Fortway Theatre
6720 Fort Hamilton Parkway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11219
6720 Fort Hamilton Parkway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11219
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 109 comments
>> The Alpine will be gone way before 2011.
posted by RobertR on Jul 15, 2005 at 6:18am <<
You care to explain that?? Business always seem good at the Alpine, and with the Fortway gone it is obvious people who would have gone there will in large part go to the Alpine instead.
If the Alpine ever goes, it will likely be the end of me going to movie theaters. It will be DVDs forever.
Bay Ridge theaters that have closed: Elektra (now Food City); Harbor (now a gym); Dyker (now Radio Shack and Modells); Stanley (a bank);
Bay Ridge (NY Sports Club).
The Alpine will be gone way before 2011.
On June 23rd, 2005 Ownership of the Fortway was transferred by Golden Screen Associates. Inc. (Jeffrey W. Denneroff, President) and Forway LLC. The sale price was: $4,085,900. There is a stipulation in the bill of sale that restricts the premises being from being used for commercial exhibition of motion pictures for a period of seventy five years.
Also on June 23rd, 2005 RKO Century Warner Theatres, Inc. (Loews Cineplex) and Golden Screen Associates, Inc. terminated their lease on the Fortway. The original term on the lease ran from September 16th, 1988 to September 15th 2011, with one four year extension option. The Lease on the Alpine Cinema which Golden also owns runs to Sept. 2011 as well.
Damn. I had meant to see it before it closed. I NEVER thought they’d close it at the start of the Summer season, which I assume would be profitable in terms of the movies, and school being out. I was there many many times, including before it was a multiplex. I also enjoyed the nearly a mile walk from Third Ave and 74 St, where I am, up to Ft Hamilton Parkway. Saw “Dumb and Dumber” in that big first theater, “Mark of Zorro”, “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”, “X-Files”, etc. The last one I saw was “I, Robot” in that big first theater. The only problem with the place was upstairs sound leaked into one theater from the other, which could be disconcerting. Spent a lot of time at the Fortway, alone and on dates, over many years. Saw the “Terminattor” films there. I sure will miss it and those long walks home which I enjoyed as I’d think about the film on the way. RIP to a friend. :(
No curtains were working as far as I could see, but plenty of neon and not any pink marble, like most of the Manhattan Cineplex’s had.
Did Cineplex put curtains in here like all the other places they re-did?
The Fortway was triplexed in 1979 and Fiveplexed in 1981. Cineplex Odeon did a big renovation when they took over, with the purple walls in the theatres, blue, purple and black carpeting and the blue velvet seats, plus new poster cases everywhere. All these items were very similar to the Worldwide Plaza as I seem to remember. This renovation of the Fortway took place in the late eighties when Garth was spending money on theatres like there was no tomorrow. I guess thats what got Cineplex Odeon into trouble.
I could see one disadvantage to this theatre from a projectionists viewpoint, the projection booths for all of the theatres were separated from each other. It must have been quite a job to get all the projectors going at the begining of all the shows.
I haven’t been to Fort Hamilton Parkway in about 15 years. The last time I was there, the bowling alley was a converted into a target range for a gun club.
Thanks for the info CocoBoy, it must have been nice to have gone bowling before or after watching your movie at the Fortway. In the Real Estate listing the mention underground parking, I guess that will be where the Bowling Alley once was.
cineplex odeon took over around 1987 as i was the DM for the take over..
Regarding the bowling alley, it was immediately to the right of the Fortway theather. A small door led down a flight of stairs to the alleys. There were only about 10 lanes.
The Brooklyn Public Library has a picture of the Fortway from 1942, unfortunately it does not come up online, I guess I will have to trek over to Grand Army Plaza for a photocopy.
Where was the bowling alley exactly? All I seem to remember is before the CVS Pharmacy, it was an Associated Supermarket.
Theaterfan…. Cinema Odeon took over the Fortway in 1992, and it has been downhill ever since.Also, prior to the Cinema Odious…ER, ment Odion, this theater was open in the daytime. It switched to evening shows about 4 tears ago, but wes open for afternoon shows on the weekends and holidays
And they got to run it until the 1998 merger with Loews Theatres. This also means Loews Cineplex ran the Fortway Theatre the last seven years of it’s Life.
cineplex took this over about 1987
The Fortway in the 70’s & 80’s was run by Golden Theatre Management, Does anyone know when Cinplex Odeon took over the Fortway?
I know Cineplex took over the RKO Century Circuit in September 1986, which gave them control over the now closed Kenmore & Kingsway Theatres.
Also this was one of the few theatres to be equipped for 70mm films in Brooklyn along with the RKO Century Kingsway.
It always was better to see a flick here than the Alpine. I wonder if it did good business, the final year they only had evening showtimes on weekdays.
Always liked this theater !
I emailed Loews Cineplex Entertainment about what exactly had happened to the Fortway Theatre, this is the responce I had gotten back from them:
“Unfortunately, we have returned the theatre back to its landlord. In
the long term, this plan will make our circuit stronger and more profitable.”
I am totally shocked & saddened to hear of the Fortways closing. I had no idea. As a former resident of Bay Ridge I visited the Fortway frequently. I always preferred it over the Alpine. I can remember seeing Easy Rider for the first time at the Fortway. In fact I remember the theater before it became a mutliplex. They use to show some great horror flicks there back in the 70’s. I just hate to hear when a movie theater closes. Very sad. Goodbye old friend.
The Fortway theater is now OFFICIALLY closed. May it rest in peace. Thanks for the memories.
lostmemory, where exactly do you get this type of information? I try using the ACRIS & BIS lookup, but I am unable to get such detailed information. By the way in ACRIS I do see that the mortgage was held by RKO Century Warner, I wonder who bought the Fortway?
Other theatres in the Interboro Ciruit included the Canarsie, Park, Kismet, Bershire, Coliseum, Sumner, State, Harbor, Ritz & the Lincoln as well as the Fortway. The tagline for the Interboro Circuit Brooklyn Theatres was “Always The Best In Entertainment”.
Went by the Fortway tonight, it’s gone for sure. The side Marquee signs that read Cineplex Odeon Fortway have been taken down & the front of the marquee where the Cineplex Odeon letters and Fortway name were have been taken off and painted an ugly gray color to obsure the name. The marquee now basically sits blank, it does not even say “CLOSED”.
All of the poster cases outside and in the lobby are now empty, as is the mylar sign above the entrance doors that used to give you the name of the films playing and their repective showtimes. The security gates in front of the theatre were rolled up & all the lights were on.
As I walked around the building I saw two men working inside carrying theatre equipment into a car, I guess what ever can be salvaged is going to either the Alpine or Kings Plaza, the only two Loews Cineplex theatres left in Brooklyn. Pretty soon you will never be able to tell the Fortway was ever a Movie Theatre at all. I wonder if the Marquee will be kept in the new design?
Farewell Fortway, Thanks for entertaining generations of Brooklyn movie fans, we will miss you!
What is to be the fate of the Former Cineplex Odeon Fortway theatre, here is the listing straight from the [url=http://consumeralertsystem.com/cas/zx-hclick.php?hid=32]Massey Knakal website/url], it is as follows:
6720 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, NY (On the Corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street) Under Contract
Commercial Buildings,Special Use,Outer Boroughs
Rent is competitive!!A two story, 33' theatre delivered vacant located on the corner of Fort Hamilton Parkway and 68th Street. The 21,866 SF building is zoned C1-1 overlay of a R5 zone. The FAR is 1.25. This former movie theatre is being converted into first class retail/office space. On-site, underground parking will be provided. The space is available immediately; units from 1,000 to 40,000 square feet are being offered either as shell space or on a build to suite basis. Asking Price: Competitive Rent Representative/s: Timothy D. King