The links to the photos I posted in December no longer work as I reorganized my photobucket albums. Here’s a new link to an Argo Theater album where I now have all those pics.
I revamped my photobucket album and broke all the links to photos I previously posted here. So… here’s a link to my Bellerose Theater album where the pics I took in December are now located.
Those old links don’t work – not that anyone checks this particular theater page – because I reorganized my photobucket album. Here’s a new link that ought to work.
I reorganized my photobucket account and broke the links to the photos I posted above on December 5th. Here’s my new Paramount Theater album where those pictures may now be found.
My apologies to those with notifications on this page.
Had to reorganize my photobucket account so the link to the photo I posted above has changed. A couple of recent night shots of the New Amsterdam marquee can now be found here.
The Liberty auditorium is sitting vacant waiting for a new tenant to come with a plan for adaptive re-use. Visit the Liberty page here for more info and some recent photos I took of the surviving 42nd and 41st Street facades of the theater.
Meanwhile, I’ve reorganized my photobucket albums and the links I previously posted above no longer work. Here is the link to my new Empire Theater album on photobucket where those photos may be found.
It wasn’t so long ago that including neighborhoods in the address (or the word “Queens” in Queens addresses) would be problematic with mapping theater addresses above. I guess Google has updated its software to correct this issue. As I said, looks like theaters are slowly but surely being updated on this site so that their addresses include zip codes. I only wish the inclusion of neighborhoods was more consistent here.
Ha! Yes, Jeffrey, it was the movie “Willard” at the UA Lefrak! The theater where I actually saw rats (well, heard the reaction of some women who had seen them, anyway) was the RKO Alden on Jamaica Ave about 6 or 7 years later!
I’m almost positive this is where my Mom took me to see the original “Willard” back in ‘71. We lived in Elmhurst at the time on 41st Ave just a few doors off Junction Blvd.
Warren is correct. That goes for all of NYC except Queens. While including the neighborhood is nice for folks looking to narrow down a search or those interested in a specific geographic locality, it doesn’t help to map the theater at all. Perhaps in some future update of the website, a seperate neighborhood tag can be included for searching purposes. I have noticed that many of the theater updates going on lately have been to include a zip code in the address. Ultimately, searching by zip will probably be the best way of targeting neighborhood theaters in a search.
Nice photo’s, Ken. I took the liberty of clicking through the album for a nice little tour of former theater sites in upper Manhattan.
The arched window seen in the center of the photo once rose directly above the Harris' marquee. The main portion of the Candler Building is just to the left and now houses a large McDonalds which occupies the first three stories in an open space that has been stripped to the bare brick walls. The former theater entrance is now a very plain and boring sheet-rocked office block vestibule.
Thanks, Jerry. I’m always poking around the area whenever I get a chance. This block of theaters represents a very special and happy time in my love… I enjoyed the hell out of going to movies in general and especially got an extra kick out of the atmosphere in the grind houses here (not to mention some of the peculiar and twisted films that often played on those bills).
What struck me most as I took these photos is the restoration of the Liberty’s former 42nd street facade. Obviously, the old long lobby and foyer were completely demolished to make way for the internet cafe seen in the retail space… but were the developers of the new complex compelled somehow to preserve the facade? And the upper portion of the facade always looked stripped to me down to a flat white wall behind that old vertical sign above the marquee… did they have to recreate that? What can’t be seen at all is whether they recreated the stone American eagle that was supposed to have been perched at the top of the parapet wall.
I’m reorganizing my photobucket albums, so none of the links I posted back on February 26th are still working. If anyone is interested in seeing those photos, here is a link to the Victory Theater album I just added:
The rough carving is a bit hard to read precisely. It might read “1995” or this could be a remnant from the peak of this theater’s most seedy incarnation in “1975”. I can’t imagine how someone would have had the time to pull this off in the theater’s current well patrolled state of existence.
Here’s a photo I snapped through the closed glass doors into the Apollo’s former entrance foyer, which was cleaned up and refurbished during the creation of the Ford Center (now Hilton Theater) complex. I took this this past Thursday night while on the Duece for a show at the New Victory:
As far as I know, this foyer is no longer used… the main entrance to the Hilton is on the other side of the Times Square Theater through the former Lyric Theater entrance.
Well… I was on the Duece last night and ventured into the lobby of the Hilton Hotel and asked the security guard about the Liberty. He didn’t seem entirely in the know, but said that over the past couple of years he has been aware of several parties that have been shown the room and plans have been announced once or twice, but he is unaware of any major construction or renovation that has been going on in the theater since while he’s been on tour. Nor is he aware of any tenants with plans of moving in.
I went around back to the 41st Street side and snapped some photos of the original rear facade (which includes a set of exit doors sort of suspended a few feet above ground level). I also took a few shots of the old narrow 42nd street facade, which appears to have been completely renovated and restored only to be covered up with signage for the cyber-cafe that occupies the ground floor space. Open the photos to full size and take a good look behind the signage.
Lost… not to stray too far off topic, but the very first time I saw “King Kong” was on the Million Dollar Movie. That week, they were running “Kong” every day for the entire week. I caught the tale end the first time as I was coming home with my Grandfather one day (I was probably around 7 or 8 and back in NYC) and when I saw the big gorilla on top of the Empire State Building, I asked what movie this was. My Grandfather responded “Oh, poor King Kong” in the most sympathetic voice. I learned the movie was being repeated the next day and made sure I watched it from the very beginning. It might have been ‘73 to commemorate the film’s 40th anniversary that they were running it all week. Then of course, I remember all those Thanksgiving fests (and the Godzilla flicks on the following Friday). Then in '76 or so, my Grandad took me to see the restored 100 minute version of Kong (with some of the more violent and risque '40’s re-release trims added back in) for 10 cents admission when it ran at the D.W. Griffith Theater on East 59th Street in New York.
Was on the block last night at the New Victory with the kids. The theater is still covered in scaffolding on which is hung a large blue banner the entire width of the building (referenced in a post by William back on December 8th, 2004) announcing the alleged Ecko Unlimited retail outlet “coming in 2006”. I took a couple of photos of the place but, unfortunately, the one long shot of the hidden facade was deleted in the transfer to my computer! Anyway… I did manage to take a couple of angled shots peaking up at the facade behind the scaffolding from in front of the old Apollo entrance (now part of the Hilton Theater complex).
The links to the photos I posted in December no longer work as I reorganized my photobucket albums. Here’s a new link to an Argo Theater album where I now have all those pics.
I posted a pair of current exterior photos back in December but those links no longer work. Those pics may now be found here.
Those photo links from my message on December 6th no longer work. Here’s an updated link where the pics are now located.
I reorganized my photobucket album and broke the photo links I posted above in December. Here’s the new link to the photos for anyone interested.
Here’s a new link to my Lynbrook Theater album on photobucket.
I revamped my photobucket album and broke all the links to photos I previously posted here. So… here’s a link to my Bellerose Theater album where the pics I took in December are now located.
Here is a new link for the photos in my Feb 24th post.
Those old links don’t work – not that anyone checks this particular theater page – because I reorganized my photobucket album. Here’s a new link that ought to work.
I reorganized my photobucket account and broke the links to the photos I posted above on December 5th. Here’s my new Paramount Theater album where those pictures may now be found.
My apologies to those with notifications on this page.
I’m re-posting my photo from December 6th here as I had to reorganize my photobucket account and break the original link.
Here’s the photo again, that I posted on February 26th. I had to reogranize my photobucket account and the old link no longer works.
Had to reorganize my photobucket account so the link to the photo I posted above has changed. A couple of recent night shots of the New Amsterdam marquee can now be found here.
The Liberty auditorium is sitting vacant waiting for a new tenant to come with a plan for adaptive re-use. Visit the Liberty page here for more info and some recent photos I took of the surviving 42nd and 41st Street facades of the theater.
Meanwhile, I’ve reorganized my photobucket albums and the links I previously posted above no longer work. Here is the link to my new Empire Theater album on photobucket where those photos may be found.
It wasn’t so long ago that including neighborhoods in the address (or the word “Queens” in Queens addresses) would be problematic with mapping theater addresses above. I guess Google has updated its software to correct this issue. As I said, looks like theaters are slowly but surely being updated on this site so that their addresses include zip codes. I only wish the inclusion of neighborhoods was more consistent here.
Ha! Yes, Jeffrey, it was the movie “Willard” at the UA Lefrak! The theater where I actually saw rats (well, heard the reaction of some women who had seen them, anyway) was the RKO Alden on Jamaica Ave about 6 or 7 years later!
I’m almost positive this is where my Mom took me to see the original “Willard” back in ‘71. We lived in Elmhurst at the time on 41st Ave just a few doors off Junction Blvd.
Warren is correct. That goes for all of NYC except Queens. While including the neighborhood is nice for folks looking to narrow down a search or those interested in a specific geographic locality, it doesn’t help to map the theater at all. Perhaps in some future update of the website, a seperate neighborhood tag can be included for searching purposes. I have noticed that many of the theater updates going on lately have been to include a zip code in the address. Ultimately, searching by zip will probably be the best way of targeting neighborhood theaters in a search.
Nice photo’s, Ken. I took the liberty of clicking through the album for a nice little tour of former theater sites in upper Manhattan.
Here is a shot of the facade that once contained the entrance to the Harris Theater in the Candler Building taken just a few days ago:
Former Harris entrance
The arched window seen in the center of the photo once rose directly above the Harris' marquee. The main portion of the Candler Building is just to the left and now houses a large McDonalds which occupies the first three stories in an open space that has been stripped to the bare brick walls. The former theater entrance is now a very plain and boring sheet-rocked office block vestibule.
Thanks, Jerry. I’m always poking around the area whenever I get a chance. This block of theaters represents a very special and happy time in my love… I enjoyed the hell out of going to movies in general and especially got an extra kick out of the atmosphere in the grind houses here (not to mention some of the peculiar and twisted films that often played on those bills).
What struck me most as I took these photos is the restoration of the Liberty’s former 42nd street facade. Obviously, the old long lobby and foyer were completely demolished to make way for the internet cafe seen in the retail space… but were the developers of the new complex compelled somehow to preserve the facade? And the upper portion of the facade always looked stripped to me down to a flat white wall behind that old vertical sign above the marquee… did they have to recreate that? What can’t be seen at all is whether they recreated the stone American eagle that was supposed to have been perched at the top of the parapet wall.
I’m reorganizing my photobucket albums, so none of the links I posted back on February 26th are still working. If anyone is interested in seeing those photos, here is a link to the Victory Theater album I just added:
42nd Street Victory photo album
I was at the New Victory this past Thursday for a show and took this detail shot of the stone banister at the bottom of one of the balcony stairways:
Banister carving
The rough carving is a bit hard to read precisely. It might read “1995” or this could be a remnant from the peak of this theater’s most seedy incarnation in “1975”. I can’t imagine how someone would have had the time to pull this off in the theater’s current well patrolled state of existence.
Here’s a photo I snapped through the closed glass doors into the Apollo’s former entrance foyer, which was cleaned up and refurbished during the creation of the Ford Center (now Hilton Theater) complex. I took this this past Thursday night while on the Duece for a show at the New Victory:
Apollo 42nd Street entrance foyer
As far as I know, this foyer is no longer used… the main entrance to the Hilton is on the other side of the Times Square Theater through the former Lyric Theater entrance.
Well… I was on the Duece last night and ventured into the lobby of the Hilton Hotel and asked the security guard about the Liberty. He didn’t seem entirely in the know, but said that over the past couple of years he has been aware of several parties that have been shown the room and plans have been announced once or twice, but he is unaware of any major construction or renovation that has been going on in the theater since while he’s been on tour. Nor is he aware of any tenants with plans of moving in.
I went around back to the 41st Street side and snapped some photos of the original rear facade (which includes a set of exit doors sort of suspended a few feet above ground level). I also took a few shots of the old narrow 42nd street facade, which appears to have been completely renovated and restored only to be covered up with signage for the cyber-cafe that occupies the ground floor space. Open the photos to full size and take a good look behind the signage.
42nd Street facade
Alternate view of facade
Facade detail
Detail of torch on parapet
Hidden architectural detail
Former entrance archway
Entrance arch alternate view
Arch detail
41st Street facade
Doors to nowhere
Watch your step
Pretty odd about the 42nd Street facade, eh?
Lost… not to stray too far off topic, but the very first time I saw “King Kong” was on the Million Dollar Movie. That week, they were running “Kong” every day for the entire week. I caught the tale end the first time as I was coming home with my Grandfather one day (I was probably around 7 or 8 and back in NYC) and when I saw the big gorilla on top of the Empire State Building, I asked what movie this was. My Grandfather responded “Oh, poor King Kong” in the most sympathetic voice. I learned the movie was being repeated the next day and made sure I watched it from the very beginning. It might have been ‘73 to commemorate the film’s 40th anniversary that they were running it all week. Then of course, I remember all those Thanksgiving fests (and the Godzilla flicks on the following Friday). Then in '76 or so, my Grandad took me to see the restored 100 minute version of Kong (with some of the more violent and risque '40’s re-release trims added back in) for 10 cents admission when it ran at the D.W. Griffith Theater on East 59th Street in New York.
Was on the block last night at the New Victory with the kids. The theater is still covered in scaffolding on which is hung a large blue banner the entire width of the building (referenced in a post by William back on December 8th, 2004) announcing the alleged Ecko Unlimited retail outlet “coming in 2006”. I took a couple of photos of the place but, unfortunately, the one long shot of the hidden facade was deleted in the transfer to my computer! Anyway… I did manage to take a couple of angled shots peaking up at the facade behind the scaffolding from in front of the old Apollo entrance (now part of the Hilton Theater complex).
Facade over Apollo entrace
Another peak behind the scaffolding
I wonder when this site will open already!