It would sound much more likely to have been this theater rather than the Monroe. It could also have been the RKO Bushwick perhaps. The Shubert/Century was highly ornate inside too from what it seems, as was the Bushwick. While I don’t know what the inside of the Monroe looked like, it was not on the scale of the RKO or the Century.
How bad was the damage from the flood? I know this part of Canal St did flood at least a little bit. The problem with theaters are that they are even further below ground level than street level, as you walk in at street level, and the stage slopes down from there….so a foot of water at street level could be many many feet flooded of the orchestra level, as it’s a few feet downwards towards the stage.
Again, I wish there was some way we could come up with a historic photo of the Ridgewood Theater’s interior. It would help in the efforts to save the theater.
When I said the Ridgewood is intact, I mean it’s still intact as a theater, and even though cut up, much of it’s features are still there. Compare that to a gutted theater such as the Madison Theater down the street, where the whole orchestra level, lobbies, and much of the theater was completely destroyed. Yes, I don’t believe the Ridgewood held a candle in ornateness to the Madison down the street, which by the way was also built as a “neighborhood” vaudeville house, and was quite ornate. The Ridgewood is far from lost, even though it had been cut up. While the paint scheme inside obviously doesn’t come close to doing whatever plasterwork survives justice, much of it is still there.
As for comparing it to the RKO Keiths in Richmond Hill, that theater also deserves a landmark status, and yes, it’s interior is highly intact, but it’s a different theater. I hope to see that one also refurbished back one day, however, I think locationwise and populationwise, the Ridgewood would work better as either continuing as a 5-plex, or being converted back to one theater for a performing arts center, or concert hall, etc. The Richmond Hill, while absolutely stunning inside too, it’s location even in it’s best days was never really all that ideal, and probably today even less so.
Of course it could be saved if it’s closed. It doesn’t have to be an operating theater to be considered for landmark status. And the inside is intact yet. I don’t know if the status would include the interior. But at the least, it would save the exterior and the building couldn’t be torn down.
Not that I think it would be torn down, and the facade would be great to be landmarked, but I think the biggest danger to the Ridgewood now is being converted to retail.
We shall see, this would be a great first step.
By the way, the article also goes into the accomplishments of Thomas Lamb who designed the Ridgewood, among countless other theaters.
According to an article in this week’s Times Newsweekly , the Landmarks Preservation Commission will consider the Ridgewood for landmark status in the coming weeks.
The article should be in the online form in about a week.
Crap, I am sorry, I gave the wrong link for my first comment about the 1888 Blizzard, this is the link I meant to post….obviously the other photo is of the RKO Bushwick in current days, haha:
Anyway, is THIS a photo of the Grand Theater, in a photo taken in the 1888 Blizzard. If not, what is this theater?
Here’s a nice little article about the BAM Harvey Theater (former Majestic). If you click “slideshow”, the second photo is a great photo of the interior.
By the way, if this is currently the BAM Harvey Theater, isn’t that supposed to be the mane name for this theater, with Majestic being the former with the aka names? BAM by the way stands for Brooklyn Academy of Music.
After reading the comments, it appears that the orchestra level is now under the current floor, and what was once the first balcony is now sort of the “orchestra” level. That is very interesting. Does anyone know of any other current (or historic) photos of the interior of this theater? it must have been a huge theater, as even though they raised the floor to the 1st balcony, it still looks like quite a high ceiling.
It appears that the floor was evened out in the renovation? That’s what it appears in the photo Warren posted. What was it in between showing cinema and becoming a live theater?
I think that’s because when you copy a link from your own photobucket account thumbnails pages, or certain pages, the link is set to be loggedin, so it will log into your “my photobucket”, which of course is different for everyone. The same thing happened to me, but it has something to do with the cookies on your computer, and the particular “my photobucket” page he linked to.
I think he has to use a different link that is publically accessible, which certain ones in each of our accounts aren’t, so the cookie on your computer sends it to you own logged in page.
Haha, this has “got” to be a “cinema treasure” with a name like “Studs Theater”.
I remember passing this theater a few times when driving on Santa Monica Blvd when I was in the area. It had a different name though the last time I went by, and from what it sounds like from the comments above, it changed names this year.
The picture from Queens Chronical that Warren posted must have been taken from the now abandoned Richmond Hill LIRR station platfrom which runs next to the theater.
I also don’t think the Ridgewood is in any damage of being demolished, however, there is an extremely strong danger that it could be converted into retail.
Thankfully though, if anything comes from the bad economy right now, it is perhaps that there wouldn’t be much call for such a large space right now…perhaps. So that could buy some time. But yes, I agree with what was mention above, the longer it sits empty, the faster it begins to deteriorate, and that is the real danger right now. It soon will be a year since it was last occupied.
I don’t know if it will find the same fate as the Madison Theater, which “mysteriously” went on fire, or the Commodore or the RKO Keiths in Flushing which were both deliberately deglected/damaged so as to speed up deterioration, but we all know that the longer the Ridgewood sits empty, the more it will begin to deteriorate, even if just naturally.
I am just impressed they are able to book such popular and big bands as the Smashing Pumpkins. It shows that places like this can be sucessful, and there are uses for these beautiful theaters, even if movies in them can no longer be popular.
This revenue is certainly more than can be made by just “being a church”, and hope this helps the congregation stay healthy, as I think it’s wonderful that they have not only preserved a beautiful building, but also opened the doors to allow it to be used as a theater too.
Hopefully one day some of the other old theaters now churches can experience a similar success as a theater venue, such as the Loews Valencia in Jamaica, or the now shuttered and fate unknown Loews Kings in Brooklyn.
It would sound much more likely to have been this theater rather than the Monroe. It could also have been the RKO Bushwick perhaps. The Shubert/Century was highly ornate inside too from what it seems, as was the Bushwick. While I don’t know what the inside of the Monroe looked like, it was not on the scale of the RKO or the Century.
How bad was the damage from the flood? I know this part of Canal St did flood at least a little bit. The problem with theaters are that they are even further below ground level than street level, as you walk in at street level, and the stage slopes down from there….so a foot of water at street level could be many many feet flooded of the orchestra level, as it’s a few feet downwards towards the stage.
Again, I wish there was some way we could come up with a historic photo of the Ridgewood Theater’s interior. It would help in the efforts to save the theater.
When I said the Ridgewood is intact, I mean it’s still intact as a theater, and even though cut up, much of it’s features are still there. Compare that to a gutted theater such as the Madison Theater down the street, where the whole orchestra level, lobbies, and much of the theater was completely destroyed. Yes, I don’t believe the Ridgewood held a candle in ornateness to the Madison down the street, which by the way was also built as a “neighborhood” vaudeville house, and was quite ornate. The Ridgewood is far from lost, even though it had been cut up. While the paint scheme inside obviously doesn’t come close to doing whatever plasterwork survives justice, much of it is still there.
As for comparing it to the RKO Keiths in Richmond Hill, that theater also deserves a landmark status, and yes, it’s interior is highly intact, but it’s a different theater. I hope to see that one also refurbished back one day, however, I think locationwise and populationwise, the Ridgewood would work better as either continuing as a 5-plex, or being converted back to one theater for a performing arts center, or concert hall, etc. The Richmond Hill, while absolutely stunning inside too, it’s location even in it’s best days was never really all that ideal, and probably today even less so.
Actually though, the only good thing that may come from the econmic downturn is it could buy the Ridgewood some majorly needed time.
Of course it could be saved if it’s closed. It doesn’t have to be an operating theater to be considered for landmark status. And the inside is intact yet. I don’t know if the status would include the interior. But at the least, it would save the exterior and the building couldn’t be torn down.
Not that I think it would be torn down, and the facade would be great to be landmarked, but I think the biggest danger to the Ridgewood now is being converted to retail.
We shall see, this would be a great first step.
By the way, the article also goes into the accomplishments of Thomas Lamb who designed the Ridgewood, among countless other theaters.
According to an article in this week’s Times Newsweekly , the Landmarks Preservation Commission will consider the Ridgewood for landmark status in the coming weeks.
The article should be in the online form in about a week.
Crap, I am sorry, I gave the wrong link for my first comment about the 1888 Blizzard, this is the link I meant to post….obviously the other photo is of the RKO Bushwick in current days, haha:
Anyway, is THIS a photo of the Grand Theater, in a photo taken in the 1888 Blizzard. If not, what is this theater?
Click Here for photo
This is a photo of the Grand Theater site in a photo I took back in 2005, but forgot to ever post here:
Click Here for Photo
Is this a photo of the Grand Theater? This was taken during the 1888 Blizzard. If not, what theater is this?
Click Here for Photo
Here’s a nice little article about the BAM Harvey Theater (former Majestic). If you click “slideshow”, the second photo is a great photo of the interior.
http://nymag.com/listings/attraction/BAM-Theater/
By the way, if this is currently the BAM Harvey Theater, isn’t that supposed to be the mane name for this theater, with Majestic being the former with the aka names? BAM by the way stands for Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Is the old orchestra level used for retail, or what do they use the 1st floor for?
Here’s a NY Times article about the first production there, and a little bit on the “renovation” back in 1988:
View link
After reading the comments, it appears that the orchestra level is now under the current floor, and what was once the first balcony is now sort of the “orchestra” level. That is very interesting. Does anyone know of any other current (or historic) photos of the interior of this theater? it must have been a huge theater, as even though they raised the floor to the 1st balcony, it still looks like quite a high ceiling.
It appears that the floor was evened out in the renovation? That’s what it appears in the photo Warren posted. What was it in between showing cinema and becoming a live theater?
I think that’s because when you copy a link from your own photobucket account thumbnails pages, or certain pages, the link is set to be loggedin, so it will log into your “my photobucket”, which of course is different for everyone. The same thing happened to me, but it has something to do with the cookies on your computer, and the particular “my photobucket” page he linked to.
I think he has to use a different link that is publically accessible, which certain ones in each of our accounts aren’t, so the cookie on your computer sends it to you own logged in page.
Thanks!
July 8, 2005
Jul 14, 2005
Oct 26, 2005
Haha, this has “got” to be a “cinema treasure” with a name like “Studs Theater”.
I remember passing this theater a few times when driving on Santa Monica Blvd when I was in the area. It had a different name though the last time I went by, and from what it sounds like from the comments above, it changed names this year.
A lot of the links to the historic images of this theater don’t work. Any current links available?
The picture from Queens Chronical that Warren posted must have been taken from the now abandoned Richmond Hill LIRR station platfrom which runs next to the theater.
Those light fixtures for some reason just don’t seem to “go” with the decor.
I also don’t think the Ridgewood is in any damage of being demolished, however, there is an extremely strong danger that it could be converted into retail.
Thankfully though, if anything comes from the bad economy right now, it is perhaps that there wouldn’t be much call for such a large space right now…perhaps. So that could buy some time. But yes, I agree with what was mention above, the longer it sits empty, the faster it begins to deteriorate, and that is the real danger right now. It soon will be a year since it was last occupied.
I don’t know if it will find the same fate as the Madison Theater, which “mysteriously” went on fire, or the Commodore or the RKO Keiths in Flushing which were both deliberately deglected/damaged so as to speed up deterioration, but we all know that the longer the Ridgewood sits empty, the more it will begin to deteriorate, even if just naturally.
Well, I am not a woman, and I am not gay, but still have an interest in theaters….
They should have just planted palm trees instead. They require less maintenance, and they don’t block signage.
I am just impressed they are able to book such popular and big bands as the Smashing Pumpkins. It shows that places like this can be sucessful, and there are uses for these beautiful theaters, even if movies in them can no longer be popular.
This revenue is certainly more than can be made by just “being a church”, and hope this helps the congregation stay healthy, as I think it’s wonderful that they have not only preserved a beautiful building, but also opened the doors to allow it to be used as a theater too.
Hopefully one day some of the other old theaters now churches can experience a similar success as a theater venue, such as the Loews Valencia in Jamaica, or the now shuttered and fate unknown Loews Kings in Brooklyn.