Loew's Paradise Theatre
2413 Grand Concourse,
Bronx,
NY
10468
2413 Grand Concourse,
Bronx,
NY
10468
63 people
favorited this theater
Showing 451 - 475 of 671 comments
Visited the Bronx over the weekend and work was going on inside the Paradise when I walked past. Took a few pictures and posted the photos here.
Was never at the Paradise when it was open so not sure how the entrance was designed, but took a few photos of what was probably the main entrance and boxoffice area. Very ornate poster boxes and ceiling! The front exterior of the building looks great. Walked around the back of the theater and the upper portion looks brand new, although the area close to the street had some graffiti over the walls and exit doors.
The neighborhood was quite active, lots of small business around the theater and on Fordham.
It’s been real interesting reading through all these posts, and I’m thrilled to hear this theater is being restored and saved. I plan to be in NYC this weekend, so will make a point of getting up to the Bronx and at least see the Paradise from the outside.
Does anyone know when this theater will again be open to the public and what type of business they hope to run there? Perhaps I just missed a posting where someone said what the plans are. I’ve read quite a few comments here, many I agree with. It seems impractical that it would be used for films, although I’m sure they’ll have some at times. Are there plans for Broadway type shows, or maybe musical productions? If the owners are going through such care to restore, I’m pretty sure they will have the same diligence for how it will be used. Perhaps they are just being quiet because NY is, well, a complicated town especially when it comes to business.
Looking forward to seeing the Paradise tomorrow!
There is no image of the now infamous “sword” fixtures or the mens' room in the Theatre Historical Society’s ANNUAL on that theatre of 1975, but that does not mean that they do not have photos of that area. One could contact them for verification at: www.historictheatres.org and ask their Ex.Dir., Richard Sklenar, about that. Sending him a copy of the above Comment might lend an entirely new outlook upon the nature of movie palace entertainments! I am appaled at the blase manner in which this account is related, but something tells me that it is not beyond fact in the environment of New York City of that time. Perhaps the makers of the fixtures foresaw unwanted use of the “swords” as “carving” instruments, and therefore anchored them firmly in the fixtures!
Does anyone remember the lamps made out of old swords on the walls in the men’s bathrooms in the Paradise? I never saw them as we spent all our time in Brownsville, Brooklyn, but my dad used to tell this story.
My dad worked for Frank Costello and was Uncle Manny’s older brother. Uncle Manny as he was known to our family once tried to take a bum named Al “Knuckles” Nicoletti in the Paradise theater in the Bronx in the Summer of 1936. If I remember correctly this was a result of a Contract put out by Ben Siegel and Charlie Lucky because Nicoletti was a bagman who was helping himself. Uncle Manny followed Nicoletti to his girlfriend’s apartment on the Grand Concourse and then in to the Paradise and up to one of several balconies. After making sure the mark had settled in, my Uncle who was was not carrying a weapon got up and started looking around the theater for something to use to fill the Contract. He found these great sword lamps in one of the men’s rooms and tried to rip one out of the wall. He was going to carve up Nicoletti with a men’s room sword lamp in the Paradise balcony! Unfortunately several patrons walked in and my Uncle gave up and left. Everyone got a good laugh out of this story and my Dad even got a few nervous laughs when he told it over the years before he died. I don’t know what ever happened to Nicoletti but assuming he is gone now he never knew how close he came to being carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey in the balcony of the Paradise during the Summer of 1936.
Incidentally, my Uncle’s colleague Pep Strauss also tried to take a bum with a fire ax in a theater in Jacksonville but the guy kept changing seats so Pep finally gave up also. I guess it is hard to whack guys out in movie theaters!
My Uncle died without ratting anyone out in the electric chair in Sing Sing in 1944, not like that piece of garbage Reles or Allie Tick Tock.
I am old now and wanted to tell this story once outside of my family before I go.
“Stage show direct from the Capitol”: I like that: a subway series.
Did anybody bring a camera?
I wish I had!
Any pics, Divinity?
Ziggy,
I don’t have to sneak in .I am currently part of a group that meets at the Bronx Museum of the Arts that is active in the restoration of the Grand Concourse. After the last meeting, the director of the museum invited the urban planner of The Bronx, a few community leaders and myself to see it. We were escorted around by a very lovely man named Gerald who is the owner of the theatre. The tour lasted about half an hour and then it was time for lunch. We all had such a lovely time.
BTW, Ron Neuman: the three theatres in Cleveland Ohio that were twinned (in your post of 7/1) were the Loew’s East, Loew’s West and the Loew’s Yorktown.
It’s interesting to see that they carried the fight here and also at the Fordham, not too far away, and in Manhattan at both the Rivoli and Cinerama, and in Queens at the Midway and the Forest Hills. Those fights were always volatile – a projectionist once told me of a theatre (I don’t recall which one) where during the 2nd round the raukus crowd knocked over the video projector, which had been set up in the middle of the auditorium, and it broke, causing a riot to break out.
Remember before most people in the city had cable these closed circuit fights were very popular.
View link
From Loew’s 1973 annual report:
“The Loews Theatre Division continued to grow in fiscal 1973. Growth was essentially in two directions: new theatres were under construction in rapidly expanding suburban areas, and new auditoria were added to already existing theatres.
“In 1973, a major program was directed toward obtaining maximum utilization of existing seating capacity by ‘twinning’ auditoriums so that different films can be shown at the same time to two different audiences. While two theatres are created out of one, economies of scale are sustained by sharing a common lobby and other facilities. The new twin theatres are created at a fraction of the cost of constructing a new theatre.
“In Cleveland, Ohio, three theatres with large seating capacities, and large parking areas, were divided into twin auditoriums during the year … Two additional theatres, Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, and the Loews Paradise in the Bronx, New York, are undergoing a similar transformation. At the Loews Paradise, the balcony is being transformed into a separate auditorium, which will share a common lobby with the auditorium below.”
Had two balconies. Art deco.
My grandfather used to own a tuxedo store that was in Loew’s Paradise Theatre building in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Anyone remember the place ?
The Loew’s Paradise Theatre will not have to worry about Loews-Cineplex Entertainment making them take down the Loew’s sign off the building. It was announced today that Loews is going to be merged with American Multi-Cinema (AMC) – and will use the AMC name – Loews Theatres, as an entity, will cease to exist. It will be a very sad day indeed when the merger closes (they say in six to nine months) and the Loews name will be relegated to the AMC trash-heap.
A slight variation on the recent Loews slogan: “After 101 years and counting, there has been NO PLACE LIKE LOEWS”.
or what? I love it, that is such a new york expression. I would also love to see the Low-ees as me and the Meathead on archie bunker called it.
At the Lowees was a clock with a statue of St. George slaying a dragon. Every hour on the hour, the statue would become animated.
The Grand Concourse is such a historic street from bickfords, to of course the lowees, to the house that Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium,
the infamous “D” train.
The Grand Concourse was “the place” for successful residents of the lower East Side and other middle-European immigrants to move to from the 1920’s through the 1940’s.
everybody honk if u going to da-bronx
or what? I love it, that is such a new york expression. I would also love to see the Low-ees as me and the Meathead on archie bunker called it.
The Grand Concourse is such a histoc street from bickfords, to of course the lowees, to the house that Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium,
the infamous “D” train.
everybody honk if u going to da-bronx
The Ten Commandments".? wow i remember that.
it was quite the attrcation back in the days when people respected the ten comamndments
i hope when it opens . they have a party and have “MICHAEL SAVAGE” as the emcee.
that would be great!
4/1/59 the Paradise along with the other Loews were presenting the last 7 days of “The Ten Commandments”. The ads proclaimed “First time anywhere at popular prices”. Children 40 cents at all times, afternoons except Sundays 75 cents and all eve’s and all days Sun 99 cents. “See the complete intact, uncut picture exactly as it was presented on Broadway for more then 70 weeks”.
The exterior of the theatre looks great. All terra-cotta stonework cleaned, even the brickwork on that massive rear wall has been steam cleaned and years of graffitti removed (although already some has re-appeared on the lower sections). The signage with the Paradise name is all freshly painted. It looks almost ready to open. There are still workmen doing repairs in the front lobby and main entrance to the theatre.
I can’t wait to see a show there when I return to NYC.
Hi Divinity,
How did you manage to get inside? I’ll be visiting home this summer and one of my goals is to get to NYC and see the inside of the Paradise. Do you just sneak in while the contractors are at lunch (this has worked for me before) or what?
Hello All,
I have yet again had the opportunity to enter the paradise and see all of the progress that has taken place since my last visit. There is a lovely new wood paneled concession on the promenade in the uppper lobby that blends in very well with the surroundings. The flooring is of a solid composite that shimmers when the light hits it. This will be more durable and easy to clean up as I was told. The bathrooms are absolutely divine with new marble floors and countertops that have been installed.
Hello All,
I have yet again had the opportunity to enter the paradise and see all of the progress that has taken place since my last visit. There is a lovely new wood paneled concession on the promenade in the uppper lobby that blends in very well with the surroundings. The flooring is of a solid composite that shimmers when the light hits it. This will be more durable and easy to clean up as I was told. The bathrooms are absolutely divine with new marble floors and countertops that have been installed.
I’m going there today and will report back.