Here’s a photo of the Evergreen Theater site taken today.
The CTown is on the site of the theater. In the distance, you can see the wall of the Chase Manhattan Bank building (now Banco Popular). If you look close at the side of the bank that faces the CTown, you can see the scars of a building that once stood next to it. I now am positive that the Evergreen Theater was demolished at some point after the Bank was built. By the scars on the wall, the theater was only slightly shorter than the bank building is.
Here’s a current photo of the Oasis Theater building. How the mighty hath fallen.
When converted to the CVS, the entire lobby and right side of the building was demolished, as well as the stores adjoing the Fresh Pond Rd fasade of the theater. All what remains is the main auditorium itself. A parkinglot now is in the place of the lobby and inner lobby and concession area.
There is no eveidence on the interior of the building left of the Oasis. A drop ceiling now is in place. I wonder what if anything survives above the ceiling that may have survived the demolition and fire.
If you look at the photo, The entrance ramp to the parkinglot is where the marquee and lobby was located. The doors from the lobby to the main auditorim, were located where the right hand CVS sign is located, and those windows.
I drove by the site of the Knickerbocker Casino Theater today, and interestingly although of course the theater is gone, there never was a “normal” apartments-over-stores building built there.
Here’s a photo of what’s on the site of the Casino now, a non-descript building that to me appears to date to the late 1920’s or early 1930’s going by the brickwork of the structure:
Here’s a current photo of the Empire Theater taken today. It is now a church, and the building is not in that great of shape, like all the other converted theaters to churches in the area. I don’t know what the interior looks like in condition, but the exterior is in sorry shape. A shame, because all the builings nearby are all pretty decent again.
I don’t know where to ask this, and since this is along the same subway line, I figured i’d ask here in the 46th St section.
Does anyone know the name of this theater I took a photo of back in July? It’s somewhere along the West End El (D train el).
I don’t remember where along the el I took this photo:
The original building is the “Farthest theater” from where in the current building? I also don’t remember seeing a boarded up anything that was a concession stand. Is that behind the current building?
Here’s a photo of the Commack Cinemas' sister theater, the Brookhaven Multiplex, which now sits abandoned because NA replaced it with the Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville nearby.
Click on my October 4th Message in the Brookhaven’s section linked below for a photo of the Brookhaven. Commack’s building was almost identical, and had a similar history.
Here is a curent photo of the Brookhaven Multiplex building taken two weeks ago. It is similar to the Commack Cinemas building, still in use. There is rumor that Commack Cinemas will share a similar fate as the Brookhaven, as NA is planning a Cinema de Lux to replace it, just as they opened the Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville this past year to replace the Brookhaven.
Anyway, click below to see the current photos. Here it sits in it’s sad boarded up condition. A shame because it was in pretty good shape, and fairly new. Full circle, as this theater caused the death of most of the remaining area Downtown theaters, and now the new theater caused it’s closure:
Actually, when I lived in Ridgewood, my neighbor was an old lady that had entire sets of dishes from the various theaters in the area. Many of the theaters in Ridgewood gave out a differnt piece from the set each week or so. She must have gone to the movies alot because she had entire sets of dishes.
Thanks cjdv for the great information. Do you know of any historic photos online somewhere of the theater?
Bushwick Audrey, on a similar note, I was at Central and Cornelia a few weeks ago, and the entire blocks there at that intersection have been completely razed and brand new homes are being built.
Yes, that’s that discrepancy which occurs with a lot of the buildings in Ridgewood. (Remember this came up with the EVergreen Theater’s neighboring buildings too). That 1931 date seems to come up for a lot of buildings incorrectly. It is highly unlikely much got built in the 1930’s in Ridgewood, as that was the beginning of the Depression. No one was investing anything back then in that decade.
Great article! Thanks for posting it!
Just think, if it hadn’t been for Prohibition, the Madison Theater may not have been built – well at least not in that location. Was that worth not having beer during the 20’s for the Madison? Hmmm, that’s a tough call!
Actually, Madison Street nearby must also be named for President Madison. Along with Jefferson St being named for President Jefferson.
I have the old rentroll from my grandmother’s building in Ridgewood in 1941. Apartments rented for between $21 and $28 in the building in 1941. $25 was the equivilant of a month’s rent!
Thanks Patrick for all your efforts. You have given hours of enjoyment, and the information posted in many of these theater’s sections is invaluable. It means so much to be able to read through all the comments and information people have provided on all the pages.
One of th only obstacles has been when you know a theater as let’s say, “DeKalb Theater”, but you can’t find it because it’s under the “last” name or one of the known names, in that case “Casino Theater” or “New Casino Theater”. I do believe it’s best to call the theaters by their “last” or current names (because that makes the most sense), but it would be nice to be able to search for them under their former names too, as sometimes that’s all what’s known.
I look forward to this “new” version when all the theaters and their great comments and information get transferred to it.
Thanks again.
Tha address on the top of the page is wrong, and is an outdated address from before Queens went into the new numbering system in the 20’s or 30’s. If someone clicks on “map” with that address, it will give them improper location.
The proper address for the Oasis Theater, and the address it had for most of it’s life, and now the CVS holds is:
63-57 Fresh Pond Rd
Michael, thanks for all your comments. Yes, I remember the Oasis being extremely load when it was a roller rink. My ears were always ringing when I got out of there. It was a great theater when I used to go there for that, and had many good times at the rink too in it’s afterlife.
The Oasis still stands…well partly anyway. I believe there were several fires after the rink closed. When the building was converted to what it is now, a CVS pharmacy, all the stores that were along Fresh Pond Road, attached to the front of the theater were removed, as well as the entire left side of the building, the lobby and cafeteria areas. The only part of the building still standing is the main auditorium, which now houses the CVS. The former lobby area is now the parking lot for the CVS.
I will be in the area in a few weeks, and plan to take a current photo of what’s left of the building, so check back here in a about two or three weeks for the photo link.
Vince, I totally agree, with you about the prices of movies, and the concession prices, etc.
However, it’s not that that killed the smaller movie theaters, it’s the megaplexes. Go to many of those (such as the Holtsville Island16 or the Stony Brook, the Ronkonkoma, etc), and you will see no shortage of people going to the movies or buying the over-priced popcorn. Movie-going is alive and well, it’s just that they are all going to the megaplexes.
Here’s a photo of the Evergreen Theater site taken today.
The CTown is on the site of the theater. In the distance, you can see the wall of the Chase Manhattan Bank building (now Banco Popular). If you look close at the side of the bank that faces the CTown, you can see the scars of a building that once stood next to it. I now am positive that the Evergreen Theater was demolished at some point after the Bank was built. By the scars on the wall, the theater was only slightly shorter than the bank building is.
Click here for Photo
Here’s a current photo of the Oasis Theater building. How the mighty hath fallen.
When converted to the CVS, the entire lobby and right side of the building was demolished, as well as the stores adjoing the Fresh Pond Rd fasade of the theater. All what remains is the main auditorium itself. A parkinglot now is in the place of the lobby and inner lobby and concession area.
There is no eveidence on the interior of the building left of the Oasis. A drop ceiling now is in place. I wonder what if anything survives above the ceiling that may have survived the demolition and fire.
If you look at the photo, The entrance ramp to the parkinglot is where the marquee and lobby was located. The doors from the lobby to the main auditorim, were located where the right hand CVS sign is located, and those windows.
Click here for photo of the Oasis
I drove by the site of the Knickerbocker Casino Theater today, and interestingly although of course the theater is gone, there never was a “normal” apartments-over-stores building built there.
Here’s a photo of what’s on the site of the Casino now, a non-descript building that to me appears to date to the late 1920’s or early 1930’s going by the brickwork of the structure:
Click here for link to photo
Here’s a current photo of the Empire Theater taken today. It is now a church, and the building is not in that great of shape, like all the other converted theaters to churches in the area. I don’t know what the interior looks like in condition, but the exterior is in sorry shape. A shame, because all the builings nearby are all pretty decent again.
Click here for photo link
All the cars to the left are in front of the police station on the next block, that’s why the block looks so “cluttered”.
The RKO theater on Manhattan Ave was the RKO Greenpoint theater I believe. I think it is already listed on the site. The building has been demolished.
Here’s a current photo I took of the Oriental, taken from the elevated West End Subway Line on July 24, 2004:
Click here for photo
I don’t know where to ask this, and since this is along the same subway line, I figured i’d ask here in the 46th St section.
Does anyone know the name of this theater I took a photo of back in July? It’s somewhere along the West End El (D train el).
I don’t remember where along the el I took this photo:
Click here for Mystery Theater Photo
Here’s a current photo taken of the Shore Theater on July 24, 2004:
Click here photo link
The Commack Cinemas is not closed yet, unless you mean the Multiplex Cinemas in Brookhaven linked above.
I am skeptical of the whole thing.
The original building is the “Farthest theater” from where in the current building? I also don’t remember seeing a boarded up anything that was a concession stand. Is that behind the current building?
Here’s a photo of the Commack Cinemas' sister theater, the Brookhaven Multiplex, which now sits abandoned because NA replaced it with the Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville nearby.
Click on my October 4th Message in the Brookhaven’s section linked below for a photo of the Brookhaven. Commack’s building was almost identical, and had a similar history.
/theaters/7672/
Here is a curent photo of the Brookhaven Multiplex building taken two weeks ago. It is similar to the Commack Cinemas building, still in use. There is rumor that Commack Cinemas will share a similar fate as the Brookhaven, as NA is planning a Cinema de Lux to replace it, just as they opened the Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville this past year to replace the Brookhaven.
Anyway, click below to see the current photos. Here it sits in it’s sad boarded up condition. A shame because it was in pretty good shape, and fairly new. Full circle, as this theater caused the death of most of the remaining area Downtown theaters, and now the new theater caused it’s closure:
Photo Angel 1
Photo Angle 2
Lostmemory, they don’t even have it narrowed to Ridgewood, just Queens! At the very least, at least we know it was “somewhere” in Ridgewood.
Very Nice! Thanks!
Compare with my link posted above of the building taken a couple weeks ago.
Actually, when I lived in Ridgewood, my neighbor was an old lady that had entire sets of dishes from the various theaters in the area. Many of the theaters in Ridgewood gave out a differnt piece from the set each week or so. She must have gone to the movies alot because she had entire sets of dishes.
Thanks cjdv for the great information. Do you know of any historic photos online somewhere of the theater?
Bushwick Audrey, on a similar note, I was at Central and Cornelia a few weeks ago, and the entire blocks there at that intersection have been completely razed and brand new homes are being built.
Yes, that’s that discrepancy which occurs with a lot of the buildings in Ridgewood. (Remember this came up with the EVergreen Theater’s neighboring buildings too). That 1931 date seems to come up for a lot of buildings incorrectly. It is highly unlikely much got built in the 1930’s in Ridgewood, as that was the beginning of the Depression. No one was investing anything back then in that decade.
Great article! Thanks for posting it!
Just think, if it hadn’t been for Prohibition, the Madison Theater may not have been built – well at least not in that location. Was that worth not having beer during the 20’s for the Madison? Hmmm, that’s a tough call!
Actually, Madison Street nearby must also be named for President Madison. Along with Jefferson St being named for President Jefferson.
I have the old rentroll from my grandmother’s building in Ridgewood in 1941. Apartments rented for between $21 and $28 in the building in 1941. $25 was the equivilant of a month’s rent!
Thanks Patrick for all your efforts. You have given hours of enjoyment, and the information posted in many of these theater’s sections is invaluable. It means so much to be able to read through all the comments and information people have provided on all the pages.
One of th only obstacles has been when you know a theater as let’s say, “DeKalb Theater”, but you can’t find it because it’s under the “last” name or one of the known names, in that case “Casino Theater” or “New Casino Theater”. I do believe it’s best to call the theaters by their “last” or current names (because that makes the most sense), but it would be nice to be able to search for them under their former names too, as sometimes that’s all what’s known.
I look forward to this “new” version when all the theaters and their great comments and information get transferred to it.
Thanks again.
Tha address on the top of the page is wrong, and is an outdated address from before Queens went into the new numbering system in the 20’s or 30’s. If someone clicks on “map” with that address, it will give them improper location.
The proper address for the Oasis Theater, and the address it had for most of it’s life, and now the CVS holds is:
63-57 Fresh Pond Rd
Sorry, I had a typo too….I meant the entire RIGHT side of the building was now removed, and is now the parking lot.
Michael, thanks for all your comments. Yes, I remember the Oasis being extremely load when it was a roller rink. My ears were always ringing when I got out of there. It was a great theater when I used to go there for that, and had many good times at the rink too in it’s afterlife.
The Oasis still stands…well partly anyway. I believe there were several fires after the rink closed. When the building was converted to what it is now, a CVS pharmacy, all the stores that were along Fresh Pond Road, attached to the front of the theater were removed, as well as the entire left side of the building, the lobby and cafeteria areas. The only part of the building still standing is the main auditorium, which now houses the CVS. The former lobby area is now the parking lot for the CVS.
I will be in the area in a few weeks, and plan to take a current photo of what’s left of the building, so check back here in a about two or three weeks for the photo link.
Vince, I totally agree, with you about the prices of movies, and the concession prices, etc.
However, it’s not that that killed the smaller movie theaters, it’s the megaplexes. Go to many of those (such as the Holtsville Island16 or the Stony Brook, the Ronkonkoma, etc), and you will see no shortage of people going to the movies or buying the over-priced popcorn. Movie-going is alive and well, it’s just that they are all going to the megaplexes.