Garden Theater
113-12 Jamaica Avenue,
Richmond Hill,
NY
11421
113-12 Jamaica Avenue,
Richmond Hill,
NY
11421
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Small neighborhood theater in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, it dated back to around 1914. Had an outdoor rooftop theater for the showing of movies during the summer months. By 1940 it was operated by Prudential Circuit.
Closed early to mid-1950’s due to television and competition from the nearby RKO Keith’s Theatre - Richmond Hill. Used as a warehouse until demolished in the mid-1990’s.
Contributed by
Erwin Markisch
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Recent comments (view all 32 comments)
It’s very possible. I see the el up ahead. There is a photo on nycsubway.org that shows the upper part of the Garden:
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6626
What street was the Brooklyn Garden on?
Bway, the Brooklyn Garden was situated on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, accross the street from the Meserole. It was strictly a silent era house that closed in the late 1920’s and became a catering hall. Since an elevated subway never existed on Manhattan Ave., this wasn’t the place depicted in the picture.
By the way, the Brooklyn Garden has a short Cinema Treasures page that is worth exploring.
Well I guess there were two Garden Theaters in Brooklyn. Here is the link to the one in Greenpoint.
/theaters/11234/
I guess the Greenpoint Garden was so called to promote Greenpoint as the “Garden Spot of the World” – a term proudly touted by the local politicos that – during the time of this theater’s existence, and long after – would have required one’s tongue to be firmly placed in one’s cheek.
Based on something Ed Norton said on “The Honeymooners” in February 1967, I thought Perth Amboy, NJ, was the sun and fun capital of the world.
What year was the Garden torn down? Was it anything after it was a theater?
The article shows the Garden as being on Webster Av. The Garden referred to above shows Jamaica Av. I know a number of name changes occurred in Queens but I was not aware that Jamaica Av. was one of them. There was also a Garden in Springfield Gardens. But, I believe, there is a Webster Av. in the Bronx.
Regarding the Crescent Theatre noted earlier as shown in the AMPD at 2125 Jamaica Avenue: there is an ad in the January 1, 1914 issue of the Leader-Observer — the East New York/Western Queens local newspaper — showing the 2125 Jamaica Avenue address as being the “Blue Cat Theatre” and in the Brooklyn Hills section of Woodhaven/Richmond Hill.
Nice, detailed, front page article in the local Leader-Observer weekly paper from around the time of the opening:
The Leader-Observer, October 22, 1914