Ed, was that a movie playing at the Empire, “WHat will save us now that sex won’t”, or was that something to say that now that porn is out of the theater, what will keep it alive?
I am sure much of the ceiling of the main auditorium survives, and is obviously still there, probably sooted up, and since the plaster is not maintained, who knows what condtion it is in.
I’m not fond of multiplexes either, but for better or worse, they are just as much a part of the cinema world as the beautiful historic “cinematreasures” are.
I don’t remember if the flea market occupied the upper level. Truth be told, I don’t think the flea market compartment store was all that successful. If the upstairs balocny was also used fo rht eflea market, it was either very short lived, or they never were successful enough to get that far to use the upstairs. I am not sure. I am sure though that it was at least probably planned that the flea market would occupy both the upstairs and main level. Whether it ever happened, I am not sure.
I went by today, and what a sad sight it was. The sign is still there intact on the service road, but the theater is a bunch of piles of concrete rubble.
Lost, I think my memory is coming back. Your assumption is correct.
The Madison Theater closed as a theater, and sat vacant for a year or so. It was THEN guttedd, and converted to a Consumers Store. I was in the Consumers once, and you could only come into the lobby area of the store. You wrote down what you wanted after looking though catalogs, gave it to a worker, and they retrieved your item. The retail part of the store looked like a normal store, with an office style drop ceiling, and sheetrock walls. No ornamentation of the theater was present. The auditorium was the warehouse part of the Consumers, and it’s safe to say that nothing was done to that space other than remove the seats. It’s very likely that all the stuff was stored right there in the auditorium, with the Madison Theater ornamentation all above it, in it’s diamond in the rough glory. Consumers was short lived, and soon closed. I remember the Odd Lot opening, and remember going to it. The drop ceiling of the Consumers retail section was still there, and the wall was knocked down into the theater. I “think” there was a crude ceiling put up in the auditorium section, now that it was a store and not the warehouse anymore. Odd Lot lasted longer than Consumers but closed a few years later.
At that time, you are correct, THAT is when the Madison Theater burned. It was after Odd Lot closed, so it was vacant, but it WAS after the Odd Lot, not after the theater use. It didn’t last too long vacant before Busy Bee moved in. That was VERY short lived from what I remembered, perhaps a year or two? I went there only once when it was the flea market, and remember very little about it.
After that, Liberty Dept Store moved in. Ironically, that’s when they completely steam cleaned and repointed the face of the theater fasade, before Busy Bee moved in. Unfortunately, Liberty covered over much of the fasade with their sign. The elaborate window cornices are covered.
Lost, I remember the Busy Bee in between the Odd-Lot and the Liberty Dept Store. I had forgotten all about that until now! I remember shopping at that flea market when it first opened. it didn’t last long.
I might as well start now, apparently, I’ll have to repost in any theater I want the email notifications to come to me again, so I might as well start here, and slowly move to others.
I never had problems getting the emails before, and I get the update email for THIS thread….but that’s it. Apparently some people are still getting them as usual, and others are not anymore.
I don’t know what it is, but I am really sorry I don’t get the email update emails anymore. This is the ONLY thread/theater I get update emails from anymore. I did get ONE from the Ridgewood Theater, as that’s the only theater I posted in since this problem began. And many theaters I “subscribe” to have had messages made. I can’t tell which ones anymore though unfortunately, unless I randomly check theaters, which time would prohibit.
Saps, thank goodness it’s not just me. There is definitely something wrong, as “this” thread is the ONLY update emails I get from the site now. And lots of theaters I have commented in have had comments. Something is DEFINITELY wrong with the notification system. I used to get several emails a day from the various theaters. I now get none, like I said it’s just this “news” item I get update emails from. For some reason, the theater email notification system has halted.
The emails are the only way I can keep up with the site, as there’s now way I can possible check randomly all the theaters I posted in to see if someone commented. I hope the problem gets fixed, as I checked my email and it is correct.
It’s a bit ironic that the emails stopped just around when this thread began, so something must be set wrong.
Amazingly after all this time, and all this conversation under this theater, no one has been able to come up with interior historic photos of the Ridgewood yet. Warren’s post makes me want to see them even more! I’d even settle for current photos.
Patrick, is there something wrong with the email notification system? I haven’t gotten comment updates for any theater in over a week, and that is unusual, as I believe comments were amde in theaters where I should be getting these emails.
Actually, National Amusements closed it because they built it’s more modern Holtsville Island 16 down the road which features stadium seating, and all the latest amenities. But you are right, the Brookhaven was a youong theater, and while it could have used some cosmetics, it wasn’t in bad shape at all.
I don’t know what it is, but the housing in Ridgewood seems more “Brooklyn-like” than Queens like. I always think of Queens as looking “newer” (think Middle Village, Glendale, upper Queens, etc). Ridgewood has more of a “Brooklyn” look to me, I guess because of the timeframe when the buildings were built. I mean it as a compliment by the way, not a citicism. I like Brooklyn’s housing stock much better than that of Queens (in general of course).
Yes, it was the zip code that was Brooklyn, even though in Queens (this goes for Glendale too). The Brooklyn-Queens border was slightly changed also, but not that far. They took what was a straight line border running right through the middle of blocks (and homes/porperty for that matter), and zig-zagged it down streets instead, as to not have half a house (or block) in Brooklyn, and another half in Queens. This was before the Madison Theater (or Ridgewood Theater) were built, so it wouldn’t have affected their “Queens Status”. Then for years afterwards, as PKoch has mentioned, Ridgewood while in Queens, was served out of the Brooklyn post office until 1980 for some strange reason.
I think the real reason for the advertising both the Ridgewood and the Madison in Brooklyn was a marketing plus for some reason, so that’s why they did it. The border is close enough, that it would be able to be done, and truthfully, even though Ridgewood is Queens, it has more of a Brooklyn feel than a Queens feel in it’s housing stock in general.
Ed, was that a movie playing at the Empire, “WHat will save us now that sex won’t”, or was that something to say that now that porn is out of the theater, what will keep it alive?
Here’s the richmond Hill website:
View link
Any word on the current state of the interior?
I am sure much of the ceiling of the main auditorium survives, and is obviously still there, probably sooted up, and since the plaster is not maintained, who knows what condtion it is in.
This building is still vacant from what I can see passing not too long ago. It appears to be deteriorating fast.
I’m not fond of multiplexes either, but for better or worse, they are just as much a part of the cinema world as the beautiful historic “cinematreasures” are.
Unfortunately, I am sure a lot of theaters may have had that clause added to it when they closed.
Robert, do you have a stack of old newspapers you find these in, or where do you find all these great old ads?
I don’t remember if the flea market occupied the upper level. Truth be told, I don’t think the flea market compartment store was all that successful. If the upstairs balocny was also used fo rht eflea market, it was either very short lived, or they never were successful enough to get that far to use the upstairs. I am not sure. I am sure though that it was at least probably planned that the flea market would occupy both the upstairs and main level. Whether it ever happened, I am not sure.
Yes Peter, that’s it!
I heard they were restoring this theater. Any word of what the interior looks like?
I went by today, and what a sad sight it was. The sign is still there intact on the service road, but the theater is a bunch of piles of concrete rubble.
Lost, I think my memory is coming back. Your assumption is correct.
The Madison Theater closed as a theater, and sat vacant for a year or so. It was THEN guttedd, and converted to a Consumers Store. I was in the Consumers once, and you could only come into the lobby area of the store. You wrote down what you wanted after looking though catalogs, gave it to a worker, and they retrieved your item. The retail part of the store looked like a normal store, with an office style drop ceiling, and sheetrock walls. No ornamentation of the theater was present. The auditorium was the warehouse part of the Consumers, and it’s safe to say that nothing was done to that space other than remove the seats. It’s very likely that all the stuff was stored right there in the auditorium, with the Madison Theater ornamentation all above it, in it’s diamond in the rough glory. Consumers was short lived, and soon closed. I remember the Odd Lot opening, and remember going to it. The drop ceiling of the Consumers retail section was still there, and the wall was knocked down into the theater. I “think” there was a crude ceiling put up in the auditorium section, now that it was a store and not the warehouse anymore. Odd Lot lasted longer than Consumers but closed a few years later.
At that time, you are correct, THAT is when the Madison Theater burned. It was after Odd Lot closed, so it was vacant, but it WAS after the Odd Lot, not after the theater use. It didn’t last too long vacant before Busy Bee moved in. That was VERY short lived from what I remembered, perhaps a year or two? I went there only once when it was the flea market, and remember very little about it.
After that, Liberty Dept Store moved in. Ironically, that’s when they completely steam cleaned and repointed the face of the theater fasade, before Busy Bee moved in. Unfortunately, Liberty covered over much of the fasade with their sign. The elaborate window cornices are covered.
Lost, I remember the Busy Bee in between the Odd-Lot and the Liberty Dept Store. I had forgotten all about that until now! I remember shopping at that flea market when it first opened. it didn’t last long.
Email notification test.
I might as well start now, apparently, I’ll have to repost in any theater I want the email notifications to come to me again, so I might as well start here, and slowly move to others.
I never had problems getting the emails before, and I get the update email for THIS thread….but that’s it. Apparently some people are still getting them as usual, and others are not anymore.
I don’t know what it is, but I am really sorry I don’t get the email update emails anymore. This is the ONLY thread/theater I get update emails from anymore. I did get ONE from the Ridgewood Theater, as that’s the only theater I posted in since this problem began. And many theaters I “subscribe” to have had messages made. I can’t tell which ones anymore though unfortunately, unless I randomly check theaters, which time would prohibit.
Yes. It worked. Apparently any theater I made a message in in the last week, I get the update emails. Anything before that, it doesn’t work anymore.
Saps, thank goodness it’s not just me. There is definitely something wrong, as “this” thread is the ONLY update emails I get from the site now. And lots of theaters I have commented in have had comments. Something is DEFINITELY wrong with the notification system. I used to get several emails a day from the various theaters. I now get none, like I said it’s just this “news” item I get update emails from. For some reason, the theater email notification system has halted.
The emails are the only way I can keep up with the site, as there’s now way I can possible check randomly all the theaters I posted in to see if someone commented. I hope the problem gets fixed, as I checked my email and it is correct.
It’s a bit ironic that the emails stopped just around when this thread began, so something must be set wrong.
Amazingly after all this time, and all this conversation under this theater, no one has been able to come up with interior historic photos of the Ridgewood yet. Warren’s post makes me want to see them even more! I’d even settle for current photos.
Here’s two photos I took of the theater a year or two ago:
Click here for photo 1
Click here for photo 2
I too had a lot of good times in that theater in it’s short life. I am sorry to see it gone.
Patrick, is there something wrong with the email notification system? I haven’t gotten comment updates for any theater in over a week, and that is unusual, as I believe comments were amde in theaters where I should be getting these emails.
Actually, National Amusements closed it because they built it’s more modern Holtsville Island 16 down the road which features stadium seating, and all the latest amenities. But you are right, the Brookhaven was a youong theater, and while it could have used some cosmetics, it wasn’t in bad shape at all.
I don’t know what it is, but the housing in Ridgewood seems more “Brooklyn-like” than Queens like. I always think of Queens as looking “newer” (think Middle Village, Glendale, upper Queens, etc). Ridgewood has more of a “Brooklyn” look to me, I guess because of the timeframe when the buildings were built. I mean it as a compliment by the way, not a citicism. I like Brooklyn’s housing stock much better than that of Queens (in general of course).
Yes, it was the zip code that was Brooklyn, even though in Queens (this goes for Glendale too). The Brooklyn-Queens border was slightly changed also, but not that far. They took what was a straight line border running right through the middle of blocks (and homes/porperty for that matter), and zig-zagged it down streets instead, as to not have half a house (or block) in Brooklyn, and another half in Queens. This was before the Madison Theater (or Ridgewood Theater) were built, so it wouldn’t have affected their “Queens Status”. Then for years afterwards, as PKoch has mentioned, Ridgewood while in Queens, was served out of the Brooklyn post office until 1980 for some strange reason.
I think the real reason for the advertising both the Ridgewood and the Madison in Brooklyn was a marketing plus for some reason, so that’s why they did it. The border is close enough, that it would be able to be done, and truthfully, even though Ridgewood is Queens, it has more of a Brooklyn feel than a Queens feel in it’s housing stock in general.