the old American recently and was really depressed by its most recent use; it is a Starbucks!! Ugh.
I was at the Winthrop’s last day as a movie house. It was a Sunday. As a nine year old who lived a block away from the theater, I had absolutely no clue that the whole place would be closed down the very next day. I think my parents did, which is why they took me and my six year old sister to a very crowded house that day. One of the movies was a horror flick, though I can’t remember the name. It WAS pretty scary.
The Winthrop – which everyone called the Winnie – was named after the park situated across the street. While Winthrop Park’s name had been changed to McGolrick back in 1940, we all called it either Winthrop or the tree park. The new name has only set in recently.
While a Met Food store currently occupies this site, initially an A&P store was located here. It served the community until the early 1990’s. Also, while the supermarket occupies the site, the old movie house was almost totally destroyed during the reconstruction. Thus, nothing really remains of the old Winnie.
At one time, the Winnie was only one of many movie theaters serving Greenpoint. The others that I remember were the first run Meserole and RKO Greenpoint and the second run American, Nassau and Midway. They are all gone and their sites currently occupied by a drug store (Meserole), a womens' and childrens' clothing store (RKO Greenpoint), a catering house (the Nassau) and, most annoyingly, a Srarbucks (The American). Thus “progress” moves on.