Lostmemory…I am glad my family’s stories have come in handy. Your research is (as always) very impressive and to be commended. Now if only a photo or two would surface of the building when it was run as a theater.
Hi everyone! I read all these pages in three installments-what interesting information about the theater and the block it sits on, and all that St. Brigid’s stuff (I graduated from SBS in 1971). Here are a few items I jotted down as I went along.
To weezah who posted on 4/5/04 that the Ridgewood was in a terrible neighborhood: If you think this is a bad area you should have walked the streets of Bushwick or Bed Sty in the late 70’s and 80’s. I assure you that as recently as 40 years ago Ridgewood was a solid working class area that was unusually clean for New York City. As the years have gone by I admit there has been quite a decline but this area has never hit rock bottom. Happily it seems like it is on the upswing again and may see better days.
to lostmemory…that was a fascinating story about the early days of the Ridgewood, the holding company and the Fox affiliation. Now, I recall either the marquee that fell down or the vertical sign included the name of the “Loew’s” chain. Does anyone else recall that (April-you lived across the street)? If so, when did the Loew’s affiliation start and end? Wasn’t Loew’s the chain that owned MGM and distributed their movies?
Sadly, no matter how hard I try I can not remember much about the inside of the theater. I was there many, many times in childhood and all I can really recall is the staircase to the balcony that was near the lobby entrance. I think there was also a clock on the left side of the stage that was lit up with cobalt blue neon lights-that is about all I can remember about the interior of this theater.
I grew up less than two blocks from here and I remember there was a series of fire escapes on Madison St-I will have to look next time I am there to see if they still exist in their original form. I did not witness the marquee falling like April, but I remember that snowstorm (we were janitors for our 6 family house and there was a lot of shoveling involved). I was sent to the fruit store across from the theater (Putnam & Myrtle) the Saturday after it happened and recall that incident was all the workers in the store could talk about.
One personal story about the Ridgewood. My parents divorced in the early 60’s. My dad worked near the SS Kresges on Myrtle Avenue and used to have coffee or lunch at the counter there. He got friendly with Ann, the waitress behind the counter. One day in the fall of 1965 I am with my dad at Kresge’s and she asks him what he is doing this coming weekend. He said I am taking my kids to the Ridgewood on Sunday to see (Disney’s) Cinderella. Okay. Come Sunday we are in the (smoking section) balcony waiting for the movie to come on and along comes Ann with her 5 year old daughter in tow (she was also divorced). We all met up, not quite by chance. This was their first date, with 3 kids along! We went out after the show for something to eat. Let’s just say they will be married 40 years next April!!
Peter K & the St. Brigid’s crowd…Peter, your memory is just amazing-how do you remember all those dates? I remember many of the teachers mentioned like Miss Vitollo, Sr. Mary Sylvia and Sr. Mary Helen. My mom considers Sister Mary Irene a near saint for a kind gesture she once made to our family.
Cathy Anguin, I remember you and you were in my sister’s (Patricia Conte) class I believe. We lived on the next block up from you (1713 Woodbine) and I remember the North’s were a large family on your block, and I went to school with your neighbor Kevin Kingsley. Does anyone remember “Mizz Stuart’s” candy store on Wyckoff between Grove & Linden?
Also-I well remember saving up to buy a single at Action Records which was right near the “Times Triangle” that is now called something else. Early in this post the Kreuscher’s Hotel & Arcade was mentioned-Action records was on the site of this hotel’s building that burned in the mid 60’s. It is now a GNC store. I also remember Byhoff Brothers Records further up the Avenue.
Someone mentioned John Dafgard who worked at the Ridgewood Savings Bank. I bet he is the same guy he lived on my block at 1705 Woodbine. He had a really nice family and I was friendlier with his brother Tommy (who once had a teen romance with my sister). You may know his nickname as Rocky, but I think his family called him ‘Jack’.
Thanks for all the research and information on the theater’s history from the very beginning. Maybe it will eventually thrive again. Regards from Bill Conte
I would not be surprised if the incredible real estate boom in Middlesex county (and the Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Old Bridge and Sayerville areas in particular) may have made this a time to cash in on this large parcel of land. Once all that road construction is finished I bet this will be a desirable parcel for some retail developer. There is also a proposed Marriott resort about one mile away on Rt 35 right on the bay-if this happens I bet this whole area will go through big changes.
I agree 100% with you lostmemory. That building is still there. It was converted to a bowling alley but since the 70’s has been a discount ‘department’ store.
Did anyone notice that in photo # RW111 on page 8 of cypress' attachment you can see the marquee of the RKO Madison Theater in the right background? It is very vague, almost a shadow.
I spoke to my dad about this. He was born right in the front room of one of the apartments in 930 Seneca Ave in 1935. He agrees that to see the silent films in the open air theater from the backyard of 930 Seneca Ave the screen would most certainly have to have been along the outside perimiter of the property on Hancock Street and facing towards Wierfield St. He seems to remember hearing that the movie theater ceased operation in 1928-in fact he was pretty definite about that.
What he is not sure of is if the three story building that stood here in the 40’s was actually the old theater building renovated for commercial use. We guest-imate that that building went back about 75-80 feet from Seneca Ave. He remembers the following from his young childhood (probably the early 1940’s): the basement housed a small bowling alley; on the ground level starting from the left side of the building was an entrance to upper and lower floors of the this building, Obler’s Photography Studio, Marvel Printing, and then the Bank of the Manhattan Company in its own building on the corner; the second floor contained the Glenwood Manor hall, and the third floor contained a pool hall, and he thinks some storage space. We are 99% sure that this building burned down in the winter of ‘56-57, most likely Jan or Feb 1957.
Now he is trying to remember if the building that is still there is actually the first floor of the older building (possibly the theater building). He thinks the main fire damage in 1957 was to the upper floors and that the ground level stores were damaged but not burned. Additionally, I remember in the backyard of 930 Seneca you could see the one story brick wall of what was then Bohack’s and it extended about 20 feet into the yard. It looked like a old, aged brick wall, and completely covered with grape vine or english ivy in summer. Not like something that was only 6 years old in 1963. I very vaguely recall there may have been what looked like a window that had been bricked up with newer brick, but can’t be sure. It is possible the upper floors were removed and at least the foundation and perimiter walls of the present one story building are actually from the prior, possibly theater building.
Maybe some Ridgewood person in their 70’s and a sharp memory will surface with the missing clues to solve this mystery!
My family owned the two Matthews Flats homes at 930 & 932 Seneca Avenue from about 1920 until the late 1940’s. My great-grandfather is the person who converted the two ground floor apartments at 930 into store fronts. The left side became the Evergreen Barber Shop, and the right side the Evergreen Beauty Shop. His name was Dominic Conte and he ran the barber business with his son (my grandfather) Vito (Willie) Conte. The Beauty shop was run by his daughter, Mary Conte (later Recco). The family lived behind these two store fronts.
My grandmother (Rose Conte), now deceased, married in 1924 and moved to the second floor right side apartment. She used to tell us stories about climbing the first two rungs of the washline pole to look over a brick wall that seperated the backyard of 930 and see the silent movie screen. I wish I knew where the 1920’s family photos have gone to, but as you can imagine there were many fading photos of Seneca Avenue.
Piecing together our family stories with these posts, this is my theory on the Evergreen Theater:
The Matthews Flats were built in the early 1910’s.
I believe the open air theater was on the corner of Seneca and Hancock Street, and the screen was on a wall which either backed Hancock street or at the western (back)end of the property. The screen would have to be at least 60-70 feet back from Seneca Ave in order for my grandmother to see it from her back yard. There is a small parking lot behind the present bank building on Hancock St.-if that was part of the original theater property you would really be able to have a fairly large area for the airdrome.
I would bet the indoor theater was right next 930 Seneca Avenue. I remember from photos seeing a two or three story building there. The building that was between the Bank of the Manhattan Company and 930 Seneca Avenue was operated as a hall for parties called the Glenwood Manor in the 30’s-to 50’s. Mr. Pachtman’s toy store was on the street level. I think there was also a pool hall in the building. I propose that the original theater building had been converted into these businesses. (My dad remembers waking up on hot summer nights by drunken brawls that broke out at parties in the Glenwood Manor.)
This building burned down in the mid 1950’s It burned on a cold winter night. At this time three of the four apartments in 930 Seneca Avenue were occupied by blood relatives of mine and they recall being bundled up outside for hours in the bitter cold as the building burned down.
A new, one story building was erected for Bohack’s “convenience store #1” (as one of the signs called it.) Mr. Pachtman still had his toy store on the right side of this property next to the bank. I don’t think his store went all the way to the rear of the property and the supermarket had that space. I recall he retired to Florida in the early 1970’s and that space was incorporated into the supermarket space.
Does all this make sense?
Bill C.
ps…since my grandmother lived at 930 Seneca Avenue from 1924 till 1972 (and then moved to 56-54 Myrtle Avenue till 1987)I just wish I knew where the many family photos have gone to.
Lostmemory…I am glad my family’s stories have come in handy. Your research is (as always) very impressive and to be commended. Now if only a photo or two would surface of the building when it was run as a theater.
Hi everyone! I read all these pages in three installments-what interesting information about the theater and the block it sits on, and all that St. Brigid’s stuff (I graduated from SBS in 1971). Here are a few items I jotted down as I went along.
To weezah who posted on 4/5/04 that the Ridgewood was in a terrible neighborhood: If you think this is a bad area you should have walked the streets of Bushwick or Bed Sty in the late 70’s and 80’s. I assure you that as recently as 40 years ago Ridgewood was a solid working class area that was unusually clean for New York City. As the years have gone by I admit there has been quite a decline but this area has never hit rock bottom. Happily it seems like it is on the upswing again and may see better days.
to lostmemory…that was a fascinating story about the early days of the Ridgewood, the holding company and the Fox affiliation. Now, I recall either the marquee that fell down or the vertical sign included the name of the “Loew’s” chain. Does anyone else recall that (April-you lived across the street)? If so, when did the Loew’s affiliation start and end? Wasn’t Loew’s the chain that owned MGM and distributed their movies?
Sadly, no matter how hard I try I can not remember much about the inside of the theater. I was there many, many times in childhood and all I can really recall is the staircase to the balcony that was near the lobby entrance. I think there was also a clock on the left side of the stage that was lit up with cobalt blue neon lights-that is about all I can remember about the interior of this theater.
I grew up less than two blocks from here and I remember there was a series of fire escapes on Madison St-I will have to look next time I am there to see if they still exist in their original form. I did not witness the marquee falling like April, but I remember that snowstorm (we were janitors for our 6 family house and there was a lot of shoveling involved). I was sent to the fruit store across from the theater (Putnam & Myrtle) the Saturday after it happened and recall that incident was all the workers in the store could talk about.
One personal story about the Ridgewood. My parents divorced in the early 60’s. My dad worked near the SS Kresges on Myrtle Avenue and used to have coffee or lunch at the counter there. He got friendly with Ann, the waitress behind the counter. One day in the fall of 1965 I am with my dad at Kresge’s and she asks him what he is doing this coming weekend. He said I am taking my kids to the Ridgewood on Sunday to see (Disney’s) Cinderella. Okay. Come Sunday we are in the (smoking section) balcony waiting for the movie to come on and along comes Ann with her 5 year old daughter in tow (she was also divorced). We all met up, not quite by chance. This was their first date, with 3 kids along! We went out after the show for something to eat. Let’s just say they will be married 40 years next April!!
Peter K & the St. Brigid’s crowd…Peter, your memory is just amazing-how do you remember all those dates? I remember many of the teachers mentioned like Miss Vitollo, Sr. Mary Sylvia and Sr. Mary Helen. My mom considers Sister Mary Irene a near saint for a kind gesture she once made to our family.
Cathy Anguin, I remember you and you were in my sister’s (Patricia Conte) class I believe. We lived on the next block up from you (1713 Woodbine) and I remember the North’s were a large family on your block, and I went to school with your neighbor Kevin Kingsley. Does anyone remember “Mizz Stuart’s” candy store on Wyckoff between Grove & Linden?
Also-I well remember saving up to buy a single at Action Records which was right near the “Times Triangle” that is now called something else. Early in this post the Kreuscher’s Hotel & Arcade was mentioned-Action records was on the site of this hotel’s building that burned in the mid 60’s. It is now a GNC store. I also remember Byhoff Brothers Records further up the Avenue.
Someone mentioned John Dafgard who worked at the Ridgewood Savings Bank. I bet he is the same guy he lived on my block at 1705 Woodbine. He had a really nice family and I was friendlier with his brother Tommy (who once had a teen romance with my sister). You may know his nickname as Rocky, but I think his family called him ‘Jack’.
Thanks for all the research and information on the theater’s history from the very beginning. Maybe it will eventually thrive again. Regards from Bill Conte
I would not be surprised if the incredible real estate boom in Middlesex county (and the Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Old Bridge and Sayerville areas in particular) may have made this a time to cash in on this large parcel of land. Once all that road construction is finished I bet this will be a desirable parcel for some retail developer. There is also a proposed Marriott resort about one mile away on Rt 35 right on the bay-if this happens I bet this whole area will go through big changes.
I agree 100% with you lostmemory. That building is still there. It was converted to a bowling alley but since the 70’s has been a discount ‘department’ store.
Did anyone notice that in photo # RW111 on page 8 of cypress' attachment you can see the marquee of the RKO Madison Theater in the right background? It is very vague, almost a shadow.
I spoke to my dad about this. He was born right in the front room of one of the apartments in 930 Seneca Ave in 1935. He agrees that to see the silent films in the open air theater from the backyard of 930 Seneca Ave the screen would most certainly have to have been along the outside perimiter of the property on Hancock Street and facing towards Wierfield St. He seems to remember hearing that the movie theater ceased operation in 1928-in fact he was pretty definite about that.
What he is not sure of is if the three story building that stood here in the 40’s was actually the old theater building renovated for commercial use. We guest-imate that that building went back about 75-80 feet from Seneca Ave. He remembers the following from his young childhood (probably the early 1940’s): the basement housed a small bowling alley; on the ground level starting from the left side of the building was an entrance to upper and lower floors of the this building, Obler’s Photography Studio, Marvel Printing, and then the Bank of the Manhattan Company in its own building on the corner; the second floor contained the Glenwood Manor hall, and the third floor contained a pool hall, and he thinks some storage space. We are 99% sure that this building burned down in the winter of ‘56-57, most likely Jan or Feb 1957.
Now he is trying to remember if the building that is still there is actually the first floor of the older building (possibly the theater building). He thinks the main fire damage in 1957 was to the upper floors and that the ground level stores were damaged but not burned. Additionally, I remember in the backyard of 930 Seneca you could see the one story brick wall of what was then Bohack’s and it extended about 20 feet into the yard. It looked like a old, aged brick wall, and completely covered with grape vine or english ivy in summer. Not like something that was only 6 years old in 1963. I very vaguely recall there may have been what looked like a window that had been bricked up with newer brick, but can’t be sure. It is possible the upper floors were removed and at least the foundation and perimiter walls of the present one story building are actually from the prior, possibly theater building.
Maybe some Ridgewood person in their 70’s and a sharp memory will surface with the missing clues to solve this mystery!
My family owned the two Matthews Flats homes at 930 & 932 Seneca Avenue from about 1920 until the late 1940’s. My great-grandfather is the person who converted the two ground floor apartments at 930 into store fronts. The left side became the Evergreen Barber Shop, and the right side the Evergreen Beauty Shop. His name was Dominic Conte and he ran the barber business with his son (my grandfather) Vito (Willie) Conte. The Beauty shop was run by his daughter, Mary Conte (later Recco). The family lived behind these two store fronts.
My grandmother (Rose Conte), now deceased, married in 1924 and moved to the second floor right side apartment. She used to tell us stories about climbing the first two rungs of the washline pole to look over a brick wall that seperated the backyard of 930 and see the silent movie screen. I wish I knew where the 1920’s family photos have gone to, but as you can imagine there were many fading photos of Seneca Avenue.
Piecing together our family stories with these posts, this is my theory on the Evergreen Theater:
The Matthews Flats were built in the early 1910’s.
I believe the open air theater was on the corner of Seneca and Hancock Street, and the screen was on a wall which either backed Hancock street or at the western (back)end of the property. The screen would have to be at least 60-70 feet back from Seneca Ave in order for my grandmother to see it from her back yard. There is a small parking lot behind the present bank building on Hancock St.-if that was part of the original theater property you would really be able to have a fairly large area for the airdrome.
I would bet the indoor theater was right next 930 Seneca Avenue. I remember from photos seeing a two or three story building there. The building that was between the Bank of the Manhattan Company and 930 Seneca Avenue was operated as a hall for parties called the Glenwood Manor in the 30’s-to 50’s. Mr. Pachtman’s toy store was on the street level. I think there was also a pool hall in the building. I propose that the original theater building had been converted into these businesses. (My dad remembers waking up on hot summer nights by drunken brawls that broke out at parties in the Glenwood Manor.)
This building burned down in the mid 1950’s It burned on a cold winter night. At this time three of the four apartments in 930 Seneca Avenue were occupied by blood relatives of mine and they recall being bundled up outside for hours in the bitter cold as the building burned down.
A new, one story building was erected for Bohack’s “convenience store #1” (as one of the signs called it.) Mr. Pachtman still had his toy store on the right side of this property next to the bank. I don’t think his store went all the way to the rear of the property and the supermarket had that space. I recall he retired to Florida in the early 1970’s and that space was incorporated into the supermarket space.
Does all this make sense?
Bill C.
ps…since my grandmother lived at 930 Seneca Avenue from 1924 till 1972 (and then moved to 56-54 Myrtle Avenue till 1987)I just wish I knew where the many family photos have gone to.
Reading the posts about the Madison Theater sparked my memories of the theater and the neighborhood around it. Here are my recollections. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.
I spent the first four years of my living in an apartment at 1664 Woodbine St (about 1 block from the RKO Madison), and my adolescence and teen years at 1713 Woodbine (about 2 blocks away). It was always there, a part of our lives and almost taken for granted. You could stand on the stoop of 1713 Woodbine and look toward the theater and see the yellow lights chasing around on the marquee, and the big letters R-K-O would light up one at a time, then all go out and do it all over again. When it would rain and the brick of the six family houses would be wet, those lights were reflected by the red and yellow brick and added a colorful illumination to the entire block.
I never quite realized in my childhood that this was ‘downtown Ridgewood’ and could compare to downtown areas in cities with populations of a few hundred thousand people. People would just say they were going ‘to the Avenue’ for this or that, meaning Myrtle Avenue and we just took it for granted. There were many stores and businesses along Wyckoff Avenue and up Myrtle all the way to Fresh Pond Road. I guess the entertainment area generally ran from Wyckoff Ave to Putnam Ave.
Here is some of what I remember from that area along Myrtle Ave in the ‘60’s and early ‘70’s. The Marco Lanes Bowling Alley was on Wyckoff Ave. in the former Parthenon Theater. Coming around to Palmetto Street was the Newsstand and the “Greek’s†at the top of the stairs to the Canarsie “L†train Line. The ‘depot’ was on Palmetto Street and included a yellow taxi stand with a phone that always seemed to be ringing when I walked by. If you walked to the B55 bus stop you passed a drug store, Jacobi’s (which was a grocery with a lot of bakery items), and a hole in the wall luncheonette. The side of an ancient parking garage ran all the way up Palmetto to St. Nicholas Ave. This street always seemed to have the aroma of sauerbraten mixed with stale beer from the A&J Bar & Restaurant on the corner of Palmetto & Myrtle (I can still taste the sauerbraten an potato balls there). The Ratskaller was on the basement level and is probably where burlesque was finally pronounced died.
That block going towards the theater included Koletty’s Ice Cream Parlor, a Loft’s Candy Store, the Optimo Store, which is still there, Bickford’s Cafeteria, a clothing store named Jack Zimmer, and Gottlieb’s deli style restaurant, Sach’s tobacco store, a frozen custard stand, a barber shop, a small shop that sold artificial limbs, Carrato’s Pizza, Al’s Barber Shop (4 Butchers, No Waiting!), and Ciro’s Italian Restaurant on St. Nicholas Avenue. There were a few shoe stores around here too-I think Father & Son and Regal Shoes. Lee Fong’s Chinese Restaurant and a Carvel were just west of the Madison Theater. I vaguely remember the Ridgewood Terrace, a Chinese restaurant just east of the theater. I believe they had floorshows there on weekends. It burned when I was a kid and was replaced with what we called the ‘new’ Woolworth’s (to differentiate it from the smaller ‘old’ Woolworth’s which was about five blocks west on Myrtle Avenue)..
I have always thought it was ironic that directly across the street from this grand theater were a live poultry market and a gas station. I remember how it smelled from those chickens (it was worse on St. Nicholas Ave than on Myrtle) but I guess it reflects an earlier time. The Madison Diner replaced both these properties by the mid 60’s.
My great grandmother lived sort of South of the theater in a six family home on Cornelia St between Cypress and Wyckoff Avenues. I remember she had family photos which were taken on the roof (a common pre-flash custom). You could see the Madison Theater in the background as it was taller and stood out. I remember there being views of the theater both under construction, and finished in the background of those photos.
In my childhood I only remember being in one theater that was swankier than the Madison, and that was Radio City Music Hall (saw “Dear Heart†starring Glenn Ford, Geraldine Page and Angela Lansbury). The Madison and the Loew’s Valencia in Jamaica are # 2 on my list (but not equal). I remember the Valencia as being a bit run down when we went to see “Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines†there, but I was awestruck, even though I did not really like the décor at all. The first time I can remember being in the RKO Madison was to see Doris Day and Rock Hudson in Send Me No Flowers. Other movies I remember seeing there, but by no means a complete list: My Fair Lady, The Ten Commandments (re-release), Funny Girl, Airport, Willard, and Lovers And Other Strangers.
Two movies I did not see, but that played there and stay in my memory is The Odd Couple and The Graduate. When Odd Couple was there-held over for a few weeks I think-giant pictures of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were added to the marquee, one on each side facing each other. For The Graduate I believe we had a giant cut out of Ann Bancroft’s leg adorning Myrtle Avenue!
This is how I remember the theater interior. Let’s see how accurate my memory is or is not. There was an outside lobby with a box office in the middle. I think the floor was tile, but they would put out reddish rubber mats when it rained. Then you walked into a marble hallway that had coming attractions posters on either side and led you to the ticket taker who stood in a doorway that led to the actual lobby. The lobby was very tall and had lighting on the walls and some kind of large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was a candy counter to the left side. There was a big marble staircase on the back wall that led up to the balcony. I’m a little fuzzy on this, but I believe the theater was separated from the lobby by a wall and doors, but there was a half wall inside the theater behind the back row and space to walk behind that. When you took that huge staircase to the upper level of the lobby there was a landing with a marble railing that prevented people from falling into the lobby. If you looked over this rail and across the lobby there were several large mirrors and you could see your reflection.
I come from a family of smokers, so we always sat in the balcony when we were together. When we kids would come alone we had to sit in the infamous “children’s section’ which I remember was on the right side Most of my memories are of sitting in this section. There was always a tough matron whose last job must have been in the NY City Penitentiary. She wielded a large flashlight, her main weapon to stop mischief! I seem to recall kids being ejected if they persistently misbehaved. The fire hoses were in recessed cabinets on the sidewalls with and lit up. I recall that the exits were clearly marked with some kind of stained glass signage that indicated the exit numbers. Maybe some interior photos will eventually turn up and help bring back our memories.
Since I found the website and the photos of the theater I have mentioned it to my parents. My dad, age 70, told me right away that he remembered the organ coming out between or after a movie. There would be a sing along following the bouncing ball. Sometimes the organ played, and sometimes the music came from the screen. He also remembered vaudeville shows there.
My mom is 68 and has many memories of this theater. She is computer savvy, so I hope she will post her own personal stories. A few things she told me: that the Madison was quite a step up from going to the Ridgewood and she always remembers it being full and sometimes having to sit separately from family members, that the ladies’ room was very opulent; she remembers that Vaudeville was on Tuesday nights and her grandmother used to take her there sometimes; that the lobby had a lot of burgundy or maroon colors; that the children’s section matron was a regular Nazi, and how much they got for 25 cents on a Saturday morning.
I remember the theater was rented for graduations of various high schools. People would use every available parking space in the neighborhood and often had to walk blocks to their car, often with a graduate in cap and gown in tow.
A Ridgewood question: does anyone know of an ‘open air’ theater that existed in the 1920’s on Seneca Avenue near the corner of Hancock Street? My dad’s family owned the six family homes at 930 & 932 Seneca Avenue from the late teens through the forties. My grandmother (now deceased) moved there from Williamsburg in 1924 when she married. She used to tell us stories of climbing a few steps up the wash line pole which allowed her to watch the silent movies being shown. I think it was called the Evergreen Theater. At some point the Bank of the Manhattan Company and a catering hall called the Glenwood Manor was built where the theater had been.. This building also housed a pool hall and Pachman’s Toy Store. This building burned down in the 1950’s and was replaced by one of the first Bohack supermarkets.
I hope my memories are pretty accurate and others can fill in the blanks with their own stories