Loew's 46th Street Theatre

I was in the former Loews 46th Street tonight with a fellow theater buff. The marquee has NOT been removed. The furniture store takes up the lobby, auditorium up to the end of the balcony and upper mezzanine. Quite a bit of this theater remains and a trip to buy furniture is well worth it. I asked the manager if we could see beyond the wall and while she does not allow people in there, she made an exception. Here is what we found: The entire main floor has been leveled and tiled. It is used as a storeroom for the furniture store. No seats remain. All plasterwork and statues are still there. All of the balcony seats remain as well. Overall while this theater is I’d say 90% intact, It would need A LOT of work. There is quite a bit of water damage in many areas of the ceiling. I am going back soon with my camera and will provide a link to the pictures. If anybody has any questions, Feel free to email me.

-Mark

Loew’s 46th Street theatre (formely The Universal) was originally
called “The theatre of delightful surprises.” Even after showing continuous movies after sound films, it did have stage shows & concerts.(Ex:Loew’s “West-End vaudeville circuit, concert recitals-including the great Jewish cantor Yosel Rosenblatt.) During the early 1950’s, The Brooklyn Dodgers sponsered Happy Felton’s talent shows for neighborhood children on Saturday mornings. Local dance studios had shows there as well. After Loew’s sold it in the 1960’s, many famous stars appeared there & it became known as the theatre of stars. (During weekday afternoons, Bingo was played.) The manager
told me the theatre was doing well, so I was surprised when it closed in 1973.

told me the theatre was doing well, so I was surprised when it
closed in 1973.

As a venue for rock concerts in the 1970’s, this theater was called The 46th Street Rock Palace.