Teatro Paramount
1315 Avenida Ponce de Leon,
San Juan
00907
1315 Avenida Ponce de Leon,
San Juan
00907
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 58 comments
No hay renovación por lo visto.
¿Hay señales de vida en el Paramount? ¿Como va la renovación? ¿Alguien tiene fotos?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davsot/4230236368/
This is one of my favorite buildings in Puerto Rico. We have highly detailed Existing Condition Drawings of The Paramount and other theaters in Puerto Rico, that we like to share. The drawings posted in Facebook, due to uploading limitations, are shown in low detail resolution, but still shows the essences of the building’s conditions, along with the field photographic samples.
Andy Rivera
www.DesignGraph.net
This is one of my favorite buildings in Puerto Rico. We have highly detailed Exingting Condition Drawings of The Paramount and other theaters in Puerto Rico that we like to share.
Andy Rivera
www.DesignGraph.net
A photograph of the remaining facade of the Teatro Paramount, photographed in February 2009:
View link
I can’t believe what San Juan goverment do with the Paramount Theater, they destroyed all the inside of the paramount, OMG, I dont remember the paramount when it was a glorious theater, but I remember when the Paramaunt was a triplexed cinema and I loved it because it conserves the majestic art deco in even in the exterior and the interior area, since the paramont closed in 1999, I prefer to go to the Metro, because i dont like the megaplex cinemas, I really miss the Paramount, my only hope is that the reconstruction would be of an art deco design, so the paramount can be one more time a glorious theater.
Just a note to everyone that I have posted The Victoria Theater in Ponce which I discovered on my trip in December. If anyone has any addtional info to add it would be appreciated!
It is indeed shocking to see what they did to the Paramount.
Well, the ONLY thing I saw standing literally standing was the facade. Everything behind the front wall was a pile of rubble.
To me, while not totally demolished, it is pretty much gone. We’ll see what they do to rebuild it.
p.s. The facade was and remains quite handsome which made the pile of rubble behind it so shocking to see.
Status says “Closed/Demolished” I think that’s a mistake. It may be gutted, but it’s not demolished. Comments?
I submitted in 2 weeks ago but it does not appear to have registered. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have an actual address, but I will resubmit it soon. I needs to be listed as it is a still existing theater and we need to find out more about it.
Cineast…Thank you for your comments. I was equally saddened by what I saw at the Paramount because, as you said, that was the same story at the Matienzo. I don’t understand the logic unless the interiors are just too far gone for a restoration. My only hope is that any reconstruction would be of a design that would be considered landmark quality 40 years from now. However, with the current state of Puerto Rico’s budget crisis, it is unlikely that will happen. I’m afraid that the the facade will be standing with an empty lot behind it for years to come.
On another matter, since you seem to knowledgable about PR theaters, I was wondering if you have any knowledge about the abandoned theater that I saw in Ponce whose marquee had the name of Victoria?
Cineast….Yes, that is the story at the theaters that you mentioned, in addition to the Paramount and the Fox Delicias in Ponce. But it is terribly unfair to paint all of Puerto Rico with that attitude. As I mentioned on the above post, The Teatro Yaguez is a spectacular restoration and they should be very proud of it. There also are fully restored theaters in Vega Baja, Guayama and several other towns across the island and, while La Perla theater in Ponce and the The Teatro Tapia in Old San Juan don’t qualify as movie palaces because they did not show films, they are two of the Western Hemisphere’s most historic theaters and both have been recently and beautifully restored.
Perhaps, Ponce will have the next success with The Victoria. If you have a chance to visit Puerto Rico you will see that the island, as a whole, has a spectacular record in the restoration of historic buildings. But there will always be buildings that are lost. No state has a perfect record and I would say that, as a whole, Puerto Rico has one of the best records in saving and restoring historic structures.
Hi JSA, Alas I did not see the Metropolitan. I thought that I would get back to the area later but I did not.
How is your memory of Ponce theaters? I posted on the Fox Delicias page for lack of a better space, but when I was in Ponce (which is such a beautiful town) I passed an abandoned theater on my way to the central plaza. It was about 2-3 blocks directly West of the Cathedral and the name of it was The Victoria. The marquee (with broken glass) was still there and it looked like it had been abandoned for years. It really stood out as so much of Ponce has been restored in the last 10 years.
Do you have any information on this theater? It’s size? It’s design style? The current state of the interior? While Ponce does have the spectacular La Perla theater, it does not have a restored movie theater. I do not count the Fox Delicias which, while the facade is spectacular, the interior was totally gutted.
Now I’m going to post on the The Yaguez’s page about my visit there. A beautiful restoration!
Hello Luis V,
Glad to hear that you had a nice vacation! Last I heard, the theater was going to be renovated. If so, then it would make sense to gut the inside, because the theater was triplexed in the early 80’s. But the whole building? Wow, that’s not a good sign. Hopefully what you saw are the first steps in rebuilding the venue.
Did you by any chance spot the Metropolitan, also in Ponce de Leon Ave.? It’s probably now operated by a church.
I have many wonderful memories of the great movie theaters that once graced both the Ponce de Leon Avenue (Metropolitan, Paramount, Metro, etc.) and Fernandez Juncos (Cinerama, Cortes 1), which ran paralell to it.
JSA
Well, I am back from my wonderful Christmas vacation to Puerto Rico and I am sad to report that as I was driving down Ponce De Leon Avenue on my way to the the Amazing Puerto Rico Museum of Art I saw a truck carrying out debris from the front of the Paramount theater. At first, I thought “Excellent! the renovations have started!” But as i passed directly in front of the theater, my heart sank. The only thing remaining of the Paramount is the facade (which is quite handsome). Where the theater had been is a vast rubble strewn lot. Some renovation indeed.
I can only hope that if the government’s intent is to build a brand new theater behind the old facade, then I would hope that they build one that will be considered a classic in its own way 50 years from now. I can hope! If anyone has any additional information I would be eager to hear about it.
Has there been any movement on the renovation of this theater? I’ve read a lot about plans about the renovation of Santurce and I know that there have been some successes, but I haven’t heard anything about the Paramount. I will be spending the Christmas holidays in Puerto Rico this year and will have a look around and report back on this site.
I remember seeing Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, “Psycho” in 1960 in this great theater which featured a fabulous dark balcony where we used to “neck” in the back as teenagers. From late 1969 til early 1971, I lived in an apartment around the corner on Calle Duffaut and spent many an evening at the Paramount, since TV really sucked on the island that time (before cable). Also remember seeing the classic, “M.A.S.H.” there.
In my opinion, one of the most unusual movies screened at the Paramount was “The Song Remains the Same”, circa 1978 or 1979. The film chronicled a rock concert at Madison Square Garden by the British group Led Zeppelin. This was the last film I saw there before its conversion into a triplex. During the theater’s triplex years, I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Clash of the Titans”, and “Rocky III”.
It was so sad to see the Paramount in its present state during my recent visit to PR. And the Ponce de Leon Ave. is so dark with all the businesses and theatres that are closed now. The only lit marquees were the Ambassador and Metro. Any updates on the Paramount renovation? Andres.
My mom was born in Puerto Rico and remembers this theater. She was born in 1927 and left for New York in 1936. This theater was new when she went to the movies there. Here is her memory:
A theatre I remember was the Paramount in Puerto Rico. I saw the “Frankenstein” Monster
figure standing in front of the theatre (it had been playing there) and remember I cried thinking I was “doomed.” Carlos Gardel, the famous Argentine tango singer, had just finished his live performance in the auditorium and came out of the alley artists' entrance. He ran to my rescue. He scooped me up in his arms to pacify me. Needless to say, he became my hero!
Great news!!! Today’s El Nuevo Dia newspaper informs that the governor has officially signed legislation that will renovate the Santurce area. In those plans…renovating the Paramount, which will become a live theater venue!!! This is truly great news that will not only save the Paramount , but that will also help the Metro theater since the area will become a government priority.
josem1999@hotmail.com
Hey jose how can i contact you so we can talk? where was the Riviera??