Yeh, we know there’s a new roof, the interior was gutted and now they’re going to change the facade. And what do you suppose they’ll name this, literally, new space?
Thanks for putting this up wgmewes. I could swear it was there previously and disappeared. The folks at CT said not so. Many years ago on a visit to Toronto I saw For the Boys on the opening day.
Inasmuch as the theatre address is Jamaica the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill reference seems to have come from nowhere. It’s not as tho' “Jamaica” doesn’t appear.
Sometimes the label seemed inappropriate. I remember reading a posting about one theatre that was known as “The Itch” in less than six months of it’s opening.
And, remember, it was triplexed at some point. Who knows what the interior looks like. There is also a question as to whether it was ever airconditioned. There is no real parking lot at the theatre but quite a lot on Main Street and the side streets. There is also the parking lot at the Old Town Hall, across the street which is often available in the evening.
I was speaking to a representative of the Historical Society. The problem with reinventing the Islip is a sewage problem under the building, of unknown origin. Among the negatives we have the smell. Also, the cost of remediation is purported to be in the millions which is in excess of the value of the property. The likihood of bucks being available to do the remediation and get the theatre up to snuff is unlikely. There have been a lot of people in the community ready to volunteer for or at the theatre but no dollars.
Scruffy, you mention the Market Square Rainbow Cinemas above. It’s not on CT. Maybe you could add it. On one of my trips to Toronto I was actually in it.
But these ads have errors so they are not 100% reliable. Case in point on the ad Ed posted. It shows that one of the theatres which was showing Bigtime was the Rialto in Riverhead. Never was a Rialto in Riverhead. There was (and is) the Suffolk and the former Riverhead (which started out life as the Capitol)
Sounds similar to the slogan about the Plaza in Patchogue – Blight to light. Big deal, they’re going to tear it down and put up a fence like they did with other blighted properties rather than let PlazaMAC exercise their plan to renew the space. The situation of the Keith’s is not dissimilar.
When I was a youngster my parents took me to the Paramount. Don’t remember what the movie was but Gene Krupa was the featured live performer. We were sitting in the last row of the balcony. But not for long. My mother had height issues and we left. Many years later we had a similar experience at the outdoor Jones Beach Marine Theatre.
Don’t think that was the case since he was supposed to be a person with standards and values. Incidentally, your response appeared twice, no doubt as a result of all the trouble the site has been having for the past few days. I was surprised that mine made it since it crashed before I had a confirm that it was successfully added. Here’s a chance to use a new capability of CT. When you, and only you, look at your comments you see the word “remove”. You, and only you can remove it. So you can now remove the duplicate. I have tried to do that on a couple of my past postings as well as removing ones which were no longer applicable e.g., the Google map is off.
There were the West Islip Twins, the East Islip which burnt down, the Islip and the Star in Islip and the Central Islip. They were supposed to build a small multiplex in the new King Kullen shopping center in CI. The footprint was laid but nothing came of it.
I was only in the Criterion once, with a church group, to see the Ten Commandments. My only remembrance of the theatre were the overstuffed seats with very heavy, and uncomfortable, flocking.
The Star was a unique entity somewhere on the opposite side of Main Street. The building is supposed to still exist albeit as retail space. I have my “operatives” getting more information. In theory there is more data and pictures in the Library but they are undergoing major renovations and this material will not be liberated for several months. I’ll keep after it. I believe I’ll have enough from your reference and my ground crew to put up a skeletal entry shortly.
They’ve been trying since 2009 without success. On a positive front work is now proceeding on the Westbury and Suffolk revitalizations, in the case of Westbury, rebuilding since there is an entire new roof and the inside has be gutted.
The heading is way out of date. By 1981 the RKO Century Warner ads showed three auditoriums. A forth was subsequently added before closure and subsequent demolition. The beautiful exterior looked really sad in it’s final days with the wooden colonial accents peeling and rotting.
When it first became a live performance venue it was Creative Ministries. I guess they changed the name to appeal to a wider audience. Otherwise you might go and expect to be converted.
The pylon is still there and not, amazingly, vandalized. The only time I was in the theatre was the day it closed. Everything had been removed from the lobby, candy stand,etc. Can’t believe they were that anxious to repurpose it. A handful of people were watching some movie, not the one on the marquee which they had’t even bothered to change in who knows how long.
I have a 1981 ad for the myriad of RKO Century Warner theatres which existed at that time. All the theatres but the Hewlett just show the name. The Hewlett, however, is listed as “Hewlett Theater”. How grand. At that time the price policy for the discount theatres, which included the Bellerose, Brookhaven and Farmingdale was $1.00 Mon-Thurs. $1.50 Fri-Sun. The Hewlett reference, however, was also unique $1.00 Mon-Wed, Thurs..
I found a ad for RKO Century Warner which is laden with theatres from RKO, Mann, Prudential and whatever, circa 1981. RKO Keith’s in Flushing is on but not the Alden. Also, among the missing from earlier ads are the Merrick (Jamaica) and Queens & Community (Queens Village). The Lynbrook by that time had reverted back to Skouras/UA.
Yeh, we know there’s a new roof, the interior was gutted and now they’re going to change the facade. And what do you suppose they’ll name this, literally, new space?
How odd they should name it 5,6,7 and 8 when there was no existing theatre in operation and, even when it was, it was a single screen.
Thanks for putting this up wgmewes. I could swear it was there previously and disappeared. The folks at CT said not so. Many years ago on a visit to Toronto I saw For the Boys on the opening day.
Maybe you should contact the folks at CT and ask them. I have had a lively exchange with them on a number of issues over the past several days.
Inasmuch as the theatre address is Jamaica the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill reference seems to have come from nowhere. It’s not as tho' “Jamaica” doesn’t appear.
Sometimes the label seemed inappropriate. I remember reading a posting about one theatre that was known as “The Itch” in less than six months of it’s opening.
And, remember, it was triplexed at some point. Who knows what the interior looks like. There is also a question as to whether it was ever airconditioned. There is no real parking lot at the theatre but quite a lot on Main Street and the side streets. There is also the parking lot at the Old Town Hall, across the street which is often available in the evening.
I was speaking to a representative of the Historical Society. The problem with reinventing the Islip is a sewage problem under the building, of unknown origin. Among the negatives we have the smell. Also, the cost of remediation is purported to be in the millions which is in excess of the value of the property. The likihood of bucks being available to do the remediation and get the theatre up to snuff is unlikely. There have been a lot of people in the community ready to volunteer for or at the theatre but no dollars.
Yes, I thought there was an entry for it. I’ll contact the folks at CT and see if they can find it. If one was lost ……
Scruffy, you mention the Market Square Rainbow Cinemas above. It’s not on CT. Maybe you could add it. On one of my trips to Toronto I was actually in it.
For information purposes the Unique and the (Star) Palace were in Patchogue.
But these ads have errors so they are not 100% reliable. Case in point on the ad Ed posted. It shows that one of the theatres which was showing Bigtime was the Rialto in Riverhead. Never was a Rialto in Riverhead. There was (and is) the Suffolk and the former Riverhead (which started out life as the Capitol)
Sounds similar to the slogan about the Plaza in Patchogue – Blight to light. Big deal, they’re going to tear it down and put up a fence like they did with other blighted properties rather than let PlazaMAC exercise their plan to renew the space. The situation of the Keith’s is not dissimilar.
When I was a youngster my parents took me to the Paramount. Don’t remember what the movie was but Gene Krupa was the featured live performer. We were sitting in the last row of the balcony. But not for long. My mother had height issues and we left. Many years later we had a similar experience at the outdoor Jones Beach Marine Theatre.
Don’t think that was the case since he was supposed to be a person with standards and values. Incidentally, your response appeared twice, no doubt as a result of all the trouble the site has been having for the past few days. I was surprised that mine made it since it crashed before I had a confirm that it was successfully added. Here’s a chance to use a new capability of CT. When you, and only you, look at your comments you see the word “remove”. You, and only you can remove it. So you can now remove the duplicate. I have tried to do that on a couple of my past postings as well as removing ones which were no longer applicable e.g., the Google map is off.
There were the West Islip Twins, the East Islip which burnt down, the Islip and the Star in Islip and the Central Islip. They were supposed to build a small multiplex in the new King Kullen shopping center in CI. The footprint was laid but nothing came of it.
I was only in the Criterion once, with a church group, to see the Ten Commandments. My only remembrance of the theatre were the overstuffed seats with very heavy, and uncomfortable, flocking.
The Star was a unique entity somewhere on the opposite side of Main Street. The building is supposed to still exist albeit as retail space. I have my “operatives” getting more information. In theory there is more data and pictures in the Library but they are undergoing major renovations and this material will not be liberated for several months. I’ll keep after it. I believe I’ll have enough from your reference and my ground crew to put up a skeletal entry shortly.
They’ve been trying since 2009 without success. On a positive front work is now proceeding on the Westbury and Suffolk revitalizations, in the case of Westbury, rebuilding since there is an entire new roof and the inside has be gutted.
I’m waiting for IMAX at my local Elegent John.
The heading is way out of date. By 1981 the RKO Century Warner ads showed three auditoriums. A forth was subsequently added before closure and subsequent demolition. The beautiful exterior looked really sad in it’s final days with the wooden colonial accents peeling and rotting.
When it first became a live performance venue it was Creative Ministries. I guess they changed the name to appeal to a wider audience. Otherwise you might go and expect to be converted.
The pylon is still there and not, amazingly, vandalized. The only time I was in the theatre was the day it closed. Everything had been removed from the lobby, candy stand,etc. Can’t believe they were that anxious to repurpose it. A handful of people were watching some movie, not the one on the marquee which they had’t even bothered to change in who knows how long.
I have a 1981 ad for the myriad of RKO Century Warner theatres which existed at that time. All the theatres but the Hewlett just show the name. The Hewlett, however, is listed as “Hewlett Theater”. How grand. At that time the price policy for the discount theatres, which included the Bellerose, Brookhaven and Farmingdale was $1.00 Mon-Thurs. $1.50 Fri-Sun. The Hewlett reference, however, was also unique $1.00 Mon-Wed, Thurs..
I found a ad for RKO Century Warner which is laden with theatres from RKO, Mann, Prudential and whatever, circa 1981. RKO Keith’s in Flushing is on but not the Alden. Also, among the missing from earlier ads are the Merrick (Jamaica) and Queens & Community (Queens Village). The Lynbrook by that time had reverted back to Skouras/UA.