Rio Piedras Theatre

Greenpoint, is that photo on the top of that page of the interior of the Broadway Theater?
Anyway, you can also get a glimpse of the Broadway Theater in the movie “Ghost”. When the train that Patrick Swayze’s character is on pulls into the Myrtle-Broadway station, you can get a glimpse of the theater to the left of the train. I have many times looked into the glass-less windows of the Broadway Theater while waiting for subway trains. In whatever that room was on the second floor facing the subway platform, the plaster ceiling had collapsed onto the floor.
In 1998 when they demolished the theater, I was able to see the interior of the theater for the first time. It was very ornate. For a period of time the interior of the theater was exposed. The final wall to come down was the stage wall and the proscenium arch was still intact. Some Corinthian columns also remained with the stage wall along another wall, and one last chandelier hung there waving in the wind. I wish I had my camera with me that day.
Today, the site of the theater is still vacant. A “shany-town” has sort of sprung up at the rear of the lot where the stage used to be with homeless people. You can still see the scars of the old theater on the wall that used to be shared by the theater and the building on the left. You can see where stairways went up to the balconies and different levels on the bricks on the side of the building on the left.
You can also see a photo taken in 1914 of the old Broadway Theater in it’s prime in the book, “The Brooklyn Elevated” by Greller and Watson on the Myrtle Ave El page.

The exterior was featured in the backround of The French Connection as the Rio Piedras Theatre. This was the first Brooklyn area scene right after the opening sequence in Marsailles. Gene Hackman was dressed like Santa Claus and Roy Scheider was dressed as a hotdog vendor, they had the Oasis Bar under narcotics surveilance. Anyways the marquis of this theatre can be seen in the backround as their suspect flees down the block.“Have you ever picked your feet in Poughkipsee?”

Demolished 1998?