Jerome Theater

Is this right? I can’t think of where a “Jerome Ave” is in Richmond Hill. At least not one that would cross over 116th Street. It’s mostly numbered Avenues running east-west across the north-south running streets. Perhaps this is Jamaica Avenue? That would put it very close to the RKO Keith’s in Richmond Hill which is now a bingo hall and flea market. Also, seems peculiar that an atmospheric would have been built to hold only 300 patrons.

Anyone familiar with the neighborhood have any ideas? The only Jerome Ave I know about in NYC is in The Bronx!

Ah… I forget that currently numbered thoroughfares often had proper names in days of yore. The old address might very well match up since 113-14 matches the modern format in Queens of referencing the cross-street in the numbers before the hyphen. I’ll have to take a drive around the intersection one of these days and hunt for a tell-tale roofline or remnants of facade ornamentation. And the nickname of “the itch” has me intrigued and somewhat disturbed… was there a lice problem here?!?

Anyway… I’m glad to have kicked off some activity on this page, even though I had never before heard of this theater previously. I think I bumped into when I sorted for “Atmospheric” architectural style. Does anyone here think that this has to be an error? Would an atmospheric design been built on such a small scale? I don’t think it’s likely. That must be a mistake.

I went on the oasisnyc.net site and it appears from the aerial photo that there is indeed a peaked roofline for what appears to be an auditorium set back from a lower profile structure fronting 101st Ave. The property is actually on the SE corner of 114th Street and 101st Avenue and appears likely that the theater entrance was one or two doors from that corner. Oasis lists this as a 2 story building constructed in 1932 with current land use designated as “Public Facilities and Institutions” (the Dept of Finance classifies the property as “Church/Synagogue”). There are no C of O’s available to view; however, there are new building notices from 1923 and 1928, though I couldn’t view a copy of either. The lot encompasses addresses from 113-10 through 113-18 and there seemed to be a history of violations and alteration permits for, among other things, illegal conversion of factory/office space to residential apartments and conversion of factory space to church. It seems that the building is owned by (and presumably houses) a Sikh temple.

By the way, the map link above does not work unless you change the address to “Richmond Hill, Queens, NY”

101st Ave IS the ame as Jerome Ave. At least it was back in the 50s.

My grandparents lived on 120th St and Jerome Ave.

The Jerome was Richmond Hill’s “itch”. I didn’t get there that often because I lived in Glendale. Glendale’s “itch” was the Acme. I spent almost every day there for a few summers.

I was in the neighborhood today, but without my camera, and drove by the corner of 114th Street and 101st Ave. The building is still there, along with what must have been the tax-payer storefronts that were attached on the same lot, but looks like a lot of renovation has been going on as seemed to be indicated by the quick research I posted about on December 1st. The entire two story facade that wraps around the southwest corner of this intersection has been completely redone in a reddish cinder-block size brickfront on the upper half and marble-like finish on the lower half. You would never know that this was a theater at all from just passing by and my guess is the interior has been considerably altered. As you approach from the west on 101st Ave, you can just make out the peaked roofline of the auditorium stretching back to the rear of the property (it appears that the theater ran straight back from 101st Ave, parallel to the cross streets). The occupants of the building seem to be a Sikh religious center. The main entrance seems to now be on 114th Street, although, there are doors in the center of the building on 101st Ave as well.