Thanks, Warren. However much we might disagree with the unfortunate choices made in the renovation of the Elmwood’s exterior, the Rock Church is to be commended for its efforts in restoring the interior of the old theatre – not only in terms of architectural preservation but of functionality as well.
Well… the success story of this theatrical run continues. “Blade Runner” has been extended a second week at the AMC Empire 25 and – as of this past Friday – has resumed at the Ziegfeld for Midnight only showings! I wonder if the Ziegfeld showings are only for the weekend…
A number of excellent photographs by Adam Martin have been added recently to the Malverne’s CinemaTour page. These include interior shots of the lobby and some of the screens. Judging from the photos, those screens seem awfully small. I now live only a mile or two away from the Malverne (having moved to Lynbrook this past May) and I’d love to support a local independent like this – but I’d probably spend much of the time muttering obscenities to myself over the diminutive size of those screens! And the dropped ceiling in the lobby is a bit depressing. I wonder what sort of shape the original ceiling is in above the drop grid…
Apparently, an auction and dinner dance for the National Marine Educators Association was held at the LIU gym (former Bklyn Paramount) and if you scroll down past the first couple of photos on the page provided by ken mc, you’ll see a few photos of the event. The theatre itself is not the focus of any of the shots, but you can make out a glimpse of some of its remaining architectural elements in the background of one or two of the images.
I agree. “Open” should be taken to mean “open to the public” – either as a cinema, live theatre, concert hall or place of public assembly. Churches would be covered in the latter category, but might also extend to an adaptive re-use such as the Times Square Visitors Center that exists in the former Newsreel/Embassy Theatre on B'way. In the case of the Newsreel/Embassy, while the seats have been ripped out and replaced with information kiosks, the ambience of the old theatre has been preserved largely intact and open for all to admire. By the way, the status on that page is also listed as “closed.”
I suppose a line would have to be drawn somewhere – leaving someone to make a judgment call. For example, I’d probably consider a former theatre building that has been gutted for retail use to be “closed” – even though the building itself is still “open” to the public – since all vestiges of its theatrical history have likely been demolished. But I wonder how we’ll feel about the issue when the new Ecko Unlimited store opens up in the former Times Square Theatre on 42nd Street? It will be modified for retail usage, but much (if not most) of the original theatrical decor will be restored and incorporated into the store design – and, indeed, might be a draw for visitors. Should that be considered “open” as well? I think I might say “yes” to that question.
Hey Peter… The Ridgewood opened in 1916, didn’t it? Back in 1979 it didn’t crack the list, if #10 was opened in 1913. Of course, today – and for a number of years now – it would have to be #1 on that same list.
Thanks, Jennifer… Would that be New York Magazine? Does the list include opening dates (or years) for the nine other theatres?
I also presume that this list is limited to purpose built cinemas – as opposed to playhouse or vaudeville theatre conversions (in which case the Victory on 42nd Street might have topped the roster).
I’ve never experienced a show at the Fillmore, but when I saw the Garcia Band at the Palladium or Phil Lesh at the Beacon, the sound was pretty damn good down on orchestra level or in the 1st balcony. Perhaps that’s because the Dead family cared so much about providing good sound. There was definitely a fall off in the upper reaches of the Beacon balcony (and I never sat far back at the Palladium), but it is certainly preferable to MSG or other arenas. The Capitol in Passaic might have had the best sound of any venue that size that I can recall… perhaps because it was deeper than it was wide, which definitely supports your acoustical theories.
I guess it’s all relative. The Beacon sounds great to me because I’m used to MSG and the like. Somoman – I love sitting in that 1st mezzanine – and sound in the building is definitely at its best up there. My ears aren’t trained enough to pinpoint it to the center 9 seats in the 5th row, however… Anything towards the center in any of the 10 or so rows that exist up there works fine for me!
Walking around downtown Bklyn over the weekend, I took this photo of the horrendously bland Con Edison Building that replaced the majestic Fox Theatre.
I made it down to the former Paramount this past weekend (alas a week too late for the organ concert). I had my camera in hand, however, the guard on duty declined my requests to be let inside the gym/former auditorium. He was nice enough about it, but he said it was his first day and he just didn’t want to take the risk. Anyway, I strolled around the place and snapped some shots of the exterior.
I’d say the numerous windows along the sidewall would confirm that the old auditorium has been gutted and converted to office/commercial space. The entrance to the BAM Harvey can be seen adjacent to the Strand’s corner entrance.
Hey Warren… Can you email me privately about two older images that you had posted back in September and October of 2005? I’d love to include them in my scrapbook and I see that you no longer host them in yours (and your email address is no longer included in your CT member profile). Thanks!
And check out this shot of the new apartment tower that has gone up on the corner of Fulton & Ashland (the Majestic building flag-lot wraps around the new building). Isn’t it wonderful how modern architecture can be so sensitively unobtrusive to the surrounding older buildings? Ha ha ha!
Hey Luis… Actually, the run of “Cabaret” at the Henry Miller preceded that of “Urinetown.” The excellent revival of “Cabaret” opened at the Miller (which had been re-dubbed the Kit Kat Klub for the engagement) in 1998. It moved over to Studio 54 (which I don’t think was a movie palace – was it?) in 2001 to make way for “Urinetown” – which had to vacate and close up shop when the Miller was shuttered for redevelopment.
I’d also have to beg to differ with your classification of the Hilton Theatre (which opened as Ford Center for the Performing Arts) as spectacular. While I think the exterior renovations to the former Lyric Theatre facades on both 42nd and 43rd Street are indeed spectacular, I find the interior quite cold and cavernous – far too big and uninviting for a Broadway house. I’m kind of disappointed that “Young Frankenstien” will be opening there rather than the more intimate St. James where “The Producers” enjoyed its successful run. The actors will have to play it so big to land the jokes to those in the far reaches of the balcony, that I wonder how it’ll play to those in the better seats.
Anyway… I think I’d have preferred sacrificing the old Apollo so that the Lyric might have survived in all its intact glory.
OK… So they extended the run in both cities for a week. I guess the move-over was needed in NY due to the Ziegfeld being previously booked for “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“Blade Runner” has moved over to the AMC Empire 25 for a one week engagement – and is still being advertised in the Times. I guess ticket sales were so good at the Ziegfeld that Warner Brothers decided to extend the release. Does anyone know how well the engagement in L.A. went?
Hey David… Forgot about the tweak with Zhora’s death. I can recall seeing the movie way back in ‘82 and my friends and I chuckling at how obvious it was that a stunt person was hurtling through the plate glass. The shots in the sequence now are flawless.
It is called “The United Palace” in all of the concert ads I’ve seen – which is also the official name for the church used by Rev. Ike’s congregation. They’re making some noise about the venue’s 75th Anniversary on the official website as well as in some radio commercials I’ve been hearing on the local classic rock station. As Alto posted, some big names are being booked into the United Palace – names that might have previously booked the Beacon or WaMu Theatre at MSG (and acts way too big for the smaller Nokia Theatre in Times Square).
Sheesh… The construction shedding has been up around this theatre for a couple of years now. The store was supposed to open in 2006 and then was pushed back to Spring 2007 (both of these dates were advertised right on the huge billboard that has been erected over the upper facade of the building). Is it possible that construction hasn’t even begun yet?!? I can only hope that the effort is well worth the wait!
As I promised myself a few weeks back, I got back to the Brentwood this morning with camera in hand and snapped about two dozen photos. The owner is gutting the place for re-use as a commercial space of some kind. While I was snapping away, I spotted a worker coming around from the back of the building and tried to ask him some questions, but he spoke very little english. A few moments later, he was back outside and handed me his cell phone. Apparently, he was concerned to see me snapping away and called the owner – who was curious as to my intentions and asked to speak to me. I didn’t get a name, but I spoke to a very nice – but very puzzled – woman who wanted to know exactly what I was up to. I explained that I was a movie theatre buff and that the photos were for my own private collection and possibly to post online in a theatre forum. She was dubious at first and couldn’t understand my interest in the building since it was no longer a theatre, but I guess I convinced her that I had no agenda of any kind. She took my email address and first name and I told her I’d be happy to send her copies (and encouraged her to let me know when work was complete so I could photograph the finished refurbishment). She wouldn’t elaborate on the proposed new use for the building and I really couldn’t sort it out from this stage of the rehab work.
The two-story glass front lobby has been partially boarded up and is in the process of being replaced with cinderblock (I presume this is a temporary measure to protect against the elements). The former lobby space has been opened up to the former auditorium – which has been gutted to the bare brick walls and the steel framework of the ceiling. I guess if a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll just shut up and post ‘em here:
Here’s a link to the first photo in the album. Just click on the “next” button from there. That probably works easier than linking to each of the 24 images separately. In several of the photos, you’ll see the last remnant of the upper lobby wall at the far left of the building just over the former box office. The doorway into the balcony seating is still there. This is the last interior remnant of the old theatre.
I saw a few shows here myself in the ‘80’s and really loved it. The place was poorly kept, however, as somoman suggests. The place was definitely decrepit – and that ancient dirt black hulk of a marquee was frightening – but I always thought the sound was great. I remember sitting up in the balcony and feeling like Jerry Garcia’s guitar notes where slicing straight through me all the way to the back wall!
Oh, and I don’t know that you’d call it vaudeville proper, but I’ll bet that amongst the shenanigans at Tammany Hall, there were a number of private and intimate, er, burlesque-style performances given for the pleasure of certain political big wigs!
Thanks, Warren. However much we might disagree with the unfortunate choices made in the renovation of the Elmwood’s exterior, the Rock Church is to be commended for its efforts in restoring the interior of the old theatre – not only in terms of architectural preservation but of functionality as well.
Well… the success story of this theatrical run continues. “Blade Runner” has been extended a second week at the AMC Empire 25 and – as of this past Friday – has resumed at the Ziegfeld for Midnight only showings! I wonder if the Ziegfeld showings are only for the weekend…
A number of excellent photographs by Adam Martin have been added recently to the Malverne’s CinemaTour page. These include interior shots of the lobby and some of the screens. Judging from the photos, those screens seem awfully small. I now live only a mile or two away from the Malverne (having moved to Lynbrook this past May) and I’d love to support a local independent like this – but I’d probably spend much of the time muttering obscenities to myself over the diminutive size of those screens! And the dropped ceiling in the lobby is a bit depressing. I wonder what sort of shape the original ceiling is in above the drop grid…
Apparently, an auction and dinner dance for the National Marine Educators Association was held at the LIU gym (former Bklyn Paramount) and if you scroll down past the first couple of photos on the page provided by ken mc, you’ll see a few photos of the event. The theatre itself is not the focus of any of the shots, but you can make out a glimpse of some of its remaining architectural elements in the background of one or two of the images.
I agree. “Open” should be taken to mean “open to the public” – either as a cinema, live theatre, concert hall or place of public assembly. Churches would be covered in the latter category, but might also extend to an adaptive re-use such as the Times Square Visitors Center that exists in the former Newsreel/Embassy Theatre on B'way. In the case of the Newsreel/Embassy, while the seats have been ripped out and replaced with information kiosks, the ambience of the old theatre has been preserved largely intact and open for all to admire. By the way, the status on that page is also listed as “closed.”
I suppose a line would have to be drawn somewhere – leaving someone to make a judgment call. For example, I’d probably consider a former theatre building that has been gutted for retail use to be “closed” – even though the building itself is still “open” to the public – since all vestiges of its theatrical history have likely been demolished. But I wonder how we’ll feel about the issue when the new Ecko Unlimited store opens up in the former Times Square Theatre on 42nd Street? It will be modified for retail usage, but much (if not most) of the original theatrical decor will be restored and incorporated into the store design – and, indeed, might be a draw for visitors. Should that be considered “open” as well? I think I might say “yes” to that question.
Great idea, guys. I look forward to a New York meet-up!
Hey Peter… The Ridgewood opened in 1916, didn’t it? Back in 1979 it didn’t crack the list, if #10 was opened in 1913. Of course, today – and for a number of years now – it would have to be #1 on that same list.
Thanks, Jennifer… Would that be New York Magazine? Does the list include opening dates (or years) for the nine other theatres?
I also presume that this list is limited to purpose built cinemas – as opposed to playhouse or vaudeville theatre conversions (in which case the Victory on 42nd Street might have topped the roster).
Hmmm. I’m surprised they kept the “1 2 3 4” signage on the marquee after restoring the interior to a single screen.
I’ve never experienced a show at the Fillmore, but when I saw the Garcia Band at the Palladium or Phil Lesh at the Beacon, the sound was pretty damn good down on orchestra level or in the 1st balcony. Perhaps that’s because the Dead family cared so much about providing good sound. There was definitely a fall off in the upper reaches of the Beacon balcony (and I never sat far back at the Palladium), but it is certainly preferable to MSG or other arenas. The Capitol in Passaic might have had the best sound of any venue that size that I can recall… perhaps because it was deeper than it was wide, which definitely supports your acoustical theories.
I guess it’s all relative. The Beacon sounds great to me because I’m used to MSG and the like. Somoman – I love sitting in that 1st mezzanine – and sound in the building is definitely at its best up there. My ears aren’t trained enough to pinpoint it to the center 9 seats in the 5th row, however… Anything towards the center in any of the 10 or so rows that exist up there works fine for me!
Walking around downtown Bklyn over the weekend, I took this photo of the horrendously bland Con Edison Building that replaced the majestic Fox Theatre.
I made it down to the former Paramount this past weekend (alas a week too late for the organ concert). I had my camera in hand, however, the guard on duty declined my requests to be let inside the gym/former auditorium. He was nice enough about it, but he said it was his first day and he just didn’t want to take the risk. Anyway, I strolled around the place and snapped some shots of the exterior.
Corner Flatbush & Dekalb
Rear view
Side view
Exit doors
Sidewall ornamentation
Sidewall ornamentation alt view
Ornamentation close up
Ornamentation detail
Smiling face
Exit door molding detail
How many ecstatic teens came pouring out of those side doors after an Allen Freed show at the Paramount in the late ‘50’s!
I took these shots of the Strand building while strolling downtown Brooklyn this past weekend:
Strand & Majestic from Flatbush Ave
Facade full shot
25 cent parking
Sidewall view
Carpe Diem
Ars Longa
I’d say the numerous windows along the sidewall would confirm that the old auditorium has been gutted and converted to office/commercial space. The entrance to the BAM Harvey can be seen adjacent to the Strand’s corner entrance.
Hey Warren… Can you email me privately about two older images that you had posted back in September and October of 2005? I’d love to include them in my scrapbook and I see that you no longer host them in yours (and your email address is no longer included in your CT member profile). Thanks!
I got to stroll around the downtown Bklyn area with my camera the other day and snapped these shots of the former Majestic (now BAM Harvey) Theatre:
Facade full shot
Top of the arch
Facade detail
Decorative detail
Satyr figurehead
Facade upshot
Entrance foyer
Foyer alt view
‘Colored’ stairway to balcony
Sidewall Ashland Pl
And check out this shot of the new apartment tower that has gone up on the corner of Fulton & Ashland (the Majestic building flag-lot wraps around the new building). Isn’t it wonderful how modern architecture can be so sensitively unobtrusive to the surrounding older buildings? Ha ha ha!
Hey Luis… Actually, the run of “Cabaret” at the Henry Miller preceded that of “Urinetown.” The excellent revival of “Cabaret” opened at the Miller (which had been re-dubbed the Kit Kat Klub for the engagement) in 1998. It moved over to Studio 54 (which I don’t think was a movie palace – was it?) in 2001 to make way for “Urinetown” – which had to vacate and close up shop when the Miller was shuttered for redevelopment.
I’d also have to beg to differ with your classification of the Hilton Theatre (which opened as Ford Center for the Performing Arts) as spectacular. While I think the exterior renovations to the former Lyric Theatre facades on both 42nd and 43rd Street are indeed spectacular, I find the interior quite cold and cavernous – far too big and uninviting for a Broadway house. I’m kind of disappointed that “Young Frankenstien” will be opening there rather than the more intimate St. James where “The Producers” enjoyed its successful run. The actors will have to play it so big to land the jokes to those in the far reaches of the balcony, that I wonder how it’ll play to those in the better seats.
Anyway… I think I’d have preferred sacrificing the old Apollo so that the Lyric might have survived in all its intact glory.
OK… So they extended the run in both cities for a week. I guess the move-over was needed in NY due to the Ziegfeld being previously booked for “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“Blade Runner” has moved over to the AMC Empire 25 for a one week engagement – and is still being advertised in the Times. I guess ticket sales were so good at the Ziegfeld that Warner Brothers decided to extend the release. Does anyone know how well the engagement in L.A. went?
Hey David… Forgot about the tweak with Zhora’s death. I can recall seeing the movie way back in ‘82 and my friends and I chuckling at how obvious it was that a stunt person was hurtling through the plate glass. The shots in the sequence now are flawless.
It is called “The United Palace” in all of the concert ads I’ve seen – which is also the official name for the church used by Rev. Ike’s congregation. They’re making some noise about the venue’s 75th Anniversary on the official website as well as in some radio commercials I’ve been hearing on the local classic rock station. As Alto posted, some big names are being booked into the United Palace – names that might have previously booked the Beacon or WaMu Theatre at MSG (and acts way too big for the smaller Nokia Theatre in Times Square).
Sheesh… The construction shedding has been up around this theatre for a couple of years now. The store was supposed to open in 2006 and then was pushed back to Spring 2007 (both of these dates were advertised right on the huge billboard that has been erected over the upper facade of the building). Is it possible that construction hasn’t even begun yet?!? I can only hope that the effort is well worth the wait!
Just occurred to me that the status should be changed to “Closed” – an update that is long overdue.
As I promised myself a few weeks back, I got back to the Brentwood this morning with camera in hand and snapped about two dozen photos. The owner is gutting the place for re-use as a commercial space of some kind. While I was snapping away, I spotted a worker coming around from the back of the building and tried to ask him some questions, but he spoke very little english. A few moments later, he was back outside and handed me his cell phone. Apparently, he was concerned to see me snapping away and called the owner – who was curious as to my intentions and asked to speak to me. I didn’t get a name, but I spoke to a very nice – but very puzzled – woman who wanted to know exactly what I was up to. I explained that I was a movie theatre buff and that the photos were for my own private collection and possibly to post online in a theatre forum. She was dubious at first and couldn’t understand my interest in the building since it was no longer a theatre, but I guess I convinced her that I had no agenda of any kind. She took my email address and first name and I told her I’d be happy to send her copies (and encouraged her to let me know when work was complete so I could photograph the finished refurbishment). She wouldn’t elaborate on the proposed new use for the building and I really couldn’t sort it out from this stage of the rehab work.
The two-story glass front lobby has been partially boarded up and is in the process of being replaced with cinderblock (I presume this is a temporary measure to protect against the elements). The former lobby space has been opened up to the former auditorium – which has been gutted to the bare brick walls and the steel framework of the ceiling. I guess if a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll just shut up and post ‘em here:
Here’s a link to the first photo in the album. Just click on the “next” button from there. That probably works easier than linking to each of the 24 images separately. In several of the photos, you’ll see the last remnant of the upper lobby wall at the far left of the building just over the former box office. The doorway into the balcony seating is still there. This is the last interior remnant of the old theatre.
I saw a few shows here myself in the ‘80’s and really loved it. The place was poorly kept, however, as somoman suggests. The place was definitely decrepit – and that ancient dirt black hulk of a marquee was frightening – but I always thought the sound was great. I remember sitting up in the balcony and feeling like Jerry Garcia’s guitar notes where slicing straight through me all the way to the back wall!
Oh, and I don’t know that you’d call it vaudeville proper, but I’ll bet that amongst the shenanigans at Tammany Hall, there were a number of private and intimate, er, burlesque-style performances given for the pleasure of certain political big wigs!