When it was remodeled for the 2 3 strip Cineramas, a number of rows were taken out from the rear of the orchestra & replaced with a japanese garden with bridges & ponds. It was really nice, The staircase as soon as you cam in was there but the steps .ere replaced with a gold colored escalator.Once the Roxy went, it was only a matter of time before all of the Times Square Palaces went down. Most cities have 1 or more of palaces left. Only in NY, the entertainment capital of the world do we knock them all down. Lamb theaters really took a hit.
I doubt the dentist would just return it free of charge. He will want a return on his investment.I wonder if it was reinstalled would they actually reconnect the pipes so the fountain would work? In addition, would the upper part of the lobby be restored with the restrooms? This reminds me of the Minnesota Theater in Minneapolis. The lobby was retained but the auditorium was demolished. No idea if the lobby still exists today however.
Amazing how the lobby was landmarked but the auditorium, done in the same style, was not. Makes one wonder. Manes was virulently anti preservationist. What might have been if someone else had been borough president at the time.
This theater, the old Loews Triboro & the U S Pavillion building at the 1964 Worlds Fair were all demolished because of Donald Manes. The city helped especially with the Keiths in turning a blind eye & letting the NY State Pavillion in Flushing Meadows fall into total disrepair. Only in the US (& NY especially) do we treat our architectural history with such utter disdain.
The saga continues. The local community planning board approved the plans the other night. Now it goes before 1 or 2 other bodies. If approved, demolition work will start by the end of the year. I intend to get a piece of brickwork as a souvenir as I go by it on the way to work each day. I always thought a movie version of the musical Follies being shot there would be fabulous but I guess it is not to be. A sad ending to a once beautiful theater. NY loses another
It would be nice to see these big epics restored & rereleased in big theaters . In NY, across from the TKTS booth, is the old Mayfair which later became the DeMille. The theater along with the georgeous lounge is probably all still there. It is amazing that it has not been torn down years ago as Times Square has lost all of its palaces.
Imagine a theater restored dedicated to showing old movies in the heart of Times Square.
Back to The Alamo. I remember that a replica of an actual Bowie knife beautifully mounted in a glass case was being sold. Being a callow youth with no money it was not in the budget.
I was in this theater years ago when it was a storage facility for a local hardware store. It was in great shape & it would be fabulous if it happened. I have no idea what the lobby looked like originally & what it looks like now.
Having been involved in the original effort to have it landmarked, I do not consider this a victory.We can view the lobby but know what was lost behind it. Lamb did very few atmospherics NY had 2 & for all intents & purposes it has none thanks to the unlamented Queens Borough President Donald Manes. He hated landmarking with a passion.The other atmospheric which he was responsible for its demolition was the Loews Triboro in Astoria NY.Despite the landmarks preservation voting favorably on both he overruled them. I was also involved with that effort(Keiths). His actions left a sour taste in my mouth re politics for many years after that.The theater has been a blight on the neighborhood for almost a quarter of a century thanks to him. I will believe it when I see it but if & when it is finished I will always have a feeling of regret for what might have been were it not for Mr Manes.
A footnote: Manes committed suicide shortly after the Keiths as he was about to become named in a big scandal.Payback is you know what.
I work in Flushing & pass by it daily. I got a peek inside & the lobby ( the landmark portion) is basically bare walls. So much for landmark protection. In NYC, it is all about money. History be damned
This theater was part of the Fox theater chain. It has a twin in Detroit ( theaters are exactly the same except the exterior) The style is best described as Siamese-Byzantine
This theater was designed by Eugene DE Rosa who worked out of Thomas Lamb’s office. It was a theater in the Fabian chain. it was a gorgeous theater & I am really sorry to hear it has vanished
Architects were Hoffman & henon who did a lot of work for Stanley Theaters in eastern U.S. They did a few theaters in Atlantic City; none of which survive
If it stays the way it is, we will be very lucky. If a school did not take it over, it would have went the way of the Fox a long time ago.
When it was remodeled for the 2 3 strip Cineramas, a number of rows were taken out from the rear of the orchestra & replaced with a japanese garden with bridges & ponds. It was really nice, The staircase as soon as you cam in was there but the steps .ere replaced with a gold colored escalator.Once the Roxy went, it was only a matter of time before all of the Times Square Palaces went down. Most cities have 1 or more of palaces left. Only in NY, the entertainment capital of the world do we knock them all down. Lamb theaters really took a hit.
Capitol
State
Mark Strand
Rivoli
RKO is long gone
I doubt the dentist would just return it free of charge. He will want a return on his investment.I wonder if it was reinstalled would they actually reconnect the pipes so the fountain would work? In addition, would the upper part of the lobby be restored with the restrooms? This reminds me of the Minnesota Theater in Minneapolis. The lobby was retained but the auditorium was demolished. No idea if the lobby still exists today however.
Amazing how the lobby was landmarked but the auditorium, done in the same style, was not. Makes one wonder. Manes was virulently anti preservationist. What might have been if someone else had been borough president at the time.
The above photo looks like the logo from the original Follies musical.
This theater, the old Loews Triboro & the U S Pavillion building at the 1964 Worlds Fair were all demolished because of Donald Manes. The city helped especially with the Keiths in turning a blind eye & letting the NY State Pavillion in Flushing Meadows fall into total disrepair. Only in the US (& NY especially) do we treat our architectural history with such utter disdain.
Is the lobby still here & intact? If so, what is it used for?
The saga continues. The local community planning board approved the plans the other night. Now it goes before 1 or 2 other bodies. If approved, demolition work will start by the end of the year. I intend to get a piece of brickwork as a souvenir as I go by it on the way to work each day. I always thought a movie version of the musical Follies being shot there would be fabulous but I guess it is not to be. A sad ending to a once beautiful theater. NY loses another
It would be nice to see these big epics restored & rereleased in big theaters . In NY, across from the TKTS booth, is the old Mayfair which later became the DeMille. The theater along with the georgeous lounge is probably all still there. It is amazing that it has not been torn down years ago as Times Square has lost all of its palaces.
Imagine a theater restored dedicated to showing old movies in the heart of Times Square.
Back to The Alamo. I remember that a replica of an actual Bowie knife beautifully mounted in a glass case was being sold. Being a callow youth with no money it was not in the budget.
After San Francisco knocked down the Fox, nothing else matters much there.
I was in this theater years ago when it was a storage facility for a local hardware store. It was in great shape & it would be fabulous if it happened. I have no idea what the lobby looked like originally & what it looks like now.
Having been involved in the original effort to have it landmarked, I do not consider this a victory.We can view the lobby but know what was lost behind it. Lamb did very few atmospherics NY had 2 & for all intents & purposes it has none thanks to the unlamented Queens Borough President Donald Manes. He hated landmarking with a passion.The other atmospheric which he was responsible for its demolition was the Loews Triboro in Astoria NY.Despite the landmarks preservation voting favorably on both he overruled them. I was also involved with that effort(Keiths). His actions left a sour taste in my mouth re politics for many years after that.The theater has been a blight on the neighborhood for almost a quarter of a century thanks to him. I will believe it when I see it but if & when it is finished I will always have a feeling of regret for what might have been were it not for Mr Manes.
A footnote: Manes committed suicide shortly after the Keiths as he was about to become named in a big scandal.Payback is you know what.
The WWF restaurant has closed . The space is currently empty. So much for progress
Recently visited it armed with a camcorder. It is still in great shape
I work in Flushing & pass by it daily. I got a peek inside & the lobby ( the landmark portion) is basically bare walls. So much for landmark protection. In NYC, it is all about money. History be damned
This theater was part of the Fox theater chain. It has a twin in Detroit ( theaters are exactly the same except the exterior) The style is best described as Siamese-Byzantine
This theater opened in 1928. The architects were Rapp & Rapp. the seating capacity was originally 3000 seats
This theater was designed by the firm of Hoffman & Henon and was with the Stanley Chain. It opened in 1928 and the original seating capacity was 3,886
This theater was designed by Eugene DE Rosa who worked out of Thomas Lamb’s office. It was a theater in the Fabian chain. it was a gorgeous theater & I am really sorry to hear it has vanished
Theater chain was Loew’s & it was one of the 5 Loew’s “Wonder Theaters”
When I was last at the theater, the theater proper was used as storage space for a hardware store. The architect was Thomas Lamb
Architects were Hoffman & henon who did a lot of work for Stanley Theaters in eastern U.S. They did a few theaters in Atlantic City; none of which survive
Architect was Thomas Lamb
Thomas Lamb was busy in new York as this was another one of his creations pounded to dust in the name of progress