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Trylon Theater Endangered!
posted by
jurayj
on
April 23, 2004 at 5:53 am
QUEENS, NY — We need your help! The art moderne Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Blvd, is greatly endangered.
A community group is poised to renovate the theater for their use. Without New York City landmark protection for the exterior of this rare surviving gem, there is no certainty that the entrance pavilion will be preserved.
Please email the chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Bob Tierney and ask him to designate this important theater. We need every person across the country to add their voice. It is not too late.
Chair Bob Tierney’s email is – .gov. Please call me, John Jurayj (718-782-2007), if you would like to help out. Letters to the Landmarks Commission would also be greatly appreciated. We need to show the Landmarks Commission that there is nation wide support for the protecting the Trylon Theater.
Thank you,
John Jurayj
Co-chair of the Modern Architecture Working Group
Comments (11)
I will send Mr. Tierney an e-mail. I lived in Forest Hills 1935-1964, and would like to see the facade and marquee restored at the very least. The revitalization of this Queens landmark is essential for the neighborhood. I am moving to Florida in the next few months, but if there is a hearing this spring or summer, I’d be happy to attend.
Paul Noble
(retired VP of film acquistions & scheduling, Lifetime Television)
This theater reminds me of the Royal in Toronto, Canada (opened as the Pylon).
http://www.film-tech.com/pics/royal/royal.html
Similar curved marquee and glass block tower on facade. The Royal also faced extinction a few years back (to be demolished for parking ). After several years of being abandoned, it was bought and renovated. Now a successful single screen neigborhood theater with excellent programming (currently running a French film festival).
Hopefully the Trylon has as much support from its community. These theaters, if successfully rehabilated, are an important part of a neighborhood’s life.
if you email Chair Bob Tierney, please carbon copy my at This way I have an idea of how many emails the Landmarks Commission is receiving.
thanks
John Jurayj
I thought this theatre was going to be turned into a Bukharian community center, but keeping the facade? Am I wrong?
URGENT UPDATE (Please read): Many Forest Hills and Rego Park, NY residents feel strongly about the preservation of the Art Deco/Moderne Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd). However, last week it was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, & boarding up the entrance pavillion. It is going to be converted into a Bukharian Center. I tried contacting the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to have at least the facade landmarked, since it is one of the LAST STANDING architectural & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World’s Fair. The LPC told me that they are aware of it, and they’re concerned as well, but they are slow in acting. They advised me to also contact other historical societies/preservation groups, and spread the word. Hopefully, we can have the Trylon theater landmarked, and possibly coordinate a fundraiser to restore the exterior. I understand that the demolition of the RKO Keith Theatre in Flushing was halted by the city a little while ago, & is currently undergoing a restoration.
I was informed by a higher official that there is still a chance that the 1939 historic Trylon Theater can be saved, designated a landmark, & then a fundraiser/restoration can be organized. The only factor that is “preventing landmark designation” from the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission is a signature from local councilwoman, “Melinda Katz,” who is reluctant to give her approval. We need detailed letters, phone calls, & E-mails to Councilwoman Melinda Katz. It is not too late to convince her to reverse her decision! (This has to be a LOCAL & NATIONWIDE effort)
**CONTACT ASAP (1ST): COUNCILWOMAN MELINDA KATZ
104-01 METROPOLITAN AVE
FOREST HILLS, N.Y. 11375-6735
(718) 544-8800
.ny.us
PLEASE CC: ROBERT B. TIERNEY, CHAIR
NYC LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION
1 CENTRE ST, 9TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007
PHONE/FAX: (212) 669-7955
.gov
Co-Chair of the Modern Architecture Working Group & Historic Districts Council would like to be contacted as well, so he can keep track of how many letters are being sent:
John Jurayj: E-mail:
Phone: (718)782-2007
URGENT UPDATE (Please read): Many Forest Hills and Rego Park, NY residents feel strongly about the preservation of the Art Deco/Moderne Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd). However, last week it was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, & boarding up the entrance pavillion. It is going to be converted into a Bukharian Center. I tried contacting the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to have at least the facade landmarked, since it is one of the LAST STANDING architectural & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World’s Fair. The LPC told me that they are aware of it, and they’re concerned as well, but they are slow in acting. They advised me to also contact other historical societies/preservation groups, and spread the word. Hopefully, we can have the Trylon theater landmarked, and possibly coordinate a fundraiser to restore the exterior. I understand that the demolition of the RKO Keith Theatre in Flushing was halted by the city a little while ago, & is currently undergoing a restoration.
I was informed by a higher official that there is still a chance that the 1939 historic Trylon Theater can be saved, designated a landmark, & then a fundraiser/restoration can be organized. The only factor that is “preventing landmark designation” from the NY Landmarks Preservation Commission is a signature from local councilwoman, “Melinda Katz,” who is reluctant to give her approval. We need detailed letters, phone calls, & E-mails to Councilwoman Melinda Katz. It is not too late to convince her to reverse her decision! (This has to be a LOCAL & NATIONWIDE effort)
**CONTACT ASAP (1ST): COUNCILWOMAN MELINDA KATZ
104-01 METROPOLITAN AVE
FOREST HILLS, N.Y. 11375-6735
(718) 544-8800
.ny.us
PLEASE CC: ROBERT B. TIERNEY, CHAIR
NYC LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION
1 CENTRE ST, 9TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007
PHONE/FAX: (212) 669-7955
.gov
Co-Chair of the Modern Architecture Working Group & Historic Districts Council would like to be contacted as well, so he can keep track of how many letters are being sent:
John Jurayj: E-mail:
Phone: (718)782-2007
Citywide Effort To Halt Demolition of The Trylon Theater: A 1939 Art Deco Queens Landmark
REGO PARK, NY (August 10, 2005) – Since its closure in late 1999, community groups, historic preservationists, and the local media have tried to clarify the fate of the iconic Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Boulevard.
Sadly, the property is now undergoing profound alteration for its new use as a social services facility for the Bukharian community. At this writing, the entrance pavilion has been walled off, façade features have been destroyed, and the interior is being gutted. Original painted murals, decorative tilework depicting the Trylon and Perisphere (the 1939 New York World’s Fair symbols), and marquee elements have all been destroyed and no salvage is being conducted.
Appeals to NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and NYC Councilwoman Melinda Katz to halt the destruction and achieve a preservation-minded adaptive reuse plan for the defunct theater have been unsuccessful thus far. The Art Deco Society of New York (ADSNY) and the Historic Districts Council (HDC) have spearheaded the effort to intervene — even at this late stage — to protect the outstanding and unique Art Deco property.
The Trylon Theater, designed by Joseph Unger, reflects the cultural impact of the 1939 World’s Fair and its theme of “The World of Tomorrow,” in decorative tiles, murals, and overall aesthetics. The streamlined Art Deco property is a rare surviving neighborhood movie theater due to the loss of hundreds of such buildings in New York and meets criteria to become a designated and protected Historic Landmark.
**To lend your support: Please contact (Journalist/Preservationist) & send carbon copies to (Art Deco Society of NY) & (Historic Districts Council) & THIS IS A PRESERVATION EMERGENCY!!! Call Councilwoman Melinda Katz(718-544-8800) who was the only member who opposed landmark designation & is responsible for this ACT OF DESTRUCTION. Also e-mail her at .ny.us
VERY URGENT: Community Calls for A Halt To Further Demolition of The Trylon Theater:
A 1939 Worldâ€\s Fair Historic Gem!!!
FOREST HILLS, N.Y. (August 10, 2005) â€" Members of the community of Forest Hills and others are appalled at the plight of their 1939 Art Deco/Art Moderne Trylon Theater, located at 98-81 Queens Blvd, in Forest Hills. The historic theater is being demolished day by day, and unsympathetically converted into a Bukharian center. Many Forest Hills, Rego Park, as well as residents in other boroughs, feel strongly about the preservation of the historic Trylon Theater. It was heartbreaking to see demolition men smashing the Art Deco mosaic tiles on the ticket booth with a jack hammer, boarding up and dismantling the entrance pavilion, and gutting the interior.
The Trylon Theater is one of the last standing architectural, cultural, & historical gems that bear strong significance to the 1939 World’s Fair. The theme of the fair was the “World of Tomorrow,†and exhibits were intended to emphasize how technology would make life better for everyone. The fairâ€\s enduring image was the “Trylon and Perisphere.†The exterior and interior of the Trylon Theater bear resemblance to the Trylon pyramid and the Perisphere globe. One of the most striking features of the Trylon Theater is the exterior box office and floor, which contains mosaic inlaid tiles, depicting the design of the 1939 Worldâ€\s Fair “Trylon.â€
It is of utmost importance to have the Trylon Theaterâ€\s façade and entrance pavilion landmarked, and to restore what was lost during the ill-conceived conversion.
Those involved in the public funding as well as the administration and programming for the Bukharian center should adhere to the concept of preservation of this neighborhood icon, rather than demolition.
“The historical and architectural significance of the Trylon calls out for an architect who is sensitive and respectful of the original features, while adapting the site to a Bukharian center,†said Mitchell Grubler, Executive director of the Queens Historical Society. Act now!
**To lend your support: Please contact (Journalist/Preservationist) & send carbon copies to (Art Deco Society of NY) & (Historic Districts Council) & THIS IS A PRESERVATION EMERGENCY!!! Call Councilwoman Melinda Katz(718-544-8800) who was the only member who opposed landmark designation & is responsible for this ACT OF DESTRUCTION. Also e-mail her at .ny.us
URGENT: Please click on the following link to sign a petition to save the ‘39 Trylon Theater:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Trylon/petition.html
The petition:
To: Robert Tierney (Chair, NY Landmarks Preservation Commission) & Melinda Katz (Councilwoman, District 29)
The signers of this petition agree that the 1939 Art Deco/Moderne Trylon Theater (98-81 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY) is one of the last standing structures which has a strong cultural, historical, & architectural significance to the 1939 World’s Fair, with its “Trylon & Perisphere” monuments. On behalf of residents and historical societies, it is of utmost importance to halt further demolition, restore what was lost during the conversion, preserve this icon, and officially landmark this truly rare gem of a theater!!!
For Trylon Theater then & now visuals, please follow these 2 links: http://cinematreasures.org/news/13577_0_1_0_C/
http://cinematreasures.org/news/13576_0_1_0_C/
For Trylon Theater postings on this site, please follow:
/theaters/1941/
URGENT: TRYLON THEATER RALLY
DATE: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23rd
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Trylon Theater; 98-81 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, N.Y.
**Points of the rally:
1. LANDMARK the ‘39 Trylon Theater; a last standing structure which bears strong significance to the 1939 World’s Fair.
2. PRESERVE the presently intact Art Deco facade, glass block projection tower (which once illuminated Queens Blvd.), & the marquee.
3. RESTORE what was lost during a summer 2005 conversion, despite an active construction violation & stop work order since April 2005.
4. ADAPT the site for the Education Center For Russian Jewry, with a preservation-minded re-use strategy, rather than demolition.
Participants: Historians, preservationists, community residents, as well as residents of neighboring boroughs, politicians, possible FH celebrities, the media, & members of The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater.
For Trylon Theater then & now visuals, please follow these 2 links: http://cinematreasures.org/news/13577_0_1_0_C/
http://cinematreasures.org/news/13576_0_1_0_C/
To sign the Trylon Theater petition, click or paste the following: www.PetitionOnline.com/Trylon/petition.html
FOR MORE RALLY INFO, CONTACT: (212) 679-DECO or
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