Jewel Theater
11 W. 116th Street,
New York,
NY
10026
11 W. 116th Street,
New York,
NY
10026
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I live on this block. The Jewel Theater building was torn down in 2019/2020. A 12-story apartment building, with space for the church on the ground floor, is nearing completion.
http://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/NYCMA~5~5~223015~534492?sort=borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code&qvq=w4s:/where%2FWest%2B116%2BStreet;sort:borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code;lc:NYCMA~5~5&mi=31&trs=133
Tax photo 1940
There was a theatre next to the Odeon sometimes called the Avenue, Odeon Annex, and possibly Franklin. That could have also been the Grant once.
RichErickson (Jun 19, 2007) -
It sounds like the Odeon 145th Street Theatre (http://www.fadingad.com/047.html), which at one time seems to have specialized in Westerns.
Listed as open in the 1946 Film Daily Yearbook. Listed as closed in the 1947 edition.
The New York City building permits database has an entry for a 3-story theater at 11-13 W. 116th Street, built in 1910. The architect was S. S. Sugar.
A paramount Week ad for 1920 lists the Grant Theatre at 116th Street. By the following year’s ad it it listed as the Jewel at 11 West 116th Street.
I just bought an old postcard with an ad on the back for the “Grant Theatre, 145th St. near 8th Av. High class Motion Pictures & refined vaudeville. Admission 10c, children 5c.” The front is a photo of Gilbert M. Anderson (later known as Bronco Billy). Is anything known of this theatre? Perhaps it changed names or closed & moved to 116th St? Any info. appreciated.
Lost Memory; Here’s what I have found….
1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory
Empress Theatre, 104 W. 116th Street
Mecca Theatre, 261 W. 116th Street
Crown Theatre, 115 W. 116th Street
None of these made it to the 1926 Film Daily Yearbook or beyond…..
The Princess Theatre is nowhere to be seen in any listing that I have.
btw, the only other theatre I have listed in this stretch of W. 116th Street is the Loew’s 116th Street Theatre, 132 W. 116th Street which is already listed on Cinema Treasures. It is open by 1926 so maybe that killed off some of these smaller theatres.
That’s the one! Thanks, Lost. I even posted a B&W image I found of the building’s sidewall with the fire escapes on the Mt. Morris page.
No, wait. That is not the Regent Theater on Fifth Avenue. The Regent building is on Seventh Avenue. I can’t recall the name of this theater, but I know Ken Roe once told me what it was when I inquired elsewhere on this site having just recently passed by in my car. Perhaps he would be so kind as to identify it once again for me.
Here’s an aerial view of the former Jewel Theater. With empty lots on either side, the theater building has managed to elude the wrecker’s ball over the years. The former Regun Theater is just down the block to the left and across the street (out of view in this image) and I believe that’s the historic Regent Theater builfing (with the two fire escapes) on the corner of 116th and Fifth Avenue just out of frame on the right. You might have to scroll a bit to the right depending on how large the local.live window opens on your monitor.
In any event, residents in this part of Harlem had their fair share of moviegoing choices back in the early half of the 20th Century, eh?
Two photographs I took of the Jewel Theatre in July 2003:
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/533023559/
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/533024213/