St. Albans Theatre

Drove by today, but didn’t have my camera. Anyway, the address should be corrected to 190-01. There is a big two sided sign on the roof (angled in a V-shape to face east and west along Linden Blvd) that looks like it may date back to the building’s theatrical days. There is no longer a marquee, but you can clearly see the frames for the advertising display windows on both the 190th Street side and the Linden Blvd side. The two displays on the side street are filled in with stucco, while a narrow display window on the front facade contains a schedule for the church services.

I’ll have to get back there soon with my camera and snap a few shots to post.

I just checked that article, Warren. The photo is small, but if you look about a block down the street, the corner building on the left with the large sign on the roof is the theater. Doesn’t look like the marquee had much of a projection over the sidewalk in this shot. In fact, I can’t make out a marquee at all! I’m thinking there might have been a flat marquee with no canopy? One might have hoped for a better photo to accompany the short article. Anyway, try this link which should bring you directly to the specific page:

St. Albans article

That sign is still atop the roof. It forms so that each side is angled towards Linden but still readable from further down the road in either direction. The entrance to the theater is at the edge of the Linden Blvd facade right on the corner of the building, with display cases facing Linden as well as 190th Street. I’ll try to get down there soon for some current photos (I said that back in December, didn’t I?!)

As promised, I got over to Linden Blvd yesterday mornign with my camera and took the following shots of the former theater:

Corner of Linden and 190th
A closer view of corner entrance and facade
Alternate closer view
190th Street entrance
Linden Blvd gated entrance
Corner display case
190th Street looking towards Linden
Rear view on 190th Street
190th Street facade detail
Long shot from rear
View from the east on Linden Blvd

I didn’t take a photo looking from the west down Linden to approximate the angle in Warren’s photo – only because the foliage on the trees that now line Linden blocked the rooftop sign and facade from that angle. Perhaps I’ll get back there after the leaves fall in Autumn. I did note that the Linden Blvd facades, including that lot and smaller structure with the “tire sale” in the 1954 shot, are more or less as they were when the older shot was taken.

Looks like the theater might have had a true corner entrance, Warren, perhaps with an open passage on either side of that corner column into the outer vetstibule from both Linden or 190th. The one slender display case remains on that corner column facing Linden as seen in the sixth photo down, but you can clearly see where other advertising space was filled in with stucco. You can also clearly see that the building is not in great shape with signs of various patch jobs pretty evident. I’m not sure, but I think the auditorium probably runs parallel to Linden behind the store fronts with the 190th Street facade representing the back wall of the lobby/foyer. That would mean that the ivy-covered structure seen down the alley in the “Rear view on 190th Street” shot would be the auditorium’s left side wall.

I grew up in St. Albans and remember the St. Albans theatre. It was a shiney (like glass) dark blue facade. My sisters saw movies there and later went to concerts there.

Does anyone remember the Velencia on Jamaica Avenue or the RKO theatre on the avenue.

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the information. Do you remember the goldfish pond in the lobby of the Valencia?

Also my sis told me she heard “Gary US Bonds” sing at the St. Albans theater in the 1960’s. Unfortunately, I don’t know this artist, do you remember him?

Dora