Happy to announce that it looks like this theater will indeed be renovated. Maddeningly, there is no mention in the article as to the current state of the theater, how much is left, how ornate it was/still is, or the ultimate quality of the restoration. However, it is welcome news nonetheless. The article follows from the Asbury Park Press:
ASBURY PARK — The century-old Savoy Theatre is going to be saved and renovated into a state-of-the art live performance theater.
Trip Brooks, the representative of Sackman Enterprises who oversees many of that company’s historic renovations of Asbury Park buildings, said Friday that Sackman went under contract in June to buy the five-story Kinmonth Building at 710 Mattison Ave. with a year’s deadline.
Besides office space, the building, built in 1911, housed the Savoy vaudeville theater. In the 1930s, movies started being shown and for many years the Savoy was part of the Walter Reade group of movie theaters in Asbury Park. Eventually, the theater went dark, as did most of the downtown until the past decade’s revitalization.
“Our plans are to take it through the approval process with the city,” Brooks said on Friday. “Our idea is to restore the old office section with offices related to theaters. We will have a production company and a Savoy Club.”
The Kinmonth Building, when purchased, will be added to Sackman Enterprises’ downtown buildings that company president Carter Sackman has bought and completed historic renovations. That list includes the Steinbach Building, the Post Building, the old Asbury Park Press Building and most recently, the 550 Cookman Building, which is on track to be completed and open with retail, apartments and four cinemas that will seat a total of 650 and include the renovation of the historic adjacent Seacoast Trust Building.
The Savoy will be a 1,000-seat theater, Brooks said, and is important in the Sackman mix for the downtown, which has been primarily residential and retail.
The city’s Arts Coalition of Asbury Park worked hard in 2005 to buy the Kinmonth Building from owner Michael Fornino but could not come up with the $250,000 required as a down payment to hold it. The price tag at that time was $5.1 million.
Brooks declined to say how much they have contracted to pay Fornino. The Neptune resident and longtime Asbury Park businessman purchased the building with partner Jerold Wagenheim in 1980.
Fornino could not be reached for comment Friday.
“I think it’s a very exciting project,” Mayor Ed Johnson said. “The Savoy is really one of the last of the historic theaters at the Jersey Shore. Asbury Park was always known for its grand theaters, which were torn down one by one.”
“To (Tripp and Carter’s) their credit, they have been methodically taking those steps and they’re taking them in one of the worst economic environments since the Depression,” said City Manager Terence Reidy said.“People come and look at the city and there’s this real legitimate sense of momentum and commitment that feeds on itself.”
Sackman Enterprises must build a new parking deck downtown as its projects are completed and the city fills up with people and cars.
“The renovation of the 550 Cookman Building has pushed the demand for the new parking, and the Savoy will push it right over the top,” Reidy said.
This theater looks great in the photos. Alas, I was only able to peer from the gate on the outside and couldn’t see anything. I was taking my first tour of downtown LA’s Historic Theatre District and I was both elated and greatly disappointed by what I saw. First the good. There is a tremendous amount of stunning architecture in downtown Los Angeles and it appears that a great number of the older office buildings have, in fact, been converted to residential. That said, I saw precious little effect of all of those new residents' effects on the area. Except for some cafes and restaurants on Spring Street the area’s retail is decidedly low brow. Sadly, large parts of the area smelled of urine. The theaters of Broadway (even the supposed restored ones) had a look of utter abandonment. I think there is a lot of potential, but I just don’t see the effort. I lived through the bad old days of Times Square in the 70’s and 80’s and witnessed it umprobabe transfomation into the Disneyland that it has become today. No one ever thought that could ever be accomplished, but it was because the city put its full force and resources behind it. Police presence was increased, the homeless were moved out, porn stores closed, office buildings built, tax incentives for residents put in place. The change happened pretty much within 10 years. I don’t see LA putting the same effort behind it and more importantly, local residents supporting it. Can some local Angelenos convince me otherwise? I hope so. I think downtown has the bones. It needs the flesh. The clothing will follow on its own.
Just passed by this theater site on Sunday, September 6. The status should be changed from closed to demolished. As is evident from the google maps camera, it is sadly no longer there.
Passed by this theater and it too looks abandoned form the outside though its exterior is in excellent condition. The marquee was advertising a “purim party”. Yikes! Not very exciting stuff. But at least it is still there.
Just conducted my first visit of downtown Los Angeles to tour the famous Historic Theatre District this past Sunday, September 5th. The United Artists Theatre was might first up close stop and it couldn’t have looked more abandoned. Is this theater really renovated? If so, the outer lobby and vestibule needs some serious work. If it is still owned by a church then they are out of business as the gates were shut tight at a time when one would presume that services should be held. Very sad all around. I wil post my other observations on each visited theater site.
You beat me to it Ed! This was always something of a long shot for preservation and I’m not quite sure how much was there to preserve, but at least some of it will live on. Of course we wish we could save them all, but we can’t. We need to dedicate our efforts where the true potentials are: The Loew’s Canal is foremost on my mind as our best hope for bringing back a faded beauty in Manhattan. We have succeeded in saving stunners like Radio City, The New Amsterdam, The Hollywood, all five Wonder Theaters, The Saint George, The Beacon and, of course, the Apollo. I fear for the RKO Keiths Richmond Hill. However, I do have hope for the Brooklyn Paramount and The Jackson in Queens. As for the Victoria, we will still keep the dignified exterior though I hope with that hideous marquee removed and perhaps a period marquee in its place. I hope they make good use of the chandeliers and grand stairs.
The Condo Plan has received Final Approval. Construction to start by the end of the year. It still calls for the “ornate lobby to be preserved”.
Developer gets final approval to transform landmarked Queens theater into condos
July 13, 2011 04:30PM
RKO Keith’s Theater
Having just received the final approval from the Board of Standards and Appeals, developer Patrick Thompson is moving ahead with plans to turn the landmarked RKO Keith’s Theater in downtown Flushing, Queens into a 17-story, 357-unit residential rental complex, according to Crain’s.
“I am very delighted and look forward to starting construction,” Thompson said.
At the close of last year, Thompson submitted his plans to the board, which included a modification of plans that had been submitted by its previous owner. The new proposal included increasing the number of units from 200, increasing parking spaces inside the building to 385 from 229 and increasing the retail square footage to 17,000 from 11,000, according to Crain’s.
“This long-neglected site is finally on the road to rebirth as a mixed-used development that will provide much needed housing and a senior center,” Queens Borough President Helen Marshall said. “From the 1920s to the 1980s, when it was vacated, the RKO Keith was a major entertainment Mecca for everything from vaudeville shows to motion pictures.”
Thompson is the third in a string of developers that have taken on the site. Two previous owners — Thomas Huang and Shaya Boymelgreen — failed in their attempts to revamp it.
Thompson expects to start construction by the end of the year. [Crain’s]
On Thursday, June 23rd, I attended a special gay pride screening of “Mommie Dearest” hosted by that fabulous drag queen, Hedda Lettuce! There were around 700 people in attendance. It was incredibly fun and, once again, kudos to The Ziegfeld for presentation. Oh, YES, they used the curtains. Many times as a matter of fact! I just love this theater.
When was the photo in the profile taken? There is a banner that says “Majestic Theatre Restoration” Next to it, it looks like is says City of Bridgeport, but I can’t make out what it says under that.
This theater doesn’t look that bad at all. It is easily salvageable. Of course it is a matter of money. Who will provide it and just as important, how will it fund itself once renovated. It’s a tragedy as these theaters are just so beautiful.
I too apologize. This is just one of my favorite theaters and would love to see an image of it that shows it in the best possible light. A Pepsi ad doesn’t do that. :–)
Vito, I wholeheartedly agree! The Showcase Photo above is atrocious; a screen with an ad! Ugh! It would be much better even with the screen empty and just showing the auditorium. Someone please fix this! There must be something better.
So it has been over a year since the last posting on this theater. It appears nothing has changed, which I guess is good as that means it is still there and maintaining itself as a flea market. The RKO Keiths, along with the Loew’s Canal in Manhattan have got to be the largest and most promising of the unrenovated theaters in Manhattan. Unfortunately, the location of the Keiths makes it unlikely that the money will be spent to properly restore it. Ironically, it is the location that has allowed it to last this long relatively undisturbed.
The vacant lot on the corner is the old Simonson Funeral Home, a Victorian beauty that is now lost. The building to its right is the Old Republican Club which I also believe is about to be torn down due to neglect. The theater site would then be the building to the right of that.
This theater seems to be fantastic. Unfortunately, nothing was playing while I was in San Antonio. Of all the San Antonio theaters that were ever built I am most happy that this one in particular has been saved. Their Broadway schedule for the 2011/2012 season includes La Cage Aux Folles next Spring so I will try to come back then to actually see a production inside this Eberson masterpiece.
Just saw this spectacular facade in downtown San Antonio. What an incredible travesty that the rest of this theater was demolished for such an ugly office building which could just as easily have been built on any of the vacant lots in the surrounding area. I’m sure the interior was amazing. I am, however, still grateful that the facade and box office are still with us but it leaves me wanting more. I wish they had made the decision to keep the lights as well. Alas…..
I can confirm that the Aztec is still open as of today and it is still showing the Country Music showcase. I couldn’t bring myself to sit through something like that even though I would have loved to have seen the auditorium. At least this spectacular theater (which is in a relatively rare style) was saved.
I’m a little confused by this theater. I was just reading a book on historic San Antonio buildings and it says that there were 2 theaters here and it was the smaller theater that was restored by Las Casas at a cost of $3.5MM. It also says that it seats just 800 people. As I peered through the lobby windows, the view couldn’t have been any plainer or drab for a supposed palace. I also didn’t see any upcoming events posted. If there are in fact 2 theaters, what happened to the other one? What is the status of that one? My reference is a picture book titled “San Antonio, Then and Now” by Paula Allen.
Just stopped by the Alameda this morning. It is still just as beautiful on the outside, but the theater seems to be at a complete standstill. It looks abandoned on the inside with no sign of any activity, let alone restoration work. In the window there is a proud “proclamation” from Ford Motor Company announcing the a “sizable” donation to the restoration cause. It is dated 2005. It looks like nothing has happened since. Does anyone have any news? I assume the lights are no longer lit.
Movies 534, I appreciate your enthusiasm for The Montauk, but to equate its destruction to The Roxy in Manhattan is a great insult to the magnificent Roxy; perhaps the greatest movie palace ever built. There is virtually no comparison to be made between the two. That said, it is still a great loss to lose any remaining single screen movie theater; especially one that was apparently in such good condition. Theaters like this will NEVER be built again. It is a way of life that has passed.
Progress comes in many forms. There was a time when Banks built huge halls of marble with chandeliers. They projected strength and security. Department stores downtown occupied full blocks and had elaborate sales floors; especially on the ground level.
With the notable exception of New York, the Banks and full block Department Stores of old are gone. Same as the Movie Palaces. They no longer serve todays needs. In New York, some banks still serve their original purpose; most notably the Apple Bank (former Central Savings Bank) on the Upper West Side. Several others have become fabulous catering halls: Citibank Wall Street, The Greenwich Savings Bank, The Bowery Savings Banks on both Bowery and 42nd Street and, soon, the Williamsburg Savings Bank in Williamsburg.
Many of the most prominent Department Stores in Manhattan (Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, are still with us but across the country most have been demolished. B Altman is still here as well though is now a graduate school for City University.
Theaters had to be repurposed to survive as well. Arguably, New York has the country’s greatest collection of surviving movie palaces even though virtually none still show movies. How did they do it? By using a great variety of ways to preserve them. Many are churches (Loews Metropoilitan, The Hollywood, Loew’s Valenica, The Elmwood, Loews Gates, The Stanley (Jersey City), among others. Loews 175th Street is a combination Church and concert hall. Other theaters serve purely as Live theater venues like The New Amsterdam and many of today’s Broadway houses. Others are strict live performance venues like Radio City, The Apollo, Loews Paradise, The Beacon, The St. George and, coming soon, Loews Kings! One became a gym for Long Island University and will hopefully be restored as the Brooklyn Paramount. Loew’s Jersey (yes, I know it is Jersey City but I am counting it) is gradually being restored by volunteers and actually does show movies! The Ziegfeld and The Paris are the only two that still show first run films. The common thread for all these uses is that New York is a vibrant and very prosperous city that is still growing in population. It is also a city full of immigrants and very proudly so.
Alas, smaller fading cities don’t realize that their past can help them revitalize themselves for the future. It’s a shame that this treasure has been lost, but that makes the remaining palaces that much more valuable.
So, on to preserving Loews Canal, the RKO Keiths Richmond Hill, The Brooklyn Paramount, etc. These we still have.
Ed, I am behind you 100%. I simply don’t understand it. Even if they only outfitted one auditorium but went all out! Sadly, that would be a dramatic improvement over the multiplex construction of the current day.
Yes BobbyS! They did replace the Loews sign with a Regal but in the same beautiful blade design. I also love the exterior of Loews/Regal theater. it is a beautiful homage to the theaters of the past; especially when most new theaters are soulless boxes.
Jeffrey1955…It is no contradiction. It makes perfect sense. As gas prices continue to go up (and they will) people will want and need to live in areas that are close to mass transit and companies will want to locate in paces where employees can commute using mass transit. It is why NY continues to grow in population and why Flushing will become a new center for deveopment. (fyi, the new Fulton Road development in Flushing just broke ground on Thursday).
As for the Keiths, Flushing is not a separate city. The Financial District in Manhattan is the third largest commercial district in the country and also the fastest growing residential population in the city, yet it doesn’t have a single theater. It doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic neighborhood.
The Keiths is an amazing structure, but as I’ve said on many other pages, a theater needs to have the funding for renovation AND have a plan to support itself afterwards. The Keiths has neither. Every other successful renovation has had this. Some have been churches like the Loew’s Gates, Loew’s Valencia, Loews 175th Street, The Stanley, The Elmwood. Some have been private investors who have converted the theaters to live theater or other entertainment venues like The Apollo, Loew’s Paradise, The Hollywood, The New Amsterdam. The St. George. The Kings was a combination of City incentives and a private developer (ACE Theatricals) with a plan to host 200 + events a year. The Brooklyn Paramount was converted to a gym and miraculously is fairly intact and hopefully will be fully restored at some point.
We can'’t MAKE a private developer put up tens of millions of dollars for a restoration without providing a mechanism for them to make their money back. $8MM for a restoration of the lobby is not ideal. We can’t turn back the clock and undo the damage down by that criminal Huang. A true restoration of this theater would likely cost over $60MM. Who is going to pay for that? The Kings is costing $70MM and the cost is being borne by the city and ACE theatricals. That is the city’s theater good deed for the next couple of years. The Keiths cannot hope to get money from City Hall.
I would love to see the Ketih’s brought back but I am a realist. There simply is no credible plan.
Wow, I take back my prior comments. These new photos are much worse than the current state of the Kings. Nonetheless, with enough money it is still salvageable. The question, of course, is where would it come from. It’s a terrible loss not just for Flushing but for the country.
Happy to announce that it looks like this theater will indeed be renovated. Maddeningly, there is no mention in the article as to the current state of the theater, how much is left, how ornate it was/still is, or the ultimate quality of the restoration. However, it is welcome news nonetheless. The article follows from the Asbury Park Press:
ASBURY PARK — The century-old Savoy Theatre is going to be saved and renovated into a state-of-the art live performance theater.
Trip Brooks, the representative of Sackman Enterprises who oversees many of that company’s historic renovations of Asbury Park buildings, said Friday that Sackman went under contract in June to buy the five-story Kinmonth Building at 710 Mattison Ave. with a year’s deadline.
Besides office space, the building, built in 1911, housed the Savoy vaudeville theater. In the 1930s, movies started being shown and for many years the Savoy was part of the Walter Reade group of movie theaters in Asbury Park. Eventually, the theater went dark, as did most of the downtown until the past decade’s revitalization.
“Our plans are to take it through the approval process with the city,” Brooks said on Friday. “Our idea is to restore the old office section with offices related to theaters. We will have a production company and a Savoy Club.”
The Kinmonth Building, when purchased, will be added to Sackman Enterprises’ downtown buildings that company president Carter Sackman has bought and completed historic renovations. That list includes the Steinbach Building, the Post Building, the old Asbury Park Press Building and most recently, the 550 Cookman Building, which is on track to be completed and open with retail, apartments and four cinemas that will seat a total of 650 and include the renovation of the historic adjacent Seacoast Trust Building.
The Savoy will be a 1,000-seat theater, Brooks said, and is important in the Sackman mix for the downtown, which has been primarily residential and retail.
The city’s Arts Coalition of Asbury Park worked hard in 2005 to buy the Kinmonth Building from owner Michael Fornino but could not come up with the $250,000 required as a down payment to hold it. The price tag at that time was $5.1 million.
Brooks declined to say how much they have contracted to pay Fornino. The Neptune resident and longtime Asbury Park businessman purchased the building with partner Jerold Wagenheim in 1980.
Fornino could not be reached for comment Friday.
“I think it’s a very exciting project,” Mayor Ed Johnson said. “The Savoy is really one of the last of the historic theaters at the Jersey Shore. Asbury Park was always known for its grand theaters, which were torn down one by one.”
“To (Tripp and Carter’s) their credit, they have been methodically taking those steps and they’re taking them in one of the worst economic environments since the Depression,” said City Manager Terence Reidy said.“People come and look at the city and there’s this real legitimate sense of momentum and commitment that feeds on itself.”
Sackman Enterprises must build a new parking deck downtown as its projects are completed and the city fills up with people and cars.
“The renovation of the 550 Cookman Building has pushed the demand for the new parking, and the Savoy will push it right over the top,” Reidy said.
This theater looks great in the photos. Alas, I was only able to peer from the gate on the outside and couldn’t see anything. I was taking my first tour of downtown LA’s Historic Theatre District and I was both elated and greatly disappointed by what I saw. First the good. There is a tremendous amount of stunning architecture in downtown Los Angeles and it appears that a great number of the older office buildings have, in fact, been converted to residential. That said, I saw precious little effect of all of those new residents' effects on the area. Except for some cafes and restaurants on Spring Street the area’s retail is decidedly low brow. Sadly, large parts of the area smelled of urine. The theaters of Broadway (even the supposed restored ones) had a look of utter abandonment. I think there is a lot of potential, but I just don’t see the effort. I lived through the bad old days of Times Square in the 70’s and 80’s and witnessed it umprobabe transfomation into the Disneyland that it has become today. No one ever thought that could ever be accomplished, but it was because the city put its full force and resources behind it. Police presence was increased, the homeless were moved out, porn stores closed, office buildings built, tax incentives for residents put in place. The change happened pretty much within 10 years. I don’t see LA putting the same effort behind it and more importantly, local residents supporting it. Can some local Angelenos convince me otherwise? I hope so. I think downtown has the bones. It needs the flesh. The clothing will follow on its own.
Just passed by this theater site on Sunday, September 6. The status should be changed from closed to demolished. As is evident from the google maps camera, it is sadly no longer there.
Passed by this theater and it too looks abandoned form the outside though its exterior is in excellent condition. The marquee was advertising a “purim party”. Yikes! Not very exciting stuff. But at least it is still there.
Just conducted my first visit of downtown Los Angeles to tour the famous Historic Theatre District this past Sunday, September 5th. The United Artists Theatre was might first up close stop and it couldn’t have looked more abandoned. Is this theater really renovated? If so, the outer lobby and vestibule needs some serious work. If it is still owned by a church then they are out of business as the gates were shut tight at a time when one would presume that services should be held. Very sad all around. I wil post my other observations on each visited theater site.
Love the profile auditorium shot!
You beat me to it Ed! This was always something of a long shot for preservation and I’m not quite sure how much was there to preserve, but at least some of it will live on. Of course we wish we could save them all, but we can’t. We need to dedicate our efforts where the true potentials are: The Loew’s Canal is foremost on my mind as our best hope for bringing back a faded beauty in Manhattan. We have succeeded in saving stunners like Radio City, The New Amsterdam, The Hollywood, all five Wonder Theaters, The Saint George, The Beacon and, of course, the Apollo. I fear for the RKO Keiths Richmond Hill. However, I do have hope for the Brooklyn Paramount and The Jackson in Queens. As for the Victoria, we will still keep the dignified exterior though I hope with that hideous marquee removed and perhaps a period marquee in its place. I hope they make good use of the chandeliers and grand stairs.
What exciting news! I too expect to be there for opening night. Perhaps we will all get to meet each other then? :–)
The Condo Plan has received Final Approval. Construction to start by the end of the year. It still calls for the “ornate lobby to be preserved”.
Developer gets final approval to transform landmarked Queens theater into condos July 13, 2011 04:30PM
RKO Keith’s Theater Having just received the final approval from the Board of Standards and Appeals, developer Patrick Thompson is moving ahead with plans to turn the landmarked RKO Keith’s Theater in downtown Flushing, Queens into a 17-story, 357-unit residential rental complex, according to Crain’s.
“I am very delighted and look forward to starting construction,” Thompson said.
At the close of last year, Thompson submitted his plans to the board, which included a modification of plans that had been submitted by its previous owner. The new proposal included increasing the number of units from 200, increasing parking spaces inside the building to 385 from 229 and increasing the retail square footage to 17,000 from 11,000, according to Crain’s.
“This long-neglected site is finally on the road to rebirth as a mixed-used development that will provide much needed housing and a senior center,” Queens Borough President Helen Marshall said. “From the 1920s to the 1980s, when it was vacated, the RKO Keith was a major entertainment Mecca for everything from vaudeville shows to motion pictures.”
Thompson is the third in a string of developers that have taken on the site. Two previous owners — Thomas Huang and Shaya Boymelgreen — failed in their attempts to revamp it.
Thompson expects to start construction by the end of the year. [Crain’s]
On Thursday, June 23rd, I attended a special gay pride screening of “Mommie Dearest” hosted by that fabulous drag queen, Hedda Lettuce! There were around 700 people in attendance. It was incredibly fun and, once again, kudos to The Ziegfeld for presentation. Oh, YES, they used the curtains. Many times as a matter of fact! I just love this theater.
When was the photo in the profile taken? There is a banner that says “Majestic Theatre Restoration” Next to it, it looks like is says City of Bridgeport, but I can’t make out what it says under that.
This theater doesn’t look that bad at all. It is easily salvageable. Of course it is a matter of money. Who will provide it and just as important, how will it fund itself once renovated. It’s a tragedy as these theaters are just so beautiful.
I too apologize. This is just one of my favorite theaters and would love to see an image of it that shows it in the best possible light. A Pepsi ad doesn’t do that. :–)
Vito, I wholeheartedly agree! The Showcase Photo above is atrocious; a screen with an ad! Ugh! It would be much better even with the screen empty and just showing the auditorium. Someone please fix this! There must be something better.
So it has been over a year since the last posting on this theater. It appears nothing has changed, which I guess is good as that means it is still there and maintaining itself as a flea market. The RKO Keiths, along with the Loew’s Canal in Manhattan have got to be the largest and most promising of the unrenovated theaters in Manhattan. Unfortunately, the location of the Keiths makes it unlikely that the money will be spent to properly restore it. Ironically, it is the location that has allowed it to last this long relatively undisturbed.
The vacant lot on the corner is the old Simonson Funeral Home, a Victorian beauty that is now lost. The building to its right is the Old Republican Club which I also believe is about to be torn down due to neglect. The theater site would then be the building to the right of that.
This theater seems to be fantastic. Unfortunately, nothing was playing while I was in San Antonio. Of all the San Antonio theaters that were ever built I am most happy that this one in particular has been saved. Their Broadway schedule for the 2011/2012 season includes La Cage Aux Folles next Spring so I will try to come back then to actually see a production inside this Eberson masterpiece.
Just saw this spectacular facade in downtown San Antonio. What an incredible travesty that the rest of this theater was demolished for such an ugly office building which could just as easily have been built on any of the vacant lots in the surrounding area. I’m sure the interior was amazing. I am, however, still grateful that the facade and box office are still with us but it leaves me wanting more. I wish they had made the decision to keep the lights as well. Alas…..
I can confirm that the Aztec is still open as of today and it is still showing the Country Music showcase. I couldn’t bring myself to sit through something like that even though I would have loved to have seen the auditorium. At least this spectacular theater (which is in a relatively rare style) was saved.
I’m a little confused by this theater. I was just reading a book on historic San Antonio buildings and it says that there were 2 theaters here and it was the smaller theater that was restored by Las Casas at a cost of $3.5MM. It also says that it seats just 800 people. As I peered through the lobby windows, the view couldn’t have been any plainer or drab for a supposed palace. I also didn’t see any upcoming events posted. If there are in fact 2 theaters, what happened to the other one? What is the status of that one? My reference is a picture book titled “San Antonio, Then and Now” by Paula Allen.
Just stopped by the Alameda this morning. It is still just as beautiful on the outside, but the theater seems to be at a complete standstill. It looks abandoned on the inside with no sign of any activity, let alone restoration work. In the window there is a proud “proclamation” from Ford Motor Company announcing the a “sizable” donation to the restoration cause. It is dated 2005. It looks like nothing has happened since. Does anyone have any news? I assume the lights are no longer lit.
Movies 534, I appreciate your enthusiasm for The Montauk, but to equate its destruction to The Roxy in Manhattan is a great insult to the magnificent Roxy; perhaps the greatest movie palace ever built. There is virtually no comparison to be made between the two. That said, it is still a great loss to lose any remaining single screen movie theater; especially one that was apparently in such good condition. Theaters like this will NEVER be built again. It is a way of life that has passed.
Progress comes in many forms. There was a time when Banks built huge halls of marble with chandeliers. They projected strength and security. Department stores downtown occupied full blocks and had elaborate sales floors; especially on the ground level.
With the notable exception of New York, the Banks and full block Department Stores of old are gone. Same as the Movie Palaces. They no longer serve todays needs. In New York, some banks still serve their original purpose; most notably the Apple Bank (former Central Savings Bank) on the Upper West Side. Several others have become fabulous catering halls: Citibank Wall Street, The Greenwich Savings Bank, The Bowery Savings Banks on both Bowery and 42nd Street and, soon, the Williamsburg Savings Bank in Williamsburg.
Many of the most prominent Department Stores in Manhattan (Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, are still with us but across the country most have been demolished. B Altman is still here as well though is now a graduate school for City University.
Theaters had to be repurposed to survive as well. Arguably, New York has the country’s greatest collection of surviving movie palaces even though virtually none still show movies. How did they do it? By using a great variety of ways to preserve them. Many are churches (Loews Metropoilitan, The Hollywood, Loew’s Valenica, The Elmwood, Loews Gates, The Stanley (Jersey City), among others. Loews 175th Street is a combination Church and concert hall. Other theaters serve purely as Live theater venues like The New Amsterdam and many of today’s Broadway houses. Others are strict live performance venues like Radio City, The Apollo, Loews Paradise, The Beacon, The St. George and, coming soon, Loews Kings! One became a gym for Long Island University and will hopefully be restored as the Brooklyn Paramount. Loew’s Jersey (yes, I know it is Jersey City but I am counting it) is gradually being restored by volunteers and actually does show movies! The Ziegfeld and The Paris are the only two that still show first run films. The common thread for all these uses is that New York is a vibrant and very prosperous city that is still growing in population. It is also a city full of immigrants and very proudly so.
Alas, smaller fading cities don’t realize that their past can help them revitalize themselves for the future. It’s a shame that this treasure has been lost, but that makes the remaining palaces that much more valuable.
So, on to preserving Loews Canal, the RKO Keiths Richmond Hill, The Brooklyn Paramount, etc. These we still have.
Ed, I am behind you 100%. I simply don’t understand it. Even if they only outfitted one auditorium but went all out! Sadly, that would be a dramatic improvement over the multiplex construction of the current day.
Yes BobbyS! They did replace the Loews sign with a Regal but in the same beautiful blade design. I also love the exterior of Loews/Regal theater. it is a beautiful homage to the theaters of the past; especially when most new theaters are soulless boxes.
Jeffrey1955…It is no contradiction. It makes perfect sense. As gas prices continue to go up (and they will) people will want and need to live in areas that are close to mass transit and companies will want to locate in paces where employees can commute using mass transit. It is why NY continues to grow in population and why Flushing will become a new center for deveopment. (fyi, the new Fulton Road development in Flushing just broke ground on Thursday).
As for the Keiths, Flushing is not a separate city. The Financial District in Manhattan is the third largest commercial district in the country and also the fastest growing residential population in the city, yet it doesn’t have a single theater. It doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic neighborhood.
The Keiths is an amazing structure, but as I’ve said on many other pages, a theater needs to have the funding for renovation AND have a plan to support itself afterwards. The Keiths has neither. Every other successful renovation has had this. Some have been churches like the Loew’s Gates, Loew’s Valencia, Loews 175th Street, The Stanley, The Elmwood. Some have been private investors who have converted the theaters to live theater or other entertainment venues like The Apollo, Loew’s Paradise, The Hollywood, The New Amsterdam. The St. George. The Kings was a combination of City incentives and a private developer (ACE Theatricals) with a plan to host 200 + events a year. The Brooklyn Paramount was converted to a gym and miraculously is fairly intact and hopefully will be fully restored at some point.
We can'’t MAKE a private developer put up tens of millions of dollars for a restoration without providing a mechanism for them to make their money back. $8MM for a restoration of the lobby is not ideal. We can’t turn back the clock and undo the damage down by that criminal Huang. A true restoration of this theater would likely cost over $60MM. Who is going to pay for that? The Kings is costing $70MM and the cost is being borne by the city and ACE theatricals. That is the city’s theater good deed for the next couple of years. The Keiths cannot hope to get money from City Hall.
I would love to see the Ketih’s brought back but I am a realist. There simply is no credible plan.
Wow, I take back my prior comments. These new photos are much worse than the current state of the Kings. Nonetheless, with enough money it is still salvageable. The question, of course, is where would it come from. It’s a terrible loss not just for Flushing but for the country.