Teatro Matienzo
Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon and Calle del Parque,
San Juan
90023
Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon and Calle del Parque,
San Juan
90023
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On its Facebook page, the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawings Society has a great photo gallery of the Matienzo’s (now Arriví’s) interior.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.292940967444982.70664.145605908845156&type=1
I remember el Matienzo of the 70’s only playing Spanish movies.
I am doing a documentary about Cine Roosevelt. If you have any memorabilia or information about Teatros Cobian, the original owners of the cinema, please contact me at
My Uncle Carmelo Quijano, was the projectionist for this theatre. I saw Ossesion a Briab DePalma film here and many other films from the 70’s.
José, no encuentro tu email, pero querÃa dejar saber que iba a utilizar la información en estas páginas para mi página del art deco en http://artdecopr.org
Cualquier objeción por favor déjame saber en mi email de
Renewing link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davsot/4178266140/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davsot/4178264450/
I will reserve final judgement for such a time when I visit the Matienzo on my next trip to Puerto Rico, but something is obvious. It should not be called a “restoration” if the theater’s original architectural design was gutted and replaced with a so-called modern, generic look. The Egyptian here in Los Angeles suffered a similar fate: Not a bad theater in of itself, but it is not the grand palace it used to be. But, as with the Matienzo, they are here with us for better or worse, and hopefully it is an indication of better things to come.
JSA
Any latest news about the Matienzo? Is it succesful as a theater venue? Andres.
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hope you guys enjoy the pics of the matienzo
ofcourse my email is im hoping to take a day of my summer vacation and walk around santurce taking photos of the theathers would you be interested?
Hello people! Jose Otero could you please tell me an email address so i can get in contact with you. Im from Puerto Rico and would like to ask you some questions. Andy, saludos espero que te encuentres bien.
here is a partial view of the Matienzo…
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Jose, I just got your other comment, if the movie is from 1981 and you fom 1984, definitely I was already here. Anyway, we’ll talk from home later. Best, Andy.
Jose, of course I know your family. I worked with “Don Rafa” for many years and know Rudy, your grandfather. I am at the office ready to go home. Send me and e-mail to my home: and I’ll tell you about my experiences with my dear Don Rafa. Lo que es la vida, no? I don’t remember where “The Fox and the Hound” played, it must have played in PR after I came to NY because I don’t remember seeing you at any of “our” theaters. I remember Rudy Jr., though. Best, Andy.
the odd thing andy is that the movie was made in 1981 and i was not born till february 1984, so I probably did not see the movie until ‘86, '87, '88 or maybe even latter, was it normal to show movies in theathers 8 years after they came out back then? i just dont know how to explain it
No Andy I have not been yet inside the Matienzo, but I cannot wait to get to see it. As of now I am in University in Ohio but hopefully I will get to see it soon. Although I did not live through the “belle époque†of the Ponce de Leon avenue cinemas, they live very close to my hearth, you see one my fondest childhood memories was watching the fox and the hound with my grandmother in what from my childhood recollections seemed like an enormous beautiful theater. My grandfather is Rudy Ramos Cobián son of Rafael Ramos Cobián, I wonder if you could tell me in what cinema I probably saw the Fox and the Hound that day, and if you ever met Rafael Ramos Cobián, and if you did could you tell me a little about him?
Thanks, Jose. It looks great! Have you been inside? Hope they kept and restored the murals in the auditorium. Thanks again. Andres.
hey Andy you will be happy to know that I found a picture, in it you can apreciate both the Music Hall (in the back) and the Matienzo theather.
To take a look: http://www.icp.gobierno.pr/tyd/conv_santurce.htm
I jus read in a San Juan paper website that tonight at the Matienzo, now the Francisco Arrivi Theater, the Puerto Rican Theater Festival will open. Anyone from San Juan has any coments and/or pictures? What about the neighboring Music Hall — actually in the same building — now renamed the Victoria Espinosa Theatre; any comments or photos? Will appreciate the latest news on these theaters. Thanks. Andres Roura.
I know this theatre in downtown santurce quite well.
My office at Cobian Center, stop 23, was just across the street from the Matienzo.
The theatre generally played the Spanish language films from
peliculas mejicanas distributors. I believe that they
had a exibition agreement with Llamas to play all their
films.
It was an old movie palace that in time went the way
Just around the corner was another Llamas Cinema called Music Hall
which had an agreement, in the 70’s to play MGM films.
A few short blocks from the Matienzo was the New Broadway.
This theatre was the show place for the best of Colombia
Pictues and played Lawrence of Arabia, Shampoo and the other
first run product.
During those years I was very familiar with all the first
run houses.
The matienzo was reinaugurated last week. The governor of Puerto Rico attended the ceremony. In a case of “let’s reinaugurate before the election” …while the governor was giving her speech, several roof leaks appeared and the stage was covered with water. Supposedly, this problem will be fixed soon and the first play will be performed in February 2005.
The Matienzowill raise again. I enter to the Matienzo and they are working on it. They installed a new roof and right now are working in the rest of the theater. The projection booth and the balcony its almost complete. The rest of the theater and the Music Hall next door are in working progress but they are on it.