The handwritten description states “Market Street”. Depending on the configuration of the station and the local streets at that time, it may have been possible to view Van Houten street from the Market Street station.
Is this theater currently used for peforming arts? This singer has performed at the “Ormont Theater” in the tri-state area. I can’t find any additional information on the theater.
Howard Hain (BA, Philosophy SUNY Buffalo) and his wife, Laura, recently bought a theater in Blairstown, New Jersey, which they are in the process of renovating. Nous Theatre, formerly Roy’s Hall, will be the home for a variety of programs, from dance to theater and will open this summer. The music styles will include baroque, Renaissance, medieval, and jazz, featuring local and international talent. Other plans include ballet and Greek plays that combine philosophy with dialogue. Original shows will also be performed at the theater. The opening show, held on June 4 and 18, will enlist the talents of 80 performers, including 55 chorus members and 22 orchestra members. Hain has written several plays that have been performed in San Francisco. 2005 online alumni newsletter
Theater owned by Richard Dabb. In April 1933, he began allowing the local Polish American club access to the theater to perform a monthly benefit show.
On July 2, 1921, 358 people gathered at this theater to listen to the live radio broadcast of the Dempsey-Carpentier heavyweight bout. This was the largest live radio broadcast audience to date and inspired many people to purchase radios for home use, rather than having to go to a public hall for listening.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Feb 18, 2001 pB1
SILENT SCREENS; THE GLUT OF CINEMAS IN NEW JERSEY IS HELPING TO BRING THE CURTAIN DOWN ON THEATERS. (BUSINESS) Lewis Krauskopf.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Bergen Record Corp.
By LEWIS KRAUSKOPF, Staff Writer
It was like the cinema industry’s version of a shootout scene from an old Western movie: the venerable Loews Showboat Quad looking down the barrel at the flashy new Edgewater Multiplex Cinemas.
And when the smoke cleared at the base of the cliffs at Edgewater last week, it was the bigger gun, the 16-screen multiplex, that was still standing. A mile down River Road, the four-screen Loews gave up the battle Thursday and closed its doors.
Clearly, there was room for only one cinema complex in this town.
A similar scene is being played out in communities around the nation. Simply, there are too many movie screens and not enough moviegoers.
A surge in the number of so-called megaplexes, like the new National Amusements-owned venue in Edgewater, complete with stadium-style seating, cafes, and other new amenities, are pulling in the crowds, but at the expense of older cinemas.
Such “overscreening” has muscled national chains into closing smaller cinema complexes and wrought financial damage: Carmike Cinemas Inc., United Artists Theater Co., General Cinema, and Edwards Cinemas have sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the past year, while Wall Street investors have been scared off by businesses associated with the industry.
Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp., which operated the Showboat, became the latest casualty Thursday. New York-based Loews was acquired by investors as part of a bankruptcy restructuring, and closed 22 theaters including the Showboat, while promising dozens more closures to come. The company, which is among New Jersey’s biggest operators with 204 screens, has not specified which other theaters it will close or when.
With more than 37,000 screens throughout the country at last count – 1,000 in New Jersey – industry analysts say that’s 5,000 to 7,000 too many.
“What’s happening is in many cases you’re not getting new moviegoers, you’re taking moviegoers from a certain area and dividing them up,” said Robert Piechota, who owns two independent Somerset County theaters and is an officer with the New Jersey branch of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO).
Megaplexes have been popping up throughout New Jersey, sometimes with dire results for local competition. The newer complexes include General Cinema’s 16-screen Clifton Commons and a 24-screen theater in Mercer County operated by AMC Theaters.
Moviegoers, like Mary Israel of Hoboken, have shown a clear preference for huge entertainment facilities like the Edgewater Multiplex: “It’s convenient, it’s comfortable, it’s easy to park, the sound is good, the screens are big,” said Israel, who has already seen films including “Traffic” and “The Gift” at the new theater. “Just about everything you could want.”
And the Showboat? “We went once, and that was enough,” she said.
Bill McLuckey’s theater has taken notice of some of its new neighbors. The three-screen, non-profit Williams Center Cinema in Rutherford differentiates itself by showing films for children and families. The center’s management also provides space for performing arts, but McLuckey – the center’s executive director – said the screen buildup in Clifton has cost him attendance.
“I think all of us have felt the impact of these megaplexes,” McLuckey said. “They’re new. They’re glitzy. They’ve got a lot of screens.”
The 1990s witnessed a big-screen boom. From 1989 to 1999, the number of screens in America rose from 22,921 to 37,185, according to NATO. New Jersey got caught in that wave. In 1986, New Jerseyans had their choice of 542 screens; in 1999, 1,029 screens in 168 theaters dotted the Garden State landscape.
Much of that growth occurred in the second half of the decade. AMC Theaters built the first monster movie venue in Dallas in 1995, housing 24 screens replete with now-common amenities under one roof.
The megaplex accelerated a trend that began in the 1970s when the industry began turning cinemas into two-screen theaters to reap benefits of shared concessions, restrooms, and box offices, while increasing the audience’s viewing options. So by 1999, even though the number of separate screens had climbed by more than 10,000 in the previous five years, the number of theater complexes actually had fallen.
People, however, have not flocked to theaters as quickly as the number of screens have risen. Though movies remain a popular entertainment option, admissions rose only 17 percent from 1989 to their peak nationally of 1.48 billion in 1998, and have actually dropped by 60 million the past two years, according to NATO. Observers point to a lack of quality films to choose from and increasing home-viewing options as reasons for lagging attendance.
“Suddenly you’re trying to rent a location when attendance has dropped due to new competition,” said Brian Callaghan, director of film marketing and communications for General Cinema, which operates 38 screens at four locations in New Jersey. “Everyone in the industry is experiencing it to some degree.”
Loews, one of the country’s largest theater operators with about 340 venues and 2,800 screens, was the latest to file for bankruptcy, but perhaps not the last. Privately held Regal Cinemas, the nation’s largest chain, reportedly said last week it was considering closing as many as 30 percent of its 375 theaters to pay debts.
“Very few players are going to emerge out of this unscathed,” said David Allen, a media analyst with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
Industry observers say the movie theater business is in transition. The future landscape could feature super-screened megaplexes that cover commercial films with more theaters looking to discover niches, as foreign-film showcases or as coffeehouse cinemas.
“You’re going to have some kind of evolution of the market,” said Al Nigrin, executive director of the Rutgers Film Co-op and the New Jersey Media Arts Center. “By the end of this decade I’m sure there will be a variety of different types of setups.”
Appealing to a specific segment of the moviegoing market may help sustain a few older-style cinemas but not even that strategy could save the Showboat.
In a late bid to counter the impact of the neighboring megaplex, Loews had been playing less commercial films, such as a reissue of the Beatles' 1964 film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” the British heartwarmer “Billy Elliot” and Julian Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls” over the last few months.
But the appeal of “Finding Forrester,” “Cast Away,” and “The Wedding Planner” at the new Edgewater Cinemas took their toll.
“I certainly could say to you that it has had an negative impact on our attendance at the theater,” said Mindy Tucker, Loews' corporate vice president for strategic planning, prior to the announcement about the Showboat closing.
While some will miss the Showboat – the possibility of using the building for a police station was raised at recent council meeting – it seems most Edgewater moviegoers are satisfied with their viewing options.
Fort Lee residents Etia and Julian Segall, leaving a recent matinee of “Chocolat” at the Edgewater Multiplex, gushed about the comfortable seating in the new theater.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Feb 19, 2002 pL1
SCREEN GEM; FORMER LANDMARK CINEMA MAY GIVE WAY TO SCHOOL BOARD OFFICES. (NEWS) Eman Varoqua.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2002 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
By EMAN VAROQUA, Staff Writer
PATERSON – Plans are in the works to convert the abandoned Fabian building, once home to an opulent theater, into the Board of Education’s central office complex. The 77-year-old theater that adjoins the structure could be demolished by this summer.
“This was the great movie palace of the 1920s,” said Passaic County Historian Edward A. Smyk, admitting that he doesn’t think the building at Church and Ellison streets would qualify for historical designation.
Philip Rabinowitz, a partner in the architectural firm that bought the building, W & C Properties, said he could break ground on the $22 million project in June if he receives local and state approval.
Supporters say the renovation of the non-theater portion of the building might help jump-start downtown development. The neighboring Alexander Hamilton Hotel was also purchased by Rabinowitz’s firm and will be converted into senior assisted living. The firm recently acquired the Pruden building across the street from the Fabian, which will be converted into a restaurant and office space.
“As an old Patersonian, I’d love to see this historic district once again bustling,” Rabinowitz said. “I hope it becomes like a domino effect – and other sites become revitalized one by one.”
For three decades the Fabian Theater served as the premier movie palace in the city and a cultural mecca that attracted its share of celebrities. It was the site of vaudeville shows and premieres of Abbott and Costello movies, and had Turkish baths in its basement.
Jacob Fabian opened the silent-movie theater in 1925 with the movie “We Moderns,” with Warren Yates on the Fabian Mammoth Organ. The theater had a 2-ton chandelier with 500 light bulbs, paintings on the walls, and ornate gilding.
Like much of the city, the 1960s were not kind to the Fabian. Riots drove out middle-class residents, scared off suburban shoppers, and left the theater struggling to fill its 2,500 seats.
It was turned into a multiplex in the 1970s. Still, it couldn’t compete with suburban theaters, and it finally closed in 1993. It’s been vacant since.
The remodeled building would house 250 employees on nine floors. A four-story garage would be built next to the complex and hold 190 parking spaces. The project would increase the building from 57,000 to nearly 100,000 square feet.
As proposed, the Board of Education would commit to a 30-year lease on the building. The terms are under negotiation, but it is estimated the lease would top $1 million annually. The move would put all administrative offices in one building for the first time, said Pat Chalmers, district spokeswoman. After the lease, the board would have an option to buy the building.
“It can only be beneficial to have the administration under one roof,” Chalmers said. “We’ll also be able to consolidate our leases.” Chalmers could not provide the amount the board currently spends on leasing.
The board rents space from Rabinowitz for its main offices, 33 and 35 Church St. Administrative offices are also on Ellison Street and at various schools.
Chalmers said Superintendent Edwin Duroy is in favor of the move and is working out the amount of the annual lease.
School board Vice President Juan “Mitch” Santiago wants the district to buy the building.
“If we can work out a price that matches around what we pay now, then why not?” Santiago said. “I can’t see how anyone would have a problem.”
Board member Joseph Atallo does not support the idea of a central complex, calling it frivolous.
“I need a lot more information before I make a 30-year commitment with Paterson’s money,” Atallo said. “I feel our priority should be building schools and providing classroom space to our overcrowded district. Educating our students comes before building a Taj Mahal office building.”
Instead, Atallo would like to see the board buy a building and develop it. “We should invest in a building instead of paying rent,” Atallo said.
Over the years, various city leaders have talked of reopening the theater and Passaic County Community College contemplated buying it as part of its expansion plans.
Property owners and real estate appraisers said the $10.50-a-square-foot price tag paid by the developers, or $598,500, is to be expected for a building that is vacant and will need a lot of work. Commercial space in Paterson rents for $12- to $18-a-square-foot, more depending on its age and location, they said. If the school board pays $1 million annually for the building, that will be about $10 a square foot.
Michael Seeve, the president of Mountain Development Corp., which owns 100 Hamilton Plaza in the city’s downtown, said he looked at the Fabian but felt it needed too much work.
“To get somebody in the Fabian building, you’re talking about a major investment before you could even get someone to walk in the door,” Seeve said. “That sort of impacts the value. We were daunted by the required work. It’s a great structure and isn’t a bad location. But it wasn’t jumping out at us.”
Last year, W & C introduced plans to restore the theater, but city officials shot it down, saying the area could neither attract crowds nor compete with multiplexes. The latest plan appears to have strong support, despite the concerns by historians and critics on the board concerned with the cost.
Despite the theater being demolished, Rabinowitz said he would keep much of the remaining building’s historic integrity. He said he is convinced that his vision for the Fabian will be a boon for the downtown.
But he also warned that he would walk away, should the Board of Education reject his plans.
“If this doesn’t work, then that’s it,” Rabinowitz said. “I’m not going to do anything with the building.”
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), August 22, 2003 p031
Movie buff buys a theater of his own in Hunterdon; New owner vows show will go on at Cinema Plaza, at least for now. (SOMERSET)
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2003 The Star-Ledger. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of The Star-Ledger by the Gale Group, Inc.
Byline: PETER N. SPENCER
Ever since he was a kid, local businessman Steve Kalafer has been in love with the movies.
Now, in a way, he owns them.
The 54-year-old owner of the Somerset Patriots baseball team and Flemington Car and Truck Country, is buying the Cinema Plaza on Route 202/31 for $3.5 million. The 21-year-old theater is the last remaining in Hunterdon County.
The complex, with two buildings on a nine-acre site, includes a state Division of Motor Vehicles office, the Star Maker School of the Performing Arts, Studio One Photography, Rugs to Riches, and the Ready, Set, Go day care facility. As the long as the businesses stay viable, the complex will stay as is, Kalafer said. He is sitting down with each of the tenants and offering them one- to five-year lease deals.
Although this was a good investment on a “great piece of real estate,” he said, the real gem in this purchase is the theater.
The property was put on the market by owner Richard Nathan about 3 ½ years ago. Nathan turned down offers from people who did not plan to keep the theater.
Kalafer and his family have been frequenting Cinema Plaza since he moved to Franklin Township in the early 1970s. His oldest son saw his first movie there – “E.T.” – in 1982.
“It’s a great movie-going experience,” said Kalafer, a self-professed theater buff. “It’s very intimate and retro, and it has the best popcorn I’ve ever had.”
No stranger to the movie industry, Kalafer co-produced two Oscar-nominated films: 1998’s “More,” a six-minute animated short that won a prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, and “Curtain Call,” in 2000, a documentary about retired film and stage performers. He is co-producing another documentary “The Bridge of Rose’s,” which he expects to be released next year.
Kalafer also has been a longtime benefactor and trustee of the Actors' Fund.
Current operator John Monsport took over the business in 2000.
Kalafer is hopeful it doesn’t fall by the wayside like all the other county theaters, which lost patrons because they were old and outmoded. He believes there should be an alternative to the current crop of stadium-sized megaplexes.
Ultimately, Hunterdon County theater-goers will decide the fate of Cinema Plaza.
“At least for some time, the show will still go on,” Kalafer said.
Peter N. Spencer works in the Somerset County bureau. He can be reached at or at (908) 429- 9925.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Jan 4, 2004 pL01
Popcorn plot line: David vs. Goliath; Small movie house survives in Clifton. LOCAL Amanda Gerut; Special To The Record.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2004 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
Byline: AMANDA GERUT, SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
CLIFTON – In the age of megaplex movie theaters with valet parking and gourmet dinners, the Allwood Cinema has refreshed its image as a family showplace, surviving as other small theaters shut their doors.
The 53-year-old Allwood has stuck to its roots, with six screens, cheap tickets and popcorn, candy and ice cream concessions. As ticket prices rise above $10 elsewhere, the Allwood recently lowered its tickets to $6.
And even though business dipped when the multiplex AMC Clifton Commons opened, ticket sales have recently surged, workers say.
“We have a very loyal clientele,” said general manager Ralph Valles.
In 1929 there were about 20,000 movie theaters in the United States compared with 6,134 today, according to the National Association of Theater Owners in North Hollywood, Calif.
But in North Jersey, some small theaters like the Allwood and the Hawthorne Theaters on Lafayette Avenue endure by appealing to families as a smaller, more economical alternative to the bigger movie powerhouses.
Jeana Yoo, 12, and Samantha Ruggiero, 12, said they aren’t allowed to go to big theaters alone.
“It’s too crowded,” Ruggiero said on a recent Friday night at the Allwood with a group of friends to see the Steve Martin flick, “Cheaper by the Dozen.”
Linda Fadil, who began working at the theater as a teen and still works there part time, said the view of Market Street from the lobby hasn’t changed much since the late 1970s.
“Some things have changed but it’s pretty much the same,” Fadil said, looking through the glass doors next to the box office.
The Allwood Theater opened in the summer of 1950 with a premiere run of the western “Broken Arrow,” starring James Stewart. Actor Tom Ewell performed on its stage five years before his turn in Billy Wilder’s “The Seven Year Itch” with Marilyn Monroe.
The theater was owned by Fabian Theatre Inc. and Harry Hecht, a Rosemawr theater executive. Paterson architect Sidney Schenker designed it.
An advertisement from 1950 that hangs in the lobby illustrates how New Jersey’s many industries contributed to the construction.
Lighting came from Rialto Electric Co. in Passaic, the glass front from Paterson Glass Co., and the sheet metal work was done by Jersey Sheet Metal on Sebago Street in Clifton.
The theater had a string of owners throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1970s, it was split to hold two screens. In the mid-1980s, the theater was split again to hold four screens, and in the late 1990s, the original staging area was divided into two more screens.
In 1997, Clearview Cinemas bought the theater. Clearview, which is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp., owns 54 theaters in the New York metro area.
Ticket prices at the Allwood dropped the last week of October to appeal to families, said Valles.
Adult tickets are $6 and children and seniors pay $4. Tickets used to be $8.50 and $5.25. At the end of January, the theater will host a Kids First film and video festival for children as young as 2 years old.
Jesse Sayegh, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association of Theater Owners, said it’s common for small theaters to cut prices by $2 or $3 a ticket to capture a share of the movie market. Sayegh said families with children are often trying to save a little money and might be more attracted to a smaller theater.
“Where they can get free popcorn and lower admission for a first-run movie, it will attract,” he said.
He added that larger theaters sometimes get reputations for attracting “rowdies” and families are attracted to a theater that is quieter and seems safer.
However, smaller theaters in the area have been closing.
The Clifton Quad Theater, which opened in December 1937, closed in April 2000 and became a Walgreens. The Screening Zone in Montclair closed in August and remains empty.
“Once the Clifton Commons opened up on Route 3, that was sort of the kiss of death to all those small theaters in the area,” Sayegh said.
But the Allwood remains a favorite to people who have been coming for years, and some newcomers as well.
Sharon Pelosi, who lives across the street, said she remembered when lines to buy tickets stretched down the street. When Clifton Commons opened, attendance dropped, but now lines to get in the theater have been growing, she said.
“This is a great little neighborhood theater,” Pelosi said.
Sisters Michele Davide and Lori Kriz joined their third sister, Jennifer Davide, at the theater on a recent Friday as newcomers.
“I love main street theaters,” Kriz said.
Michele Davide nodded.
“It’s cute,‘’ she said. "There’s parking right here and there’s no line. So far, so good.”
From KenRoe’s comments on the Biograph Theater listing, we can conclude that the Majestic theater was closed by 1950. My 1951 FDY also has no listing in Bridgeton for this theater.
This 1913 photo shows the Orpheum. It is the light colored building partially blocked by the left most beam.
View link
The handwritten description states “Market Street”. Depending on the configuration of the station and the local streets at that time, it may have been possible to view Van Houten street from the Market Street station.
Photos/information on a previous Blobfest:
http://www.williamgirdler.com/blobfest.html
Is this theater currently used for peforming arts? This singer has performed at the “Ormont Theater” in the tri-state area. I can’t find any additional information on the theater.
http://www.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Cobbertt,_Deborah/
Listed as open in the 1951 FDY with 1102 seats.
Great link from the local school kids of Blairstown.
Be sure to click on the three links at the bottom for history & photos:
View link
Howard Hain (BA, Philosophy SUNY Buffalo) and his wife, Laura, recently bought a theater in Blairstown, New Jersey, which they are in the process of renovating. Nous Theatre, formerly Roy’s Hall, will be the home for a variety of programs, from dance to theater and will open this summer. The music styles will include baroque, Renaissance, medieval, and jazz, featuring local and international talent. Other plans include ballet and Greek plays that combine philosophy with dialogue. Original shows will also be performed at the theater. The opening show, held on June 4 and 18, will enlist the talents of 80 performers, including 55 chorus members and 22 orchestra members. Hain has written several plays that have been performed in San Francisco. 2005 online alumni newsletter
Theater owned by Richard Dabb. In April 1933, he began allowing the local Polish American club access to the theater to perform a monthly benefit show.
Seating capacity of the church is 900. The congregation has occupied this building since 1991.
http://www.triumphpcod.org/
On July 2, 1921, 358 people gathered at this theater to listen to the live radio broadcast of the Dempsey-Carpentier heavyweight bout. This was the largest live radio broadcast audience to date and inspired many people to purchase radios for home use, rather than having to go to a public hall for listening.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Feb 18, 2001 pB1
SILENT SCREENS; THE GLUT OF CINEMAS IN NEW JERSEY IS HELPING TO BRING THE CURTAIN DOWN ON THEATERS. (BUSINESS) Lewis Krauskopf.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2001 Bergen Record Corp.
By LEWIS KRAUSKOPF, Staff Writer
It was like the cinema industry’s version of a shootout scene from an old Western movie: the venerable Loews Showboat Quad looking down the barrel at the flashy new Edgewater Multiplex Cinemas.
And when the smoke cleared at the base of the cliffs at Edgewater last week, it was the bigger gun, the 16-screen multiplex, that was still standing. A mile down River Road, the four-screen Loews gave up the battle Thursday and closed its doors.
Clearly, there was room for only one cinema complex in this town.
A similar scene is being played out in communities around the nation. Simply, there are too many movie screens and not enough moviegoers.
A surge in the number of so-called megaplexes, like the new National Amusements-owned venue in Edgewater, complete with stadium-style seating, cafes, and other new amenities, are pulling in the crowds, but at the expense of older cinemas.
Such “overscreening” has muscled national chains into closing smaller cinema complexes and wrought financial damage: Carmike Cinemas Inc., United Artists Theater Co., General Cinema, and Edwards Cinemas have sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the past year, while Wall Street investors have been scared off by businesses associated with the industry.
Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp., which operated the Showboat, became the latest casualty Thursday. New York-based Loews was acquired by investors as part of a bankruptcy restructuring, and closed 22 theaters including the Showboat, while promising dozens more closures to come. The company, which is among New Jersey’s biggest operators with 204 screens, has not specified which other theaters it will close or when.
With more than 37,000 screens throughout the country at last count – 1,000 in New Jersey – industry analysts say that’s 5,000 to 7,000 too many.
“What’s happening is in many cases you’re not getting new moviegoers, you’re taking moviegoers from a certain area and dividing them up,” said Robert Piechota, who owns two independent Somerset County theaters and is an officer with the New Jersey branch of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO).
Megaplexes have been popping up throughout New Jersey, sometimes with dire results for local competition. The newer complexes include General Cinema’s 16-screen Clifton Commons and a 24-screen theater in Mercer County operated by AMC Theaters.
Moviegoers, like Mary Israel of Hoboken, have shown a clear preference for huge entertainment facilities like the Edgewater Multiplex: “It’s convenient, it’s comfortable, it’s easy to park, the sound is good, the screens are big,” said Israel, who has already seen films including “Traffic” and “The Gift” at the new theater. “Just about everything you could want.”
And the Showboat? “We went once, and that was enough,” she said.
Bill McLuckey’s theater has taken notice of some of its new neighbors. The three-screen, non-profit Williams Center Cinema in Rutherford differentiates itself by showing films for children and families. The center’s management also provides space for performing arts, but McLuckey – the center’s executive director – said the screen buildup in Clifton has cost him attendance.
“I think all of us have felt the impact of these megaplexes,” McLuckey said. “They’re new. They’re glitzy. They’ve got a lot of screens.”
The 1990s witnessed a big-screen boom. From 1989 to 1999, the number of screens in America rose from 22,921 to 37,185, according to NATO. New Jersey got caught in that wave. In 1986, New Jerseyans had their choice of 542 screens; in 1999, 1,029 screens in 168 theaters dotted the Garden State landscape.
Much of that growth occurred in the second half of the decade. AMC Theaters built the first monster movie venue in Dallas in 1995, housing 24 screens replete with now-common amenities under one roof.
The megaplex accelerated a trend that began in the 1970s when the industry began turning cinemas into two-screen theaters to reap benefits of shared concessions, restrooms, and box offices, while increasing the audience’s viewing options. So by 1999, even though the number of separate screens had climbed by more than 10,000 in the previous five years, the number of theater complexes actually had fallen.
People, however, have not flocked to theaters as quickly as the number of screens have risen. Though movies remain a popular entertainment option, admissions rose only 17 percent from 1989 to their peak nationally of 1.48 billion in 1998, and have actually dropped by 60 million the past two years, according to NATO. Observers point to a lack of quality films to choose from and increasing home-viewing options as reasons for lagging attendance.
“Suddenly you’re trying to rent a location when attendance has dropped due to new competition,” said Brian Callaghan, director of film marketing and communications for General Cinema, which operates 38 screens at four locations in New Jersey. “Everyone in the industry is experiencing it to some degree.”
Loews, one of the country’s largest theater operators with about 340 venues and 2,800 screens, was the latest to file for bankruptcy, but perhaps not the last. Privately held Regal Cinemas, the nation’s largest chain, reportedly said last week it was considering closing as many as 30 percent of its 375 theaters to pay debts.
“Very few players are going to emerge out of this unscathed,” said David Allen, a media analyst with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.
Industry observers say the movie theater business is in transition. The future landscape could feature super-screened megaplexes that cover commercial films with more theaters looking to discover niches, as foreign-film showcases or as coffeehouse cinemas.
“You’re going to have some kind of evolution of the market,” said Al Nigrin, executive director of the Rutgers Film Co-op and the New Jersey Media Arts Center. “By the end of this decade I’m sure there will be a variety of different types of setups.”
Appealing to a specific segment of the moviegoing market may help sustain a few older-style cinemas but not even that strategy could save the Showboat.
In a late bid to counter the impact of the neighboring megaplex, Loews had been playing less commercial films, such as a reissue of the Beatles' 1964 film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” the British heartwarmer “Billy Elliot” and Julian Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls” over the last few months.
But the appeal of “Finding Forrester,” “Cast Away,” and “The Wedding Planner” at the new Edgewater Cinemas took their toll.
“I certainly could say to you that it has had an negative impact on our attendance at the theater,” said Mindy Tucker, Loews' corporate vice president for strategic planning, prior to the announcement about the Showboat closing.
While some will miss the Showboat – the possibility of using the building for a police station was raised at recent council meeting – it seems most Edgewater moviegoers are satisfied with their viewing options.
Fort Lee residents Etia and Julian Segall, leaving a recent matinee of “Chocolat” at the Edgewater Multiplex, gushed about the comfortable seating in the new theater.
“This is it,” Etia Segall said. “This is home.”
Staff Writer Lewis Krauskopf’s e-mail address is
Guess this never happened….
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Feb 19, 2002 pL1
SCREEN GEM; FORMER LANDMARK CINEMA MAY GIVE WAY TO SCHOOL BOARD OFFICES. (NEWS) Eman Varoqua.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2002 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
By EMAN VAROQUA, Staff Writer
PATERSON – Plans are in the works to convert the abandoned Fabian building, once home to an opulent theater, into the Board of Education’s central office complex. The 77-year-old theater that adjoins the structure could be demolished by this summer.
“This was the great movie palace of the 1920s,” said Passaic County Historian Edward A. Smyk, admitting that he doesn’t think the building at Church and Ellison streets would qualify for historical designation.
Philip Rabinowitz, a partner in the architectural firm that bought the building, W & C Properties, said he could break ground on the $22 million project in June if he receives local and state approval.
Supporters say the renovation of the non-theater portion of the building might help jump-start downtown development. The neighboring Alexander Hamilton Hotel was also purchased by Rabinowitz’s firm and will be converted into senior assisted living. The firm recently acquired the Pruden building across the street from the Fabian, which will be converted into a restaurant and office space.
“As an old Patersonian, I’d love to see this historic district once again bustling,” Rabinowitz said. “I hope it becomes like a domino effect – and other sites become revitalized one by one.”
For three decades the Fabian Theater served as the premier movie palace in the city and a cultural mecca that attracted its share of celebrities. It was the site of vaudeville shows and premieres of Abbott and Costello movies, and had Turkish baths in its basement.
Jacob Fabian opened the silent-movie theater in 1925 with the movie “We Moderns,” with Warren Yates on the Fabian Mammoth Organ. The theater had a 2-ton chandelier with 500 light bulbs, paintings on the walls, and ornate gilding.
Like much of the city, the 1960s were not kind to the Fabian. Riots drove out middle-class residents, scared off suburban shoppers, and left the theater struggling to fill its 2,500 seats.
It was turned into a multiplex in the 1970s. Still, it couldn’t compete with suburban theaters, and it finally closed in 1993. It’s been vacant since.
The remodeled building would house 250 employees on nine floors. A four-story garage would be built next to the complex and hold 190 parking spaces. The project would increase the building from 57,000 to nearly 100,000 square feet.
As proposed, the Board of Education would commit to a 30-year lease on the building. The terms are under negotiation, but it is estimated the lease would top $1 million annually. The move would put all administrative offices in one building for the first time, said Pat Chalmers, district spokeswoman. After the lease, the board would have an option to buy the building.
“It can only be beneficial to have the administration under one roof,” Chalmers said. “We’ll also be able to consolidate our leases.” Chalmers could not provide the amount the board currently spends on leasing.
The board rents space from Rabinowitz for its main offices, 33 and 35 Church St. Administrative offices are also on Ellison Street and at various schools.
Chalmers said Superintendent Edwin Duroy is in favor of the move and is working out the amount of the annual lease.
School board Vice President Juan “Mitch” Santiago wants the district to buy the building.
“If we can work out a price that matches around what we pay now, then why not?” Santiago said. “I can’t see how anyone would have a problem.”
Board member Joseph Atallo does not support the idea of a central complex, calling it frivolous.
“I need a lot more information before I make a 30-year commitment with Paterson’s money,” Atallo said. “I feel our priority should be building schools and providing classroom space to our overcrowded district. Educating our students comes before building a Taj Mahal office building.”
Instead, Atallo would like to see the board buy a building and develop it. “We should invest in a building instead of paying rent,” Atallo said.
Over the years, various city leaders have talked of reopening the theater and Passaic County Community College contemplated buying it as part of its expansion plans.
Property owners and real estate appraisers said the $10.50-a-square-foot price tag paid by the developers, or $598,500, is to be expected for a building that is vacant and will need a lot of work. Commercial space in Paterson rents for $12- to $18-a-square-foot, more depending on its age and location, they said. If the school board pays $1 million annually for the building, that will be about $10 a square foot.
Michael Seeve, the president of Mountain Development Corp., which owns 100 Hamilton Plaza in the city’s downtown, said he looked at the Fabian but felt it needed too much work.
“To get somebody in the Fabian building, you’re talking about a major investment before you could even get someone to walk in the door,” Seeve said. “That sort of impacts the value. We were daunted by the required work. It’s a great structure and isn’t a bad location. But it wasn’t jumping out at us.”
Last year, W & C introduced plans to restore the theater, but city officials shot it down, saying the area could neither attract crowds nor compete with multiplexes. The latest plan appears to have strong support, despite the concerns by historians and critics on the board concerned with the cost.
Despite the theater being demolished, Rabinowitz said he would keep much of the remaining building’s historic integrity. He said he is convinced that his vision for the Fabian will be a boon for the downtown.
But he also warned that he would walk away, should the Board of Education reject his plans.
“If this doesn’t work, then that’s it,” Rabinowitz said. “I’m not going to do anything with the building.”
Staff Writer Eman Varoqua’s e-mail address is
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), August 22, 2003 p031
Movie buff buys a theater of his own in Hunterdon; New owner vows show will go on at Cinema Plaza, at least for now. (SOMERSET)
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2003 The Star-Ledger. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of The Star-Ledger by the Gale Group, Inc.
Byline: PETER N. SPENCER
Ever since he was a kid, local businessman Steve Kalafer has been in love with the movies.
Now, in a way, he owns them.
The 54-year-old owner of the Somerset Patriots baseball team and Flemington Car and Truck Country, is buying the Cinema Plaza on Route 202/31 for $3.5 million. The 21-year-old theater is the last remaining in Hunterdon County.
The complex, with two buildings on a nine-acre site, includes a state Division of Motor Vehicles office, the Star Maker School of the Performing Arts, Studio One Photography, Rugs to Riches, and the Ready, Set, Go day care facility. As the long as the businesses stay viable, the complex will stay as is, Kalafer said. He is sitting down with each of the tenants and offering them one- to five-year lease deals.
Although this was a good investment on a “great piece of real estate,” he said, the real gem in this purchase is the theater.
The property was put on the market by owner Richard Nathan about 3 ½ years ago. Nathan turned down offers from people who did not plan to keep the theater.
Kalafer and his family have been frequenting Cinema Plaza since he moved to Franklin Township in the early 1970s. His oldest son saw his first movie there – “E.T.” – in 1982.
“It’s a great movie-going experience,” said Kalafer, a self-professed theater buff. “It’s very intimate and retro, and it has the best popcorn I’ve ever had.”
No stranger to the movie industry, Kalafer co-produced two Oscar-nominated films: 1998’s “More,” a six-minute animated short that won a prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, and “Curtain Call,” in 2000, a documentary about retired film and stage performers. He is co-producing another documentary “The Bridge of Rose’s,” which he expects to be released next year.
Kalafer also has been a longtime benefactor and trustee of the Actors' Fund.
Current operator John Monsport took over the business in 2000.
Kalafer is hopeful it doesn’t fall by the wayside like all the other county theaters, which lost patrons because they were old and outmoded. He believes there should be an alternative to the current crop of stadium-sized megaplexes.
Ultimately, Hunterdon County theater-goers will decide the fate of Cinema Plaza.
“At least for some time, the show will still go on,” Kalafer said.
Peter N. Spencer works in the Somerset County bureau. He can be reached at or at (908) 429- 9925.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Jan 4, 2004 pL01
Popcorn plot line: David vs. Goliath; Small movie house survives in Clifton. LOCAL Amanda Gerut; Special To The Record.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2004 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
Byline: AMANDA GERUT, SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
CLIFTON – In the age of megaplex movie theaters with valet parking and gourmet dinners, the Allwood Cinema has refreshed its image as a family showplace, surviving as other small theaters shut their doors.
The 53-year-old Allwood has stuck to its roots, with six screens, cheap tickets and popcorn, candy and ice cream concessions. As ticket prices rise above $10 elsewhere, the Allwood recently lowered its tickets to $6.
And even though business dipped when the multiplex AMC Clifton Commons opened, ticket sales have recently surged, workers say.
“We have a very loyal clientele,” said general manager Ralph Valles.
In 1929 there were about 20,000 movie theaters in the United States compared with 6,134 today, according to the National Association of Theater Owners in North Hollywood, Calif.
But in North Jersey, some small theaters like the Allwood and the Hawthorne Theaters on Lafayette Avenue endure by appealing to families as a smaller, more economical alternative to the bigger movie powerhouses.
Jeana Yoo, 12, and Samantha Ruggiero, 12, said they aren’t allowed to go to big theaters alone.
“It’s too crowded,” Ruggiero said on a recent Friday night at the Allwood with a group of friends to see the Steve Martin flick, “Cheaper by the Dozen.”
Linda Fadil, who began working at the theater as a teen and still works there part time, said the view of Market Street from the lobby hasn’t changed much since the late 1970s.
“Some things have changed but it’s pretty much the same,” Fadil said, looking through the glass doors next to the box office.
The Allwood Theater opened in the summer of 1950 with a premiere run of the western “Broken Arrow,” starring James Stewart. Actor Tom Ewell performed on its stage five years before his turn in Billy Wilder’s “The Seven Year Itch” with Marilyn Monroe.
The theater was owned by Fabian Theatre Inc. and Harry Hecht, a Rosemawr theater executive. Paterson architect Sidney Schenker designed it.
An advertisement from 1950 that hangs in the lobby illustrates how New Jersey’s many industries contributed to the construction.
Lighting came from Rialto Electric Co. in Passaic, the glass front from Paterson Glass Co., and the sheet metal work was done by Jersey Sheet Metal on Sebago Street in Clifton.
The theater had a string of owners throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In the late 1970s, it was split to hold two screens. In the mid-1980s, the theater was split again to hold four screens, and in the late 1990s, the original staging area was divided into two more screens.
In 1997, Clearview Cinemas bought the theater. Clearview, which is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp., owns 54 theaters in the New York metro area.
Ticket prices at the Allwood dropped the last week of October to appeal to families, said Valles.
Adult tickets are $6 and children and seniors pay $4. Tickets used to be $8.50 and $5.25. At the end of January, the theater will host a Kids First film and video festival for children as young as 2 years old.
Jesse Sayegh, president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association of Theater Owners, said it’s common for small theaters to cut prices by $2 or $3 a ticket to capture a share of the movie market. Sayegh said families with children are often trying to save a little money and might be more attracted to a smaller theater.
“Where they can get free popcorn and lower admission for a first-run movie, it will attract,” he said.
He added that larger theaters sometimes get reputations for attracting “rowdies” and families are attracted to a theater that is quieter and seems safer.
However, smaller theaters in the area have been closing.
The Clifton Quad Theater, which opened in December 1937, closed in April 2000 and became a Walgreens. The Screening Zone in Montclair closed in August and remains empty.
“Once the Clifton Commons opened up on Route 3, that was sort of the kiss of death to all those small theaters in the area,” Sayegh said.
But the Allwood remains a favorite to people who have been coming for years, and some newcomers as well.
Sharon Pelosi, who lives across the street, said she remembered when lines to buy tickets stretched down the street. When Clifton Commons opened, attendance dropped, but now lines to get in the theater have been growing, she said.
“This is a great little neighborhood theater,” Pelosi said.
Sisters Michele Davide and Lori Kriz joined their third sister, Jennifer Davide, at the theater on a recent Friday as newcomers.
“I love main street theaters,” Kriz said.
Michele Davide nodded.
“It’s cute,‘’ she said. "There’s parking right here and there’s no line. So far, so good.”
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good history at this link, along with some extra links at the bottom:
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Photo at this link:
http://www.mesbursmith.com/restor3.htm
Interior photo:
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This link has a nice description of the postcard shown above:
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Print for sale at this link:
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Print for sale at this link:
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“Movie Premiere” print for sale at this link:
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Nice print for sale:
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PS I had to check lostmemory’s second link because this print looks nothing like the current theater!
Here is the night photograph that Vincent is looking for:
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From KenRoe’s comments on the Biograph Theater listing, we can conclude that the Majestic theater was closed by 1950. My 1951 FDY also has no listing in Bridgeton for this theater.
Listed in the 1951 FDY as the “Center” at 424 Centre Street with 550 seats.
Old interior photo (note spelling from this link – perhaps a typo):
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