This large theater stands on Bay Parkway, and was once a Fox Metropolitan house. Later it was run by Randforce theaters. UA took it over, eventually splitting the theater into four screens. Two on the orchestra level and two horrible balcony theaters, where the sound was poor and the image had a long thrown and always appeared dark.
This theater building stands on the site of the former one-story Sanders Theater, which was razed in the 1920’s to construct this much more opulent movie house. Also, after the Sanders closed in the late ‘70s, it remained vacant for over 20 years, as various plans were hatched as to what to do with it. They ranged from turning it into a co-op to splitting the building into two halves. The bottom portion being a hardware store, and the balcony turned into a twin cinema. RKO Century looked at it during this “closed” period and thought it not wide enough to convert into a quad so they scrapped their plans. Yet the new owners have had little problem transforming the building into a very popular eightplex.
I drove past it recently and noticed that a hair salon now occupies the lobby portion of the theater. Also, a recent check of the old Brooklyn Eagle leads me to believe that this theater closed in the early 1950s.
It was part of the RKO chain for years. In the end, it might have been part of the Brandt chain. I believe it was also a dollar theater at the end. One of four Coney Island theaters (Loew’s Shore and the Surf and Mermaid were the other three) Now all four are close and only the shuttered Shore still stands).
I recently drove past it and noticed that the two-story glass facade of the lobby’s still there, but the inside walls behind the panes announce that the space is part of a physical rehab center.
I recently drove past the old theater and noticed that large squares have been cut through the outer walls on the Coney Island side and the Kings Highway front. My guess is that the new tenant wants lots of natural sunlight.
The theater has undergone another function and name change. It is now a bingo hall with the odd name of the Taj Mahal Bingo Hall. The marquee is still intact and used. Now it advertises bingo event dates and times, not movies.
I recently passed the theater. The original facade still remains the area cut away for the drugstore. Two “B"s for Benson still are embossed on the stone. Each one sits above a triangular arch that once rose above the glass door entrance to theater. Walk down 19th Avenue and onto 85th Street and you’ll see the theater building structure still stands intact.
I was in the building this weekend shopping with my wife. Although the orchestra level is completely gutted, I found an original theater staircase behind a closed door. it still has some of the original brasswork. Look at the drop ceiling and you’ll see a few missing panels, let your eyes adjust to the darkness above and you can barely make out the old ceiling of the theater. Also look at the plastered side wall. It’s also from the original theater lobby. It’s freshly painted but if you look up to where the ceiling panels are, and look above them through one of the missing panel’s holes, you see where the old dark paint from the theater begins. (To gain access to this stairway, just ask to use the bathroom, as it stands behind a locked door, and a store associate must open it for you.)
To err is human, but the Benson was a UA house before Golden it over its operation. And it was originally a Pathmark but Rite Aid took of the drug store division of the supermarket chain.
the stage space and possibly the upper half of what remained of the closed RKO house, where the Marx Brothers once played live, was turned into apartments a few years back.
This theater had a sister theater in Park Slope, Brooklyn (The Plaza and now the Pavilion Twin). It recently closed, leaving Manhattan north of 125th Street with not a single operating cinema.
I believe that this theater succumbed to the megaplexes on Staten Island.In the end it tried to stay open by offering bargain-priced double features.
I recently went past it, and it’s still an Insurance office building, but the company that nows calls it home is Met Life.
It was part of the Long Island-based Century Theaters.
I recently learned that this was an RKO house.
This large theater stands on Bay Parkway, and was once a Fox Metropolitan house. Later it was run by Randforce theaters. UA took it over, eventually splitting the theater into four screens. Two on the orchestra level and two horrible balcony theaters, where the sound was poor and the image had a long thrown and always appeared dark.
This Bronx house was part of the RKO Chain.
sorry but this theater has been closed for years, another S.I. casualty of the megaplexes being built and operated in the borough.
I believe that this theater is called The Plaza and used to show Spanish language movies. It now screens American movies with Spanish subtitles.
The former lobby of this small Art Deco theater is now a West Indian restaurant.
This theater building stands on the site of the former one-story Sanders Theater, which was razed in the 1920’s to construct this much more opulent movie house. Also, after the Sanders closed in the late ‘70s, it remained vacant for over 20 years, as various plans were hatched as to what to do with it. They ranged from turning it into a co-op to splitting the building into two halves. The bottom portion being a hardware store, and the balcony turned into a twin cinema. RKO Century looked at it during this “closed” period and thought it not wide enough to convert into a quad so they scrapped their plans. Yet the new owners have had little problem transforming the building into a very popular eightplex.
Recent research shows that this was a RKO house and that it closed a lot earlier that I thought, sometime in the early 1950’s.
I drove past it recently and noticed that a hair salon now occupies the lobby portion of the theater. Also, a recent check of the old Brooklyn Eagle leads me to believe that this theater closed in the early 1950s.
It was named the Manor and the Vogue in its theater days.
It was part of the RKO chain for years. In the end, it might have been part of the Brandt chain. I believe it was also a dollar theater at the end. One of four Coney Island theaters (Loew’s Shore and the Surf and Mermaid were the other three) Now all four are close and only the shuttered Shore still stands).
I recently drove past it and noticed that the two-story glass facade of the lobby’s still there, but the inside walls behind the panes announce that the space is part of a physical rehab center.
I recently became aware that this might have been named the Flatbush Theater, which was operated by a variety of chains during its history.
This theater might have also been named the Regent at one time, showing English language movies.
I recently drove past the old theater and noticed that large squares have been cut through the outer walls on the Coney Island side and the Kings Highway front. My guess is that the new tenant wants lots of natural sunlight.
The theater has undergone another function and name change. It is now a bingo hall with the odd name of the Taj Mahal Bingo Hall. The marquee is still intact and used. Now it advertises bingo event dates and times, not movies.
I recently passed the theater. The original facade still remains the area cut away for the drugstore. Two “B"s for Benson still are embossed on the stone. Each one sits above a triangular arch that once rose above the glass door entrance to theater. Walk down 19th Avenue and onto 85th Street and you’ll see the theater building structure still stands intact.
I was in the building this weekend shopping with my wife. Although the orchestra level is completely gutted, I found an original theater staircase behind a closed door. it still has some of the original brasswork. Look at the drop ceiling and you’ll see a few missing panels, let your eyes adjust to the darkness above and you can barely make out the old ceiling of the theater. Also look at the plastered side wall. It’s also from the original theater lobby. It’s freshly painted but if you look up to where the ceiling panels are, and look above them through one of the missing panel’s holes, you see where the old dark paint from the theater begins. (To gain access to this stairway, just ask to use the bathroom, as it stands behind a locked door, and a store associate must open it for you.)
To err is human, but the Benson was a UA house before Golden it over its operation. And it was originally a Pathmark but Rite Aid took of the drug store division of the supermarket chain.
I forgot to mention that the theater did have live acts in its early days.
the stage space and possibly the upper half of what remained of the closed RKO house, where the Marx Brothers once played live, was turned into apartments a few years back.
This theater had a sister theater in Park Slope, Brooklyn (The Plaza and now the Pavilion Twin). It recently closed, leaving Manhattan north of 125th Street with not a single operating cinema.