Loew's Bay Terrace

Around thanksgiving weekend it didn’t show any movies where as the newer one, now an AMC, opened with more modern amenities similar to most loews/sony theatres of that era.

Parking area of the Bay Terrace Shopping Center will be used for a series of “drive-in movie” experiences starting in June. News article displayed here

I remember this theater had only two screens, it seemed kind of outdated in a time when multiplexes like the one in Whitestone and Valley Stream became the norm. That being said, I saw quite a few great films here, saw both Superman 1 and 2, and also Batman and Batman Returns, the comic book movies that blazed a trail for the ones we got today. They eventually closed and reopened as a multiplex that is still there.

Interior photo as single screen space uploaded.

Ken, I hope your posting of that ad did not involve any harmful tailgating!

Thanks I missed that

Back in Sept 2005, Warren posted that this theater opened on April 8, 1964 with the Albert Finney film “Tom Jones”, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture a few days later. Here’s an ad for the “New” Bay Terrace theater about 6 weeks into “Tom Jones” run:
Tom Jones – LI Star Journal 5/18/64

Here’s an aerial shot of the former Loew’s Bay Terrace from the Windows local.live site:

View looking South

If you use your mouse to “grab” the image (click and hold down the left mouse button), you can slide it over to the left and get a partial glimpse of the back of the newer multiplex that replaced this twin (and former single screener). You can also click on the directional arrow on that palette to the left to change the view of the structure. In the view to the south I provided above, you are looking at what was the lobby wall. I seem to recall the building was a light almost white color with the entrance on what would be the lower left corner of the structure in the image above. I’m almost positive the doors actually were on the side wall at the corner facing Bell Blvd which runs north and south to the left of the building. I also seem to recall the 1st story of the lobby wall having much more glass allowing daylight into the foyer. The theater ran to the south (you can see the building tapering towards the screen wall) and featured a balcony. When it was twinned, a wall was constructed right down the middle and some of the seats in the front orchestra were lost to allow proper orientation of the screens toward the audience. This resulted in a pair of 600 seat twins, each with its own balcony.

I’m working on gathering some information to post a listing for the newer Bay Terrace 6 (which I believe opened under the Sony Theaters banner), unless you’re working on that already Lost? Warren? If not, I’ll post what I can gather by tomorrow and trust you guys will fill in any gaps in my information.

I don’t understand your objection, Warren. It seems to me what Lost Memory suggested, and what I also suggested, was simply to add Queens to the addresses of all the theaters that are in Queens. Why would you think that would mean you’d have to then add the neighborhood names to all the addresses in the other four boroughs? The first idea would help to simplify the search process and ensure inclusion of all the Queens theaters in a single search; your corollary would only add an unnecessary layer and become an added burden that would lead to mass confusion. Nobody suggested doing anything other than adding “Queens” to the Queens neighborhood addresses; there’s no reason why you’d then have to do the reverse for everyplace else in the city.

An excellent point. However, as it is the custom in Queens to use the identifying neighborhood in the address, I think that’s how most folks visiting this site looking for their old “itch” would perform the search. If including the word Queens in the address along with the neighborhood (as Lost has suggested in his previous post) doesn’t impact any of the mapping tools used by this site, then I think that is a fair comprimise – even if it goes against the convention used by the Post Office.

I agree with Warren. I don’t like the generic “Queens, NY” designation and prefer to keep the neighborhoods in the mailing addresses. There’s already enough clean-up work required on CT with respect to addresses!

By the way, the former Loew’s Bay Terrace building now houses both the Applebees restaurant as well as a Victoria’s Secret store. However, I believe the Applebees entrance on the corner of the building closest to Bell Blvd is where the theater’s entrance was so that address is probably correct. The building sits in the south east corner of the parking lot for the Bay Terrace Shopping Center – a corner formed by 26th Ave and Bell Blvd. People in the area typically and informally refer to the neighborhood as “Bay Terrace”. Since they converted the building and expanded the mall, a newer building now sits even closer to the corner (flush with the intersection) and obscures the building from the sidewalk somewhat.

The newer theater was built on vacant land adjacent to the shopping center on its western border further down 26th Avenue. While there is a seperate parking lot for the new multiplex, which sits on higher ground than the main part of the center, several ramps and a multi-level garage now connect the lots together.

The original Bay Terrace and shopping center of the early 60's
was indeed a microcosm that spoke volumes in design for the
period. I recall my childhood visits in the early 70’s and
that interior was global. Better than the Hall of Science.
Saw my first 3-Stooges flick in there on a revival.
Can you think of a better venue for them?

Does anyone have pictures of the theater right before it was gutted? I can barely remember it was it was gutted when I was a little tyke.
Thank you.