RKO Madison Theatre
54-30 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
54-30 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
21 people
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Showing 401 - 425 of 1,251 comments
Rite Aid / Eckerd – former Manufacturer’s Hanover Trust Bank : Cornelia Street side, across Cornelia St. from Bushwick High Annex : that beautiful gray granite outside wall, now covered in silver-paint “masterpiece” size graffiti, a doorway now cut through it …. UGH !!!! as fond as I am of my old neighborhood, when I see things like that, they make me GLAD I don’t live there any more !
Good points all, Bway. Thank you.
An interesting building to compare the former Madison to would be the Rite Aid / Eckerd – former Manufacturer’s Hanover Trust Bank at the southwest corner of Cypress and Myrtle : inside it’s a well-lit store, but still looks like a bank, because of the preservation of the original high ceiling, and the fact that you can still look out those original high windows. It felt very strange to me, being in there, April through June of 1997, going on 10 ½ years ago, because 1) I had last been in it, fall 1967, when it was still a bank and 2) at floor and eye level, it was a retail store, but, looking up and out through those high windows at lifelong-familiar scenery, including my old home block of Cornelia Street, it felt as though the extremely familiar space and sights of my old home block had been turned inside-out.
Next stop : The Twilight Zone !
Ning NING ning ning …..
Also to comment on Panzer’s mention of the missing ceiling tile by the check out…I also noticed a few missing tiles when I was in there, some close to the balcony edge….I couldn’t see too much, other than a lot of wires, and lots of Air conditioning and heating vents (also remember, that above the ceiling are all these utilities). Think also of the lighting. They lighting FOR A STORE is wired and placed throughout that fake drop ceiling. All that open space would be very dificult to light (also thinking back to 70’s technology when the theater was converted). Lighting would have had to be wired and hung from way up high (also think of unsightly wiring, that must be not exposed as to fire hazard standards). The Madison’s lighting was great as placed as necessary for a dim theater….but certainly not the bright light needed for a store.
Agreed, Bway. Well-put.
Yes, I agree with all the comments. You have to look at it from the owner of the building’s perspective. As sad as it is, it was no longer a theater anymore. To have to air condition and heat all that open space, especially the size of the Madison (remember, you could probably fit the Meserole into the Madison at least one or two times!)….it makes perfect sense to lower the ceiling to a reasonable height for the store conversion. And again, even forgetting the fire or soot damage to the ceiling and original walls, if not maintained, the ceiling and walls way up there would be an eyesore. Just remember, that ceiling and walls won’t look the same today as everyone remembers them….the plaster/paint will have deteriorated, even under normal circumstances (and the roof never leaked, as the building has always been used, so I would assume there is little water damage, however, plaster does have to be maintained, even under normal circumstances. And thinking of the intricacies of the old ornate Madison plaster, it would have been a huge expense to keep from looking like an eyesore….so for heating/airconditioning/maintenance/cost standpoints the covering/removing of the old walls, or the instalation of a normal height ceiling for a store (after all, it is a store) makes sense…..as unfortunate and sad as it is…..
Thanks, Lost Memory. You seem to have remarkable access to NYC Department of Buildings resources. Please keep up all your fine work !
posted by Panzer65 on Sep 8, 2007 at 2:16 pm :
“Looking back at the postings, one really must wonder why, in its conversion to a store, why Madison was stripped of its beautiful interior.”
Besides the fire and smoke damage mentioned by Bway : economics, profit, to make it look more like a store, to remove attractive furnishings that are fragile, and are subject to theft, corrosion, graffiti and vandalism.
“It seems almost as if the renovation contractor went out of his way to destroy any [and all] remnants of the past.”
Not necessarily, or intentionally.
“Why remove the marquee, it is a more visible sign,”
Something big, dangerous and heavy, hanging over the sidewalk, prone to vandalism and graffiti, that would be expensive to maintain and repair. Remember the collapse of the Ridgewood Theater marquee in the blizzard of February 9, 1969. The vertical marquee was removed while the Madison was still a theatre. Removing the horizontal marquee made it possible to put the Consumers, Odd Lot, and, finally, the Liberty Dept. Store sign on the facade.
“why jackhammer a marble staircase, when it adds a touch of elegance”
Perhaps there was no need for a staircase any longer, in that part of the store. Such an ornate marble staircase would have been too prone, and too much of a temptation to, vandalism, graffiti and defacement.
“Why cover an ornate domed ceiling , complete with chandelier, when it adds accent.”
The chandelier was something big, dangerous, heavy, and unnecessary, hanging from a high ceiling, a potential electrical fire and safety hazard. Also Bway’s comments about the smoke and fire damage to the interior decor.
Putting up a drop ceiling reduces the interior volume of the store that must be air-conditioned or at least ventilated. Economics again. Put yourself in the owner / manager’s shoes and checkbook, and much more of this may occur to you.
Also, not only the vertical marquee, but probably much of the Madison’s original baroque interior decor, was probably removed, or at least covered up, when the RKO Madison was still functioning as a movie theatre, for many of the same reasons.
Those are my photos, but I never included them in the Meserole section, however, did email to some people when they asked in the past.
It may somewhat off topic, but I found an interior photo of the Meserole theater interior as it looks today as an Eckerd (now Rite Aid) pharmacy.Courtesy of Chris & forgottenny.com
View link
View link
View link
Bway,
Thank you for your reply concerning the destruction of Madison’s interior. It is sad indeed that Madison burned after its heyday as a theater, and you are quite correct, I have no idea how serious that fire was,but that is most likely the reason why its interior was not saved. I looked the best I could through that open tile at the checkout, maybe the ceiling was so charred, you cant see it through such a small opening. I wonder if the balcony ceiling sustained any damage?
Panzer, I don’t know when the theater was stripped, but originally it opened as a Consumers store, and only the outer lobby area was open to the public, and perhaps maybe the innter lobby, but I don’t believe so. The auditorium probably was still open to the domed ceiling at that time, as that area was not open to the public, and was just used as the warehouse of the Consumers store (Consumers was a type of store like Service Merchandise where in an area where you come in, there are tables and catalogs where you look through, then write down on a slip what you want, then give it to a clerk and they bring you your item.
Next was Odd Lot, and I was in that store too, and by that time, the fake drop ceiling was in through the auditorium.
We must remember also that between when the theater closed, and when the first store opened up there, Consumers, the Madison burned. it’s safe to say that after the fire (and I don’t know how bad the fire was), but either way, the ceiling, and walls were probably at least heavily sooted up, and certainly unsightly, so it was probably much cheaper to just put the fake drop ceiling through, rather than go through the major expense of first having to clean the ceiling and walls of soot (so paint would at least stick) and having to repaint the entire auditorium tall ceiling and walls, for an area that is technically not necessary for a store.
I’m not saying of course it’s right or wrong what they did….but I can fully see why they did it. As as sad as it was even back then…all that beauty was no longer necessary for a store, as the Madison wasn’t a theater anymore.
As for the Meserole, of course it has to be remembered that the Meserole is much smaller for one, and it was already probably recently painted for when it was a roller rink…and it also wasn’t covered in soot or had fire damage like the Madison did in it’s conversion. So when the Madison came up to be transformed….it was in much worse shape even from the theater days when the ceiling probably was neglected for decades earlier…
Thanks PKoch and Bway for your replies,
Looking back at the postings, one really must wonder why, in its conversion to a store, why Madison was stripped of its beautiful interior. It seems almost as if the renovation contractor went out of his way to destroy any remnants of the past. Why remove the marquee, it is a more visible sign, why jackhammer a marble staircase, when it adds a touch of elegance, Why cover an ornate domed ceiling , complete with chandelier, when it adds accent. The Meserole in Brooklyn had the right idea, retaining the original interior, and preserving the theater’s features. Today it exists as an Eckert pharmacy.
Panzer, the stairway that is now there, and used to get to the furniture area of the store, obviously had it’s ornamentation stripped off of it many years ago. Even as an exit stairway for the theater, it would have had at least carpeting, and a nicer railing on it when it was the madison.
Panzer65, the grand staircase did indeed divide in two before completing its ascent to the balcony level. An old (1920’s)photo I saw of the interior lobby confirmed that. You’ve probably seen it. Bway posted a link to it on this page.
As I have posted previously, I think the staircase you ascended from the retail area to the balcony (furniture dept.) was once an exit staircase down from the balcony to the outer lobby, NOT the grand staircase at the far end of the inner lobby.
You’re welcome, Panzer65, to my visiting and sharing my observations.
PKoch
Perhaps you were correct in a earlier posting that the grand staircase split in two, the reason I may be wrong was that the only normal staircase I ascended was the one in the retail area, which was not grand at all, unless alterations were done. If any one visits the balcony from the aforementioned staircase, walk across the promenade
to the far wall, that grand staircase may be now A fire exit.On my visit I did just that but being respectable of private areas, I only peered in. Thanks PKoch, for visiting and sharing your experience.
Here is my trip report for my 11 a.m. Friday September 7 2007 visit to the Liberty Dept. Store, formerly the RKO Madison Theatre. I posted it on Bushwick Buddies and may as well post it here too :
“To get this back on topic, I went into the Liberty Dept. Store this morning, on my way from Ridgewood Savings Bank to work in lower Manhattan. I saw the curved change in elevation (about 5 to 6 feet, it was like a curved vertical wall between two sections of ceiling of different height) of the drop ceiling, marking the lower edge of the former balcony. It had curtains hanging on it, and a sign pointing to the stairs up to the furniture dept. in the balcony. On this most recent visit of mine, it seemed as if the retail floor area, open to all customers, extended as far towards Madison Street as where the former screen and stage once were.
I also stood in what was once the inner lobby, looking towards the far end, at the Wyckoff Avenue side, for any signs of the former grand stairacse which one went up from the inner lobby to the balcony level. All I saw was what looked like an enclosed staircase, slanting upwards from left to right, behind a wall in which was a large gray metal door to the right. I didn’t try to go in. If there’s anything left of the grand staircase, it must be behind that wall and door.
It looked like the cashier counter, in the rear right corner of the store, was under what were once the Juliet balconies, or side boxes, on the right side of the main auditorium, if one were facing the screen and stage.
This time, I did not go up the stairs to the balcony level, and so did not see, and therefore was not tempted, to open that door, in the far corner of that balcony furniture sales area, looking for ghosts or remnants of the past.
You’re welcome, Bway. “Those doors that open to outside, that are usually open, I believe are the old emergency doors that went out under the Juliet balconies” : yes, the ones on the right, if one is facing the screen, that open onto the parking lot on Wyckoff Avenue.
The screen and back wall ran parallel to Madison Street, the northwest side of the block, between Myrtle and Wyckoff Avenues. Facing the screen, the Juliet balconies and exit doors to Wyckoff Avenue would be on the right. Exit doors to the left would have been to an alley (if there was one) at a right angle to Madison Street, between the RKO Madison and the building northeast of it, closer to the southwest corner of Myrtle Avenue and Madison Street.
Thanks for posting that here, I have been commenting between the two theaters, I I guess I didn’t even know where I posted that message….which is more appropriate here than in the RIdgewood’s section.
Yes, I am trying hard to remember, but there’s no area where the grand staircase could be sheetrocked in, so I believe it’s jackhammered out. The current stairway was probably an exit staircase that left you in the outer lobby (like the Ridgewood). The grand staircase would have been in the inner lobby, but today, that would be right in the middle of the store, and there are no obstructions, it’s a clear, large store, all open. My conclusion is that the grand stairway was jackhammered out.
Those doors that open to outside, that are usually open, I believe are the old emergency doors that went out under the Juliet balconies, there is also a storage area there, which according to Warren’s photo from the 20’s, was an area already there in the theater days.
Bway, I agree with you that the RKO Madison’s ornate white marble Grand Staircase must have been jackhammered out, rather than sheetrocked in, because I noticed no closed-in area where it would have been when I was there Saturday August 25th. I saw clear through the retail area back to the doors, which were open, onto the (loading dock ?) and parking lot that opens onto Wyckoff Avenue.
This was originally posted by Bway on the Ridgewood Theatre page, but it’s about the RKO Madison, so I re-posted it here :
“Thanks [brooklyn]Jim…. Wow, if that door was slightly ajar when I was in there, perhaps if I had the "big ones”, I’d pretend like I thought that door was a continuation of the furniture area….and open it. They did have a door open at the far end of the furniture are the day I was there that led to another stairway. I assume it’s an old emergency stairway from the theater days. I did poke my head in, and it was very old plaster, but not ornate plaster, and had a simple (but very old) railing in it….I think that stairway was probably one of the ones that led from the upper balcony emergency doors. The stairway went both up and down from the landing where the furniture area is.
Furthermore, I believe PKoch is right, while the stairway in the Liberty Dept store that you use to go up to the furniture area probably dates to the theater days, I too now believe that was an exit stairway from the balcony, that led to the OUTER lobby in the theater days, such as the one in the Ridgewood Theater. It’s too close to be the Grand Staircase from the Inner Lobby area that used to have the high ceiling. I am beginning to believe that the ornate white marble Grand Staircase was either jackhammered out, or they sheetrocked the area of it in….I don’t know where it could have been thiniking of the layout of the store, so I fear it may be the former…."
You’re welcome, Panzer65. It is ironic indeed !
PKoch,
Thanks for the description of “Son of Celluloid”, it’s very ironic that such a short story has parallels to our quest to find Madison’s
past.
Panzer65, I’ve been waiting 3 ½ years for someone on Cinema Treasures to ask me that !
The story is in two parts :
TRAILER : An escaped convict fleeing from the law with both a bullet and stomach cancer inside of him crawls into the back of a derelict first-run movie house, and dies in between the back wall and the screen and stage. His body is never found, and remains there. The cancer inside of him, however ….
MAIN FEATURE : The movie house has re-opened as a revival cinema. Patrons are beginning to fall victim to a shape-shifting monster, which takes on such forms as the enticing Marilyn Monroe, her skirt billowing up around her as in “The Seven Year Itch”, and John Wayne on a Western street inside the men’s room : “What you doin' pissing in my street, boy ?”
It turns out that the stomach cancer became the shape-shifting monster by absorbing all the emotional energy the screen had accumulated, through decades of movie going in which countless patrons pressed their thoughts, hopes and emotions onto the images of the screen, living through them vicariously. Cancer, the dreaming disease, in that it aspires to be more than simple cells, became a conscious entity by absorbing the thoughts, hopes, dreams and aspirations of all those moviegoers. That’s also how it was able to mimic those images to entice its victims.
The usher and the ticket-taker figure this out and manage to destroy the monster somehow.
…and the monster lives in the balcony..behind the furniture section"
This is starting to read like “Son Of Celluloid”, Clive Barker’s “Books Of Blood” short story about a revival, ex-first run cinema, haunted by a shape-shifting monster !