There are only two ways to get in, a)the legal way, the real estate opens the building for inspection or b)the illegal way, you sneak (break in) in. I’ll let you guess which one. The posters indicate the theatre closed in 1983-84.
This was not the first theatre to be twinned in Brooklyn. Prior to this was the Benson, Rugby, Beverly (by Golden) and the Alpine (by Loew’s). Century was a bit slow at twinning their propeties. The Rugby was done in 1974 and the Benson a year earlier. The Beverly was done in 1975-6 and didn’t last to long after the twinning.
Scott, the UA Meadowbrook has been demolished (over a year ago) for a bank. Like the projectionist you mentioned above, the acid must have made you see the theatre as still there.
Although the main auditorium is “restored”, the main lobby and facade have been renovated and updated. The facade and the lobby are not original as stated in the introduction.
This theatre opened in 1968 with “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belguim” which was on the United Artist Showcase. This theatre along with the Whitman, York, Morton Village and some others were co-owned with the United Artists Theatre Circuit, but Century operated. I worked at all locations and duplicate box office reports were made for each company. Century operated their theatres better than U.A..
Grosses at the Green Acres were good only when they had exclusive L.I. showings along with then open sister Plainview Theatre. The agreement between U.A. and Century came to an end when Almi acquired the Century Circuit in 1981.
In addition to my comments posted yesterday, the village still wants a theatre here but if an offer is made to alter or demolish the property, it will probably happen after the auction on September 30 at a village board meeting. I’ll keep you posted.
The Triangle and Quentin Theatres are two seperate buildings. The Triangle building is still there but altered and unrecognizeable and is now glass fronted. The Triangle sat directly behind a triangular park (hence the name) which divided Kings Highway from Quentin Road. This theatre was between the Avalon And the Kingsway and closed in the late 1950’s. See the Quentin Theatre on this site. The Quentin was east of Flatbush Avenue where The Triangle is west of Flatbush.
I did an inspection of the premises today after reading the above post. The building “in bankruptcy” sits on Post Avenue awaiting its'
fate. I arrived at 12:25 and signed the waiver that all must do, to view the entire premises. The theatres closing date was about 5 years ago (not my estimate) and has seen better days. I will not go into the details of the inspection but the twin theatre (down the middle) was sad to see. The last time I was here was with “longislandmovies” to see “Trip To Bountiful” with Geraldine Page after she won the Oscar. The movie played there forever and then a day. This was true for most of the bookings. The owners were astute to “their rigid policies” (if you unwrapped a candy that was snuck in, you were ejected". This theatre with it’s tremendous stagehouse would suit plays needind the space. Due to “deferred maintenance” the building’s interior has suffered but the four walls and original structural supports are sound. The roof had it been maintained would have greatly improved its chances for survival as a L.I. Performing Arts Center. In its present condition though, it’s going to take “a person with a vision and obviously "money”. There are many vestiges of the old theatre in view but its' twinning saw the lobby “paneled and ceiling dropped” One third of the lobby entrance ceiling exists under the panels. The rest of the property in front of the theatre consists of 5 nice apartment containing 4 to 5 rooms each (now offices) and three storefronts that can be easily turned into 5 since two are quite large. The marquee was being changed for the proceedings which Warren has listed above. The owners were present and I remembered them from the movie days. I feel bad that they were not able to endure but they must know that they are responsible for the current condition of the property. To be honest, a performing arts center seems unlikely since the Westbury Music Fair handles the crowds and is established as a show and music venue and with the UA Westbury Stadium Theatres and Loew’s Raceway and Roosevelt Field Theatres, movies don’t make much sense either unless the building through renovation was quadded for “art and foriegn films” which seem never to get proper runs and then only at the Malverne and Huntington Community Cenetr. I hope that someone comes forward within the next two weeks with a vision for the ailing building. I’d hate to see it go.
Loew’s Coney Island became Brandt’s Shore in May 1964 which is hardly late ‘60’s. The Brandt Theatre display ads of the time show the theatre as the Coney Island for about a month after the changeover and then being renamed the Shore. At this time some theatres had their own ads as well. The new single Shore ads still stated “formerly Loew’s Coney Island” for about two months after the name change.
“The French Connection” chase was not filmed under the New Utrecht Avenue el. so neither the 46th Street or Boro Park Theatres will appear in the movie. What you do see is the 86TH Street el is the Loew’s Oriental from the train shots and street shots. Because of the edit job, the building seems to appear, be in the distance, then close and far again. If you focus on the theatre building on the left of the screen, you will see this. This blockbuster film is emblazaoned in any usher’s mind that played the picture during it 16 week initial first run in 1971.,
The former CAMEO Theatre became the LOEW’S KAMEO in 1925 after two years of opening. Loew’s operated th theatre until April of 1964 and then LEASED it to the Brandt Organization for another 10 years. Brandt’s did not continue beyond 1974. The last double feature was “COTTON COMES TO HARLEM” and associate feature. The film played the first time around in 1970 (it’s release year) for 5 WEEKS! (a record) with a co-feature of “Gaily, Gaily”. “COTTON” played here several times before its' last showing. In 1974, there was a shooting in the theatre “over seats”, it made the Daily News and that was it. A guard was on duty in the closed theatre for three years according to the payrolls of the LOEW’S KINGS Theatre which payed the salary on thier payroll under the notation “Guard for the Kameo Theatre. The facade deserves landmark status for its' detailing and is worth the walk if you are at the Brooklyn Museum. It is similar to the now painted facade of Loew’s Oriental.
This is the information on the Brownsville and East New York theatres that I toured this past Wednesday with a resident of the area. The Hopkinson Theatre was razed and is now a lot. It did play movies in the 1940’s & 1950’s (check the New York Times for the weekly ads during this period. The Stadium met the same fate and is now a park according to the street address. (I think the entance to theatre is there and only the auditorium is the small park). The remaining part of the building has no address, but follows the numbers on the other side of the street. The Loew’s Palace, the Supreme, the Ambassador, the People’s Cinema (nee Bluebird), the Livonia, The Lyric (Hendrix), Elite (Euclid), Kinema, Biltmore, Premier, Embassy, Warwick, Adelphi (Gem), Gotham, have ALL been demolished. Those that remain as churches include The Parkway, New Prospect (Ralph Ave.), the Montauk Arcade (Montauk) and Brair’s Theatre (Powell) both on Pitkin Ave, the Penn, Sutter, Miller
(Jehovah’s Witness on site) all on Sutter Avenue.
For the retail spaces, the Stone (supermarket), Reo (New Singer) a .99 store, the Sheffield (storage area) as well as the early Select (Chester) at 1671 Pitkin Ave. I had no address for the Brownsville Theatre but there are a few buildings that look that they were theatres. On Fulton Street, the Norwood, a 1920’s and early 1930’s “Negro” Christmas house, still rertains its' unique theatre entrance. If I have omitted any theatre it is because I couldn’t locate the buildings or had wrong addresses. Not bad for a 5 hour sweep. Let me hear from you if you have lived or went to any of the buildings listed above.
Queens Theatre Management who operate(s)/(d) this theatre is partially to blame for this, in the Daily News listings which list it as “Closed for Renovations” the theatre is called Plaza Corona Theatre at the foot of the Corona Plaza station. The theatre’s front marquee neon read “Teatro” in a thin green script (where the LOEW’S name was) followed by PLAZA in the same red neon letters leftover from when LOEW’S letters were removed from the right in 1953. Has the marquee been removed or altered as of today?
The Majestic was a legitimate playhouse when it opened. Out-of-town
try-outs, pre-openings prior to Broadway runs and shows that couldn’t be heldover on New York stages were held over at the Majestic in the first 15-20 years. I recently met a woman who was 94 years old that told me she remembers going to the Majestic Theatre when she was 7 or 8 years old and was scared to death by “ a scream from an actress in the performance”. Everytime she traveled with her father on the door to door milk wagon route along the cobblestone Fulton Street, she was frightened. So this makes it legitimate house before vaudeville which may have had a short run because once the Strand, Fox, Albee, Paramount and Metropolitan theatres opened they absorbed the best “vaudeville” being presentation houses. The Orpheum would have preceded the Albee with “vaudeville”. The Majestic was still open in 1972 on and off. I remeber seeing features on the marquee at that time. It then ran X-rated films and that continued until 1975 or so. The building had no maintenance over its 75 years not being a “chain house”. It was probably empty for 15 years prior to the BAM rescue. I’m alright with the faux-ruin look and the segregated staircase that leads to the third balcony that was reserved for “colored people” (also a seperate entrance to the right of the main entrance). It’s a greuling walk up and the “current” barbershop chairs in this balcony raise you up so that you have a better view of the stage proceeding. The theatre’s original lobby is only evident for a marble staircase that is not on a grand scale within unadorned walls so the theatres once beauty. I believe the plasterwork was far beyond repair so whatever was salvagable remained in place. The side boxes are there but are being used for today’s lighting and etc without seats. The original orchestra was sloped to meet the first balcony with the space below th balcony (rear orchestra used as extra stage rooms). I was there when BAM did Henry V with Liam Neeson. I thank “Harvey” for saving and putting the Majestic Theatre to use, however this will always be the Majestic Theatre to me. I believe the theatre’s name which was engraved on the exterior facade brickwork was cemented over once it became the BAM Harvey unless I am mistaken.
This was never a movie house, there was another Parkway at 65th St and 20th Avenue which became the Metro which was a film house. The Pastor of the Holy House of Prayer For All People gave me a tour of his building several years ago. The congregation takes care of the building and it shows in how meticullous it is kept. The original “Yiddish” restroom signs are still in thier original places. I have no idea what the marquee looked like since it probably came down over 50 years ago. The pastor was also in search of someone who could help him resrore the painted ceiling fresco which is need of repair. He also told me three years ago that the building never has had air-conditioning in its' entire history. The “yiddish” theatres as well as most legitimate and movie theatres in the 1920’s without cooling systems closed during the summer. This would then be considered a legitimate theatre.
The theatre seated closer to 800 people. and the stairs at the Ave. M entrance lead down to the auditorium. The black marble on the lower facade is the same as the Kingsway and the Century terazzo floor (the company’s black/white speckle used in all thier theatres) can still be seen). The former balcny is an employee’s lunchroom. It is an Emigrant Bank office after years as the Prudential Bank. The theatre’s original brickwork is behind a bank modernization (or Century’s for that). An rear exit door was enlarged at the theatre’s back screen wall for an entrance on the E. 17th Street side. Please make corrections to seating and add the circuit name. Thank You.
The theatre’s interior walls have been re-painted and details of the trim work highlighted. All in all, I expected to see a disaster inside but was happy with what I saw. Did the furniture store that occupied the building previously do the renovation or did it have the original color scheme the theatre had when it closed. I bet the gym did the work and they did it faithfully to the building. The place was hopping at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
The exterior theatre auditorium walls are still standing behind the newly built McManus Funeral Home frontage. The front storefronts and the theatre’s lobby were demolished so no evidence of a theatre is seen from Ave. N. If you go around the corner you will see the theatre’s walls and exits (now used for admitting the deceased prior to viewing). I spoke to a gentlemen in McManus and he said none of the theatre’s auditorium interior survives, but one never knows. This was a Brandt theatre. Opened in 1934 and closed in 1951, just about the time of the Quentin’s demise.
The address is 3502 Quentin Avenue. This was a Century Theatre that opened in 1933 and closed about 1953. It has shown movies in over fifty years but a lot of the theatre’s features still evident especially in the auditorium minus seats, screen and speakers. The auditorium space is being converted to an unraked floor space for batting ranges. The wall and ceiling design is being retained. The former lobby space has the original terazzo floor which was under flooring, covering it up. Half the floor will remain showing with the other half for rooms. The seating capacity was 581. (This would be considered a large theatre today, a neighborhood house then in the ‘30’s and '40’. Closed because of the newer Brook Theatre on Flatlands Ave. Disappeared at the same time as the Traymore which is also nearby. The new facility within the former Quentin Theatre should open in July.
The festival above called Broadway on Broadway which played at the R.K.O. Cinerama Twin as it was called at the time played the upatairs screen which was known as the Penthouse. I have the original theatre handout flyer listing all the shows. One film was “Finian’s Rainbow” which played “reserved seats” the Penthouse on it’s first time around 10 years earlier in 1968. I saw it with with the 7th grade music class on a school outing day. ( 10 a.m. show Adm. was $1. or $1.50 ), we had lunch at the automat next door.
The balcony screen in the Penthouse was also curved. I never was in the orchestra ( Cinerama Theatre ) for any film.
The first movie at Loew’s Pitkin was “So This Is College” (MGM) with Elliott Nugent, Robert Montgomery and Sally Starr, all-talking and singing. There was a stage revue (if you want that info, let me know)as well, from the Capitol Theatre. Four De Luxe shows daily at 1:30-3:45-7:00-9:00. It was heralded as LOEW’S AMAZING NEW! PITKIN on Sat. Nov. 9, 1929 at 11 A.M.. Opening Day Prices were 11 a.m.-1 p.m. .35 cents, 1-5 p.m. .50 cents, 5 p.m. to closing .75 cents. Note (Loges slightly higher) Any wages, I say .90 or $1. ?
Today and next Monday are left for those who wish to inspect the property. The times are between 12 noon and 2 P.M.
There are only two ways to get in, a)the legal way, the real estate opens the building for inspection or b)the illegal way, you sneak (break in) in. I’ll let you guess which one. The posters indicate the theatre closed in 1983-84.
This was not the first theatre to be twinned in Brooklyn. Prior to this was the Benson, Rugby, Beverly (by Golden) and the Alpine (by Loew’s). Century was a bit slow at twinning their propeties. The Rugby was done in 1974 and the Benson a year earlier. The Beverly was done in 1975-6 and didn’t last to long after the twinning.
The former Alben Theatre building still exists in another use, it’s exterior is painted blue and white the last time I saw it about 4 years ago.
Scott, the UA Meadowbrook has been demolished (over a year ago) for a bank. Like the projectionist you mentioned above, the acid must have made you see the theatre as still there.
Although the main auditorium is “restored”, the main lobby and facade have been renovated and updated. The facade and the lobby are not original as stated in the introduction.
This theatre opened in 1968 with “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belguim” which was on the United Artist Showcase. This theatre along with the Whitman, York, Morton Village and some others were co-owned with the United Artists Theatre Circuit, but Century operated. I worked at all locations and duplicate box office reports were made for each company. Century operated their theatres better than U.A..
Grosses at the Green Acres were good only when they had exclusive L.I. showings along with then open sister Plainview Theatre. The agreement between U.A. and Century came to an end when Almi acquired the Century Circuit in 1981.
In addition to my comments posted yesterday, the village still wants a theatre here but if an offer is made to alter or demolish the property, it will probably happen after the auction on September 30 at a village board meeting. I’ll keep you posted.
The Triangle and Quentin Theatres are two seperate buildings. The Triangle building is still there but altered and unrecognizeable and is now glass fronted. The Triangle sat directly behind a triangular park (hence the name) which divided Kings Highway from Quentin Road. This theatre was between the Avalon And the Kingsway and closed in the late 1950’s. See the Quentin Theatre on this site. The Quentin was east of Flatbush Avenue where The Triangle is west of Flatbush.
I did an inspection of the premises today after reading the above post. The building “in bankruptcy” sits on Post Avenue awaiting its'
fate. I arrived at 12:25 and signed the waiver that all must do, to view the entire premises. The theatres closing date was about 5 years ago (not my estimate) and has seen better days. I will not go into the details of the inspection but the twin theatre (down the middle) was sad to see. The last time I was here was with “longislandmovies” to see “Trip To Bountiful” with Geraldine Page after she won the Oscar. The movie played there forever and then a day. This was true for most of the bookings. The owners were astute to “their rigid policies” (if you unwrapped a candy that was snuck in, you were ejected". This theatre with it’s tremendous stagehouse would suit plays needind the space. Due to “deferred maintenance” the building’s interior has suffered but the four walls and original structural supports are sound. The roof had it been maintained would have greatly improved its chances for survival as a L.I. Performing Arts Center. In its present condition though, it’s going to take “a person with a vision and obviously "money”. There are many vestiges of the old theatre in view but its' twinning saw the lobby “paneled and ceiling dropped” One third of the lobby entrance ceiling exists under the panels. The rest of the property in front of the theatre consists of 5 nice apartment containing 4 to 5 rooms each (now offices) and three storefronts that can be easily turned into 5 since two are quite large. The marquee was being changed for the proceedings which Warren has listed above. The owners were present and I remembered them from the movie days. I feel bad that they were not able to endure but they must know that they are responsible for the current condition of the property. To be honest, a performing arts center seems unlikely since the Westbury Music Fair handles the crowds and is established as a show and music venue and with the UA Westbury Stadium Theatres and Loew’s Raceway and Roosevelt Field Theatres, movies don’t make much sense either unless the building through renovation was quadded for “art and foriegn films” which seem never to get proper runs and then only at the Malverne and Huntington Community Cenetr. I hope that someone comes forward within the next two weeks with a vision for the ailing building. I’d hate to see it go.
Loew’s Coney Island became Brandt’s Shore in May 1964 which is hardly late ‘60’s. The Brandt Theatre display ads of the time show the theatre as the Coney Island for about a month after the changeover and then being renamed the Shore. At this time some theatres had their own ads as well. The new single Shore ads still stated “formerly Loew’s Coney Island” for about two months after the name change.
“The French Connection” chase was not filmed under the New Utrecht Avenue el. so neither the 46th Street or Boro Park Theatres will appear in the movie. What you do see is the 86TH Street el is the Loew’s Oriental from the train shots and street shots. Because of the edit job, the building seems to appear, be in the distance, then close and far again. If you focus on the theatre building on the left of the screen, you will see this. This blockbuster film is emblazaoned in any usher’s mind that played the picture during it 16 week initial first run in 1971.,
The former CAMEO Theatre became the LOEW’S KAMEO in 1925 after two years of opening. Loew’s operated th theatre until April of 1964 and then LEASED it to the Brandt Organization for another 10 years. Brandt’s did not continue beyond 1974. The last double feature was “COTTON COMES TO HARLEM” and associate feature. The film played the first time around in 1970 (it’s release year) for 5 WEEKS! (a record) with a co-feature of “Gaily, Gaily”. “COTTON” played here several times before its' last showing. In 1974, there was a shooting in the theatre “over seats”, it made the Daily News and that was it. A guard was on duty in the closed theatre for three years according to the payrolls of the LOEW’S KINGS Theatre which payed the salary on thier payroll under the notation “Guard for the Kameo Theatre. The facade deserves landmark status for its' detailing and is worth the walk if you are at the Brooklyn Museum. It is similar to the now painted facade of Loew’s Oriental.
This is the information on the Brownsville and East New York theatres that I toured this past Wednesday with a resident of the area. The Hopkinson Theatre was razed and is now a lot. It did play movies in the 1940’s & 1950’s (check the New York Times for the weekly ads during this period. The Stadium met the same fate and is now a park according to the street address. (I think the entance to theatre is there and only the auditorium is the small park). The remaining part of the building has no address, but follows the numbers on the other side of the street. The Loew’s Palace, the Supreme, the Ambassador, the People’s Cinema (nee Bluebird), the Livonia, The Lyric (Hendrix), Elite (Euclid), Kinema, Biltmore, Premier, Embassy, Warwick, Adelphi (Gem), Gotham, have ALL been demolished. Those that remain as churches include The Parkway, New Prospect (Ralph Ave.), the Montauk Arcade (Montauk) and Brair’s Theatre (Powell) both on Pitkin Ave, the Penn, Sutter, Miller
(Jehovah’s Witness on site) all on Sutter Avenue.
For the retail spaces, the Stone (supermarket), Reo (New Singer) a .99 store, the Sheffield (storage area) as well as the early Select (Chester) at 1671 Pitkin Ave. I had no address for the Brownsville Theatre but there are a few buildings that look that they were theatres. On Fulton Street, the Norwood, a 1920’s and early 1930’s “Negro” Christmas house, still rertains its' unique theatre entrance. If I have omitted any theatre it is because I couldn’t locate the buildings or had wrong addresses. Not bad for a 5 hour sweep. Let me hear from you if you have lived or went to any of the buildings listed above.
Queens Theatre Management who operate(s)/(d) this theatre is partially to blame for this, in the Daily News listings which list it as “Closed for Renovations” the theatre is called Plaza Corona Theatre at the foot of the Corona Plaza station. The theatre’s front marquee neon read “Teatro” in a thin green script (where the LOEW’S name was) followed by PLAZA in the same red neon letters leftover from when LOEW’S letters were removed from the right in 1953. Has the marquee been removed or altered as of today?
The Majestic was a legitimate playhouse when it opened. Out-of-town
try-outs, pre-openings prior to Broadway runs and shows that couldn’t be heldover on New York stages were held over at the Majestic in the first 15-20 years. I recently met a woman who was 94 years old that told me she remembers going to the Majestic Theatre when she was 7 or 8 years old and was scared to death by “ a scream from an actress in the performance”. Everytime she traveled with her father on the door to door milk wagon route along the cobblestone Fulton Street, she was frightened. So this makes it legitimate house before vaudeville which may have had a short run because once the Strand, Fox, Albee, Paramount and Metropolitan theatres opened they absorbed the best “vaudeville” being presentation houses. The Orpheum would have preceded the Albee with “vaudeville”. The Majestic was still open in 1972 on and off. I remeber seeing features on the marquee at that time. It then ran X-rated films and that continued until 1975 or so. The building had no maintenance over its 75 years not being a “chain house”. It was probably empty for 15 years prior to the BAM rescue. I’m alright with the faux-ruin look and the segregated staircase that leads to the third balcony that was reserved for “colored people” (also a seperate entrance to the right of the main entrance). It’s a greuling walk up and the “current” barbershop chairs in this balcony raise you up so that you have a better view of the stage proceeding. The theatre’s original lobby is only evident for a marble staircase that is not on a grand scale within unadorned walls so the theatres once beauty. I believe the plasterwork was far beyond repair so whatever was salvagable remained in place. The side boxes are there but are being used for today’s lighting and etc without seats. The original orchestra was sloped to meet the first balcony with the space below th balcony (rear orchestra used as extra stage rooms). I was there when BAM did Henry V with Liam Neeson. I thank “Harvey” for saving and putting the Majestic Theatre to use, however this will always be the Majestic Theatre to me. I believe the theatre’s name which was engraved on the exterior facade brickwork was cemented over once it became the BAM Harvey unless I am mistaken.
This was never a movie house, there was another Parkway at 65th St and 20th Avenue which became the Metro which was a film house. The Pastor of the Holy House of Prayer For All People gave me a tour of his building several years ago. The congregation takes care of the building and it shows in how meticullous it is kept. The original “Yiddish” restroom signs are still in thier original places. I have no idea what the marquee looked like since it probably came down over 50 years ago. The pastor was also in search of someone who could help him resrore the painted ceiling fresco which is need of repair. He also told me three years ago that the building never has had air-conditioning in its' entire history. The “yiddish” theatres as well as most legitimate and movie theatres in the 1920’s without cooling systems closed during the summer. This would then be considered a legitimate theatre.
Sorry, the East 16th side was where the screen wall was located. The marquee was refaced, but originally had a curve to it.
The theatre seated closer to 800 people. and the stairs at the Ave. M entrance lead down to the auditorium. The black marble on the lower facade is the same as the Kingsway and the Century terazzo floor (the company’s black/white speckle used in all thier theatres) can still be seen). The former balcny is an employee’s lunchroom. It is an Emigrant Bank office after years as the Prudential Bank. The theatre’s original brickwork is behind a bank modernization (or Century’s for that). An rear exit door was enlarged at the theatre’s back screen wall for an entrance on the E. 17th Street side. Please make corrections to seating and add the circuit name. Thank You.
The theatre’s interior walls have been re-painted and details of the trim work highlighted. All in all, I expected to see a disaster inside but was happy with what I saw. Did the furniture store that occupied the building previously do the renovation or did it have the original color scheme the theatre had when it closed. I bet the gym did the work and they did it faithfully to the building. The place was hopping at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
The exterior theatre auditorium walls are still standing behind the newly built McManus Funeral Home frontage. The front storefronts and the theatre’s lobby were demolished so no evidence of a theatre is seen from Ave. N. If you go around the corner you will see the theatre’s walls and exits (now used for admitting the deceased prior to viewing). I spoke to a gentlemen in McManus and he said none of the theatre’s auditorium interior survives, but one never knows. This was a Brandt theatre. Opened in 1934 and closed in 1951, just about the time of the Quentin’s demise.
The address is 3502 Quentin Avenue. This was a Century Theatre that opened in 1933 and closed about 1953. It has shown movies in over fifty years but a lot of the theatre’s features still evident especially in the auditorium minus seats, screen and speakers. The auditorium space is being converted to an unraked floor space for batting ranges. The wall and ceiling design is being retained. The former lobby space has the original terazzo floor which was under flooring, covering it up. Half the floor will remain showing with the other half for rooms. The seating capacity was 581. (This would be considered a large theatre today, a neighborhood house then in the ‘30’s and '40’. Closed because of the newer Brook Theatre on Flatlands Ave. Disappeared at the same time as the Traymore which is also nearby. The new facility within the former Quentin Theatre should open in July.
The festival above called Broadway on Broadway which played at the R.K.O. Cinerama Twin as it was called at the time played the upatairs screen which was known as the Penthouse. I have the original theatre handout flyer listing all the shows. One film was “Finian’s Rainbow” which played “reserved seats” the Penthouse on it’s first time around 10 years earlier in 1968. I saw it with with the 7th grade music class on a school outing day. ( 10 a.m. show Adm. was $1. or $1.50 ), we had lunch at the automat next door.
The balcony screen in the Penthouse was also curved. I never was in the orchestra ( Cinerama Theatre ) for any film.
I think it has been demolished after closing in the mid 1960’s.
The first movie at Loew’s Pitkin was “So This Is College” (MGM) with Elliott Nugent, Robert Montgomery and Sally Starr, all-talking and singing. There was a stage revue (if you want that info, let me know)as well, from the Capitol Theatre. Four De Luxe shows daily at 1:30-3:45-7:00-9:00. It was heralded as LOEW’S AMAZING NEW! PITKIN on Sat. Nov. 9, 1929 at 11 A.M.. Opening Day Prices were 11 a.m.-1 p.m. .35 cents, 1-5 p.m. .50 cents, 5 p.m. to closing .75 cents. Note (Loges slightly higher) Any wages, I say .90 or $1. ?