Williamsburg Theatre
279 Broadway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11211
279 Broadway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11211
8 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Interboro Circuit Inc., Small-Strausberg Circuit
Architects: Benjamin Schlanger
Firms: Shampan & Shampan
Previous Names: Williamsburg Playhouse
Nearby Theaters
Opened in 1914 as the Williamsburg Playhouse, this theatre was designed by Shampan & Shampan. In 1936 the original archectural firm Shampan & Shampan were brought back to renovate and enlarge the theatre.
It closed in 1958 and underwent a renovation to the plans of architect Benjamin Schlanger. It reopened as the Williamsburg Theatre in 1959.
It closed for good in 1985 and housed a retail store until 2013 when it was demolished.
Contributed by
Cesar Del Valle, William Gabel
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 114 comments)
Jayar, it was great to hear the good news about the new movie theater in Williamsburg. (The vacant lot that was once the Commodore is just so depressing.) So I guess that the community that was able to open a bowling alley will now bring back the movies!
The 1947 picture is really terrific and also, at first sight, appears to be even older than it is.
I still can’t believe the needlessly and deliberately destroyed the Commodore and tore it down. And for what?
I’ve seen shortened names on ads but never before on a marquee, St. being excepted.
The Broadway Theater (Lowes Broadway) also had a shortened name on the marquee…. “Bway”….
ahodara you mentioned Joes luncheonette, was that joes, on lee and hooper? I remember him and his wife, very kind people, my dad would take me there to have a large milkshake at the time for 50cents in the early 70s, got my baseball cards there too heh. God rest his soul. If it was email me at I added a new theater pic, the original artwork from 1914/facade is set for demolition, trying to get it saved for historical purposes. One can only hope.
In 1936, original architects Shampan & Shampan returned to the Williamsburg Playhouse to design and oversee a $15,000 renovation, reported in the September 12 issue of The Film Daily. The building was extended to increase seating capacity, the auditorium was reseated, new carpets and drapes were installed, the toilets and lounge were updated, as were lighting and mechanical equipment, and the interior was given modern decorative finishes.
I remember how small the ‘lobby’ was and the concession stand was directly behind the auditorium. This was definitely no palace but I saw ABBY, RUBY, SINBAD movies at this place.
The status should show ‘demolished’.
The individual theater entries show demolished when applicable. The demolished is not an option on the general listing pages.
A 1959 remodel by architect Ben Schlanger is reflected in photos.