Kings Theatre
1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11226
86 people
favorited this theater
Showing 501 - 525 of 1,564 comments
I am working on something here and I hope I can find it. A few years back i read that either one of the past CEO’s or founder of Lowes Home Imporovement was a graduate of Earasmus Hall HS which is just a few blocks away from the Kings. I am having a hard time finding the web page I saw it on but if and when I do and he is still alive I will try some way to make contact.
For the most part the interior walls inside were mostly made of plaster and chicken wire. That is why the water damage makes it look bad. Back then is was easier and cheaper to do it that way compared to concrete especially in the cielinggs and walls that did not need much support.The New York Academy of Music was like that to. It was a scarey feeling knowing that all that stood between you and the floor was a real rickety cat walk. It would not have taken much to put a hole in or fall thourgh it.
I have been to the two most recent theater tours. There are pictures on Flickr. Just search for Loew’s Kings. You will see that the auditorium is in pretty bad shape. It is definately repairable/restorable but at a major cost. I can’t see anyone spending millions on that kind of restoration only to get back a fraction of their investment. I would guess that is why we haven’t seen anything come of those tours. I say, since the city already owns it, open it up to volunteers, clean out all of the debris and start a non-profit group to run it. The lobby is in pretty good shape and could be made useable much easier than to wait for the whole place to be restored. That is what they did at the Loew’s Jersey. While the Kings is in far worse shape than the Jersey, opening up a portion of it to the public could begin to generate interest and, who know’s, maybe more corporate involvement to start, ever so slowly, a renovation. I know this is pie in the sky but it may just work.
Scott that whole neighborhood needs an overhaul. By renovating the Kings and the shopping area surrounding it would be a boost to the entire area as well as the boro. I know people think of the lack of parking but they need to consider that there are multiple bus routes up and down Flatbush Ave. It is within a short walking distance from the Beverly Road stop on the D train or what ever letter they are calling it these days. I have not been inside the building it self but if the Google sat pics of the outside and the roof are recent it does not look so bad.
Scott you bring up a vaild point “What I don’t understand is why he is posturing himself as an advocate if he doesn’t intend to champion the cause?” Think back a few mayors ago. The one after Ed Koch and the one just before Gulianni. He did lots of posturing. He postured to the Blacks,Latin and the Jews of NYC. He promised lots of changes. Not much bacame of them. His inability to act quickly enough insited a major riot in Brooklyn. He got so complacent in office that the USTA was making him dance like a puppet when they were trying to get 30 acres of Prime Park land in Queens which is now the big Tennis center. A deal that the Queens boro president and council voted against. He got his way and pissed off many NY'er in NYC and so it goes he lost his bid for a second term.
It should be a crime that a Palace such as the Kings should be in such bad shape. Maybe Disney can step in like they did for the theatres on 42st. What they did for the New Amsterdam was amazing. I saw Easy Rider there in 1969 and a few other movies years later. It had closed and the Niedlander Corp was going to do a renovation of it and stopped. By doing so the rooftop theater and the floors below suffered for major water damage. I got to see it before Disney repaired it. It was sad and beautiful at the same time. Gulianni pushed to clean up Times Square and got Disney in on it. I don’t think Marty has that kind of clout. As I said before Marty is only in it for one thing. Himself and no one else.
With 2.6 million people living in Brooklyn he should be doing a much better job.
Good Point EC Rocker! I too have been very disappointed in the lack of progress at the Kings. I believe that, arguably, this is the most beautiful of the Wonder theaters and that there is so much potential in a well planned and thoughtful renovation. Brooklyn is a city of almost 2.6MM with only BAM and the Brooklyn PAC as real performing arts centers. Surely, there is room for more. To get it done, the city should commit $’s which they are prepared to do. Alas, we don’t see what goes on behind the scenes and now with the economy in a tailspin, it is likely the theater will remain dark for many more years. It’s very sad all around.
Scott
You ask why would Marty Markowitz advocate publicly for the Kings but then not actually follow through on it? Because before he became the Beep he was the local state senator for that district in Brooklyn. Marty is a low life pond scum sucker and has been one for as long as I have known him. As I said in another post I hope that this will be the last office he holds. If he was so serious about saving the Kings why is he not talking to the people at BAM. The same people who saved the Majestic Theatre. Why not talk to Cablevision who provides cable to Brooklyn and also owns Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden as well as Beacon Theatre whick is undergoing a $14 million renovation. They are also planning a $500 million renovation of MSG.
And thats a shame, because the longer it sits, the worse the condition gets. It will reach a point someday (lets hope not) that the building will be beyond repair.
A phote of Flatbush Avenue and Loew’s Kings during happier times can be seen here.
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i am sorry to hear that the Kings is still in limbo.. I keep hearing about Marty Markowitz now that he is the BP of Brooklyn. I know Marty and I worked for him at his summer concerts. He is 2 faced. He makes it look like he is out there for the people but he is really in it for him self. With the Sea Side concets and the Concerts at Wingate HS Marty for what ever reason got away with not having to put open bids out for sound and lighting companies and hired who he was in cahoots with. He hired a guy to do sound. he did not have enough equipment to even do a small HS auditorium so he had to subcontract out anothe PA rental company. He got away without paying for a stage crew by having volunteers. IA Local #4 was not happy about that because it was in their jurisdiction. One year I tried to put a bid in for the PA Syetem and was told that he was not accepting bids. He was supposed to take open bids because most of the money he got to produce the shows came from the NEA NYS dept of the arts as well as NYC. Yes he had private sponsors but the public ones gave him most of the money. I really hope this is his last political job.
If he was a man of his word the Kings would have been reopened by now.
Seems like Marty is up to his old schtick. You wonder why I don’t like him.
Inaugural Program from 1929 of Loew’s Kings at this URL;
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Here is a double bill that played the Kings December 1969. Elvis was at the very end of his movie career.
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What would you all think about contacting that performing arts center? The theater here in Patchogue gets help from the Gateway Playhouse. If they can show some interest then that is the better for us. Being part of the college, they are probably not for profit.
There will be no comparison between a restored Kings and Brooklyn College’s sterile non descript Performing Arts Center. The Kings will be a true destination and will be a vital part of the experience that they are paying for.
I am very sorry to learn about the missing murals. Is it true that over the past 30 years many light fixtures and other artifacts were removed as well?
In the current photos, I can see that somebody has removed the front off and taken the circa 1954 Altec surround speakers. Those fetch pretty big money in the collectors market.
Have these rare items been placed in safe storage by the city, or did they wind up stolen and sold for profit?
Think in the long term and not the short term. Brooklyn with a population of over two million is coming back after a long decline. More people are moving to Brooklyn from Manhattan as it has become to expensive live. Oakland with a population of just 400,000 will have two theatres seating 3000 each. I think Brooklyn with over two million could support another theatre. The Kings has parking which many venues do not have. A restored movie palace has helped revive many locations across the country. Its fine to be realistic but I would focus on what could be done with the Kings in a more positive manner instead of all the negatives. Why does full restoration have to happen all at once. If the City is willing to spend 35 Million towards its restoration at least get the theatre operational and do some of the cosmetic work needed. Restore a section of the Kings so people could see what it would looks like fully restored.The Kings in my humble opinion is the most magnificient theatre still standing in New York City. brucec
People seem to think area can support two. Again Kings has nostalgic value. That’s why I thought the museum idea was marvelous because that will add value. You won’t only get events patrons, but people who remember the theatre, architectural fans and people interested in brooklyn history and entertainment history.
The Loew’s Jersey is not restored. They are open and presenting occasional shows, but very little has been restored in the last 5 years. In fact, there are elements (marquee, clock tower) that are in worse shape now then they were several years ago.
They do have a fully restored organ (and it’s magnificent) but that’s due to the hard work and dedication of the Garden State Theater Organ Society.
I’m not blaming the neighborhood. There are many factors-mostly as stated, cost and overruns and continuing profit. However, the neighborhood doesn’t help. I think once it were restored the rest of the area will pick up. BUT the issue is, in my opinion, prospective developers may not agree and thats holding up the commitment of someone to come in and move on it in addition to the financial issues. So it becomes a catch 22. Someone who thinks its a worthwhile risk is the fish thats needed here. Again it comes down to MARKETING MARKETING MARKETING someone has to do a big sell here.
You must also consider the number of times that a restoration has boosted a neighborhood. In the 1970s and 1980s, the South Beach section of Miami was a bunch of run down and vacant hotels. Suddenly, one person had the idea of renovating one of the historic hotels and others followed. Today it is one of the top travel destinations in the world. The restoration of the Kings may just be the boost that Flatbush needs.
Sorry, I don’t buy the neighborhood issue for a second. Flatbush Avenue has a worse perception than Washington Heights? (Loew’s 175th), Journal Square? (Loews Jersey), Stapleton? (St. George), Harlem (The Apollo), The South Bronx? (The Paradise). Until recently, the area around the Brooklyn Academy of Music would have fallen under this category as well, but the restoration of BAM and its artistic programming has helped to revive the area as would the Kings. No, Flatubush’s reputation is nowhere near as bad as those other areas and yet those other areas have retored palaces!
Blaming the problem of the Kings on the neighborhood is a cop out and not at all supported by the facts. How do you explain that all of these theaters were restored despite the fact that they were in “problem” neighborhoods? The reality is that we still have the Kings today because Flatbush Avenue has not yet made a transition to high end retail. If it had, the Kings would have been demolished years ago for a new mall or gutted as so many other palaces have been over the years. The problem, in my opinion, is solely on how much the retoration would cost and who would pay for overruns.
Agreed-I previously cited the neighborhood but got clobbered on this one about how other venues are in worse places. Not faulting Markowitz but if his heart is in it—it needs the full court press. Understand that there are other more serious issues. Thing with the Kings is its either 100% or forget it cause its a tough sell. On my recent visit back I noticed same thing surprised at the gentrification from Coney Island Ave. on. But minute you cross Ocean Ave. same as 30 years ago and the Ditmas Park people may as well be on another planet. I think Flatbush Avenue may be slower to gentrify if at all. The newbies have to have stores to attract them but they aren’t there yet. And I was put off by the seedy look to the stores and also the roving teens were a bit scary as well—you know the type the staredowns, the pants down to the floor, the cursing, the im not moving you walk around me attitude-maybe not the main issue but you can’t ignore it either.
My question is why does Markowitz seem to run hot and cold on this?
No one can fault Marty Markowitz on this. The obstacles may be too many. The neighborhood is still the problem. It may be safer than in the 1980s but has a low-rent look to it. Ditmas Park people haven’t shopped on Flatbush Avenue for over 30 years. Even a Brooklyn booster like Marty can’t devote 100% of his time and energy to this one project.
Well alot to comment on here. First off I’m shocked the murals disappeared. They were beautiful. I looked forward to seeing one in particular, when the theatre would finally be restored. This is an outrage. Who is getting in there? Where is the security? Or who has the keys? I do agree the locals have no interest in something they weren’t a part of in years past. They would, I’m sure be supportive once the place is up and running and had events of interest. But to get them on board with a restoration – forget it. I also agree that if people come back for Nathan’s and Junior’s they would come to the Kings. Again it’s MARKETING MARKETING MARKETING. I’d come back. If you get big names-people will come. Look at the Beacon. Off the beaten path but people come. I love the idea of a museum and maybe a club but a club may be too much. The possibilities are endless and if you keep an open mind-the theater can be booked solid and definitely turn a profit. I do see gentrification on Cortelyou Road so thats promising on many levels. Also yes it was pointed out that other venues had volunteers. I think for the Kings to be a go, it has to have effort on many levels both financially and all else. I’m sure people would volunteer. So with perhaps money coming in from govt, donations, and maybe a white knight that could amount to alot. And with work being done with perhaps contractors who care (need a good contract here and good references) and volunteers; and with events that cover lots of areas such ad recitals, graduations, perhaps weddings, shows, movies, concerts, etc. then it can work. My question is why does Markowitz seem to run hot and cold on this? I think if the plight was again highlighted in the paper and on tv with perhaps appeals on the air, people may rally. But it cant be a push then die it has to really be an all-fronts attack. As for all the big names that were the history. Weren’t these folks approached and never answered. I guess they just dont care. Where’s Trump. He came in when the Central Park Skating rink was languishing and he got the job done. But then it will Be the Trump Kings but who cares as long as its done and a success. Has anyone tried him? He was big in Bklyn year’s before people really knew who he was. His (father mostly) name was all over projects in Coney Island.
The Apollo Theater on 125th Street in Manhattan has had large amounts of money pumped into it and still requires more subsidy. It has a tremendous talent pool available and political support that the Kings can never hope to have.
The Kings requires an unbeliveable amount of BTU’s just to heat it in winter. Most folks have no idea what basic operating costs are for a barn like that. To be viable commercially you would have to fill it not only on weekends but have good numbers during the week from some activity or other. Do you know what it would cost in electricity today just to light up the marquee and vertical for a few hours at night ?
Brooklyn had many things in the past, from the Dodgers to trolley cars on Flatbush Avenue. It would be great to see them return, but as with the Kings, it is not probable.