Belair Twin Theatre

CConnolly is right. On the north side of West Merrick Road somewhere between Fletcher and Central Avenues. The theater was back in the corner of an L-shaped shopping plaza (I believe it was called the Belair Shopping Center). Currently, the configuration of the shopping center has been expanded north of Merrick Road with a big King Kullen and Pet Supplies Plus outlet serving as anchors. The address for the King Kullen is listed as 227 W. Merrick Road and he pet store is 225 W. Merrick. I saw a number of movies here while it was a twin in the late ‘70’s and early '80’s, since I lived in nearby Laurelton over the County border in Queens. I don’ believe there was a balcony, just an auditorium divided down the middle into side-by-side twins. Completely unremarkable in every respect.

With competition from the Century’s in Green Acres Mall (which was triplexed not too long after the opening of the neighboring Sunrise Multiplex in December 1979) as well as the much larger Valley Stream on Rockaway Avenue and the quad Lynbrook futher east on Merrick, this dinky little place couldn’t have stood much of a chance. I don’t know when it closed, but I’d be surprised to learn if it survived the ‘80’s at all.

I believe it was built in the early 60’s as a twin.

I remember this theater. I was on the north side of Merrick Road about a block or two west of the old catering hall that had a water wheel in it (it was a Carl Hoppel’s place…if you grew up on LI, you’d know the name). It was in a fairly large shopping center tucked away in the corner in the back. I didn’t see many movies there but my parent’s saw “The Exorcist” there. It was small and unremarkable.