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Petition to save the Historic Ridgewood Theatre!
posted by
NativeForestHiller
on
October 15, 2008 at 10:55 am
QUEENS, NY — Friends of The Ridgewood Theatre, established by Michael Perlman of the Queens Preservation Council board of directors, is spearheading a campaign to preserve and reopen the 1916 Ridgewood Theater (55-27 Myrtle Ave, Ridgewood, Queens, NY), designed by America’s foremost theater architect Thomas Lamb.
We are seeking a historically-sensitive tenant/buyer who sees the potential for creative adaptive reuse. In addition, we are hoping to encourage the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the highly intact terra cotta & Indiana limestone facade, and theater lobby, as a NYC Individual Landmark & Interior Landmark, respectively. Please take a few moments to sign an online petition, urging the LPC to act swiftly. This petition is open to all theater enthusiasts, so please forward the link to your family, friends, & colleagues. Posting a comment would be extremely helpful:
Also, please join Friends of The Ridgewood Theatre at the theatre’s Myspace Page for history, photos, & status updates. Please forward this appeal to as many contacts as possible. Cinema Treasures fans worldwide, unite for a worthy cause! Thank you for your time!
Comments (6)
i wish i could help, if i only had the money,
i am a student of film, and also work at The Ioka Theater in Exeter, NH which is not closing. So we will have a similar problem on our hands.
i hope this theater stays alive!
woops, i meant to write, The ioka theater in Exeter, NH which is now closing.
Sorry to hear you are facing a similar scenario. Can the facade and interior be designated a landmark? Can you start an online petition through petitiononline.com? You are welcome to sign my petition, even though you are from out of state. Also, please post a comment and feel free to encourage your friends to sign it. I would value as much assistance as possible. Thanks!
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RECENT PRESS COVERAGE
“Queens Residents Push For Landmarking of Ridgewood Theatre,” (Interview with Michael Perlman, Chair of Friends of Ridgewood Theatre), NY 1 News, Jan 23, 2009:
http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=92744
“Ridgewood Theatre May Be Landmarked: LPC To Hold Hearings In Near Future,” Times NewsWeekly, Jan 15, 2009: View link
“City Eyes Ridgewood Theatre Landmark,” Ridgewood Ledger, Jan 15, 2009: View link
UPDATE: Great News, but your help is still essential, so please continue signing our petition and posting a comment! On Tuesday, February 17, 2009, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission will make a motion to calendar the Ridgewood Theatre’s facade. This is the first step, and then comes a public hearing at a later date, followed by a motion to designate the theater an Individual Landmark. Testimony will be taken during a future public hearing. Stay tuned!
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The Landmarks Commission today voted to formally consider the designations of West Park Presbyterian Church, Fort Washington Presbyterian Church and Audubon Park Historic District in Manhattan; Ridgewood Theatre in Queens, and Brooklyn Union Gas Co. Building in Brooklyn.
The press release in its entirety is as follows:
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