Dewey Theater
2384 Coney Island Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11223
2384 Coney Island Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11223
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Island Theater Circuit
Functions: Pharmacy
Previous Names: Homecrest Theatre, Sunshine Theatre
Nearby Theaters
This one-story theatre stood on Coney Island Avenue (between Avenue U and Avenue T, standing less than one block from the Mayfair Theatre). The Homecrest Theatre was opened in 1915 and operated until 1923. In 1924, it reopened as the Sunshine Theatre, and had 375 seats. In 1932 it was renamed Dewey Theatre, and the seating capacity was reduced to 348. By 1941 it was operated by the Island Theater Circuit. It closed in 1954.
Most recently it was a plumbing supply business, but I believe the theatre building still stands, although its facade has been covered to advertise the former plumbing supply business. By 2018 it was in use as a pharmacy.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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 6 comments)
The address matches up with a Plumbing supply house that has been in the location for years. The building looks like it could have been a single-level movie house.
all i remember of the dewey is that in 1945 my mother took me there to see the ‘dolly sisters’ with john payne, betty grable and june haver
albert peckmam
In the Film Daily Yearbook 1930, the theatre at this address is named the Sunshine Theatre with a seating capacity of 372.
It had been re-named Dewey Theatre by 1941 with a seating capacity of 350.
We neighborhood kids used to call this place the “Itch” for very obvious reasons.
Karl B
The word of mouth kids news stated that if you go to the DEWEY, you can get in for 5¢ —– if you bring your own chair!
I did go once, in the late 40’s, to see a Halloween show â€" two Frankenstein movies and a live magic act. I didn’t bring my own chair but there was a small section that had had its seats removed. It was empty that day. So the 5¢ bit could have been true.
I just uploaded the only known picture of the Dewey to this site. The photo is from the wonderful NYC Tax Photo Archives project, a collection of hundreds of thousands of previously unreleased NYC photos. I was surprised and happy to find that the owners of cinematreasures allow users to do uploads like this. The site of the Dewey is no longer a plumbing supply business, it’s now Coney Island Chemists.