Listed here as the New Palace, this theatre can be dated back to at least July of 1914 when “The Motion Picture News” mentions in its July 18 edition that one A.J. Pfeffer left his position with a theatre in nearby Elizabeth to manage the Crescent in Carteret.
According to the March 11, 1916 issue of “Motography”, Kreimer and Demott, then the owners of the Crescent, sold it to Maurice Spewak. This is the first time Spewak would buy this theatre. Spewak also owned the Majestic Theatre in the Hill section of Carteret, though it is unclear when he purchased it.
Just to note, the 1916 mention lists the location of the Crescent as Roosevelt, while the 1914 mention gives Carteret. The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, as I mentioned in another comment, lists its location as Chrome. To clarify, when Carteret became a borough in 1906, it carried the name Roosevelt. The Post Office there prior to that was referred to as Carteret, and depending on who did the reporting, either name could be used. Roosevelt changed its name to Carteret in 1922. Chrome is a section of Carteret.
In 1926 Spewak announced he had purchased land in the center of town and was going to build a 1,000+ seat modern theatre. His operating method with the Crescent and Majestic was to change the bill almost daily, and alternating the shows between both his theatres. He considered both of them too small and it a needless waste of labor to operate two theatres at the opposite ends of town, so one might figure he closed them shortly after opening his new house, The Ritz,in September, 1927.
Spewak seldom advertised the offerings of his venues in the local paper, so it’s hard to tell by a disappearance of ads when it closed. I imagine he relied on flyers that were handed out to patrons at the end of each show, like when I attended the Ritz years later (although by then he was advertising regular in the local paper). The last time an ad appeared for the Crescent in the local paper was in the spring of 1925.
Here’s a brief rundown from 1932-36, taken from listings under “Theater Changes Reported by Film Boards of Trade” as reported by The Film Daily, dates are dates published:
January 25, 1932, Crescent is listed under closings.
May 15, 1932: Palace sold to F.E. Wedge, listed under “Changes In Ownership”. Right below, under “Re-Openings” is the referred to as the Crescent.
I believe this is backwards, The Palace opened April 23, and I’m posting a period ad announcing that in the pictures section.
The July 25, 1933 issue lists the Palace under closings.
The October 24, 1934 issue has the Palace sold to M.E. Simon. Simon obviously changed the name to New Palace, as that was its name in the October 26, 1936 issue when it was listed that Simon sold to Maurice Spewak.
The 1945 Film Daily Yearbook listed its name as the New Palace, and noted it was closed.
During the 1936-45 period, there were only 2 ads in the local paper, one in 1938 calling the theatre the Palace, and one from 1945 calling it New Palace. Scattered mentions in the local press in that time frame were for rental events by local groups and, depending on which event, it was referred to by either name.
After a serious remodel, the Crescent reopened again, as the Gem Theatre, in February 1952. By the end of March, ads disappeared from the local paper; I’m not sure how long it stayed open after that. It remained vacant for many years until the late 60’s when a plumbing company moved in. It was razed along with the rest of the Chrome business district in 2006. A condo now occupies the site.
Two updates to add that have been posted on the Ritz comments page over the weekend…The Star-Ledger pictures now have an accompanying article, published August 24. Part of the plan as mentioned here is to include a movie complex, which will attach to the east side of the the building. On the west there will be an addition constructed that, along with the planned addition of a mezzanine, will increase capacity from its original 1,200 to 1,500 according to the mayor.
On Friday, NJTV NEWS did an approximately 3 minute spot on the plans to restore, starting at about 22:30. At the 25 minute mark there is an artist drawing of what the performing arts center should look like when finished.
Growing up only a few blocks from the Ritz, it was like a second home to me. Looking at the pictures brought back memories, it’s as I remember it down to colors of the paint. I was surprised to see the soft goods still hanging down from the ceiling after all these years.
Another media bit coming out this week was on NJTV NEWS last night. Only one quick glimpse of the theatre’s interior, but the piece runs about 3 minutes and talks a bit about the process, etc. The Ritz segment starts at about 22:30, for those not wanting to sit through a bunch of Jersey news.
Workers in Carteret have started to remove the drop ceiling that hid the more ornate Ritz ceiling the last few decades. Here’s a few pictures taken by John O'Boyle of the Newark Star-Ledger.
markp, I should be back again in December, maybe we can get together then. I had forgotten you mentioned the 1,250 seat figure the Mayor gave for the restored Ritz until I went to see if my comment posted, which reminded me to do a little updating, at least here in the comments section.
The 1,200 capacity mentioned on the overview page was sourced from 2 articles in the old “Carteret Press” newspaper, one from the week before the Ritz opened (“1200”) and one from the day after, describing opening night (“about 1200”) back in 1927. Since then, my ongoing search for info on the various theatres in Carteret and surrounding towns has uncovered two other numbers in trade publications. The Exhibitors Herald-World issue of September 27, 1930 contained a promo for the installation of Western Electric sound apparatus which mentions the Ritz as a recent install, giving the seating capacity as 1,044. The 1945 Film Daily Yearbook lists the Ritz with 1,000 seats. So my original number isn’t written in stone.
Having mentioned 1930 era Western Electric sound projection equipment, here is part of what they were installing that year.
Thanks for the update, markp. I sort of thought a deal was finalized when I noticed it went
off the market recently. If anybody wants to read it, here’s a link to the article you mentioned, and here’s another bit written by the person who wrote the article I cited earlier this year when plans for the purchase were announced. It gives a little more detail but doesn’t archive well, after a couple of months one is expected to pay to read it.
Also markp sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet up, but while I was in the area last month, I spent time in the libraries in Woodbridge and Rahway, also got to meet with the town historian in Rahway. So as time permits, I’ll be posting some comments about all three Carteret theatres, along with the State, Woodbridge Theatre, and one of the old Rahway houses, along with at least one as yet unlisted theatre there, along with some pictures from various locations over the next month or so. Hope you catch them.
The second link at least works, didn’t try the first. Seems when posting a link to CT, it has to be in html code to be clickable with a mouse. Otherwise, you have to cut and paste the link. A younger coworker taught me the code recently (not that hard), so I’ll transpose below. You should see three vintage b&w photos of the Sheridan.
I’ve just uploaded a picture of the new marquee installed earlier this week, here is a link to the Berkeleyside article mentioned in a previous post, and this is a link to the nonprofit that will be running the UC when it reopens.
RkoRoxy, I can add little more than markp has already mentioned, Mayor Reiman’s campaign website does mention “partnering with a regional performing arts group to restore the building to economic viability”. Evidently this will be accomplished with little to no taxpayer money if I am reading it right. I think there is a typo where a 100 seat performing arts center(should be 1,000 I believe) is mentioned, it also appears that the planned 6 screen movie theatre will be attached to the building.
I did get in touch with a borough employee who supplied the scans I uploaded a few weeks back. They don’t seem to be involved with this project however. I did ask if there was some way I could be kept up to date on progress as things move along when I emailed a thanks for the scans, but haven’t heard anything as yet, I’ll post updates as I come across them. I’m sure there will be some local publicity when plans are finalized, you and markp might hear about them in the local media before I do out here in California, in which case I hope you guys will post what’s new.
markp, I came across thisposting on the local to Carteret craigslist for a large indoor/outdoor yard sale being held at the old
Ritz building this weekend and next. I doubt they’re selling anything theatrical and the article I recently linked to says there is a dropped ceiling that hides a lot of the old architecture, but you never know what interesting remnants might be viewed. Thought this might interest you if you don’t have a call this Saturday or next.
I’m pretty excited at the idea of the Ritz coming back to life, I grew up a few blocks from it and saw many movies there between the mid 50’s and when it closed in early 1965. I developed an early fascination with things theatre that led to a career as a stagehand, some of that fascination came from the Ritz. Too bad I live on the west coast and will have retired by time this project is complete, or I’d apply for a position. I was inside of the building a few years after it was closed, virtually none of the interior architecture was harmed in its transformation to a clothing factory. It should look fantastic when restored. Kudos to my hometown for making the Ritz the centerpiece of its downtown renewal project. I look forward to attending some events after it reopens when I’m in the area visiting relatives.
markp, I mentioned the Basie because the mayor made a comparison to it as what he hopes to do with the Ritz. My mention of UCAC was because it’s next door in Rahway, and while they may have dropped any film series, a group that calls itself Friends of UCAC is showing Night of The Living Dead later this month and doing a Saturday matinee next month featuring a Chaplin movie, cartoons and shorts. Both only 5 bucks admission, and they advertise it as “reel film”. Also next month is a rental that will show a documentary about motorcycle riding, for an extra charge you get to attend a tailgate party in the parking lot. So, maybe not a series, but the old Rahway still gets used for what it was built for on occasion. Same pretty much with the Basie, both houses are still set to show the occasional movie. I’ve read the CT pages for all the old area theatres, some of which I saw movies in, and was aware of your connection to both these houses from the comments.
I did get in touch with the author of the article I linked, who gave me the email address of a borough employee who supplied scans of the pictures I uploaded yesterday, I’m going to be writing them a note of thanks, and find out about being contacted when updates on progress are released. I’m also going ask them to mention that they got an email from someone who hopes that the capability of being able to show an occasional movie is taken into consideration when the renovation is planned. Of course it would sound better coming from people who live in the area and would support such a plan with regular attendance rather than a former resident who hasn’t lived in New Jersey for nearly as long as the Ritz hasn’t shown a movie, maybe that’ll happen… And if you happen to wind up installing those JJ2’s in the Ritz, I’ll fly back and help you carry them up the stairs (disassembled, I would hope).
Well, I’m glad the link worked, markp. I hope you get the opportunity to work there when this project is completed, even better, to project there :–) . To do what they want with the building, we’re talking upwards of $7 million. A screen and a couple of 35mm projectors added would be a drop in the bucket. They might be open to the idea once they find out how successful classic movie series in restored vintage movie houses that are used mostly as performing arts venues are. I’m thinking here of the Basie,or the Union County Arts Center in Rahway,or out where I am now, the Oakland Paramount which has featured classic movies on an almost monthly basis for decades.
As I mentioned awhile back, by profession I am also a stagehand. I’ll be retired before this project is complete, and I do live at the other other end of the country, otherwise I’d entertain the thought of working there. The magic of the Ritz on this young kid was one of the factors leading to my getting involved in theatre. So you can imagine the thrill I feel at the thought of this old venue rubbing the sleep out of its eyes and waking up again.
Check the picture page, I’ll shortly be posting a couple of vintage pictures of the Ritz. I’ll also be posting updates as I hear them.
Markp… I posted a link to an article that answered your questions. I’m new at writing html code and perhaps I screwed it up, so I’ll supply the info.
The article is local, I found it on the Gannett website. If it appeared in the printed media, which I suspect it did, it would most likely have been in the Home News Tribune, which I believe is the paper that would cover news of Carteret. Gannett publishes a half dozen newspapers in New Jersey.
The 6 screen theatre would be, according to the Mayor, “right in the heart of downtown Carteret”. I went by the Ritz and took the pictures I posted here this past December and would imagine he’s talking about the large tract of vacant land just east of the Ritz on the other side of Washington Avenue. Mayor Reiman is hoping to turn the area into a “theater district"and refers to it as such in the article. Reiman is up for re-election this year, there are pictures of the Ritz on both his campaign website and his Facebook page. He hasn’t given a timeline, but is quoted as saying this project should be done "in a few short years”.
As far as the Ritz, I too have my fingers crossed. The first step is to buy the building, and that does seem to be happening. I’ll post updates as I come across them,
My last post here a couple months back mentioned the Ritz was again vacant and up for sale, jokingly asking if anybody had a spare $600,000 handy for a real fixer upper. Apparently the borough of Carteret does, the mayor announced earlier this month that the process to acquire the building has begun, with plans to refurbish it and open as a performing arts center. Evidently much of the original interior is intact and will be restored. Despite talk of opening a 6 screen movie complex nearby, one can only hope that the occasional classic movie will also get a screening. Regardless, to see the main theatre of my youth come alive in any format that will hold an audience after a half century is somethIng I am looking forward to, even if I do live on the opposite coast these years. I wish them the best of luck, I’ll be there for opening night.
I’m posting a bit of an article announcing these plans, the complete piece with vintage photograph can be viewed here.
Performing arts center planned for former bakery building in Carteret
Mar. 13, 2014 Written by Suzanne Russell
CARTERET — A former theater that served as a stop on the vaudeville performance circuit in the 1930s appears headed for a new life as a borough performing arts center.
The borough has begun the process of acquiring the recently closed Vallone’s Bakery building, 46 Washington Ave., Mayor Daniel Reiman said Tuesday during his annual State of the Borough address. The building formerly housed the Ritz Theatre.
“Much of the original theatre decor remains in place and it is our intention to restore this building to its former glory and to return live performances to Carteret,” Reiman said during his speech.
Once restored, the performing arts center will house more than 1,000 seats in a fashion similar to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank or the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, Reiman said.
MarkP, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did reading all the old articles. I remember seeing your post giving the date of the State’s going dark and picked its anniversary to post that bit, which I had been working on for a while. I don’t know if you saw the 1927 ad from opening night I uploaded the same time I posted the early history, but I did comment there that it was uploaded on the 43rd anniversary of the State shutting its doors. Perhaps the person who does the updates can correct the information in the overview to reflect when it closed, and that it was razed later that year. That would be closed on March 15, 1971, demolished September 1971.
Anyway, I have finally (thanks to a much younger coworker) learned enough html code to post links and hyperlinks here, I think you’ll like this one, something I found during a search of a data base of trade journals for mentions of Carteret.
I found mention of the opening of the Carlton in the November 27, 1926 issue of the Motion Picture News giving the date as November 11, 1926. This was the 30th theatre in the Walter Reade chain, all but one or two of them in New Jersey. According to the mention, Keith-Albee vaudeville, feature films and short subjects formed the house policy for presentations. I hope the Basie has a film presentation the next time I’m visiting relatives in the area, this looks like a great venue to experience. Hopefully it will be a night they fire up the 35mm projectors.
Growing up in neighboring Carteret, my experiences with the State were limited. The last movie I remember attending there was Goldfinger in 1965. The State reminded me a bit of the Ritz in Carteret; about the same size, one level with a raked floor. In fact the Ritz and State were constructed in the same time period, opening less than 3 weeks apart in September 1927. While reading up on the older Carteret theatres at the online historic newspaper archive found on the Woodbridge Public Library website I came across a bit of information about the early days of the State.
Plans for the construction of the future State Theatre were made public in a late August 1926 issue of the local paper. A person only mentioned by the name of Flynn purchased the property earlier in the year after recognizing its potential as a site for a theatre while passing through town.
Flynn advertised his purchase in the New York papers looking for interested parties and caught the interest of the Heller Construction Company of Newark who had, after investigation, agreed that the current population boom that Woodbridge was experiencing could support the building of a modern theatre in the downtown area. Applying for the building permit on behalf of Heller was the architect they hired, William E Lehman, who had his own firm in Newark. Lehman designed several theatres in the New Jersey-New York area; a list of the known ones can be viewed here. Lehman mentioned that his firm was currently building a similar theatre in Summit, which I believe would be the Strand , which also had retail and office space for rent to help meet maintenance overhead of the building.
According to the news report, the new theatre would seat between 1,800 and 2,000, measure 77 feet along its Main Street frontage and run about 176 feet in length. Initially it was supposed to cost $75,000, this figure was considered low by many.
In early 1927, Heller leased the still unfinished theatre to Mark Block, who applied for a permit to operate it in February. According to the local press, Block was active in New York theatrical circles and headed a company called The Block Amusement Circuit, which at the time consisted of theatres located in HighlandPark and Hawthorne.
The first mention of a name for the new theatre on Main St came in early June when it was referred to as the Lyric in an article. Within a couple of weeks, that changed to the State. It was also announced in June that the State would open in September.
When the Woodbridge Theatre shut its doors in July, Block was quick to hire owner-manager Nathan Marcus as general manager of the Block Amusement Circuit and manager of the State. Marcus, who was well known and liked in Woodbridge moved into the State where he took charge of renting the office and retail spaces.
The local papers were happy to publish all the hype that Block would pass on, the price of the building, all told had risen to $250,000, which may have been a bit inflated. This included a “Kloehs Unit Orchestra” built by the United States Pipe Organ Company which cost either $15,000 or $20,000 or $25,000 depending on which article you read. Another article was dedicated to the choice of the Heywood-Wakefield Company to provide new style seats that are rounded on the front rather than square and were originally designed for the Roxy in New York. Mr. Block was quick to point out that the Heywood-Wakefield bid was higher than other bids, but it was the quality and comfort that were the deciding factors. The aisle standards were fitted with lights to light the aisles, supposedly the first theatre in New Jersey to have that feature. The carpets were the same as used in the latest Shubert theatres in New York, the interior was designed by Margalotti Studio, who was in on the design of the Roxy in New York. A large sum of money was expended for electrical effects. The seating capacity originally supposed to be in the 1800-2000 range was lowered to 1,250 or 1,100, again based on what one read. A good idea of the true number would be the order placed for 1,200 seats.
The State opened its doors on September 19, 1927. Opening night festivities included the usual local and state level politicians and a talk by Miss Louise Glaum, a noted actress at the time. Telegrams of congratulations from the likes of Douglas and Mary Fairbanks, Norma Talmadge and John Barrymore, among others were read. On the screen the feature film “Alias The Deacon” was shown, along with a Charley Chase comedy “The Sting Of Stings”‘ a Paramount News presentation “The Eyes Of The World” and “A Technicolor Symphony” The Flag. The latter was a technicolor movie of a flag waving while the Star-Spangled Banner was played.
The following Sunday despite a law forbidding it, the State opened for business. The acting chief of police came by and warned manager Marcus that he would be arrested if there were any citizen complaints. There weren’t and Sunday movies came to Woodbridge. Marcus had tried the previous year to start showing Sunday Movies at his Woodbridge Theatre with no success.
Marcus resigned from his position with the Block Amusement Circuit in February of 1928 to take over a theatre in Newark. Block hired Harry A. McCormick of Roselle NJ as the new manager of the State.
In the Spring of 1929, the State made a show of turning into a movie house featuring talkies, their ads began to feature the banner “House Of Talkies”.
In mid June, the State closed for the summer. At the end of August, it was announced that Mark Block had disposed of his entire interest the State and it would re-open as a silent-only house under the management of the new lease owner, Harry McCormick. Ads began to feature the banner “The House Of Silent Pictures”. From reading several articles and one editorial, it would appear that, at best, profits were marginal for the operators of the State. Before the year was out, the State returned to featuring both silent film and talkies.
Lost Memory, I believe this theatre might the one I identified as the Vitagraph, and mistakenly thought was on Steeplechase property, though I was off by a few doors. I believe what you are referring to is listed on CT as Thompson’s Moving Pictures Theatre.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, while Tilyou owned the land, he leased the strip between what is now Beach 97th and Beach 98th Street, the Boardwalk and Rockaway Beach Boulevard to L.A. Thompson in 1902, and later sold that land to him in 1905. Thompson renamed his amusement area after himself, L.A. Thompson’s Amusement Park. It kept the Thompson name until the late 1920’s when it was renamed Rockaways' Playland.
The CT listing I mentioned above had a link to a mention by Cesar Del Valle that Thompson obtained the rights to a new type of screen in 1913, quoting from an article in Moving Picture World. I found a mention in the July-September 1914 issue of the same magazine that Thompson had sold his interest in this screen, so it is possible that he decided to quit operating the theatre and leased it to other parties the following season. Also, the article you posted above from 1915 does talk about the excellent mirror screen, which leads one to think these two theatres could be the same, even if it was located within Thompson’s park rather than Steeplechase.
Just to add, while looking for more info on the Steeplechase Theatre which I didn’t find, I found a mention of another unlisted Rockaway theatre in this column in the Wave concerning a small amusement park that was built by the Ferris Amusement Corporation immediately west of Steeplechase around 1906. The park included a one story airdrome theatre known as the Hippodrome, which had dimensions of 85' x 145' and was managed by a famous umpire who had retired. The article mentions that the Theatre featured vaudeville and movies. I haven’t been able to find anything more about it.
Here is a link to a New York Times article about the storm that destroyed the Arverne Pier Theatre, the theatre’s destruction is featured in the headline and there is a bit more detail in the article, along with numerous other reports of damage.
When this theatre was being discussed recently on the Boardwalk Theatre page, I posted a link to a nighttime photograph of the APT from 1911 with a sign advertising “photo plays”, can’t upload it due to copyrights, but it can be viewed at this site.
I found another picture of the APT in one of the “Historical Views of the Rockaways” columns in
the Wave, this 1913 photo showing a side view of the theatre looking from the west. The column points out the development along that stretch of boardwalk, including “an airdrome theater that showed the latest vitagraph movies accompanied by sound recordings. The pictures and songs were changed daily”. You can see that theatre on the left. I’m thinking this is the Boardwalk Theatre or where the Boardwalk would be, or is it something else?
I would be interested if you find any ads previous to 1915. George C Tilyou died in the autumn of 1914 and his family sold the Rockaway Steeplechase not long afterwards, though perhaps not by the 1915 season.
Tilyou opened his park in 1901, it encompassed what is now Beach 97th St to Beach 100th, Rockaway Blvd to the waterfront. Unfortunately the street view offered here is for Rockaway Blvd and Beach 125th St., it would be better if it were the Boardwalk and Beach 98th, its boundaries after 1905.
Tilyou brought in L.A. Thompson, who invented the roller coaster, to set up on the strip between Beach 97th and 98th in 1902. In 1905 Thompson purchased the parcel and renamed it after himself, in the late 20’s it was to become Rockaways' Playland.
I’m going to link to an article in the Rockaway Wave featuring an artist rendition of the boardwalk in front of Thompson’s park and the Steeplechase stretch in 1905, which includes the Vitagraph Theatre where, to quote the article, “sound was added to silent motion pictures by playing records”. The location would put it on Steeplechase property and leads one to wonder if this is the Steeplechase Theatre under an earlier name.
Robboehm, the Steeplechase Park you are referencing is the more famous one in Coney Island, not the one in Rockaway. The Tilyou Theatre was located across the street from the park, as a youngster I remember seeing live appearances there by the 3 Stooges (twice) and Jerry Lewis.
The Coney Island Steeplechase is by far the best known, but in addition to Rockaway, there were also 2 located along the Jersey Shore, one in Asbury Park and another in Atlantic City. The one in Asbury disappeared long ago, the one in Atlantic City lasted nearly as long as the one in Coney Island, disappearing around 1962. I am not aware of any of these other parks having theatres that featured movies.
Lost Memory, thanks for the mention of Gatson Avenue, it led to a bit of discovery. Joe, your source and LM’s guess at the location seem to be off by a block. Apparently Beach 67th St once went by the name of Vernam Avenue. One block west was Gaston, now known as Beach 66th St. I discovered this with 2 mentions on the Rockaway memories website, one being a list of the Beach Streets in Rockaway and their original names as reported in the local newspaper in 1993 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of their publication. The second mention on that website deals with the elevated train line, which I won’t link here but also mentions Beach 66th as the former Gaston Avenue. However, here’s the link for street name changes :
I also found an extensive list of street name changes in Queens according to the US Census records. It is thought this list dates to the 20’s or 30’s. This list also mentions Gaston as now being Beach 66th.
I found a New York Times article about the 1914 storm that destroyed the Arverne Pier Theatre, saying it had a seating capacity of 1500 (other accounts say it held 1200) and cost $50,000. It also gave the location as near the boardwalk at Arverne Avenue,which doesn’t help much, as the street doesn’t appear to exist anymore, and I haven’t access to older maps. The neighborhood of Arverne extends from Beach 56th to Beach 73rd, so it was located somewhere in that stretch. It would be nice to narrow that down. Also I came across a 1912 nighttime photo of its entrance with a sign advertising photo plays at the website of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston which can be viewed here:
Listed here as the New Palace, this theatre can be dated back to at least July of 1914 when “The Motion Picture News” mentions in its July 18 edition that one A.J. Pfeffer left his position with a theatre in nearby Elizabeth to manage the Crescent in Carteret.
According to the March 11, 1916 issue of “Motography”, Kreimer and Demott, then the owners of the Crescent, sold it to Maurice Spewak. This is the first time Spewak would buy this theatre. Spewak also owned the Majestic Theatre in the Hill section of Carteret, though it is unclear when he purchased it.
Just to note, the 1916 mention lists the location of the Crescent as Roosevelt, while the 1914 mention gives Carteret. The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, as I mentioned in another comment, lists its location as Chrome. To clarify, when Carteret became a borough in 1906, it carried the name Roosevelt. The Post Office there prior to that was referred to as Carteret, and depending on who did the reporting, either name could be used. Roosevelt changed its name to Carteret in 1922. Chrome is a section of Carteret.
In 1926 Spewak announced he had purchased land in the center of town and was going to build a 1,000+ seat modern theatre. His operating method with the Crescent and Majestic was to change the bill almost daily, and alternating the shows between both his theatres. He considered both of them too small and it a needless waste of labor to operate two theatres at the opposite ends of town, so one might figure he closed them shortly after opening his new house, The Ritz,in September, 1927.
Spewak seldom advertised the offerings of his venues in the local paper, so it’s hard to tell by a disappearance of ads when it closed. I imagine he relied on flyers that were handed out to patrons at the end of each show, like when I attended the Ritz years later (although by then he was advertising regular in the local paper). The last time an ad appeared for the Crescent in the local paper was in the spring of 1925.
Here’s a brief rundown from 1932-36, taken from listings under “Theater Changes Reported by Film Boards of Trade” as reported by The Film Daily, dates are dates published:
January 25, 1932, Crescent is listed under closings.
May 15, 1932: Palace sold to F.E. Wedge, listed under “Changes In Ownership”. Right below, under “Re-Openings” is the referred to as the Crescent.
I believe this is backwards, The Palace opened April 23, and I’m posting a period ad announcing that in the pictures section.
The July 25, 1933 issue lists the Palace under closings.
The October 24, 1934 issue has the Palace sold to M.E. Simon. Simon obviously changed the name to New Palace, as that was its name in the October 26, 1936 issue when it was listed that Simon sold to Maurice Spewak.
The 1945 Film Daily Yearbook listed its name as the New Palace, and noted it was closed.
During the 1936-45 period, there were only 2 ads in the local paper, one in 1938 calling the theatre the Palace, and one from 1945 calling it New Palace. Scattered mentions in the local press in that time frame were for rental events by local groups and, depending on which event, it was referred to by either name.
After a serious remodel, the Crescent reopened again, as the Gem Theatre, in February 1952. By the end of March, ads disappeared from the local paper; I’m not sure how long it stayed open after that. It remained vacant for many years until the late 60’s when a plumbing company moved in. It was razed along with the rest of the Chrome business district in 2006. A condo now occupies the site.
Two updates to add that have been posted on the Ritz comments page over the weekend…The Star-Ledger pictures now have an accompanying article, published August 24. Part of the plan as mentioned here is to include a movie complex, which will attach to the east side of the the building. On the west there will be an addition constructed that, along with the planned addition of a mezzanine, will increase capacity from its original 1,200 to 1,500 according to the mayor.
On Friday, NJTV NEWS did an approximately 3 minute spot on the plans to restore, starting at about 22:30. At the 25 minute mark there is an artist drawing of what the performing arts center should look like when finished.
Growing up only a few blocks from the Ritz, it was like a second home to me. Looking at the pictures brought back memories, it’s as I remember it down to colors of the paint. I was surprised to see the soft goods still hanging down from the ceiling after all these years.
Click this to read the article without having to do a cut and paste.
Another media bit coming out this week was on NJTV NEWS last night. Only one quick glimpse of the theatre’s interior, but the piece runs about 3 minutes and talks a bit about the process, etc. The Ritz segment starts at about 22:30, for those not wanting to sit through a bunch of Jersey news.
Workers in Carteret have started to remove the drop ceiling that hid the more ornate Ritz ceiling the last few decades. Here’s a few pictures taken by John O'Boyle of the Newark Star-Ledger.
markp, I should be back again in December, maybe we can get together then. I had forgotten you mentioned the 1,250 seat figure the Mayor gave for the restored Ritz until I went to see if my comment posted, which reminded me to do a little updating, at least here in the comments section.
The 1,200 capacity mentioned on the overview page was sourced from 2 articles in the old “Carteret Press” newspaper, one from the week before the Ritz opened (“1200”) and one from the day after, describing opening night (“about 1200”) back in 1927. Since then, my ongoing search for info on the various theatres in Carteret and surrounding towns has uncovered two other numbers in trade publications. The Exhibitors Herald-World issue of September 27, 1930 contained a promo for the installation of Western Electric sound apparatus which mentions the Ritz as a recent install, giving the seating capacity as 1,044. The 1945 Film Daily Yearbook lists the Ritz with 1,000 seats. So my original number isn’t written in stone.
Having mentioned 1930 era Western Electric sound projection equipment, here is part of what they were installing that year.
Thanks for the update, markp. I sort of thought a deal was finalized when I noticed it went off the market recently. If anybody wants to read it, here’s a link to the article you mentioned, and here’s another bit written by the person who wrote the article I cited earlier this year when plans for the purchase were announced. It gives a little more detail but doesn’t archive well, after a couple of months one is expected to pay to read it.
Also markp sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet up, but while I was in the area last month, I spent time in the libraries in Woodbridge and Rahway, also got to meet with the town historian in Rahway. So as time permits, I’ll be posting some comments about all three Carteret theatres, along with the State, Woodbridge Theatre, and one of the old Rahway houses, along with at least one as yet unlisted theatre there, along with some pictures from various locations over the next month or so. Hope you catch them.
The second link at least works, didn’t try the first. Seems when posting a link to CT, it has to be in html code to be clickable with a mouse. Otherwise, you have to cut and paste the link. A younger coworker taught me the code recently (not that hard), so I’ll transpose below. You should see three vintage b&w photos of the Sheridan.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Loew%27s_Sheridan_Theatre,_Manhattan
I’ve just uploaded a picture of the new marquee installed earlier this week, here is a link to the Berkeleyside article mentioned in a previous post, and this is a link to the nonprofit that will be running the UC when it reopens.
RkoRoxy, I can add little more than markp has already mentioned, Mayor Reiman’s campaign website does mention “partnering with a regional performing arts group to restore the building to economic viability”. Evidently this will be accomplished with little to no taxpayer money if I am reading it right. I think there is a typo where a 100 seat performing arts center(should be 1,000 I believe) is mentioned, it also appears that the planned 6 screen movie theatre will be attached to the building.
I did get in touch with a borough employee who supplied the scans I uploaded a few weeks back. They don’t seem to be involved with this project however. I did ask if there was some way I could be kept up to date on progress as things move along when I emailed a thanks for the scans, but haven’t heard anything as yet, I’ll post updates as I come across them. I’m sure there will be some local publicity when plans are finalized, you and markp might hear about them in the local media before I do out here in California, in which case I hope you guys will post what’s new.
markp, I came across thisposting on the local to Carteret craigslist for a large indoor/outdoor yard sale being held at the old Ritz building this weekend and next. I doubt they’re selling anything theatrical and the article I recently linked to says there is a dropped ceiling that hides a lot of the old architecture, but you never know what interesting remnants might be viewed. Thought this might interest you if you don’t have a call this Saturday or next.
I’m pretty excited at the idea of the Ritz coming back to life, I grew up a few blocks from it and saw many movies there between the mid 50’s and when it closed in early 1965. I developed an early fascination with things theatre that led to a career as a stagehand, some of that fascination came from the Ritz. Too bad I live on the west coast and will have retired by time this project is complete, or I’d apply for a position. I was inside of the building a few years after it was closed, virtually none of the interior architecture was harmed in its transformation to a clothing factory. It should look fantastic when restored. Kudos to my hometown for making the Ritz the centerpiece of its downtown renewal project. I look forward to attending some events after it reopens when I’m in the area visiting relatives.
markp, I mentioned the Basie because the mayor made a comparison to it as what he hopes to do with the Ritz. My mention of UCAC was because it’s next door in Rahway, and while they may have dropped any film series, a group that calls itself Friends of UCAC is showing Night of The Living Dead later this month and doing a Saturday matinee next month featuring a Chaplin movie, cartoons and shorts. Both only 5 bucks admission, and they advertise it as “reel film”. Also next month is a rental that will show a documentary about motorcycle riding, for an extra charge you get to attend a tailgate party in the parking lot. So, maybe not a series, but the old Rahway still gets used for what it was built for on occasion. Same pretty much with the Basie, both houses are still set to show the occasional movie. I’ve read the CT pages for all the old area theatres, some of which I saw movies in, and was aware of your connection to both these houses from the comments.
I did get in touch with the author of the article I linked, who gave me the email address of a borough employee who supplied scans of the pictures I uploaded yesterday, I’m going to be writing them a note of thanks, and find out about being contacted when updates on progress are released. I’m also going ask them to mention that they got an email from someone who hopes that the capability of being able to show an occasional movie is taken into consideration when the renovation is planned. Of course it would sound better coming from people who live in the area and would support such a plan with regular attendance rather than a former resident who hasn’t lived in New Jersey for nearly as long as the Ritz hasn’t shown a movie, maybe that’ll happen… And if you happen to wind up installing those JJ2’s in the Ritz, I’ll fly back and help you carry them up the stairs (disassembled, I would hope).
Well, I’m glad the link worked, markp. I hope you get the opportunity to work there when this project is completed, even better, to project there :–) . To do what they want with the building, we’re talking upwards of $7 million. A screen and a couple of 35mm projectors added would be a drop in the bucket. They might be open to the idea once they find out how successful classic movie series in restored vintage movie houses that are used mostly as performing arts venues are. I’m thinking here of the Basie,or the Union County Arts Center in Rahway,or out where I am now, the Oakland Paramount which has featured classic movies on an almost monthly basis for decades.
As I mentioned awhile back, by profession I am also a stagehand. I’ll be retired before this project is complete, and I do live at the other other end of the country, otherwise I’d entertain the thought of working there. The magic of the Ritz on this young kid was one of the factors leading to my getting involved in theatre. So you can imagine the thrill I feel at the thought of this old venue rubbing the sleep out of its eyes and waking up again.
Check the picture page, I’ll shortly be posting a couple of vintage pictures of the Ritz. I’ll also be posting updates as I hear them.
Markp… I posted a link to an article that answered your questions. I’m new at writing html code and perhaps I screwed it up, so I’ll supply the info.
The article is local, I found it on the Gannett website. If it appeared in the printed media, which I suspect it did, it would most likely have been in the Home News Tribune, which I believe is the paper that would cover news of Carteret. Gannett publishes a half dozen newspapers in New Jersey.
The 6 screen theatre would be, according to the Mayor, “right in the heart of downtown Carteret”. I went by the Ritz and took the pictures I posted here this past December and would imagine he’s talking about the large tract of vacant land just east of the Ritz on the other side of Washington Avenue. Mayor Reiman is hoping to turn the area into a “theater district"and refers to it as such in the article. Reiman is up for re-election this year, there are pictures of the Ritz on both his campaign website and his Facebook page. He hasn’t given a timeline, but is quoted as saying this project should be done "in a few short years”.
As far as the Ritz, I too have my fingers crossed. The first step is to buy the building, and that does seem to be happening. I’ll post updates as I come across them,
My last post here a couple months back mentioned the Ritz was again vacant and up for sale, jokingly asking if anybody had a spare $600,000 handy for a real fixer upper. Apparently the borough of Carteret does, the mayor announced earlier this month that the process to acquire the building has begun, with plans to refurbish it and open as a performing arts center. Evidently much of the original interior is intact and will be restored. Despite talk of opening a 6 screen movie complex nearby, one can only hope that the occasional classic movie will also get a screening. Regardless, to see the main theatre of my youth come alive in any format that will hold an audience after a half century is somethIng I am looking forward to, even if I do live on the opposite coast these years. I wish them the best of luck, I’ll be there for opening night.
I’m posting a bit of an article announcing these plans, the complete piece with vintage photograph can be viewed here.
Performing arts center planned for former bakery building in Carteret
Mar. 13, 2014
Written by
Suzanne Russell
CARTERET — A former theater that served as a stop on the vaudeville performance circuit in the 1930s appears headed for a new life as a borough performing arts center.
The borough has begun the process of acquiring the recently closed Vallone’s Bakery building, 46 Washington Ave., Mayor Daniel Reiman said Tuesday during his annual State of the Borough address. The building formerly housed the Ritz Theatre.
“Much of the original theatre decor remains in place and it is our intention to restore this building to its former glory and to return live performances to Carteret,” Reiman said during his speech.
Once restored, the performing arts center will house more than 1,000 seats in a fashion similar to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank or the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, Reiman said.
MarkP, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did reading all the old articles. I remember seeing your post giving the date of the State’s going dark and picked its anniversary to post that bit, which I had been working on for a while. I don’t know if you saw the 1927 ad from opening night I uploaded the same time I posted the early history, but I did comment there that it was uploaded on the 43rd anniversary of the State shutting its doors. Perhaps the person who does the updates can correct the information in the overview to reflect when it closed, and that it was razed later that year. That would be closed on March 15, 1971, demolished September 1971.
Anyway, I have finally (thanks to a much younger coworker) learned enough html code to post links and hyperlinks here, I think you’ll like this one, something I found during a search of a data base of trade journals for mentions of Carteret.
I found mention of the opening of the Carlton in the November 27, 1926 issue of the Motion Picture News giving the date as November 11, 1926. This was the 30th theatre in the Walter Reade chain, all but one or two of them in New Jersey. According to the mention, Keith-Albee vaudeville, feature films and short subjects formed the house policy for presentations. I hope the Basie has a film presentation the next time I’m visiting relatives in the area, this looks like a great venue to experience. Hopefully it will be a night they fire up the 35mm projectors.
Growing up in neighboring Carteret, my experiences with the State were limited. The last movie I remember attending there was Goldfinger in 1965. The State reminded me a bit of the Ritz in Carteret; about the same size, one level with a raked floor. In fact the Ritz and State were constructed in the same time period, opening less than 3 weeks apart in September 1927. While reading up on the older Carteret theatres at the online historic newspaper archive found on the Woodbridge Public Library website I came across a bit of information about the early days of the State.
Plans for the construction of the future State Theatre were made public in a late August 1926 issue of the local paper. A person only mentioned by the name of Flynn purchased the property earlier in the year after recognizing its potential as a site for a theatre while passing through town.
Flynn advertised his purchase in the New York papers looking for interested parties and caught the interest of the Heller Construction Company of Newark who had, after investigation, agreed that the current population boom that Woodbridge was experiencing could support the building of a modern theatre in the downtown area. Applying for the building permit on behalf of Heller was the architect they hired, William E Lehman, who had his own firm in Newark. Lehman designed several theatres in the New Jersey-New York area; a list of the known ones can be viewed here. Lehman mentioned that his firm was currently building a similar theatre in Summit, which I believe would be the Strand , which also had retail and office space for rent to help meet maintenance overhead of the building.
According to the news report, the new theatre would seat between 1,800 and 2,000, measure 77 feet along its Main Street frontage and run about 176 feet in length. Initially it was supposed to cost $75,000, this figure was considered low by many.
In early 1927, Heller leased the still unfinished theatre to Mark Block, who applied for a permit to operate it in February. According to the local press, Block was active in New York theatrical circles and headed a company called The Block Amusement Circuit, which at the time consisted of theatres located in HighlandPark and Hawthorne.
The first mention of a name for the new theatre on Main St came in early June when it was referred to as the Lyric in an article. Within a couple of weeks, that changed to the State. It was also announced in June that the State would open in September.
When the Woodbridge Theatre shut its doors in July, Block was quick to hire owner-manager Nathan Marcus as general manager of the Block Amusement Circuit and manager of the State. Marcus, who was well known and liked in Woodbridge moved into the State where he took charge of renting the office and retail spaces.
The local papers were happy to publish all the hype that Block would pass on, the price of the building, all told had risen to $250,000, which may have been a bit inflated. This included a “Kloehs Unit Orchestra” built by the United States Pipe Organ Company which cost either $15,000 or $20,000 or $25,000 depending on which article you read. Another article was dedicated to the choice of the Heywood-Wakefield Company to provide new style seats that are rounded on the front rather than square and were originally designed for the Roxy in New York. Mr. Block was quick to point out that the Heywood-Wakefield bid was higher than other bids, but it was the quality and comfort that were the deciding factors. The aisle standards were fitted with lights to light the aisles, supposedly the first theatre in New Jersey to have that feature. The carpets were the same as used in the latest Shubert theatres in New York, the interior was designed by Margalotti Studio, who was in on the design of the Roxy in New York. A large sum of money was expended for electrical effects. The seating capacity originally supposed to be in the 1800-2000 range was lowered to 1,250 or 1,100, again based on what one read. A good idea of the true number would be the order placed for 1,200 seats.
The State opened its doors on September 19, 1927. Opening night festivities included the usual local and state level politicians and a talk by Miss Louise Glaum, a noted actress at the time. Telegrams of congratulations from the likes of Douglas and Mary Fairbanks, Norma Talmadge and John Barrymore, among others were read. On the screen the feature film “Alias The Deacon” was shown, along with a Charley Chase comedy “The Sting Of Stings”‘ a Paramount News presentation “The Eyes Of The World” and “A Technicolor Symphony” The Flag. The latter was a technicolor movie of a flag waving while the Star-Spangled Banner was played.
The following Sunday despite a law forbidding it, the State opened for business. The acting chief of police came by and warned manager Marcus that he would be arrested if there were any citizen complaints. There weren’t and Sunday movies came to Woodbridge. Marcus had tried the previous year to start showing Sunday Movies at his Woodbridge Theatre with no success.
Marcus resigned from his position with the Block Amusement Circuit in February of 1928 to take over a theatre in Newark. Block hired Harry A. McCormick of Roselle NJ as the new manager of the State.
In the Spring of 1929, the State made a show of turning into a movie house featuring talkies, their ads began to feature the banner “House Of Talkies”.
In mid June, the State closed for the summer. At the end of August, it was announced that Mark Block had disposed of his entire interest the State and it would re-open as a silent-only house under the management of the new lease owner, Harry McCormick. Ads began to feature the banner “The House Of Silent Pictures”. From reading several articles and one editorial, it would appear that, at best, profits were marginal for the operators of the State. Before the year was out, the State returned to featuring both silent film and talkies.
Lost Memory, I believe this theatre might the one I identified as the Vitagraph, and mistakenly thought was on Steeplechase property, though I was off by a few doors. I believe what you are referring to is listed on CT as Thompson’s Moving Pictures Theatre.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, while Tilyou owned the land, he leased the strip between what is now Beach 97th and Beach 98th Street, the Boardwalk and Rockaway Beach Boulevard to L.A. Thompson in 1902, and later sold that land to him in 1905. Thompson renamed his amusement area after himself, L.A. Thompson’s Amusement Park. It kept the Thompson name until the late 1920’s when it was renamed Rockaways' Playland.
The CT listing I mentioned above had a link to a mention by Cesar Del Valle that Thompson obtained the rights to a new type of screen in 1913, quoting from an article in Moving Picture World. I found a mention in the July-September 1914 issue of the same magazine that Thompson had sold his interest in this screen, so it is possible that he decided to quit operating the theatre and leased it to other parties the following season. Also, the article you posted above from 1915 does talk about the excellent mirror screen, which leads one to think these two theatres could be the same, even if it was located within Thompson’s park rather than Steeplechase.
Just to add, while looking for more info on the Steeplechase Theatre which I didn’t find, I found a mention of another unlisted Rockaway theatre in this column in the Wave concerning a small amusement park that was built by the Ferris Amusement Corporation immediately west of Steeplechase around 1906. The park included a one story airdrome theatre known as the Hippodrome, which had dimensions of 85' x 145' and was managed by a famous umpire who had retired. The article mentions that the Theatre featured vaudeville and movies. I haven’t been able to find anything more about it.
Here is a link to a New York Times article about the storm that destroyed the Arverne Pier Theatre, the theatre’s destruction is featured in the headline and there is a bit more detail in the article, along with numerous other reports of damage.
When this theatre was being discussed recently on the Boardwalk Theatre page, I posted a link to a nighttime photograph of the APT from 1911 with a sign advertising “photo plays”, can’t upload it due to copyrights, but it can be viewed at this site.
I found another picture of the APT in one of the “Historical Views of the Rockaways” columns in the Wave, this 1913 photo showing a side view of the theatre looking from the west. The column points out the development along that stretch of boardwalk, including “an airdrome theater that showed the latest vitagraph movies accompanied by sound recordings. The pictures and songs were changed daily”. You can see that theatre on the left. I’m thinking this is the Boardwalk Theatre or where the Boardwalk would be, or is it something else?
I would be interested if you find any ads previous to 1915. George C Tilyou died in the autumn of 1914 and his family sold the Rockaway Steeplechase not long afterwards, though perhaps not by the 1915 season.
Tilyou opened his park in 1901, it encompassed what is now Beach 97th St to Beach 100th, Rockaway Blvd to the waterfront. Unfortunately the street view offered here is for Rockaway Blvd and Beach 125th St., it would be better if it were the Boardwalk and Beach 98th, its boundaries after 1905.
Tilyou brought in L.A. Thompson, who invented the roller coaster, to set up on the strip between Beach 97th and 98th in 1902. In 1905 Thompson purchased the parcel and renamed it after himself, in the late 20’s it was to become Rockaways' Playland.
I’m going to link to an article in the Rockaway Wave featuring an artist rendition of the boardwalk in front of Thompson’s park and the Steeplechase stretch in 1905, which includes the Vitagraph Theatre where, to quote the article, “sound was added to silent motion pictures by playing records”. The location would put it on Steeplechase property and leads one to wonder if this is the Steeplechase Theatre under an earlier name.
http://www.rockawave.com/news/2009-03-27/columnists/045.html
Robboehm, the Steeplechase Park you are referencing is the more famous one in Coney Island, not the one in Rockaway. The Tilyou Theatre was located across the street from the park, as a youngster I remember seeing live appearances there by the 3 Stooges (twice) and Jerry Lewis.
The Coney Island Steeplechase is by far the best known, but in addition to Rockaway, there were also 2 located along the Jersey Shore, one in Asbury Park and another in Atlantic City. The one in Asbury disappeared long ago, the one in Atlantic City lasted nearly as long as the one in Coney Island, disappearing around 1962. I am not aware of any of these other parks having theatres that featured movies.
Lost Memory, thanks for the mention of Gatson Avenue, it led to a bit of discovery. Joe, your source and LM’s guess at the location seem to be off by a block. Apparently Beach 67th St once went by the name of Vernam Avenue. One block west was Gaston, now known as Beach 66th St. I discovered this with 2 mentions on the Rockaway memories website, one being a list of the Beach Streets in Rockaway and their original names as reported in the local newspaper in 1993 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of their publication. The second mention on that website deals with the elevated train line, which I won’t link here but also mentions Beach 66th as the former Gaston Avenue. However, here’s the link for street name changes :
http://www.rockawaymemories.com/RockawayStreetNames03.htm
I also found an extensive list of street name changes in Queens according to the US Census records. It is thought this list dates to the 20’s or 30’s. This list also mentions Gaston as now being Beach 66th.
http://www.stevemorse.org/census/changes/QueensChanges1_GtoI.htm
I found a New York Times article about the 1914 storm that destroyed the Arverne Pier Theatre, saying it had a seating capacity of 1500 (other accounts say it held 1200) and cost $50,000. It also gave the location as near the boardwalk at Arverne Avenue,which doesn’t help much, as the street doesn’t appear to exist anymore, and I haven’t access to older maps. The neighborhood of Arverne extends from Beach 56th to Beach 73rd, so it was located somewhere in that stretch. It would be nice to narrow that down. Also I came across a 1912 nighttime photo of its entrance with a sign advertising photo plays at the website of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston which can be viewed here:
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/pier-theatre-arverne-314778