Kings Theatre
1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
86 people
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I’m also working on several leads to truly ascertain progress. Will keep everyone posted. Happy Fathers Day!! As you can guess, the restoration of the Kings is VERY important to me (as is the continued maintenance of NYC’s last “movie Palace,” the all-important, Ziegfeld).
Also loved the link.Gives me new hope for the King’s. Thanks for posting, Maybe the aunt could be brought on stage to get applause as the last manager of Loew’s!
You’re quite welcome. In fact as someone looking forward to the renovation of the Kings since I toured the place in the early 1980’s, I would actually like to meet your aunt, she must be filled with wonderful memories and I would love to see her memorabilia. In fact, I would like to meet you!!
Besides being Ziegfeldman, I am also known as the “Wolf,” after the Harvey Keitel character in “Pulp Fiction.” That is, I get things done.
Here’s what I’ve done relative to the Kings.
(1) I visited the Kings in the summer of 2010 just to see it again. As I stood outside, I imagined the rise like the Phoenix.
(2) I’ve followed on the net and saw that the first thing ACE had to do was file an environmental impact statement with the city. This is SOP, as ACE plans on not only renovation but adding to the stage area. There are also traffic implications.
(3)Here is the latest info from the NYCEDC dated 2012:
http://www.nycedc.com/project/loews-kings-theatre
(4) This is from the website of ACE Theatrical Group, all about the restoration, in progress, now scheduled for completion in 2015—this is going to give your aunt a goal.
http://acetheatricalgroup.com/projects.php
It is clear to me from the other work of ACE, that an extensive amount of “pre-production” is necessary to get this right. This is probably where we are at now in 2012.
(5) To give you hope, which, if you remember “Shawshank Redemption” is a good thing, I closely followed the restoration of the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street. That was a much more difficult project, but worth waiting for. It is the most beautiful theatre I have ever seen, anywhere.
Please e-mail me at
Best,
Gary
Thanks you so much for that link, ZiegfeldMan.
Dear SGreenberg:
Make sure you look at this, and if possible that she does also:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixZJB3feVy4
I’m sorry to hear that things are going so slowly (or not at all). I’ve been hoping to be able to show my aunt, the last manager of the theater, some pictures of the renovation. I’m sure it would make her happy to see some progress. She’s in her late 90s and living upstate. Even if the renovation is completed soon, I doubt she’d be able to visit the theater. A pity.
Bobby, that’s good news about the Uptown. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.
Scott, my source is an insider associated with JAM. The Uptown Theatre will be the anchor in an entertainment district which will include the Riviera Theatre & the Green Mill club & the Aragon Ballroom. Alot has to come together and the mayor is behind this concept. I also think the Kings is in a better position long term as it looks today. But the plans in Chicago are very strong and the owners are moving ahead. I have yet to read any movement that is visable going on at the Kings.
Bobby, I remain doubtful about the Uptown, but would love to eat my words someday. Hopefully your “source” is correct. The Kings seems like a much more viable project to me since it’s not located in a neighborhood, as is the Uptown. And I believe the Kings has parking issues that are easier to deal with.
Scott, I have from a good source that JAM will have the financing in position in 2013 with a grand re-opening planned in 2015. Same year as the Kings. I plan on going to both the Uptown & Kings, both beautiful Rapp & Rapp palaces.
This is like a repeat of the Uptown situation in Chicago, though I suspect ACE is holding back for different reasons than JAM. I don’t know how ACE funds its projects, but one would think this would be a good time to move since the cost of money is so low.
It will happen. There’s a lot of red tape and planning when restoring a building like this.
Thank you for article ZiegfeldMan. Like Tinseltoes, I too wonder if anyone has visited the site recently to see if any signs of life exist. Since 2010, one would think a scaffolding or two would be in place by now either in front or on the back walls of the theater!
Tinseltoes et.al.
This is directly from ACE Theatrical Group’s Website:
About the Kings Theatre (In Redevelopment)
One of five “Wonder Theatres” opened by the Loew’s Corporation between 1929 and 1930, the Loew’s Kings Theatre was built as one of the most beautiful theatres in the nation, and was originally designed by architectural masters Rapp & Rapp. The Kings Theatre is located in the once thriving, yet still active shopping district along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. The Kings is currently in redevelopment, and is set to regain its status as Brooklyn’s largest indoor theatre more than three decades after shuttering and being seized by the City of New York. The Kings is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation designed to convert the spectacular, gilded movie palace into a state-of-the-art performing arts facility. The Kings will add vibrancy, quality of life, and an economic shot in the arm to New York’s largest borough.
Once completed, the Kings Theatre will operate as a self-sustaining performing arts facility, hosting a wide variety of cultural arts attractions including music, comedy, dance, theatrically staged extravaganzas, as well as a variety of community and private uses including banquets, seminars, product launches and weddings. The Kings will be added to the National Register of Historic Places and the $73 million renovation is expected to be completed in spring of 2015.
Now, let’s hope the Ziegfeld hangs in there!!
Barbra Streisand announced yesterday she will play Brookyln, NY in October for one night only. It will not be the King’s of course, but I wonder if she will get a royal tour if it is safe to enter?
“Brooklyn to me means the Loew’s Kings, Erasmus, the yeshiva I went to, the Dodgers, Prospect Park, great Chinese food,” Ms. Streisand said… Naturally the Cinema Treasure comes first.
I think the economy will be the main issue. Ed Solero says it all. With the average seat price around $50+, and the fact the theater plans on being booked almost every night in the year, I ask anyone to inform me of any theater that is that heavily booked in the USA and makes a profit without any help from the city or state.
I agree with BobbyS, regarding comparison to the Barclays Center. That’s like comparing the need for the Beacon Theatre as a concert venue when you have Madison Square Garden. I certainly think there is a sufficient population in Brooklyn to support a viable venue at the Kings. In my mind, its going to be a question of what kind of entertainments will be booked into the theater. Seems to me that Brooklyn could benefit from their own Beacon Theatre type venue – where pop acts can make a stop along a tour (much as in the ‘70’s and early '80’s when it wasn’t uncommon to see a particular act stop in for a night or two at the Palladium in Manhattan followed by a couple of nights across the river at the Capitol in Passaic). My fears here would be how Cablevision would react to the competition and how the state of the economy in 2015 will influence how people spend whatever disposable cash they may have.
The Barclays Center is really for sporting events and maybe mega concerts which the Kings could not handle. And it will bring people(paying customers)into Brookyln for further entertainment(Kings).But my concern is a lack of events to be booked and keep the theater filled most of the year(profitable). The beautiful Genesse Theater in Waukegan,IL cancelled its classic film series on Sat nights after trying it for a year. Very low turnout. Only “Gone With The Wind” & “Ben-Hur” drew more than 300 people. Both beautiful restored prints in 35mm.
Sorry….Brooklyn I meant. I must have Paradise on my brain. I do believe the Kings will be re-opened in 2015 and I trust you know more about Brookyln and its needs than I do. I am sure there were many studies done before a dime went into this project to make sure the audience was there to support this endeavor.
Brooklyn! Bobby! Brooklyn! :–) Yes, 300 days a year is rather aggressive, but it doesn’t concern me in the least. It’s a great goal and there is absolutely a need for a performing arts venue of this sort in Brooklyn. I have no doubt it will be a success.
A lot of city money also went into the Oriental in Chicago along with the Cinema Odeon owner to restore the theater and present broadway shows. City didn’t realize there were two sets of books being kept and I believe he wound up in jail. All said, this project at Loews’s Kings will be looked at with a fine tooth comb for all checks & balances from the investor groups involved. The only thing I worry about is the statement made from ACE booking the theater 300+days a year. Does anyone anywhere know of any theatre that is that heavily booked a year. Not even Radio City! And we are talking Bronx, NY
Every time I think the topic is dead it comes back around, which suggests a real civic interest in getting this done. I also thought that the above-mentioned Oriental in Chicago would be eventually converted to offices, and I was positive the Bronx Paradise would be destroyed. There is a lot of red tape and planning involved in something of this magnitude. So it could sit for a long time with little evidence of progress. Of course, there is always the real possibility that a project like this can stall. But my hunch is that this one will be completed.
Thanks Matt, I wish people wouldn’t be so pessimistic. This restoration is a lot of work and a lot of it is in the preparation and research stage. It is not by accident that it is not scheduled for completion until 2014/2015. I have complete confidence that this theater will be fully restored, but full disclosure, I am an optimist at heart. I was also one of the few who kept saying that the city’s EDC would find a developer to take on this project when almost everyone else said it would never happen. Let’s remember that the Loews Jersey, Loews Paradise, Saint George, New Amsterdam and many others in New York were all viewed as lost causes but they are stunningly restored today. The Loews Kings will be joining that group! :–)
It’s not dead in the water. I’ve spoken with both ACE and the company who is doing the actual restoration work. There is a lot of preparations that have to be made before construction can begin. It’s going to take time to recreate some of the interior details that have been lost over the years.