RKO Prospect Theatre

327 9th Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11215

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: RKO

Architects: William H. McElfatrick

Functions: Housing, Supermarket

Previous Names: Prospect Theatre, B.F. Keith's Prospect Theatre

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Built for and operated by Percy Williams as a vaudeville theatre, the 2,448-seat Prospect Theatre opened on September 7, 1914. It was the largest theatre in the Park Slope neighborhood and in the first two years it attracted stars such as Houdini and the Four Marx Brothers onto its stage. It began presenting programs from Keith’s Palace Theatre on Broadway, Manhattan. Films began to be screened as part of the vaudeville program from 1916 when a projection booth was installed at the rear of the balcony. In 1920 a Moller organ was installed. This was replaced in October 1926, when a Wurlitzer 2 manual 10 ranks organ was installed.

It went over to full time movie theatre use in May 1929, and was renamed RKO Prospect Theatre in 1930. However vaudeville returned in 1933.

Closed as a movie theatre in 1967, the RKO Prospect Theatre has been converted into retail space. A store belonging to the C-Town grocery chain occupied the ground floor of the former theatre, and is now Steve’s 9th Street Market. The stage house has been converted into condos. The upper parts of the auditorium survive above a false ceiling over the supermarket.

Contributed by William Gabel

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Recent comments (view all 28 comments)

TommyS on January 28, 2013 at 5:48 am

The Prospect was another of those great neighborhood movie theatres. My grade school graduation in 1959 was held there. I remember the dinnerware set that my mother treasured. She bought pieces weekly at the Prospect. Movies that I saw there shape my thinking for my entire life. Two notable ones were Two Women with Sophia Loren and I Want To Live with Susan Hayward.

mda3668 on February 26, 2013 at 6:43 am

According to this interview with Moe Howard, this is where Ted Healey and Moe Howard teamed up—starting what became The Three Stooges. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm6F5-qYONo

robboehm on May 19, 2015 at 4:14 am

Later photo from Brooklyn Pics uploaded.

menright on July 23, 2015 at 8:43 pm

Great bunch of pictures on the current state of the theatre on the After the Final Curtain website. http://afterthefinalcurtain.net/tag/rko-prospect/

Matt Lambros on July 23, 2015 at 8:49 pm

I recently visited what remains of the Prospect Theatre. Check out some photos at After the Final Curtain
.

Matt Lambros on July 23, 2015 at 8:50 pm

Ha, thanks menright! You beat me to it.

theatrefan on July 25, 2015 at 3:03 am

For a place that’s been closed since 1967, it seems to be in pretty good shape. There are a whole bunch of movie theatres that closed much later & do not look as good. As usual great job with the photography Matt, keep up the good work.

IMBlessed on July 25, 2015 at 7:57 pm

Heartfelt thanks for the pix. I’m 83 and I remember our (Mom and me) going to the Saturday matinees. We’d first go to the dime store (Kresge’s?) across the street and buy a bunch of candy then to the theatre. I also recall one of the serials: Nyoka, Queen of the Jungle. I believe there was a dance studio right next door, second floor, where I took tap lessons for a few years. Does anyone recall the Avon Theatre, a block away from the Prospect? FYI, I attended PS 39 for a couple of my elementary school years. (My family left Brooklyn December 1943 for Cooperstown NY) Recently (6/2011) my daughters and me visited the school. Fortunately there was some kind of fundraiser going and and we were graciously shown through the school. P.S. 39 aka Henry Bristow is a Landmark school! Forgive my rambling. Beatasum