I attended “On The Beach” and though I love the film, seeing the theatre’s interior was my main reason for going. What an amazing place this Loew’s is! My mom visited from upstate to come along, and on the stairs up to the balcony she said the staircase reminded her of the stairs in the old RKO movie palace that used to stand at 86th and Lexington in Manhattan.
My camera wsa not able to capture the grandeur, and due to the darkness most of the pictures are blurred. The flash did little to illuminate the great spaces and in fact created lots of glare. Here are the best pics of the batch:
The deserted streets of Melbourne at the end of “On The Beach,” symbolic of humanity’s extinction, are among my favorite cinematic images. I wish I could have attended “Sleeper.”
Have had it designed since last summer but have not begun building it. I have some of the lumber but still have to work out some of the meaurements before buying the rest of it. I originally designed the armoire with the intention of finding art deco-style door-pulls similar to the Beekman’s…little did I know that I would eventually obtain an actual set! They are so massively heavy that my new dilemma is finding hinges that will support the weight of the armoire doors once the door-pulls are installed. When I solve the problem and comstruct the armoire I will definitely post a pic for you! :–)
Yes, we are returning to a time when the interests of the rich, and big business, take precedence over all things cultural in NYC. The only difference seems to lie in the attitude. Though Pennsylvania Station was a terrible loss, its destruction, related to greed, came after two decades of a genuine confidence and true (if naive) hope for a bright future. In that time, New Yorkers were willing to believe that perhaps whatever replaced the Station might possible be better (what a joke). The current trends are pure greed and nothing more. No hopefulness, no brighter future for the city, no thoughts that something better might replace the lost monuments…just pure, blind greed. New Yorkers vote more and more for the interests of the wealthy…this is the result.
Thank you everyone! I am not sure yet how I will display them. Someone at the office saw them and said they would make beautiful towel racks. Good grief! I think not.
I have been designing a HUGE armoire to house my gigantic TV and a stereo, DVD player, etc…as well many DVDs and VHS tapes, and the design includes two big doors for the front of the piece which will hide the general disorganized appearance of it all, plus conceal the TV itself (I think TVs and entertainment centers are ugly). The Beekman door-pulls would be perfect for the front, and even the reverse “PUSH” sides would be there, and when the doors are opened for TV viewing they would be visible. Of course there is no way I would damage the door-pulls with varnish or anything, I would install them way after any stain dries. I am going to leave them as they are, I love the chipped vintage appearance.
I picked the door-pulls up this morning from the seller and carried them through the subways to work and they are IMMENSELY HEAVY!! Now I have to carry them home…my whole body will probably get a hernia. It would be worth it!
The seller told me he has another set of Beekman door-pulls but they are damaged. I did not see them. They might appear on eBay, anyone interested should keep checking!
Hi William: Thank you for the info re the Beekman door-pulls up for auction on eBay. Winning bidder here! I feel honored to own this piece of the lovely lost Beekman. I am amazed that no one salvaged the beautiful chrome doors that separated the ticket lobby from the interior. More fodder for the landfill. I wonder what became of the exterior logo from the top of the facade. Maybe it’s in the landfill too. :–(
You’re very welcome. Here are two final images, January 21, 2006:
I believe that is the the last vestige of the raked floor of the balcony, at the rear wall of the site:
In the 1970s when New York City was “reinventing” itself, it did so in the image of wealthy suburbanites. Now it is primarily a town for rich financial types or corporate lawyers, and no one else. Many of these are notoriously conservative and not interested in diversity or urban “edginess,” so they bring the bland homogeneity of the suburbs to the cities and the result is the metropolis of today, increasingly governed by the interests of the wealthy, and as dull as the ‘burbs. Everyone and everything else, including old movie theatres and other landmarks, and the middle class, are expected to disappear, and there will ultimately be little support for them.
I realize this is a simplification, and it is not meant to generalize about all wealthy people, many of whom moved to the city to escape the suburbs and are probably equally disappointed about the city’s genericization. As a native New Yorker I am not sorry to see the days of high crime and widespread deteriorating neighborhoods behind us. But there is definitely a change for the worse afoot in NYC which is at risk of becoming nothing more than a giant boring mall.
I had hoped to get there while they were removing the Beekman logo, but I did not. They probably took it down very quickly so no one would stop and gawk. I peered through the black fence to see if it was lying around anywhere but it is nowhere to be seen. It may have been tossed into the wreckage pile and will be carted off with the rest of the building. Let’s hope it is indeed someplace safe! I think the Beekman logo out in that theatre on LI may have come off the original marquee, not this last vestige on the parapet, but I am not sure. :–(
:–)
I just can’t imagine that street without the Beekman. While I took photos this morning there were quite a few passersby stopping to watch or point or talk about the theatre. A very sad loss for NYC.
EXCELLENT!! Wow AlAlvarez, thanks so much for these lists, they are jogging memories like crazy and I am happy that the earliest movie I recall seeing at the Beekman in included (The Poseidon Adventure)!!! I am sure now that I also saw “Clash of the Titans” and “Ruthless People” here, I saw them somewhere in the neighborhood and it must have been here. And WOW, one of my faves “Anne of the Thousand Days” played there way back, that is the type of film I would have expected to see at the Beekman. Thanks again, AlAlvarez, I am going to be reading and rereading these lists for a good long time!! :–)
You’re welcome astrocks! I am going to return for a few more pictures, though if they have been working steadily over the past two days, there is probably not much left now. They are demolishing the block starting from the uptown side working toward downtown, so the bank went first, then the Beekman.
The State theatre…is that the theatre in the basement of the Virigin Megastore on Times Square?
Hi EdSolero, I too saw “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Purple Rose of Cairo” and “Hannah and Her Sisters” at the Beekman. Also “Manhattan,” “Zelig” and “Manhattan Murder Mystery.” I will always wonder if “Sleeper” or “Annie Hall” played the Beekman.
I added the RKO Keith’s to my favorites, though I have never been there. Hmmm maybe I should head out there with my camera!!
You’re very welcome! Since the Beekman is part of my movie-going past, there is no way I could let it disappear entirely without documenting it. Maybe the pics will help me accept it, kiss it, and release it. I tend to fixate on places that I remember from my childhood and will always remember the Beekman. I could hardly believe it when I read in the news that it was going to close. I still wonder and worry about what cinema treasure will be next to go. :–(
Miscellaneous Beekman demolition images: Sorry for the odd blurred lobby images, I took the pics through a black mesh fence. If you look closely, in the upper right of the lobby pics, the debris-strewn raked floor of the balcony is visible. In a couple of the images the star motif on the lobby floor can still be seen, though obscured by dust.
Thanks for the pics EdSolero, I have seen many similar retail buildings throughout NYC and next time I see one I’ll wonder if it was originally a movie palace.
I attended “On The Beach” and though I love the film, seeing the theatre’s interior was my main reason for going. What an amazing place this Loew’s is! My mom visited from upstate to come along, and on the stairs up to the balcony she said the staircase reminded her of the stairs in the old RKO movie palace that used to stand at 86th and Lexington in Manhattan.
My camera wsa not able to capture the grandeur, and due to the darkness most of the pictures are blurred. The flash did little to illuminate the great spaces and in fact created lots of glare. Here are the best pics of the batch:
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The deserted streets of Melbourne at the end of “On The Beach,” symbolic of humanity’s extinction, are among my favorite cinematic images. I wish I could have attended “Sleeper.”
Have had it designed since last summer but have not begun building it. I have some of the lumber but still have to work out some of the meaurements before buying the rest of it. I originally designed the armoire with the intention of finding art deco-style door-pulls similar to the Beekman’s…little did I know that I would eventually obtain an actual set! They are so massively heavy that my new dilemma is finding hinges that will support the weight of the armoire doors once the door-pulls are installed. When I solve the problem and comstruct the armoire I will definitely post a pic for you! :–)
Yes, we are returning to a time when the interests of the rich, and big business, take precedence over all things cultural in NYC. The only difference seems to lie in the attitude. Though Pennsylvania Station was a terrible loss, its destruction, related to greed, came after two decades of a genuine confidence and true (if naive) hope for a bright future. In that time, New Yorkers were willing to believe that perhaps whatever replaced the Station might possible be better (what a joke). The current trends are pure greed and nothing more. No hopefulness, no brighter future for the city, no thoughts that something better might replace the lost monuments…just pure, blind greed. New Yorkers vote more and more for the interests of the wealthy…this is the result.
Thank you everyone! I am not sure yet how I will display them. Someone at the office saw them and said they would make beautiful towel racks. Good grief! I think not.
I have been designing a HUGE armoire to house my gigantic TV and a stereo, DVD player, etc…as well many DVDs and VHS tapes, and the design includes two big doors for the front of the piece which will hide the general disorganized appearance of it all, plus conceal the TV itself (I think TVs and entertainment centers are ugly). The Beekman door-pulls would be perfect for the front, and even the reverse “PUSH” sides would be there, and when the doors are opened for TV viewing they would be visible. Of course there is no way I would damage the door-pulls with varnish or anything, I would install them way after any stain dries. I am going to leave them as they are, I love the chipped vintage appearance.
I picked the door-pulls up this morning from the seller and carried them through the subways to work and they are IMMENSELY HEAVY!! Now I have to carry them home…my whole body will probably get a hernia. It would be worth it!
The seller told me he has another set of Beekman door-pulls but they are damaged. I did not see them. They might appear on eBay, anyone interested should keep checking!
Thanks! It will be well cared for. Good lord maybe I should insure it!!
Hi William: Thank you for the info re the Beekman door-pulls up for auction on eBay. Winning bidder here! I feel honored to own this piece of the lovely lost Beekman. I am amazed that no one salvaged the beautiful chrome doors that separated the ticket lobby from the interior. More fodder for the landfill. I wonder what became of the exterior logo from the top of the facade. Maybe it’s in the landfill too. :–(
You’re very welcome. Here are two final images, January 21, 2006:
I believe that is the the last vestige of the raked floor of the balcony, at the rear wall of the site:
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Gone. The trees that flanked the Beekman entrance remain.
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It sure looks that way but I am not sure. Let’s hope that if it is, they will restore the marquee to its original look.
Whoops, double post, sorry everyone.
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In the 1970s when New York City was “reinventing” itself, it did so in the image of wealthy suburbanites. Now it is primarily a town for rich financial types or corporate lawyers, and no one else. Many of these are notoriously conservative and not interested in diversity or urban “edginess,” so they bring the bland homogeneity of the suburbs to the cities and the result is the metropolis of today, increasingly governed by the interests of the wealthy, and as dull as the ‘burbs. Everyone and everything else, including old movie theatres and other landmarks, and the middle class, are expected to disappear, and there will ultimately be little support for them.
I realize this is a simplification, and it is not meant to generalize about all wealthy people, many of whom moved to the city to escape the suburbs and are probably equally disappointed about the city’s genericization. As a native New Yorker I am not sorry to see the days of high crime and widespread deteriorating neighborhoods behind us. But there is definitely a change for the worse afoot in NYC which is at risk of becoming nothing more than a giant boring mall.
I had hoped to get there while they were removing the Beekman logo, but I did not. They probably took it down very quickly so no one would stop and gawk. I peered through the black fence to see if it was lying around anywhere but it is nowhere to be seen. It may have been tossed into the wreckage pile and will be carted off with the rest of the building. Let’s hope it is indeed someplace safe! I think the Beekman logo out in that theatre on LI may have come off the original marquee, not this last vestige on the parapet, but I am not sure. :–(
:–)
I just can’t imagine that street without the Beekman. While I took photos this morning there were quite a few passersby stopping to watch or point or talk about the theatre. A very sad loss for NYC.
Going fast…
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EXCELLENT!! Wow AlAlvarez, thanks so much for these lists, they are jogging memories like crazy and I am happy that the earliest movie I recall seeing at the Beekman in included (The Poseidon Adventure)!!! I am sure now that I also saw “Clash of the Titans” and “Ruthless People” here, I saw them somewhere in the neighborhood and it must have been here. And WOW, one of my faves “Anne of the Thousand Days” played there way back, that is the type of film I would have expected to see at the Beekman. Thanks again, AlAlvarez, I am going to be reading and rereading these lists for a good long time!! :–)
Wow excellent list AlAlvarez!! How did you compile it? I would love to see a list for the 70s, 80s and 90s. Thanks for posting!
You’re welcome astrocks! I am going to return for a few more pictures, though if they have been working steadily over the past two days, there is probably not much left now. They are demolishing the block starting from the uptown side working toward downtown, so the bank went first, then the Beekman.
The State theatre…is that the theatre in the basement of the Virigin Megastore on Times Square?
Hi EdSolero, I too saw “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Purple Rose of Cairo” and “Hannah and Her Sisters” at the Beekman. Also “Manhattan,” “Zelig” and “Manhattan Murder Mystery.” I will always wonder if “Sleeper” or “Annie Hall” played the Beekman.
I added the RKO Keith’s to my favorites, though I have never been there. Hmmm maybe I should head out there with my camera!!
You’re very welcome! Since the Beekman is part of my movie-going past, there is no way I could let it disappear entirely without documenting it. Maybe the pics will help me accept it, kiss it, and release it. I tend to fixate on places that I remember from my childhood and will always remember the Beekman. I could hardly believe it when I read in the news that it was going to close. I still wonder and worry about what cinema treasure will be next to go. :–(
Miscellaneous Beekman demolition images: Sorry for the odd blurred lobby images, I took the pics through a black mesh fence. If you look closely, in the upper right of the lobby pics, the debris-strewn raked floor of the balcony is visible. In a couple of the images the star motif on the lobby floor can still be seen, though obscured by dust.
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Beekman demolition, December 26, 2005:
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This space is closed and sealed up, no retail, no theatre, nothing. Pics from December 19, 2005.
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Interesting, I wonder what the RKO Fantasy in Nassau was, I couldn’t find that theatre in a site search
Thanks for the pics EdSolero, I have seen many similar retail buildings throughout NYC and next time I see one I’ll wonder if it was originally a movie palace.