Haha. Really though, many of the theaters REALLY could used revamped introductions. This one of course especially so, but many of them don’t really give justice to the theaters they are introducing in the first paragraphs.
I was only in the Madison when I was a little kid, and really don’t remember too much about it, other than “it was fancy”. I can’t recall the layout at all. I remember it as Odd Lot, Consumers, and the Busy Bee Compartment stores much better than I remember it as a theater. But in any of those stores, there was no theater ornamentation whatsoever left in view. It was all gone by the first store, Consumers already. The only difference with Consumers was that the public could only be in the front of the store, where you looked through catalogs (like Service Merchandise used to be). That only used the area of the former outer lobby. I don’t even think the inner lobby was a part of the public space. The auditorium was the warehouse for the Consumers. It is possible at that point that the auditorium was still completely exposed. After Consumers, it became Odd Lot, and that was the first time the entire auditorium was opened up for retail. The curve of the balcony through the building was visable then, just as it is now. The drop ceiling was probably put in when Odd lot took over.
What I am hazy about though is just “when” the fire took place. I know the Madison burned, but I don’t remember if it was between:
The Theater and Consumers or between
Consumers and Odd Lot or between
Odd Lot and Busy Bee Compartment Store.
I draw a blank there. I know it didn’t burn after Busy Bee and Liberty, that much I can say for sure, but I don’t know where the fire occured between the three scenarios above.
I also don’t know how bad the fire was, I just remember “the fire”.
Anyway, yes, interior photos would be great, and I wish and hope that the management will be coopertive and let you see some “hidden” areas. Obviously they would know what is “behind that door” upstairs in the furniture Department. I think the answer to what is left of the ceiling dome, the balcony, and the theater itself is behind that door. That door may lead to what is left of the Balcony seating area, and once in that area, I believe that the balcony still may be open to the high ceiling above the fake drop ceiling that is through the back end of the store. The top of the Procenium arch may even still be all up there…… Warren’s photos only make me more intrigued by what may be left – hidden…..
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What I was saying, is basically what Warren said too…. The furniture store is NOT in the balcony where the seating was, but what I called the “balcony Mezzanine”. I don’t know what the correct term for that area would be, but it’s the area you would come to after ascending the grand staircase, but you are still not in the seating area yet. I severely doubt they leveled the balcony seating area, which is probably all still behind that door upstairs in the furniture area, to the left in the middle when you first come up. I believe that door leads to the white area in Warren’s photo, on the right of the photo, which would be the middle of the actual balcony.
As for the grand staircase, wheather or not the grand staircase was removed is up for debate, as I have no idea, but the current staircase in the store looks nothing in structure to what the grand stairway looks in Warren’s photo of the Madison foyer. They either jackhammered it up, or closed it in behind a wall, and then built the current store stairway, which if jackhammered, may lead to where the original staircase led, or is a totally new structure that they added. That stairway has been there since the Odd Lot days, so whatever happened happened soon after the theater was gutted.
As for warren’s photo of the foyer, I “think” that the outer lobby would be to the left (along with Myrtle Ave), and the auditorium would be to the right, but I am not sure of that.
Yes I agree. I believe the furniture area is the mezzanine of the balcony, which of course would be out of view here, behind that opening up at the second rail. I believe that opening at the right in warren’s photo is where that “door” is if you are in the furniture section. I believe the grand staircase was to the far right, out of view in this photo.
The Oasis auditorium part of the theater still survives, but it’s facade is not intact. Most of the theater has been demolished, except fot the auditorium itself. The marquee and facade part of the building has all been torn off. The parking lot for CVS is in the location of where the old lobby area used to be, and all the facade of stores along Fresh Pond Rd has also been demolished. The whole right side of the building was torn down. Only the actual auditorium part of the building still exists. The exterior of that has been resurfaced with a stucco. Inside nothing remains either. Before being turned into a CVS, the Oasis burned, so I don’t even know what of the ceiling dome, if anything remains above the drop ceiling either.
According to this webpage, it’s for sale for $11,750,000, and would be a “good candidate for conversion to retail, residential, office, or use”….. The theater is at a dangerous crossroads right now, hopefully it can be saved.
Wonderful! Thanks so much.
The curve of that balcony is all that remails in the store that now occupies the site. The drop ceiling begins just above the flat part of the curve. I wonder what if anything remains of the balcony. I believe that the furniture section of the store upstairs only occupies the mezzanine part of the balcony, not the balcony sloped part itself.
Warren, (or anyone) do you know of any interior photos of the Ridgewood? Historic, or perhaps before it was multiplexed?
Now more than ever, it would be good to be able for us to find some photos of it’s interior. Now, with the Ridgewood in a dangerous crossroads, and perhaps at the end of it’s rope as a theater, interior photos of the place, which may help in the landmarking efforts.
Warren, thanks for all the photos you have added lately. Especially the color ones of may of the theaters in their last days as theaters.
As for the photos of the Oriental, its an absolute shame that all that beauty is now gone, and it’s used as a store.
Does anyone know what, if anything, remains visable in the Marshalls Store? I’d like to make a trip over to that store to see the inside, but if all that remains is similar to the butchering that was done to some theaters in store conversion, like the RKO Madison in Ridgewood, I don’t want to waste the trip.
There’s a commercial currently running on cable channels like News 12 that are ads for the John Engemann Theater, and it has some nice interior shots of the place.
very nice Warren….now if only you could find a photo of the Ridgewood Theater wherever you are finding all of these. They would be great for the people trying to preserve it in it’s final hours of hope.
WOW!!! Thanks SOOO much for posting those Warren. That is how I remember the Oasis as a kid, when my mother still brought me there. It was a roller rink by the time I was a teenager, and hope someone comes up from some photos of that era one day, as I remember that well too. The Oasis' ornamentation remained intact after conversion to a roller rink, the only difference of course was the leveling of the floor, dancing roller skating Eyptians in neon under the lattice in the screen area, pyramids in the middle, and of course catwalks of lights and stuff up above.
All the plaster, lighting fixtures, etc remained….even the balcony seating was all still up there and visable when skating below.
Panzer, I believe that the furniture area only uses the mezzanine/lobby area of the old balcony. The balcony itself in some form is behind a door that is in the middle of the furniture area. I wanted to open that door! I severely doubt they leveled out the balcony seating area. The area where the firniture area is is probably the mezzanine level of the balcony, which was probably level to begin with.
Mr Bill, thanks for the photos! Notice that the area in front of the Madison Theater (Liberty Dept Store) is red bricks. Those are the same red bricks that they did in front of the Ridgewood Theater when the sidewalks were redone around 1979-1980. While the Madison was closed already, it may have still had it’s marquee yet, and perhaps all hope wasn’t yet lost, as they only used those red bricks (instead of just the lines of red bricks in the concrete like they used in the majority of the sidewalks on Myrtle Ave when all the sidewalks were redone between Wyckoff Ave and Fresh Pond Rd in 1979-1980
I remember when the Broadway was torn down in 1998. The last wall to remain up was the procenium arch and stage area. I still remember looking at the theater’s inside, and that wall, out in the sunshine. it was all in clear view from the Myrtle-Bway subway station platform. It was a surreal sight to behold to say the least. I only wish I had my camera with me that day.
Chris
The Ridgewood Theater is another theater that is in its final crossroads, and is for sale. Now is the time to try and save some of these for sale theaters. Both the Ridgewood and Rainbow are in trouble….and at a deciding crossroads as we speak.
Mr Bill I too look forward to your photos, I have always wanted to do that, but never got around to taking any. Far above, Warren posted some historic photos of the Madison’s Auditorium….one showing the Madison’s Juliette Balocnies on the side, and one taken from the stage looking to the back. I think the links still work, but haven’t looked.
WOW. Thanks so much!! All I have to say is that it is utterly unimaginable that within 10 years THAT was destroyed. It’s quite depressing to go into the “Liberty Dept Store” knowing that “that” used to be there, and now NOTHING left to show what a glorious interior it once was.
It is possible that the ceiling may exist above the fake drop ceiling put in through the store.
Haha. Really though, many of the theaters REALLY could used revamped introductions. This one of course especially so, but many of them don’t really give justice to the theaters they are introducing in the first paragraphs.
I was only in the Madison when I was a little kid, and really don’t remember too much about it, other than “it was fancy”. I can’t recall the layout at all. I remember it as Odd Lot, Consumers, and the Busy Bee Compartment stores much better than I remember it as a theater. But in any of those stores, there was no theater ornamentation whatsoever left in view. It was all gone by the first store, Consumers already. The only difference with Consumers was that the public could only be in the front of the store, where you looked through catalogs (like Service Merchandise used to be). That only used the area of the former outer lobby. I don’t even think the inner lobby was a part of the public space. The auditorium was the warehouse for the Consumers. It is possible at that point that the auditorium was still completely exposed. After Consumers, it became Odd Lot, and that was the first time the entire auditorium was opened up for retail. The curve of the balcony through the building was visable then, just as it is now. The drop ceiling was probably put in when Odd lot took over.
What I am hazy about though is just “when” the fire took place. I know the Madison burned, but I don’t remember if it was between:
The Theater and Consumers or between
Consumers and Odd Lot or between
Odd Lot and Busy Bee Compartment Store.
I draw a blank there. I know it didn’t burn after Busy Bee and Liberty, that much I can say for sure, but I don’t know where the fire occured between the three scenarios above.
I also don’t know how bad the fire was, I just remember “the fire”.
Anyway, yes, interior photos would be great, and I wish and hope that the management will be coopertive and let you see some “hidden” areas. Obviously they would know what is “behind that door” upstairs in the furniture Department. I think the answer to what is left of the ceiling dome, the balcony, and the theater itself is behind that door. That door may lead to what is left of the Balcony seating area, and once in that area, I believe that the balcony still may be open to the high ceiling above the fake drop ceiling that is through the back end of the store. The top of the Procenium arch may even still be all up there…… Warren’s photos only make me more intrigued by what may be left – hidden…..
I
The Park across from the old Halsey is still there, actually, it’s a really nice park.
What I was saying, is basically what Warren said too…. The furniture store is NOT in the balcony where the seating was, but what I called the “balcony Mezzanine”. I don’t know what the correct term for that area would be, but it’s the area you would come to after ascending the grand staircase, but you are still not in the seating area yet. I severely doubt they leveled the balcony seating area, which is probably all still behind that door upstairs in the furniture area, to the left in the middle when you first come up. I believe that door leads to the white area in Warren’s photo, on the right of the photo, which would be the middle of the actual balcony.
As for the grand staircase, wheather or not the grand staircase was removed is up for debate, as I have no idea, but the current staircase in the store looks nothing in structure to what the grand stairway looks in Warren’s photo of the Madison foyer. They either jackhammered it up, or closed it in behind a wall, and then built the current store stairway, which if jackhammered, may lead to where the original staircase led, or is a totally new structure that they added. That stairway has been there since the Odd Lot days, so whatever happened happened soon after the theater was gutted.
As for warren’s photo of the foyer, I “think” that the outer lobby would be to the left (along with Myrtle Ave), and the auditorium would be to the right, but I am not sure of that.
Yes I agree. I believe the furniture area is the mezzanine of the balcony, which of course would be out of view here, behind that opening up at the second rail. I believe that opening at the right in warren’s photo is where that “door” is if you are in the furniture section. I believe the grand staircase was to the far right, out of view in this photo.
The Oasis auditorium part of the theater still survives, but it’s facade is not intact. Most of the theater has been demolished, except fot the auditorium itself. The marquee and facade part of the building has all been torn off. The parking lot for CVS is in the location of where the old lobby area used to be, and all the facade of stores along Fresh Pond Rd has also been demolished. The whole right side of the building was torn down. Only the actual auditorium part of the building still exists. The exterior of that has been resurfaced with a stucco. Inside nothing remains either. Before being turned into a CVS, the Oasis burned, so I don’t even know what of the ceiling dome, if anything remains above the drop ceiling either.
According to this webpage, it’s for sale for $11,750,000, and would be a “good candidate for conversion to retail, residential, office, or use”….. The theater is at a dangerous crossroads right now, hopefully it can be saved.
View link
Wonderful! Thanks so much.
The curve of that balcony is all that remails in the store that now occupies the site. The drop ceiling begins just above the flat part of the curve. I wonder what if anything remains of the balcony. I believe that the furniture section of the store upstairs only occupies the mezzanine part of the balcony, not the balcony sloped part itself.
Warren, (or anyone) do you know of any interior photos of the Ridgewood? Historic, or perhaps before it was multiplexed?
Now more than ever, it would be good to be able for us to find some photos of it’s interior. Now, with the Ridgewood in a dangerous crossroads, and perhaps at the end of it’s rope as a theater, interior photos of the place, which may help in the landmarking efforts.
It used to be a Loews I believe.
Warren, thanks for all the photos you have added lately. Especially the color ones of may of the theaters in their last days as theaters.
As for the photos of the Oriental, its an absolute shame that all that beauty is now gone, and it’s used as a store.
Does anyone know what, if anything, remains visable in the Marshalls Store? I’d like to make a trip over to that store to see the inside, but if all that remains is similar to the butchering that was done to some theaters in store conversion, like the RKO Madison in Ridgewood, I don’t want to waste the trip.
There’s a commercial currently running on cable channels like News 12 that are ads for the John Engemann Theater, and it has some nice interior shots of the place.
You could own the old Ritz Theater building if you have about $3.8 million handy. Click link below for a photo of the Ritz as it is today:
View link
That’s just how I remember the Arion.
very nice Warren….now if only you could find a photo of the Ridgewood Theater wherever you are finding all of these. They would be great for the people trying to preserve it in it’s final hours of hope.
WOW!!! Thanks SOOO much for posting those Warren. That is how I remember the Oasis as a kid, when my mother still brought me there. It was a roller rink by the time I was a teenager, and hope someone comes up from some photos of that era one day, as I remember that well too. The Oasis' ornamentation remained intact after conversion to a roller rink, the only difference of course was the leveling of the floor, dancing roller skating Eyptians in neon under the lattice in the screen area, pyramids in the middle, and of course catwalks of lights and stuff up above.
All the plaster, lighting fixtures, etc remained….even the balcony seating was all still up there and visable when skating below.
Panzer, I believe that the furniture area only uses the mezzanine/lobby area of the old balcony. The balcony itself in some form is behind a door that is in the middle of the furniture area. I wanted to open that door! I severely doubt they leveled out the balcony seating area. The area where the firniture area is is probably the mezzanine level of the balcony, which was probably level to begin with.
Mr Bill, thanks for the photos! Notice that the area in front of the Madison Theater (Liberty Dept Store) is red bricks. Those are the same red bricks that they did in front of the Ridgewood Theater when the sidewalks were redone around 1979-1980. While the Madison was closed already, it may have still had it’s marquee yet, and perhaps all hope wasn’t yet lost, as they only used those red bricks (instead of just the lines of red bricks in the concrete like they used in the majority of the sidewalks on Myrtle Ave when all the sidewalks were redone between Wyckoff Ave and Fresh Pond Rd in 1979-1980
I remember when the Broadway was torn down in 1998. The last wall to remain up was the procenium arch and stage area. I still remember looking at the theater’s inside, and that wall, out in the sunshine. it was all in clear view from the Myrtle-Bway subway station platform. It was a surreal sight to behold to say the least. I only wish I had my camera with me that day.
Chris
WOW, another phenominal photo! Thanks for the “BWAY” photo!
The Ridgewood Theater is another theater that is in its final crossroads, and is for sale. Now is the time to try and save some of these for sale theaters. Both the Ridgewood and Rainbow are in trouble….and at a deciding crossroads as we speak.
Where is this photo from….were there others?
Mr Bill I too look forward to your photos, I have always wanted to do that, but never got around to taking any. Far above, Warren posted some historic photos of the Madison’s Auditorium….one showing the Madison’s Juliette Balocnies on the side, and one taken from the stage looking to the back. I think the links still work, but haven’t looked.
By the way, are we looking with the auditorium to our right, and the street lobby to our left?
WOW. Thanks so much!! All I have to say is that it is utterly unimaginable that within 10 years THAT was destroyed. It’s quite depressing to go into the “Liberty Dept Store” knowing that “that” used to be there, and now NOTHING left to show what a glorious interior it once was.
It is possible that the ceiling may exist above the fake drop ceiling put in through the store.
Doesn’t it appear the photo in the article is swiped from cinematreasures?