Farragut Theatre
1401 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11210
1401 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11210
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jflundy: Great old time pictures! Do you or anyone have a picture(s) when this theatre became “Kings Lanes” (bowling alley) later on? I spent a good deal of my youth there before it closed and became what it is now, a YMCA.
Presumably the A.H. Schwartz was the Schwartz who started the Century Circuit.
This location was near all the major Film Exchanges on the West Side and was where the big time action was at the time.
Odd that a company which, until many years later, was exclusively Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island should purchase Manhattan office space.
Great vintage shots.
Searched NYT database for detailed information about above posting.
January 30, 1942. Eight storey building at 132-136 W.43rd Street. The Century Circuit Inc. purchased from The Bank for Savings, a building,with tax valuation $350,000.00 dollars, for new executive headquarters. A projection room was planned along with other remodeling.
Around 1940 Century Circuit bought an office building in Manhattan for a HQ. Long time ago, I can’t recall details or if they ever moved in.
Here is another picture taken by Ed Doyle February 8, 1947 of snow storm and Farragut front and rear profile:
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When Century issued it’s movie Guides, the Farragut Theatre Building was listed as the point of origin. I seem to recall the editor as A.A. Hovell. There were the Brooklyn, Northern Queens and Eastern Queens-Long Island editions. Were Century headquarter also in this building? In later years they were headquartered in the Community Theatre Building and then, subsequently, in their own, free standing building on Verbena Avenue in Floral Park.
Here is a photo taken on October 31,1943 by Ed Doyle. Note the work going on to repair trolley track requiring a special piece of temporary track work which allows Car traveling south to “jump over” to northbound track for a short distance so service can continue on Flatbush Avenue Car Line.
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The alterations listed above were done by John and Drew Eberson.
I have a 1929 photograph taken from a building on the SW corner of Flatbush Avenue and Farragut Road. It shows the upper back wall of the auditorium which is painted with the name Farragut Theatre on a black background. This would be the correct name, not Farragut Theater as originally posted on this page.
Around 1939-40, a modernization program changed the lounge area on the second level behind the balcony to an art deco style decor with matching furniture, all in shades of pale green. The bathrooms were upgraded at this time as was the main floor drinking fountain.
I recall walking past the Farragut the day after Century closed it in 1955. When I got under the marquee, the manager, a small, thin middle aged man with a fringe of hair around a bald dome, came out of one of the front doors. He was well known to the kids of the area as having a sour disposition. This was understandable given the Hell they put him through. Probably the reason he was bald on top was they drove him to pull out his hair. He had a carton in his hand and called to a few kids standing about to come and get it as he threw candy bars on the sidewalk. There was a rush. He said “ That’s it, it’s all over” and walked back inside, locking the doors.
A vintage 1920’s postcard view of the Farragut Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205007492/
Four current photographs I took in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205007977/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205008528/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205020212/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/205020739/
I passed this building on Sunday biking from Jacob Riis Park to Park Slope and thought this was a theater. I biked around the perimeter of the block to check it out.
In November of 1911 it was announced that the Farragut Hall, a building used for meetings, receptions and other events would begin showing motion pictures on Monday and Tuesday evenings. This Hall was located at Flatbush and Rogers Avenues in Flatbush. The new Farragut Theater was construted on this site some 8 years later.
Seating capacity was cited as 2300 in an ad circa 1922.