Cinemart Cinemas
106-03 Metropolitan Avenue,
Forest Hills,
NY
11375
106-03 Metropolitan Avenue,
Forest Hills,
NY
11375
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 156 comments
I’ve enjoyed that walk many times, Michael, most recently, Saturday April 4, 2004, except that my destination, rather than the Cinemart, was Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor in Richmond Hill, so I continued south through Forest Park.
I live in Forest Hills & walk to the Cinemart quite often. You can walk about 4 blocks east along Austin St to Ascan Ave, and then approximately 10-12 blocks past the trestle to the Cinemart on Metropolitan Ave. It seems as if the mild weather will continue, and if you’re up for walking, it also gives you the opportunity to explore the beauty of the Tudor-inspired Forest Hills Gardens community. Please let us know your thoughts. Hope this helps!
I have never been here, but its matinee prices have to be one of the biggest bargains in NYC. Weekday matinees for $5. Not bad. I thought about doing a double-bill tomorrow, checking out NOTES ON A SCANDAL in Kew Gardens and PERFUME at this theatre. The one drawback is that, according to the theatre’s recorded announcement, once you get off the subway at 71st & Continental then you have to take a bus.
Just to be clear, the Cinemart was attributed with being the oldest continuously operating INDEPENDENT cinema in Queens. Even with closures in the 1930’s, that distinction may very well be valid. See the thread above regarding this topic beginning with a post by Lost Memory on November 29th.
Thanks, Lost Memory for your help! As soon as I have a chance, I will follow your advice & post the links.
The Ridgewood Theatre wins the crown!
Actually, the Ridgewood Theater-Cinemart “controversy” of the oldest CONTINUOUSLY operating theater looks like it’s solved right here, the “Brooklyn” controversy of the Ridgewood noitwithstanding, it appears the Cinemart was closed for a little while in between….
I came across 2 NY Times articles that may be of interest:
“Small & Strassburg Add Metropolitan Avenue Property to Their Chain” (Metropolis Theatre), March 12, 1927
“Sign Assails Theatre Tax – Forest Hills Show Owner Says It Forced Closing of House” (Inwood Theatre & Pres. Eisenhower’s decision not to lift the 20% tax on tickets), August 31, 1953
I don’t know how to post a PDF file on this forum. If you’re interested in obtaining the article, please e-mail me at & I’d be happy to share it with you. Also, if you can share suggestions on how to post PDFs, I’d appreciate it. – Michael
Thanks, Warren.
Which raises an interesting question : which NYC theaters closed during the Depression, and which remained open, and why ? I understand that some were able to remain open with events such as “Dish Night” for the ladies.
Thank YOU, NativeForestHiller !
I would like to see landmark status for the Cinemart, but the exterior has been altered extensively, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission will not take action in designating it. The Trylon Theater’s exterior had few alterations, and the LPC declined (in violation of the Landmarks Law). The Ridgewood Theatre is the highest candidate. It is generally best NOT to involve the owners in such preservation efforts. It’s the LPC’s role to reach out & speak with the owners once a property is being considered, prior to calendaring it for a public hearing. Calendaring grants temporary legal protection of the property. Perhaps the Cinemart retains original facade elements beneath the newer facade. However, after spending lots of money to renovate, I doubt the owner will reverse the alterations. Historic properties, however, most often yield greater property values. The Forest Hills Theatre’s exterior would be a great landmarking candidate, as well as the Midway in Forest Hills, & Fair Theatre in Jackson Heights. The Elmwood was until now. I am working on a bunch of Request For Evaluations to send to the LPC for consideration. Any other theater that comes to mind? Please share your thoughts. Thanks!
mikemovies, I agree.
I will now go to the Ridgewood Theater page to see what’s going on with it.
Perhap’s both theatres should receive land mark status fella’s.
Lost Memory, I agree. Thanks for your post.
Re : the documentaries : I realize that they can only do so much in 1 ½ to 2 hours, and cannot possibly cover EVERY neighborhood in each borough.
“Maybe the Queens Historical Society isn’t aware that Ridgewood is located in Queens.”
Maybe, Lost Memory. I think Ridgewood tends to slip through the cracks in PBS documentaries about Brooklyn and Queens because it sits on the border between them. I mean the “New York The Way It Was” shows and the Dick Hartman and Barry Lewis “Walk Through” shows, which are excellent. In the one on Brooklyn, Lewis DID mention Ridgewood while standing on the Marcy Avenue platform of the Bway el, in connection with German immigration spreading out from the Yorkville section of Manhattan into Bklyn and Queens.
I never thought I’d end up quoting a song by Cher, but her Top 20 hit, “Half Breed”, is relevant :
“The Indians said that I was white by law, white men always called me Indian squaw.”
There is also the fact, previously mentioned, that Ridgewood seems or tends to want to be associated with Queens, and the adjoining Queens neighborhoods of Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village, rather than with Bushwick and Brooklyn, in terms of public services.
Would the Ridgewood be disqualified as a “continuously operating independent” due its history under the Fox banner? “Independent” might be the operative word in this distinction. Check out Warren’s post of March 5th, 2004, near the top of the page… it seems this theater has been run by a succession of “indies” from the start.
I think you are correct. The second oldest continuously operated independent theater in the borough is the Cinemart.
Quote:
The Queens Historical Society gives the Cinemart the distinction of being the oldest continuously operated independent theatre in the borough.
Isn’t that distinction held by the Ridgewood Theater?
As per interior restoration plans at the Cinemart, my correspondences with the owner have been put on hold. The owner is devoting most of his time to his recent acquisition, the Alpine Theatre in Brooklyn. He stepped in the last minute to prevent that theater from becoming a chain store. That theater is being restored & renovated to accomodate screens & performance spaces (art house). For the Cinemart, we hope to pick up from where we left off later this year or next.
I also see that a photo on that page seems to show the ugly acoustic-tile ceiling in the lobby. I still wonder if that’s come down yet… or if it ever will.
I thought 1927 was the date. I think Warren had a specific date and Lost, you posted about a ‘27 C/O you had found. As for the passage you quoted from the website… they are wrong about the place being twinned in the early '70’s. That should be the early '80’s. I remember going to the Cinemart as a single theater to see a double feature of “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles” around 1980 or so. I wonder if the “cozy cafe-lounge” refers to the adjacent restaurant. I always thought it was a seperate enterprise, but last time I was in the area, I did notice that the place looked like it was under new management and included some new cinema-themed decor. I believe they have some sidwalk seating during the warm-weather months.
Just re-reading some of the comments on this theater… So, it opened with 1500 seats all on one level, but now sports an aggregate capacity of 816 per Lost’s post 10/25/2006. That’s some 700 seats lost to the construction of partition walls and foyers leading to the various auditoriums.
As I recall, when one enters the lobby, the concession stand is on the left wall and on the right are entrances to two of the theaters, each on either side of a passageway that leads further back (towards the front of the old auditorium) to a smaller foyer where the entrances to the remaining 3 theaters are located. On either side of the concession stand is a winding stairwell leading up to the rest rooms. The stairwell closest to the lobby entrance doors leads to the men’s room, while the stairwell at the far end of the lobby (and on the other side of the concession stand) leads to the ladies room.
Warren posted some information back on 10/25/2006 regarding the “luxurious lounging rooms” on the second level. Unless that was merely advertising hyperbole, I guess those lounges have been closed off to the public. As best as I can recall, the stairwells I described above currently lead patrons directly into the toilet rooms.
Finally, does anyone know whatever came of the idea to remove the modern acoustic tiles in the lobby and reveal the original 1927 coffered ceiling? Michael Perlman posted some info regarding these plans back in March of this year, including a NY Daily News article on the matter.
Thank you very much for posting my raffle ticket online! I appreciate the detail. I hope you’re having a great “Thanksgiving weekend!” If I come across anything additional, I’ll be sure to post.
Here’s an image of a raffle ticket for a drawing held on the evening of November 3rd, 1932, at the Inwood Theater for an Essex automobile.
Not sure if it was the 1932 or 1933 model that was being offered, but, for kicks, here’s an image of the ‘32 Terraplane sedan from Essex. The model was introduced in '32 so it couldn’t have been anything older. Pretty nice giveaway for depression-era patrons, no? I wonder what the occasion was?
The image of the raffle ticket is from Michael Perlman’s collection (CT member “NativeForestHiller”)… I wonder if he has any historical information to add here regarding that evening’s drawing.