Very interesting. Just wondering if this was one of the Public Markets that Mayor LaGuardia created during the 1930’s, to reduce the number of sidewalk vendors, or was the name just a generic one used by a private owner. Great shot.
Thanks for the new photos. It is interesting that one of the marques references an extremely early 8:30 AM opening time. This probably highlighted the early hour nature of this theater which, even then, was hardly situated in a residential area. Also, the all male and very business-type nature of the opening day audience also underlines the business and governmental nature of the theater’s clientele.
Thank you SO much Chris. This really makes my day since this is the very first time that a picture of the old and very fondly remembered Winnie – as we used to call it – has made it to the pages of CT. Thanks again!
A current picture of the Ridgewood posted in Facebook indicates that the 1st floor commercial space will be occupied by a health club; this is the same use that currently operates in the old Parthenon Theatre.
Since I have not been able to get around due to poor health, I have not been able to re-visit the old Imperial and see if any more businesses have moved in. I know that the wine bar only occupies a small portion of this site and that attempts are being made to rent the rest of the building – including the area containing the theater itself. Has anything come to this and, if so, who are the new tenants? Thanks in advance.
If this address is correct, it appears that the old theater site is situated on the Queens side of the borough line, which, at this juncture, runs right through Menahan Street. Even during its brief history when the border was somewhat different, it would still have been in Queens. Thus, its zip code should be changed to 11385.
Sorry, but I am not much of a picture taker. Anyhow, it probably would be best to wait until the renovations are complete and the site is actually operational. This should occur pretty soon.
I was able to visit the site yesterday. The renovation work is nearly complete and what I was able to glimpse of the interior seems pretty impressive. There is currently no indication of what establishments will eventually occupy the premises, though there was a sign noting the availability of retail space. Hopefully we will find out exactly what is in store for this very interesting building very soon.
Well, I was able to visit this site yesterday after work and have only good things to report. While there is scaffolding around the building, its purpose is to support the excellent façade restoration that is taking place – NOT to aide and abet a demolition! This work is proceeding nicely and also involves the installation of windows on what once were metal covered open holes. A good looking entrance is also being constructed on the Irving Ave. side of the building. All in all, the building should be ready for occupancy pretty soon. While it is still unclear what uses will be established here, they will have a very nice home to occupy.
The quality of the façade work needs to be recognized since it really captures the subtle changes in the brick colors along the wall as it restores the ornamentations that were created for the old theater.
But what exactly is happening at the old Imperial site. Given the amount of real loving care provided to restore it, it makes absolutely no sense to now demolish the place. A real on-site visit is certainly needed now.
While I am somewhat flying blind on this, since my computer cannot access the Facebook photo, I would guess that the Willoughby Theater, situated at 260 Knickerbocker – or a few blocks west of DeKalb- would best fit the bill. The site is currently owned by a church, and they have sold it to a developer who will construct a much larger building here but leave the first floor for religious functions. I believe that the Brownstoner blog has discussed this item in prior posts.
One other thing – I just viewed the Google satellite picture of this site and it clearly confirms that the building is being renovated – not demolished.
Bway, robboehm and Joe – These comments do not make sense – at least in terms of the imminent demolition of the old Imperial. As I previously noted, this former theater has been undergoing an extensive – and quite impressive – renovation and should be re-opening as retail space pretty soon. Unless something VERY radical has recently occurred here, the fact that the building will soon be demolished is just not credible. This really requires an on-site visit.
Yes, after it closed as a theater sometime in the 1940’s, this building did host a Robert Hall’s for a number of years.
My wife and I enjoyed seeing “Get Out” yesterday at the Cinemart. The reclining seats have now been installed in all five theaters. While this has reduced the capacity significantly, it appears to be very popular with the public, since most seats were filled.
In addition to “Get Out”, three of the five screens were showing “Beauty and the Beast on its opening weekend. So it seems the Cinemart has been successful in landing more than a few first run movies.
All in all, this was a most encouraging visit to this real survivor of a movie house.
Since this is a large and prosperous church – and they certainly need the space to serve their parish – I would not expect them to move anytime soon – unless, of course, they want to make a fast bundle.
Visiting Bushwick on President’s Day, I was able to pass by the old theater. The renovation is just about complete and it looks like people should be moving in pretty soon. While lighter colors than the original cover the façade and – unfortunately – the roof over the tower at the Halsey/Knickerbocker corner has apparently not been restored – overall they did a very nice job of restoration. This new residence will add a lot of class and elegance to this rapidly gentrifying part of Bushwick.
Since I was off for President’s Day, I took a short trip through Bushwick and visited the old theater. The renovation is proceeding very well and they have done, with one exception, a very good job of restoring the façade – they have even taken those unsightly metal slabs off the window. (The exception concerns some modern brickwork that was installed at the top of the building’s Irving Ave. side; perhaps the original material was just too weak; but this is a minor wrinkle to what otherwise is a most admirable development.)
When I asked one of the workmen what the building is being renovated for, he vaguely answered “stores”. (I don’t think he knew anything more definite.)
While the conversion of the old building into anything theatrical or cinematic remains a long shot, I was encouraged by the name of the development company that was provided on the placard that provided some of the details of the work – the name is “Imperial”.
Since the renovation should be completed soon, we should get a better idea of what actually will take place here in the very near future.
In passing through Bushwick yesterday, I noticed that the old theater is – or will soon be – undergoing renovation. The signs placed outside the building indicate that it will be re-modeled for retail purposes. When I called the firm whose number was listed on the sign, they verified this fact but could not identify any specific businesses that would be located here. It appears that the landlord will rent the space out to interested businesses as soon as the place is suitable for its new occupancy. Since this building housed a Robert Hall’s clothing store for a number of years after it ceased being a movie house, this type of development makes some sense – though I would certainly prefer a return to a more theatrical use. (Given the dramatic changes that have recently occurred in Bushwick, the opening of a new theater would certainly fill a need.) Anyhow, this is still a most welcome development in contrast to the site’s most recent use as a warehouse – as is certainly preferable to its demolition. Let’s see what happens.
Very interesting. Just wondering if this was one of the Public Markets that Mayor LaGuardia created during the 1930’s, to reduce the number of sidewalk vendors, or was the name just a generic one used by a private owner. Great shot.
Thanks for the new photos. It is interesting that one of the marques references an extremely early 8:30 AM opening time. This probably highlighted the early hour nature of this theater which, even then, was hardly situated in a residential area. Also, the all male and very business-type nature of the opening day audience also underlines the business and governmental nature of the theater’s clientele.
Thank you SO much Chris. This really makes my day since this is the very first time that a picture of the old and very fondly remembered Winnie – as we used to call it – has made it to the pages of CT. Thanks again!
This is also a great picture of an old A&P. I guess even then, the supermarkets were moving into old movie houses.
Thanks for posting these old pictures.
A current picture of the Ridgewood posted in Facebook indicates that the 1st floor commercial space will be occupied by a health club; this is the same use that currently operates in the old Parthenon Theatre.
Great shot of what no longer exists/
Thanks for the update.
Nice find. Thanks for posting.
Since I have not been able to get around due to poor health, I have not been able to re-visit the old Imperial and see if any more businesses have moved in. I know that the wine bar only occupies a small portion of this site and that attempts are being made to rent the rest of the building – including the area containing the theater itself. Has anything come to this and, if so, who are the new tenants? Thanks in advance.
If this address is correct, it appears that the old theater site is situated on the Queens side of the borough line, which, at this juncture, runs right through Menahan Street. Even during its brief history when the border was somewhat different, it would still have been in Queens. Thus, its zip code should be changed to 11385.
This article on the wine bar appeared recently in the Bushwick Daily blog.
http://bushwickdaily.com/bushwick/categories/food-and-drink/4820-irving-bottle-bushwick
Sorry, but I am not much of a picture taker. Anyhow, it probably would be best to wait until the renovations are complete and the site is actually operational. This should occur pretty soon.
I was able to visit the site yesterday. The renovation work is nearly complete and what I was able to glimpse of the interior seems pretty impressive. There is currently no indication of what establishments will eventually occupy the premises, though there was a sign noting the availability of retail space. Hopefully we will find out exactly what is in store for this very interesting building very soon.
Well, I was able to visit this site yesterday after work and have only good things to report. While there is scaffolding around the building, its purpose is to support the excellent façade restoration that is taking place – NOT to aide and abet a demolition! This work is proceeding nicely and also involves the installation of windows on what once were metal covered open holes. A good looking entrance is also being constructed on the Irving Ave. side of the building. All in all, the building should be ready for occupancy pretty soon. While it is still unclear what uses will be established here, they will have a very nice home to occupy.
The quality of the façade work needs to be recognized since it really captures the subtle changes in the brick colors along the wall as it restores the ornamentations that were created for the old theater.
I can’t wait to see it open.
That probably is the best explanation – but somebody still needs to check this out directly.
But what exactly is happening at the old Imperial site. Given the amount of real loving care provided to restore it, it makes absolutely no sense to now demolish the place. A real on-site visit is certainly needed now.
While I am somewhat flying blind on this, since my computer cannot access the Facebook photo, I would guess that the Willoughby Theater, situated at 260 Knickerbocker – or a few blocks west of DeKalb- would best fit the bill. The site is currently owned by a church, and they have sold it to a developer who will construct a much larger building here but leave the first floor for religious functions. I believe that the Brownstoner blog has discussed this item in prior posts.
Hopefully, this will help sort this out.
One other thing – I just viewed the Google satellite picture of this site and it clearly confirms that the building is being renovated – not demolished.
Bway, robboehm and Joe – These comments do not make sense – at least in terms of the imminent demolition of the old Imperial. As I previously noted, this former theater has been undergoing an extensive – and quite impressive – renovation and should be re-opening as retail space pretty soon. Unless something VERY radical has recently occurred here, the fact that the building will soon be demolished is just not credible. This really requires an on-site visit.
Yes, after it closed as a theater sometime in the 1940’s, this building did host a Robert Hall’s for a number of years.
Let’s see what happens here.
My wife and I enjoyed seeing “Get Out” yesterday at the Cinemart. The reclining seats have now been installed in all five theaters. While this has reduced the capacity significantly, it appears to be very popular with the public, since most seats were filled.
In addition to “Get Out”, three of the five screens were showing “Beauty and the Beast on its opening weekend. So it seems the Cinemart has been successful in landing more than a few first run movies.
All in all, this was a most encouraging visit to this real survivor of a movie house.
Since this is a large and prosperous church – and they certainly need the space to serve their parish – I would not expect them to move anytime soon – unless, of course, they want to make a fast bundle.
Visiting Bushwick on President’s Day, I was able to pass by the old theater. The renovation is just about complete and it looks like people should be moving in pretty soon. While lighter colors than the original cover the façade and – unfortunately – the roof over the tower at the Halsey/Knickerbocker corner has apparently not been restored – overall they did a very nice job of restoration. This new residence will add a lot of class and elegance to this rapidly gentrifying part of Bushwick.
Since I was off for President’s Day, I took a short trip through Bushwick and visited the old theater. The renovation is proceeding very well and they have done, with one exception, a very good job of restoring the façade – they have even taken those unsightly metal slabs off the window. (The exception concerns some modern brickwork that was installed at the top of the building’s Irving Ave. side; perhaps the original material was just too weak; but this is a minor wrinkle to what otherwise is a most admirable development.)
When I asked one of the workmen what the building is being renovated for, he vaguely answered “stores”. (I don’t think he knew anything more definite.)
While the conversion of the old building into anything theatrical or cinematic remains a long shot, I was encouraged by the name of the development company that was provided on the placard that provided some of the details of the work – the name is “Imperial”.
Since the renovation should be completed soon, we should get a better idea of what actually will take place here in the very near future.
In passing through Bushwick yesterday, I noticed that the old theater is – or will soon be – undergoing renovation. The signs placed outside the building indicate that it will be re-modeled for retail purposes. When I called the firm whose number was listed on the sign, they verified this fact but could not identify any specific businesses that would be located here. It appears that the landlord will rent the space out to interested businesses as soon as the place is suitable for its new occupancy. Since this building housed a Robert Hall’s clothing store for a number of years after it ceased being a movie house, this type of development makes some sense – though I would certainly prefer a return to a more theatrical use. (Given the dramatic changes that have recently occurred in Bushwick, the opening of a new theater would certainly fill a need.) Anyhow, this is still a most welcome development in contrast to the site’s most recent use as a warehouse – as is certainly preferable to its demolition. Let’s see what happens.