Yes, I have to admit that when I lived in Ridgewood, I would travel to other areas to see movies, once I was old enough to ride the subway, or take the bus without an adult. Not only did it make a “day” out of it, which is great when you are a kid, it was also because of the condition of the Ridgewood Theater. I haven’t been in the Ridgewood since around 1990, but in the 80’s the Ridgewood was a dirty, run down, stick to the floor, and get sick on the popcorn type of place. I am hoping it improved, but from what people have said it hasn’t.
If the Jackson is similar in condition, why don’t they just fix these places up to attract patrons? They could start with better cleaning practices, because it is easier to handle “run down” than ti handle “dirty”. And it is a lot cheaper to clean than to do major renovations. It’s a start.
That’s how I feel about it. What’s next, the Ridgewood Theater? (Owned by the same people I believe). And it’s another theater not near any other theater, in a neighborhood with about 30% or so Hispanic population. Or how about make it Polish? Ridgewood is also about 30% Polish now, and they would probably appreciate a Polish theater too.
Again, I have no problem with Spanish subtitles, in a neighborhood where there is a high percentage of Spanish speaking people – but only if there is a theater nearby that still shows films in English, without subtitles, so everyone else that wants to see a movie in English, without the distraction of subtitles in another lanuage can. After all this IS an English speaking country. If the Madison Theater in Ridgewood still existed, make that the English theater, and I could care less if the Ridgewood Theater showed it in subtitles, because everyone else would still have a choice in their own neighborhood.
The same for the Triplex in Jackson Heights. It’s great, let it have the subtitles….but only if there was another theater nearby that was still showing movies normally.
This has NOTHING to do with Spanish, you can fill in any language you want in it’s place, and I would feel the same way.
That I agree with. I have no problem with a Spanish (or substitute any foreign language here) if it is done in a location where there are alternatives for all the English speaking people (after all, that IS OUR language). I would probably be pretty peed off if I was an English only speaking person, and lived in let’s say Jackson HEights, and couldn’t even go to the Triplex because of the annoying subtitles, and I would have to travel elsewhere outside of my neighborhood to see movies because of this.
The “Tabernacle of Prayer” is a Jehovah’s Witness group? I thought it was just some “sotrefront” group of Evangalists.
They must have a huge following if they outgrew a 3500 seat mega-theater!!
Here’s another photo I found on the net of the building, that still seems very theater like, but could have been a bank, if not a theater. Peter is right, only a roadtrip will solve this. http://images.nycsubway.org//i33000/img_33861.jpg
I also looked through my photos some more, and found this one, that pans back a little further. Unfortunately, the reason for the photo, the train, blocks the view. However, if the Prayer Palace (the building with the coupola) is not the Marvin, the marvin must be demolished, because the marvin would be just to the right of the Prayer palace if that building is not the Marvin.
Also notice the Empire Theater’s peak just above and behind the “Prayer Palace” building, and the RKO Bushwick building in the background on the left: http://images.nycsubway.org//i26000/img_26240.jpg
Thanks Lostmemory. That means that the Prayer Palace is probably not the Marvin theater, unless the numbers skip a lot. It also means that the theater building is/was located just west of the Prayer Palace building, perhaps just out of view to the right fo me when I took the above photo. Or perhaps it has been torn down, there is a “newer” looking building at the extreme right of the photo.
Wow, Brooklyn!? At least with the Madison or Ridgewood Theaters being mistakenly listed in Brooklyn when actually in Queens, at least those are close to the Brooklyn border. The Belvedere isn’t even close! You are correct, 2576 is in the old numbering system, before Queens changed to the new numbering system around the 30’s.
Peter, I cropped and enlarged the building in the original 4mp original of that photo. I am still not able to get the exact cross street, but was able to zoom in on what the “Reid Furniture” store is today. It is currently “The Prayer Palace”. This is good news, because it being a church is a good sign that it was a theater. If so, we have found yet another surviving Bway Theater. A roadtrip is all I need to confirm the address one day, but all signs lead to it being a theater.
Peter, check your email for this zoomed crop.
Lou, actually, the studios where “The Cosby Show” was filmed was the Kaufmann-Astoria Studios in Queens.
As for the Belvedere, as Lost Memory stated, is the one across from the supermarket. In that section on this site, i have posted some recent photos of the theater, complete with the sign you remembered.
The Marvin Theater was located between the Gates Ave and Kosciuszko St stations on the Broadway El, on the south side of the el. I took this photo on the Broadway El about a year ago, from just east of the Kosciuszko station. In the far distance you can see the RKO Bushwick Theater. Before that, there is a building that has “Reid Furniture” painted on it’s side. Could this be the Marvin theater? It’s fasade does look sort of “theater-like”.
Ah yes, Lou, with that you are correct. Yes, the area directly around the Ridgewood, and especially around the Madison is sort of Seedy, and gets better as you cross Cypress Ave. But even there it never got as bad as Bushwick. The “nicer part” of Ridgewood is now mostly Polish, Puerto Rican, Romainian, and “former-countries-of-the-former Yogoslavia”. It’s actually nicer than about 10 years ago where it could have gone either way (the buildings were starting to show a lot of wear and tear – they never had abandoned buildings there, but they looked “worn”.). Over the last 10 years the new wave of inhabitants has really been fixing up a lot of the homes.
Tom, I would love to see the Ridgewood renovated, as everyone seems to agree here is that we all have an affection to the Ridgewood theater, but we all agree it is in terrible need of a rehab. It’s quite unfortunate that the madison was not converted to a church like the Loews Gates was. At least the Gates is intact, and could potentially become a theater again, unlike the Madison that became a gutted burnt-out hulk by the 80’s.
I meant to say above, “Who Knows, it may be possible to show movies in the Loews gates, unlike it’s gutted relatives, the RKO Bushwick and the Madison.
I agree with all your observations about the Ridgewood theater, although, you last sentence is a bit perplexing. Ridgewood has always been a viable, and decent working class neighborhood. it never fell like Bushwick did, so really doesn’t “need” gentrification. While Myrtle Ave between where the Ridgewood theater is to where the Madison is did get a bit “seedy”, and still is, the rest of Ridgewood is a good neighborhood. And it’s even better than it was 10 years ago.
But anyway, I also agree, it’s an absolute shame that the Madison Theater was lost. The Loew’s Gates however, although not a movie theater anymore, does exist as a church. It’s interior is intact, and the church maintains the building beautifully. Who knows, at least unlike it’s neighbor the RKO Bushwick and it’s further cousin the Madison are both standing, but completely gutted of it’s interior. The RKO Bushwick has been beautifully restored on the exterior, and is now a school, although it’s glorious interior is lost.
Lou, that church you are talking about is I believe “Our Lady of Lourdes” RC Church. According to something Peter read, he said that the church was torn down because of some kind of “interference” with planes or something. It sounds ridiculous, but then again, anything is possible. What a shame.
Yes, Bushwick is finally “coming back”. There is lots of life being pumped back in to that neighborhood. I believe Bedford-Stuyvesant is a little further along in “gentrification”, however, Bushwick isn’t far behind it. Both areas really are stating to look quite sharp campared to what they were like in the 70’s and 80’s. They still have a ways to go, but there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel….finally.
Tom, 68th Ave does not cross or interesect Woodward. However, 68 Road does. The both sides of Woodward is all older buildings, probably built around 1915 or so. However, in the middle of the block of 68th Road (which runs between Woodward and Forest only), there is a large apartment building that was probably built in the late 20’s judging by it’s architecture. I wonder if that is where this “theater” you are talking about was – that is of course if what you read means 68th Road and not 68th Ave, as 68th Ave comes a block short of ever hitting Woodward.
Hehe. Peter, Warren is making my mouth water with these photo descriptions. Check the Ridgewood site, this “collection” has photos of the Ridgewood too. I wish this company would at least place small thumbnails of these photos on a website like queenspix.com does.
Lou, I was actually on the Bway El today, and actually looked for the “Aster” building. It doesn’t appear to still be standing. There is a whole group of one story buildings were it should be. In the photo. The Chase building is gone. Does the Chinese Restaurant you mention occupy the actual Aster building, or does it just have the “address” in a new building in that location?
One of us should add the Aster to this site. I would, but you guys seem to have a little more information on it than I do.
I wish this “Catalog” would at least give people the option of looking at small thumbnails, sort of like queenspix.com does. How can anyone even try and purchase any of these views if they don’t have any idea what the photo looks like, if it’s a good angle or not, or even worth buying? While Queenspix doesn’t let you see too much (they are quite small), at least they let you get an idea of the photo. Or even what Brooklynpix.com does, by writing words across the photo – anything would be better than nothing.
Actually, it’s not all THAT bad. I googled the information you gave, and found the site where they sell them. Apparently they are $4.00 a piece for slides, which is not outrageous, but then they stick you with a $6.00 handling fee for all orders. I guess I’ll have to wait to see the interior of the Ridgewood in it’s prime a little while longer….
You are correct, I kind of figured that since the day I took that photo znd posted it here, and in fact, I took the photo of the wrong “882 DeKalb” when I was there, I meant to take the photo of this building, which is actually 882 DeKalb Ave, and was indeed a theater. I had trouble locating “882 DeKalb”, so either the building is now gone, altered beyond recognition, or I was totally oblivious to it when I went by.
This is the 882 DeKalb Ave theater that i was trying to find out the name of, and any information would be appreciated:
Yes, I have to admit that when I lived in Ridgewood, I would travel to other areas to see movies, once I was old enough to ride the subway, or take the bus without an adult. Not only did it make a “day” out of it, which is great when you are a kid, it was also because of the condition of the Ridgewood Theater. I haven’t been in the Ridgewood since around 1990, but in the 80’s the Ridgewood was a dirty, run down, stick to the floor, and get sick on the popcorn type of place. I am hoping it improved, but from what people have said it hasn’t.
If the Jackson is similar in condition, why don’t they just fix these places up to attract patrons? They could start with better cleaning practices, because it is easier to handle “run down” than ti handle “dirty”. And it is a lot cheaper to clean than to do major renovations. It’s a start.
That’s how I feel about it. What’s next, the Ridgewood Theater? (Owned by the same people I believe). And it’s another theater not near any other theater, in a neighborhood with about 30% or so Hispanic population. Or how about make it Polish? Ridgewood is also about 30% Polish now, and they would probably appreciate a Polish theater too.
Again, I have no problem with Spanish subtitles, in a neighborhood where there is a high percentage of Spanish speaking people – but only if there is a theater nearby that still shows films in English, without subtitles, so everyone else that wants to see a movie in English, without the distraction of subtitles in another lanuage can. After all this IS an English speaking country. If the Madison Theater in Ridgewood still existed, make that the English theater, and I could care less if the Ridgewood Theater showed it in subtitles, because everyone else would still have a choice in their own neighborhood.
The same for the Triplex in Jackson Heights. It’s great, let it have the subtitles….but only if there was another theater nearby that was still showing movies normally.
This has NOTHING to do with Spanish, you can fill in any language you want in it’s place, and I would feel the same way.
That I agree with. I have no problem with a Spanish (or substitute any foreign language here) if it is done in a location where there are alternatives for all the English speaking people (after all, that IS OUR language). I would probably be pretty peed off if I was an English only speaking person, and lived in let’s say Jackson HEights, and couldn’t even go to the Triplex because of the annoying subtitles, and I would have to travel elsewhere outside of my neighborhood to see movies because of this.
The “Tabernacle of Prayer” is a Jehovah’s Witness group? I thought it was just some “sotrefront” group of Evangalists.
They must have a huge following if they outgrew a 3500 seat mega-theater!!
Here’s another photo I found on the net of the building, that still seems very theater like, but could have been a bank, if not a theater. Peter is right, only a roadtrip will solve this.
http://images.nycsubway.org//i33000/img_33861.jpg
I also looked through my photos some more, and found this one, that pans back a little further. Unfortunately, the reason for the photo, the train, blocks the view. However, if the Prayer Palace (the building with the coupola) is not the Marvin, the marvin must be demolished, because the marvin would be just to the right of the Prayer palace if that building is not the Marvin.
Also notice the Empire Theater’s peak just above and behind the “Prayer Palace” building, and the RKO Bushwick building in the background on the left:
http://images.nycsubway.org//i26000/img_26240.jpg
Thanks Lostmemory. That means that the Prayer Palace is probably not the Marvin theater, unless the numbers skip a lot. It also means that the theater building is/was located just west of the Prayer Palace building, perhaps just out of view to the right fo me when I took the above photo. Or perhaps it has been torn down, there is a “newer” looking building at the extreme right of the photo.
Wow, Brooklyn!? At least with the Madison or Ridgewood Theaters being mistakenly listed in Brooklyn when actually in Queens, at least those are close to the Brooklyn border. The Belvedere isn’t even close! You are correct, 2576 is in the old numbering system, before Queens changed to the new numbering system around the 30’s.
It’s on the cross attached to the building, and sticks out from the building. Again, I am not sure that is 1216 Bway, but it’s a good chance it is.
A photo of the Aster in the 1940’s can be seen in the link below:
www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?7849
Peter, I cropped and enlarged the building in the original 4mp original of that photo. I am still not able to get the exact cross street, but was able to zoom in on what the “Reid Furniture” store is today. It is currently “The Prayer Palace”. This is good news, because it being a church is a good sign that it was a theater. If so, we have found yet another surviving Bway Theater. A roadtrip is all I need to confirm the address one day, but all signs lead to it being a theater.
Peter, check your email for this zoomed crop.
Lou, actually, the studios where “The Cosby Show” was filmed was the Kaufmann-Astoria Studios in Queens.
As for the Belvedere, as Lost Memory stated, is the one across from the supermarket. In that section on this site, i have posted some recent photos of the theater, complete with the sign you remembered.
The Marvin Theater was located between the Gates Ave and Kosciuszko St stations on the Broadway El, on the south side of the el. I took this photo on the Broadway El about a year ago, from just east of the Kosciuszko station. In the far distance you can see the RKO Bushwick Theater. Before that, there is a building that has “Reid Furniture” painted on it’s side. Could this be the Marvin theater? It’s fasade does look sort of “theater-like”.
Click here for photo.
Ah yes, Lou, with that you are correct. Yes, the area directly around the Ridgewood, and especially around the Madison is sort of Seedy, and gets better as you cross Cypress Ave. But even there it never got as bad as Bushwick. The “nicer part” of Ridgewood is now mostly Polish, Puerto Rican, Romainian, and “former-countries-of-the-former Yogoslavia”. It’s actually nicer than about 10 years ago where it could have gone either way (the buildings were starting to show a lot of wear and tear – they never had abandoned buildings there, but they looked “worn”.). Over the last 10 years the new wave of inhabitants has really been fixing up a lot of the homes.
Tom, I would love to see the Ridgewood renovated, as everyone seems to agree here is that we all have an affection to the Ridgewood theater, but we all agree it is in terrible need of a rehab. It’s quite unfortunate that the madison was not converted to a church like the Loews Gates was. At least the Gates is intact, and could potentially become a theater again, unlike the Madison that became a gutted burnt-out hulk by the 80’s.
I meant to say above, “Who Knows, it may be possible to show movies in the Loews gates, unlike it’s gutted relatives, the RKO Bushwick and the Madison.
I agree with all your observations about the Ridgewood theater, although, you last sentence is a bit perplexing. Ridgewood has always been a viable, and decent working class neighborhood. it never fell like Bushwick did, so really doesn’t “need” gentrification. While Myrtle Ave between where the Ridgewood theater is to where the Madison is did get a bit “seedy”, and still is, the rest of Ridgewood is a good neighborhood. And it’s even better than it was 10 years ago.
But anyway, I also agree, it’s an absolute shame that the Madison Theater was lost. The Loew’s Gates however, although not a movie theater anymore, does exist as a church. It’s interior is intact, and the church maintains the building beautifully. Who knows, at least unlike it’s neighbor the RKO Bushwick and it’s further cousin the Madison are both standing, but completely gutted of it’s interior. The RKO Bushwick has been beautifully restored on the exterior, and is now a school, although it’s glorious interior is lost.
Lou, that church you are talking about is I believe “Our Lady of Lourdes” RC Church. According to something Peter read, he said that the church was torn down because of some kind of “interference” with planes or something. It sounds ridiculous, but then again, anything is possible. What a shame.
Yes, Bushwick is finally “coming back”. There is lots of life being pumped back in to that neighborhood. I believe Bedford-Stuyvesant is a little further along in “gentrification”, however, Bushwick isn’t far behind it. Both areas really are stating to look quite sharp campared to what they were like in the 70’s and 80’s. They still have a ways to go, but there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel….finally.
Tom, 68th Ave does not cross or interesect Woodward. However, 68 Road does. The both sides of Woodward is all older buildings, probably built around 1915 or so. However, in the middle of the block of 68th Road (which runs between Woodward and Forest only), there is a large apartment building that was probably built in the late 20’s judging by it’s architecture. I wonder if that is where this “theater” you are talking about was – that is of course if what you read means 68th Road and not 68th Ave, as 68th Ave comes a block short of ever hitting Woodward.
Hehe. Peter, Warren is making my mouth water with these photo descriptions. Check the Ridgewood site, this “collection” has photos of the Ridgewood too. I wish this company would at least place small thumbnails of these photos on a website like queenspix.com does.
Well that’s a pretty cool movie, so if this is accurate, I will RIP that at least the RKO Madison showed one of my favorite movies as it’s Swan Song.
Lou, I was actually on the Bway El today, and actually looked for the “Aster” building. It doesn’t appear to still be standing. There is a whole group of one story buildings were it should be. In the photo. The Chase building is gone. Does the Chinese Restaurant you mention occupy the actual Aster building, or does it just have the “address” in a new building in that location?
One of us should add the Aster to this site. I would, but you guys seem to have a little more information on it than I do.
I wish this “Catalog” would at least give people the option of looking at small thumbnails, sort of like queenspix.com does. How can anyone even try and purchase any of these views if they don’t have any idea what the photo looks like, if it’s a good angle or not, or even worth buying? While Queenspix doesn’t let you see too much (they are quite small), at least they let you get an idea of the photo. Or even what Brooklynpix.com does, by writing words across the photo – anything would be better than nothing.
Actually, it’s not all THAT bad. I googled the information you gave, and found the site where they sell them. Apparently they are $4.00 a piece for slides, which is not outrageous, but then they stick you with a $6.00 handling fee for all orders. I guess I’ll have to wait to see the interior of the Ridgewood in it’s prime a little while longer….
Oh, and just to add, in this case those aren’t my photos, they are from a website I found on the web.
You are correct, I kind of figured that since the day I took that photo znd posted it here, and in fact, I took the photo of the wrong “882 DeKalb” when I was there, I meant to take the photo of this building, which is actually 882 DeKalb Ave, and was indeed a theater. I had trouble locating “882 DeKalb”, so either the building is now gone, altered beyond recognition, or I was totally oblivious to it when I went by.
This is the 882 DeKalb Ave theater that i was trying to find out the name of, and any information would be appreciated:
http://www.disassociate.com/theatre_flatbush.JPG
http://www.disassociate.com/theatre_flatbush2.JPG
http://www.disassociate.com/theatre_flatbush3.JPG
They aren’t my photos, I found them on that website.
When I was in the area, I don’t think I took any photos of 785 DeKalb Ave.