Colonial Theatre

Ed Solero on August 30, 2007 at 9:21 pm

There isn’t a whole lot of information available in terms of online NYC departmental records for the building and lot currently at 105-06 Northern Blvd. The current building lot actually combines several parcles with an address range of 105-06 -08 & -10. The OASISNYC website – which lists property information obtained from the Department of City Planning – has a build date of 1925 for the structure, but that is an estimate. I can find no C of O information for the 105-06 or 105-08 addresses. There is limited information on the 105-10 address, but the only C of O that is available for viewing is dated 1952 – and that is for an alteration of an existing building spanning all three addresses. Function is mixed-use storage, manufacturing and retail store and lists a cellar, 1st story and “mezzanine” level – so it is entirely possible that this is the original theater building… but there is no way to confirm or refute that assumption based on the infomation at hand.

Here’s a local.live view of the property. It is the lower lying structure sandwiched between the taller 3-story multi-family dwellings that run towards each corner. The blue awning on the left end of the building would be 105-10, while the wider black sign with white lettering covers 105-06 -08 Northern Blvd where, I presume, the theater would have been situated. The current occupants are a Chinese-owned company that installs stereo and alarm systems in automobiles (the blue awning) and a Korean owned construction company (the have the bigger space at 105-08).

I suppose a visit to the site might reveal if any archtictural elements on the facade or the rear of the building (looks like an alley opens up to 105th Street) hint at a former cinema.