Two photos can be found in Arcadia Publishing’s book “Audubon”. On page 20, the theater is credited as being the “New Century Theater”. The marquee shows “Love Never Dies” as the feature. Many movies have this title so I won’t attempt to date the photo.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Sept 25, 2005 p046
Condos planned next to cinema. (MORRIS)
Piscataway developer Jack Morris hopes to convert the parking lot of the Loews Theater on Route 1 in New Brunswick into a mixed-use retail and condominium project.
The development will include about 400 luxury condominiums and market-rate apartments, 40,000 square feet of retail and three parking garages. Loews Theater would remain, as would barbecue restaurant Famous Dave’s, which would move to a new restaurant on the 23-acre site, according to plans released by the city.
The four- to six-story condos and apartments are planned toward the back of the property, which abuts open space along the Raritan River. Directly across the river is a view of Highland Park’s Donaldson Park.
“One of the things that make this site great is the views over the water and over the park,” said New Brunswick spokesman Bill Bray.
Edgewood Properties Inc. bought the site in 2004 from Sheldon Elizabeth Co., a Roseland-based company, for $14.7 million. Sheldon Elizabeth owned the property since 1965, and opened the Loews Theater in 1996 on what was once the site of the Route 1 Flea Market.
Article CJ136626591
teecee
commented about
Cinema 9on
Oct 29, 2005 at 9:01 am
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 7, 2005 p027
Tavern owners want to give ex-porn palace comic relief. (MIDDLESEX)
Byline: SABA ALI
Since Cinema 9 shut its doors two years ago, the once notorious Sayreville pornography theater has sat empty.
The owners of a sports bar next door, however, hope to fill the Route 9 theater back up again, only this time with patrons looking for a good laugh.
Ethan H. LLC, owners of Prime Time Sports Bar & Billiards, want to knock down the wall connecting Cinema 9 to the bar and turn it into a comedy club.
But restrictions on the sports bar’s liquor license may prevent it from serving alcohol at the comedy club.
The bar’s bid for a liquor license was initially denied by the borough council because of an ordinance that states no two bars can operate within 2,000 feet of one another. Prime Time is in the same strip mall as Bourbon Street, a go-go club.
The ruling was overturned in 2003 by the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control on the condition that no live entertainment be permitted.
At the time, Bourbon Street was not opposed to the sports bar getting a liquor license, but also asked that the restriction against live entertainment be put into the agreement.
“We are not concerned with having the bar only, what we are concerned with is the live entertainment,” said Wayne Peck, the attorney representing Bourbon Street.
Peck said that the owners are concerned with what else the club could be turned into if allowed to host live entertainment. It could also turn into a competing adult entertainment venue, he said.
In a letter sent to the borough last week, Peck outlined his client’s concerns about the borough not being able to contain where alcohol is served in the establishment if the liquor license is extended.
The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control also placed several other restrictions on the bar and billiards hall that restrict allowing minors into the facilities, require the owner to provide security and a restricted area where alcohol can be served in the bar and billiards hall.
Mayor Kennedy O'Brien said he was concerned about allowing establishments to extend liquor licenses as a way to get around purchasing separate licenses.
“It will set a dangerous legal precedent,” O'Brien said.
He said he does not have an issue with the theater being developed into a place that will generate business for the area.
Lawrence Sachs, a lawyer representing the sports bar owners, said that both the comedy club and bar would share the same kitchen making it a singular establishment in need of only one license.
He said the owners would be providing “wholesome” entertainment and that the owners would have the option to provide other types of entertainment in the future if they so desire.
He said that the sports bar has had no complaints from residents or problems needing of the police since it opened in Oct. 2002.
His clients will be making a presentation to the council on what the club will look like on Oct. 17.
The 10,000 square foot theater, has stood empty since it was closed down in 2002 after code violations and residents' complaints about the triple-X theater.
If Ethan H. LLC does decide to go ahead with the comedy, they would lease the theater from its current owner.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 22, 2005 p021
Jenny’s Dish. (TODAY)
Newark: The way it was
A CREW of carpenters, scenic artists and designers spent this week in Newark transforming a few blocks of the downtown into Broadway, circa 1960, for the movie “Across the Universe.”
An original musical film directed by Julie Taymor, “Across the Universe” is a love story set to a score of Beatles songs that defined the decade, according to publicity materials.
She loves him, yeah, yeah, yeah?
Taymor, who directed the movies “Frida” and “Titus,” and the Broadway smash “The Lion King,” is working with an ensemble cast led by Evan Rachel Wood (“Thirteen”). The film combines live action with animation as it moves from Manhattan to Detroit to Vietnam and Liverpool.
Lighting cranes and trailers were parked along Branford Place and Washington Street, while vintage cars and checker cabs lined Halsey Street in preparation for the nighttime shoot.
“They’re doing a good job,” said John Vaughan-Bey, owner of Moorish Fragrance at 214 Halsey St.
“Downtown Newark is not like it used to be. It was really, really busy,” said Vaughan-Bey, a lifelong resident who remembers what Newark was like four decades ago. “In that building across the street, there were offices and a restaurant and a bar downstairs. The other side of the street, there were law offices and two movie theaters.
“Newark was like New York. That’s the way it was,” he said.
Contributor: Peggy McGlone
CAPTION(S):
<p>1. A film crew works on the marquee of a movie theater on Branford Place in Newark, transforming the street into a stretch of Broadway in the ‘60s for “Across the Universe,” a movie being shot in the city this weekend.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 23, 2005 p002
ArtsCAP may call the Savoy home; Asbury landmark is in city’s central district <par>. (SPOTLIGHT)
A group of Asbury Park artists joined forces last winter to galvanize their efforts to protect and promote the arts within the city’s redevelopment district.
Now, just six months after incorporating, the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park has the chance to achieve its primary goal of securing a downtown building to use as the city’s cultural hub.
The owners of the Savoy Theater and the five-story Kinmonth Building that wraps around it have offered to sell the building if ArtsCAP can raise a $250,000 down payment immediately. The original deadline of Oct. 19 has been extended to mid-November. If the down payment is secured, the owners will give the group a year to negotiate the final price – likely to be in the $5 million range – and figure out the financing.
“This was exactly what we wanted from the beginning,” said Dawn Von Suskil, a muralist who is president of the nonprofit ArtsCAP. “Not only does it provide entertainment for people to come to for theater and dance and music, but it will also be an educational hub and a studio hub.”
It may seen like a pipe dream for a brand-new and penniless nonprofit, but arts consultant Louise Stevens believes the group will be successful. ArtsCAP also has the support of the county arts agency and the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone, which are partners in the creation of a Cultural Arts District and Plan for the rapidly changing city.
The Asbury Park City Council also declared its support during a recent meeting, and it is looking at ways it might fund the effort, said Diane Raver, executive director of the Save the Savoy project.
The Savoy, a Walter Reade movie house built in 1911, will need extensive renovations – and somewhere between $15 and $25 million – to bring it back to life as an intimate 600-seat theater.
“It’s so perfect, you just want this hub to be there,” said Stevens about the building, which has five stories of usable office space surrounding the three-story “jewel-like” theater.
“There’s no question they are on high adrenaline, but that will pass. I think we can get past the $250,000 deadline, there will be the ability to pause and get out of the adrenaline mode and go forward in a more studied strategic approach.”
Stevens pointed to several critical factors working in ArtsCAP’s favor. While ArtsCAP is the lead organization, there is a critical mass of nonprofit dance, music theater and film groups – not to mention a vibrant community of individual artists – in Asbury Park who will benefit from the cultural center.
The building would house various performing arts groups, the Garden State Film Festival, and provide studios for artists and classrooms for arts education of all kinds.
“It could house so many arts groups that are currently in Asbury and desperately need space,” said Terri Thomas, director of community arts for the Monmouth County Arts Council, which is working with ArtsCAP.
Second, the effort has the backing, and guidance of the Monmouth County Arts Council which has been focused on the role of the arts in Asbury for more than a year. And finally, the project can be done in stages, allowing the costs to be spread out over many years.
“You could put a campaign like this together in chunks,” said Stevens, who first became involved in the county-wide arts plan that sparked the Asbury initiative. “The unique nature of this building, with 15,000-square feet of office space surrounding the Savoy, means you could turn these offices quite easily into arts organization offices, dance studios, sound recording studios, and then gradually do the work on the Savoy itself. ”
“You have a critical mass (of arts organizations) and you get the energy going and have the community see it, and you save (renovating) the theater for phase two,” Stevens said.
Stevens said the planning effort begun last year by the county arts council gives the project a firm foundation. Funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Mary Owen Borden Foundation, New Jersey Natural Gas and the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone, the Asbury Park arts planning effort is invaluable.
David Miller, executive director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, which is a major funder of the county arts council, said this foundation is vital for the project’s success.
“Failing to take the time to plan, to honestly test feasibility, has gotten people in way over their heads,” Miller said. “As a general rule, we urge good planning and caution.”
It’s a message ArtsCAP understands.
Stevens will convene a three-hour meeting Friday for ArtsCAP board members to discuss and adopt her feasibility report, said Raver, who noted that fundraising without such a report is very difficult.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel, but honing it, tailoring it for our needs,” added Von Suskil about the effort. “It’s going to be a huge challenge, but we have to take a shot at it. To not try would be a crime.”
CAPTION(S):
<p>1. Michael Fornino, co-owner of the Savoy Theater, in the interior of the Mattison Avenue building. Below, a photo of the building in 1911.</p> <p>1. NOAH K. MURRAY/THE STAR-LEDGER</p>
Excellent article and photos in the Star-Ledger dated 10/23/05, Section 4, page 2. The owner is willing to sell the theater to the Arts Colition of Asbury Park (ArtsCAP) if they can put down $250k by mid November. Estimated sell price is $5M; estimated to need $15-$25M in restoration.
Can’t find the text at nj.com, but as soon as it is posted I’ll put it here.
Appears to be site for some exterior movie filming. In the Star Ledger dated 10/22/05, page 21 there is an article titled “Newark: The way it was” I can’t find the text online at nj.com. There is a photo of a marquee and the caption states that it is on Branford Place. The photo looks a lot like that in my 3/23/05 post, except that the Adams name is removed (hopefully just for the filming?) and there is a new traffic light clearly visible in the newer photo.
The theater is being used as a recreation of 1960 Broadway (yes, THE Broadway in NYC) for the upcoming movie “Across The Universe”.
Found this information on page 19 of Arcadia Publishing’s “Jersey City: 1940-1960”:
They list the location of the Capitol as 64 Gregory Street, which does not currently map in mapquest. The theater was razed in the early 1950s for the construction of the Gregory Apartments. Can’t find any information on these apartments, perhaps they too were demolished.
From Arcadia Publishing’s “Long Beach Island”, page 127: This theater was built in the 1920’s by Harry Colmar, who also built the nearby Colonial Theater in Beach Haven.
Historic preservation grant revives hope Brook Theater will be restored
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
BY NYIER ABDOU
Star-Ledger Staff
It once looked like curtains for the Brook Theater.
Despite a hearty community effort and years of fundraising heroics from Brook Arts Center founder Gerry Appel, the cash-strapped theater still lacks a few necessities — like water.
But a recent $155,000 Somerset County historic preservation grant has given renovation efforts a boost. The money will fund restoration of the theater’s dilapidated facade and distinctive marquee and has infused new vigor in the drive to restore the Brook.
“We feel this will be a great aid in promoting vitality,” said Somerset County historic sites coordinator Tom D'Amico. “It will be a beautiful edifice.”
D'Amico said the theater restoration would enhance redevelopment of Bound Brook’s historic downtown. The town is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
“It will signal to the whole neighborhood that this thing is getting off the ground,” agreed Appel. “It’ll be a central focus of the neighborhood, as it used to be.”
The Brook Theater, a Bound Brook institution since it opened in 1927, was an arts hot spot in its heyday, hosting luminaries of the vaudeville era like Jackie Gleason. The venue lost its luster in later years, however, limping along as a local movie house.
“Bound Brook used to be a major small town,” said Appel. “The Brook was the place to go on a Saturday night.”
Appel’s stake in the theater goes back 10 years, when the venue first piqued his interest as a site for a new arts center. He formed a company to look into purchasing the theater, but just when it looked like the project was under way, Hurricane Floyd hit, flooding the whole downtown.
Appel soldiered on. In 2000, the Brook Arts Center leased the theater. The center’s vision of a local “arts incubator” pleased the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In September 2001, the Brook scored a $2.4 million EDA grant. In October 2003, the theater was purchased for $600,000 and renovations began in April 2004.
Appel says he just wants to “get the doors open and get some good entertainment in front of (audiences).”
A decision to finance the extension of the main water line to supply the theater means the Brook could be ready to open by the end of the year. Appel refuses to tempt fate by booking an opening act.
“Until I have the CO (certificate of occupancy) in my hand, I’m not arranging an opening date,” Appel said. “I don’t want any surprises. I don’t see any, but it’s a big project. I just want to be assured.”
New Jersey American Water will bid out the water line extension project, which will take one month. The work is expected to take another month, after which the theater would be ready for inspection.
Volunteers continue to chip in, showing up to help paint and prepare the theater in the final stretch. A “Dance for the Brook” fundraiser brought Broadway talent together with local dance groups earlier this month.
Appel envisions the Brook turning Bound Brook into a cultural hub, with existing arts organizations setting up shop there.
As a nonprofit group, the theater can take advantage of public funds not available to for-profit venues. Other successful non- profits include the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick and the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.
“It’s going to be an amazing thing when this is finally finished,” said Appel. “It’s like I’m giving away dreams to people.”
Appel is looking for pictures of the outside of the theater to aid in the exterior restoration. Contact the Brook at (732) 469-7700 or by e-mail at
Nyier Abdou works in the Somerset County bureau. She may be reached at or (908) 429-9925.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), July 26, 1998 p039
Curtain closes on theater in Bloomfield; Gone are glory days, as audiences dwindle in town landmark. (ESSEX)
Byline: Caryl R. Lucas
Rocco Sinopoli remembers Bloomfield’s Royal Theater in its heyday.
Red carpets, chandeliers and mirrors were part of the charm of the old movie theater that people in surrounding towns filled on the weekends, said Sinopoli, a longtime downtown merchant.
In recent years the single-screen theater became a twin that showed mostly films depicting urban life. Then, two weeks ago, it closed its doors. The message on the gold marquee, at 614 Bloomfield Ave., now reads: “Closed. Thanks for your patronage.”
``It’s sad. This theater is a township landmark,“ said Sinopoli, who has owned Lou Rocco’s Shoe Store, opposite the theater, for the past four decades. Once a popular venue for township families, the beige and brown movie house with its ornate architecture and single screen featured Western, family-oriented films that attracted large audiences from town and neighboring communities.
Officials at Cineplex Odeon, which is listed on the township tax rolls as the current owner, failed to return phone calls last week to discuss the theater.
``We don’t know what’s going on,“ said Bloomfield Mayor James Norton, who would like to see a new tenant join officials and merchants in a move to revitalize the theater as part of the redevelopment of the center.
The theater’s closing leaves only one movie house in the township. The Center Theater, about three blocks away, runs Indian films, some with English subtitles, exclusively.
Richard Bzdek, president of the Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, said he was uncertain why Cineplex Odeon – which merged with Sony Loews 90 days ago – had closed its theater.
But the news came as no surprise.
Norton said attendance, as well as the quality of the films shown, had declined in recent years.
In recent years, the theater had presented some action- adventure movies. It was known for showing black action or comedy films depicting urban lifestyles such as “How to be a Player,” “Friday,” and “Menace II Society.” Other recent headliners were “He Got Game,” “Deep Impact” and “Caught Up.”
``Some of the films shown were not conducive to the quality of life we desire,“ said Norton, who added the theater attracted more out-of-town teens than residents.
``I stopped going a few years ago because I didn’t feel comfortable anymore,“ said Neil McGinniss, a township resident. "The clientele got rowdy.”
``It needs some personal attention and a facelift,“ said Sinopoli, who leases space for parking from the cinema group.
CAPTION(S):
Rocco Sinopoli has owned a shoe store opposite Bloomfield’s Royal Theater for four decades, and he called the now-closed theater a town landmark.
Another postcard, slightly different and post marked 1909:
View link
Two photos can be found in Arcadia Publishing’s book “Audubon”. On page 20, the theater is credited as being the “New Century Theater”. The marquee shows “Love Never Dies” as the feature. Many movies have this title so I won’t attempt to date the photo.
On page 91 is a photo from the mid 1960s.
circa 1967 photo with “To Sir With Love” on the marquee:
View link
Old photo from the 1930s/1940s:
View link
Old photo. Marquee states “Closed Visit the Fabian"
Marquee also doesn’t spell out "United States”. It merely has “U.S.”
View link
Old photo. Theater barely visible on the left:
View link
Looks like the Majestic was a Proctor’s Theatre at one time. Notice the title on the attached postcard:
View link
That vertical Majestic marquee so prominent in the other photos does indeed look like an add on.
Old postcard:
View link
Only in Jersey…
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Sept 25, 2005 p046
Condos planned next to cinema. (MORRIS)
Piscataway developer Jack Morris hopes to convert the parking lot of the Loews Theater on Route 1 in New Brunswick into a mixed-use retail and condominium project.
The development will include about 400 luxury condominiums and market-rate apartments, 40,000 square feet of retail and three parking garages. Loews Theater would remain, as would barbecue restaurant Famous Dave’s, which would move to a new restaurant on the 23-acre site, according to plans released by the city.
The four- to six-story condos and apartments are planned toward the back of the property, which abuts open space along the Raritan River. Directly across the river is a view of Highland Park’s Donaldson Park.
“One of the things that make this site great is the views over the water and over the park,” said New Brunswick spokesman Bill Bray.
Edgewood Properties Inc. bought the site in 2004 from Sheldon Elizabeth Co., a Roseland-based company, for $14.7 million. Sheldon Elizabeth owned the property since 1965, and opened the Loews Theater in 1996 on what was once the site of the Route 1 Flea Market.
Article CJ136626591
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 7, 2005 p027
Tavern owners want to give ex-porn palace comic relief. (MIDDLESEX)
Byline: SABA ALI
Since Cinema 9 shut its doors two years ago, the once notorious Sayreville pornography theater has sat empty.
The owners of a sports bar next door, however, hope to fill the Route 9 theater back up again, only this time with patrons looking for a good laugh.
Ethan H. LLC, owners of Prime Time Sports Bar & Billiards, want to knock down the wall connecting Cinema 9 to the bar and turn it into a comedy club.
But restrictions on the sports bar’s liquor license may prevent it from serving alcohol at the comedy club.
The bar’s bid for a liquor license was initially denied by the borough council because of an ordinance that states no two bars can operate within 2,000 feet of one another. Prime Time is in the same strip mall as Bourbon Street, a go-go club.
The ruling was overturned in 2003 by the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control on the condition that no live entertainment be permitted.
At the time, Bourbon Street was not opposed to the sports bar getting a liquor license, but also asked that the restriction against live entertainment be put into the agreement.
“We are not concerned with having the bar only, what we are concerned with is the live entertainment,” said Wayne Peck, the attorney representing Bourbon Street.
Peck said that the owners are concerned with what else the club could be turned into if allowed to host live entertainment. It could also turn into a competing adult entertainment venue, he said.
In a letter sent to the borough last week, Peck outlined his client’s concerns about the borough not being able to contain where alcohol is served in the establishment if the liquor license is extended.
The state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control also placed several other restrictions on the bar and billiards hall that restrict allowing minors into the facilities, require the owner to provide security and a restricted area where alcohol can be served in the bar and billiards hall.
Mayor Kennedy O'Brien said he was concerned about allowing establishments to extend liquor licenses as a way to get around purchasing separate licenses.
“It will set a dangerous legal precedent,” O'Brien said.
He said he does not have an issue with the theater being developed into a place that will generate business for the area.
Lawrence Sachs, a lawyer representing the sports bar owners, said that both the comedy club and bar would share the same kitchen making it a singular establishment in need of only one license.
He said the owners would be providing “wholesome” entertainment and that the owners would have the option to provide other types of entertainment in the future if they so desire.
He said that the sports bar has had no complaints from residents or problems needing of the police since it opened in Oct. 2002.
His clients will be making a presentation to the council on what the club will look like on Oct. 17.
The 10,000 square foot theater, has stood empty since it was closed down in 2002 after code violations and residents' complaints about the triple-X theater.
If Ethan H. LLC does decide to go ahead with the comedy, they would lease the theater from its current owner.
Article CJ137277567
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 22, 2005 p021
Jenny’s Dish. (TODAY)
Newark: The way it was
A CREW of carpenters, scenic artists and designers spent this week in Newark transforming a few blocks of the downtown into Broadway, circa 1960, for the movie “Across the Universe.”
An original musical film directed by Julie Taymor, “Across the Universe” is a love story set to a score of Beatles songs that defined the decade, according to publicity materials.
She loves him, yeah, yeah, yeah?
Taymor, who directed the movies “Frida” and “Titus,” and the Broadway smash “The Lion King,” is working with an ensemble cast led by Evan Rachel Wood (“Thirteen”). The film combines live action with animation as it moves from Manhattan to Detroit to Vietnam and Liverpool.
Lighting cranes and trailers were parked along Branford Place and Washington Street, while vintage cars and checker cabs lined Halsey Street in preparation for the nighttime shoot.
“They’re doing a good job,” said John Vaughan-Bey, owner of Moorish Fragrance at 214 Halsey St.
“Downtown Newark is not like it used to be. It was really, really busy,” said Vaughan-Bey, a lifelong resident who remembers what Newark was like four decades ago. “In that building across the street, there were offices and a restaurant and a bar downstairs. The other side of the street, there were law offices and two movie theaters.
“Newark was like New York. That’s the way it was,” he said.
Contributor: Peggy McGlone
CAPTION(S):
<p>1. A film crew works on the marquee of a movie theater on Branford Place in Newark, transforming the street into a stretch of Broadway in the ‘60s for “Across the Universe,” a movie being shot in the city this weekend.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Oct 23, 2005 p002
ArtsCAP may call the Savoy home; Asbury landmark is in city’s central district <par>. (SPOTLIGHT)
A group of Asbury Park artists joined forces last winter to galvanize their efforts to protect and promote the arts within the city’s redevelopment district.
Now, just six months after incorporating, the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park has the chance to achieve its primary goal of securing a downtown building to use as the city’s cultural hub.
The owners of the Savoy Theater and the five-story Kinmonth Building that wraps around it have offered to sell the building if ArtsCAP can raise a $250,000 down payment immediately. The original deadline of Oct. 19 has been extended to mid-November. If the down payment is secured, the owners will give the group a year to negotiate the final price – likely to be in the $5 million range – and figure out the financing.
“This was exactly what we wanted from the beginning,” said Dawn Von Suskil, a muralist who is president of the nonprofit ArtsCAP. “Not only does it provide entertainment for people to come to for theater and dance and music, but it will also be an educational hub and a studio hub.”
It may seen like a pipe dream for a brand-new and penniless nonprofit, but arts consultant Louise Stevens believes the group will be successful. ArtsCAP also has the support of the county arts agency and the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone, which are partners in the creation of a Cultural Arts District and Plan for the rapidly changing city.
The Asbury Park City Council also declared its support during a recent meeting, and it is looking at ways it might fund the effort, said Diane Raver, executive director of the Save the Savoy project.
The Savoy, a Walter Reade movie house built in 1911, will need extensive renovations – and somewhere between $15 and $25 million – to bring it back to life as an intimate 600-seat theater.
“It’s so perfect, you just want this hub to be there,” said Stevens about the building, which has five stories of usable office space surrounding the three-story “jewel-like” theater.
“There’s no question they are on high adrenaline, but that will pass. I think we can get past the $250,000 deadline, there will be the ability to pause and get out of the adrenaline mode and go forward in a more studied strategic approach.”
Stevens pointed to several critical factors working in ArtsCAP’s favor. While ArtsCAP is the lead organization, there is a critical mass of nonprofit dance, music theater and film groups – not to mention a vibrant community of individual artists – in Asbury Park who will benefit from the cultural center.
The building would house various performing arts groups, the Garden State Film Festival, and provide studios for artists and classrooms for arts education of all kinds.
“It could house so many arts groups that are currently in Asbury and desperately need space,” said Terri Thomas, director of community arts for the Monmouth County Arts Council, which is working with ArtsCAP.
Second, the effort has the backing, and guidance of the Monmouth County Arts Council which has been focused on the role of the arts in Asbury for more than a year. And finally, the project can be done in stages, allowing the costs to be spread out over many years.
“You could put a campaign like this together in chunks,” said Stevens, who first became involved in the county-wide arts plan that sparked the Asbury initiative. “The unique nature of this building, with 15,000-square feet of office space surrounding the Savoy, means you could turn these offices quite easily into arts organization offices, dance studios, sound recording studios, and then gradually do the work on the Savoy itself. ”
“You have a critical mass (of arts organizations) and you get the energy going and have the community see it, and you save (renovating) the theater for phase two,” Stevens said.
Stevens said the planning effort begun last year by the county arts council gives the project a firm foundation. Funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Mary Owen Borden Foundation, New Jersey Natural Gas and the Asbury Park Urban Enterprise Zone, the Asbury Park arts planning effort is invaluable.
David Miller, executive director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, which is a major funder of the county arts council, said this foundation is vital for the project’s success.
“Failing to take the time to plan, to honestly test feasibility, has gotten people in way over their heads,” Miller said. “As a general rule, we urge good planning and caution.”
It’s a message ArtsCAP understands.
Stevens will convene a three-hour meeting Friday for ArtsCAP board members to discuss and adopt her feasibility report, said Raver, who noted that fundraising without such a report is very difficult.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel, but honing it, tailoring it for our needs,” added Von Suskil about the effort. “It’s going to be a huge challenge, but we have to take a shot at it. To not try would be a crime.”
CAPTION(S):
<p>1. Michael Fornino, co-owner of the Savoy Theater, in the interior of the Mattison Avenue building. Below, a photo of the building in 1911.</p> <p>1. NOAH K. MURRAY/THE STAR-LEDGER</p>
Article CJ137839731
Old postcard from the 1920s or 30s:
View link
Excellent article and photos in the Star-Ledger dated 10/23/05, Section 4, page 2. The owner is willing to sell the theater to the Arts Colition of Asbury Park (ArtsCAP) if they can put down $250k by mid November. Estimated sell price is $5M; estimated to need $15-$25M in restoration.
Can’t find the text at nj.com, but as soon as it is posted I’ll put it here.
Appears to be site for some exterior movie filming. In the Star Ledger dated 10/22/05, page 21 there is an article titled “Newark: The way it was” I can’t find the text online at nj.com. There is a photo of a marquee and the caption states that it is on Branford Place. The photo looks a lot like that in my 3/23/05 post, except that the Adams name is removed (hopefully just for the filming?) and there is a new traffic light clearly visible in the newer photo.
The theater is being used as a recreation of 1960 Broadway (yes, THE Broadway in NYC) for the upcoming movie “Across The Universe”.
Can anyone confirm if this is the Adams Theater?
Found this information on page 19 of Arcadia Publishing’s “Jersey City: 1940-1960”:
They list the location of the Capitol as 64 Gregory Street, which does not currently map in mapquest. The theater was razed in the early 1950s for the construction of the Gregory Apartments. Can’t find any information on these apartments, perhaps they too were demolished.
Any help out there??
From Arcadia Publishing’s “Long Beach Island”, page 127: This theater was built in the 1920’s by Harry Colmar, who also built the nearby Colonial Theater in Beach Haven.
Nice photo on page 19 of Arcadia Publishing’s “Jersey City: 1940-1960”. They state that this theater is now a drug store named Palace Drugs.
I found this address:
Palace Drug Store
(201) 432-3300
(201) 432-1317
172 Newark Ave
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Old exterior photo:
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Opening night program from 12/14/1925:
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Old postcard:
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Historic preservation grant revives hope Brook Theater will be restored
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
BY NYIER ABDOU
Star-Ledger Staff
It once looked like curtains for the Brook Theater.
Despite a hearty community effort and years of fundraising heroics from Brook Arts Center founder Gerry Appel, the cash-strapped theater still lacks a few necessities — like water.
But a recent $155,000 Somerset County historic preservation grant has given renovation efforts a boost. The money will fund restoration of the theater’s dilapidated facade and distinctive marquee and has infused new vigor in the drive to restore the Brook.
“We feel this will be a great aid in promoting vitality,” said Somerset County historic sites coordinator Tom D'Amico. “It will be a beautiful edifice.”
D'Amico said the theater restoration would enhance redevelopment of Bound Brook’s historic downtown. The town is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
“It will signal to the whole neighborhood that this thing is getting off the ground,” agreed Appel. “It’ll be a central focus of the neighborhood, as it used to be.”
The Brook Theater, a Bound Brook institution since it opened in 1927, was an arts hot spot in its heyday, hosting luminaries of the vaudeville era like Jackie Gleason. The venue lost its luster in later years, however, limping along as a local movie house.
“Bound Brook used to be a major small town,” said Appel. “The Brook was the place to go on a Saturday night.”
Appel’s stake in the theater goes back 10 years, when the venue first piqued his interest as a site for a new arts center. He formed a company to look into purchasing the theater, but just when it looked like the project was under way, Hurricane Floyd hit, flooding the whole downtown.
Appel soldiered on. In 2000, the Brook Arts Center leased the theater. The center’s vision of a local “arts incubator” pleased the U.S. Economic Development Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In September 2001, the Brook scored a $2.4 million EDA grant. In October 2003, the theater was purchased for $600,000 and renovations began in April 2004.
Appel says he just wants to “get the doors open and get some good entertainment in front of (audiences).”
A decision to finance the extension of the main water line to supply the theater means the Brook could be ready to open by the end of the year. Appel refuses to tempt fate by booking an opening act.
“Until I have the CO (certificate of occupancy) in my hand, I’m not arranging an opening date,” Appel said. “I don’t want any surprises. I don’t see any, but it’s a big project. I just want to be assured.”
New Jersey American Water will bid out the water line extension project, which will take one month. The work is expected to take another month, after which the theater would be ready for inspection.
Volunteers continue to chip in, showing up to help paint and prepare the theater in the final stretch. A “Dance for the Brook” fundraiser brought Broadway talent together with local dance groups earlier this month.
Appel envisions the Brook turning Bound Brook into a cultural hub, with existing arts organizations setting up shop there.
As a nonprofit group, the theater can take advantage of public funds not available to for-profit venues. Other successful non- profits include the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick and the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.
“It’s going to be an amazing thing when this is finally finished,” said Appel. “It’s like I’m giving away dreams to people.”
Appel is looking for pictures of the outside of the theater to aid in the exterior restoration. Contact the Brook at (732) 469-7700 or by e-mail at
Nyier Abdou works in the Somerset County bureau. She may be reached at or (908) 429-9925.
Full text from my May 19th post:
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), July 26, 1998 p039
Curtain closes on theater in Bloomfield; Gone are glory days, as audiences dwindle in town landmark. (ESSEX)
Byline: Caryl R. Lucas
Rocco Sinopoli remembers Bloomfield’s Royal Theater in its heyday.
Red carpets, chandeliers and mirrors were part of the charm of the old movie theater that people in surrounding towns filled on the weekends, said Sinopoli, a longtime downtown merchant.
In recent years the single-screen theater became a twin that showed mostly films depicting urban life. Then, two weeks ago, it closed its doors. The message on the gold marquee, at 614 Bloomfield Ave., now reads: “Closed. Thanks for your patronage.”
``It’s sad. This theater is a township landmark,“ said Sinopoli, who has owned Lou Rocco’s Shoe Store, opposite the theater, for the past four decades. Once a popular venue for township families, the beige and brown movie house with its ornate architecture and single screen featured Western, family-oriented films that attracted large audiences from town and neighboring communities.
Officials at Cineplex Odeon, which is listed on the township tax rolls as the current owner, failed to return phone calls last week to discuss the theater.
``We don’t know what’s going on,“ said Bloomfield Mayor James Norton, who would like to see a new tenant join officials and merchants in a move to revitalize the theater as part of the redevelopment of the center.
The theater’s closing leaves only one movie house in the township. The Center Theater, about three blocks away, runs Indian films, some with English subtitles, exclusively.
Richard Bzdek, president of the Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, said he was uncertain why Cineplex Odeon – which merged with Sony Loews 90 days ago – had closed its theater.
But the news came as no surprise.
Norton said attendance, as well as the quality of the films shown, had declined in recent years.
In recent years, the theater had presented some action- adventure movies. It was known for showing black action or comedy films depicting urban lifestyles such as “How to be a Player,” “Friday,” and “Menace II Society.” Other recent headliners were “He Got Game,” “Deep Impact” and “Caught Up.”
``Some of the films shown were not conducive to the quality of life we desire,“ said Norton, who added the theater attracted more out-of-town teens than residents.
``I stopped going a few years ago because I didn’t feel comfortable anymore,“ said Neil McGinniss, a township resident. "The clientele got rowdy.”
``It needs some personal attention and a facelift,“ said Sinopoli, who leases space for parking from the cinema group.
CAPTION(S):
Rocco Sinopoli has owned a shoe store opposite Bloomfield’s Royal Theater for four decades, and he called the now-closed theater a town landmark.
PHOTO BY RICH KRAUSS
Article CJ81692291
No pillars in this one. Appeared to be a late 60s or early 70s construction.
Old postcard from the NYPL:
http://images.nypl.org/?id=TH-57138&t=r