Flushing’s crown needs polishing

posted by Michael Zoldessy on February 10, 2010 at 8:00 am

FLUSHING, NY — Kevin Walsh looks at the past and future of the beloved RKO Keith’s. Still in development limbo, the neighborhood is fighting to let the theatre remain.

There have been preservation pushes in recent years. In 2006, Thomas Stathes, a 16-year-old Flushing resident, arrived on the scene and organized a petition to preserve, landmark, and revitalize one of the historically and architecturally most significant theaters in its entirety, so future generations can appreciate what an iconic theater could potentially offer. The owner, Boymelgreen, planned to only save the lobby, which has been given landmark status by NYC, and demolish 95% of the theater and build a glass-fronted high rise.

In 2009, a group of Flushing residents and citywide supporters met in Flushing to begin a grassroots effort to save and restore the RKO Keith’s Theater, forming the “Friends of The RKO Keith’s Flushing Theatre.” The organization is now at the point of requesting 501©(3), or tax-exempt, status, which is much-needed in order to begin massive publicity and fund-raising efforts.

Read the full story in the Huffington Post.

Theaters in this post

• RKO Keith's Theatre