Two blocks north of this theater at 990 McDonald Avenue & Webster Avenue there is a soda distributor (Culver Narrows Beer & Soda). Years ago the owner told me that the building was a former movie theater. The ceiling is very high and IIRC you could see evidence of where the projectionist’s booth was. I searched this site and found no entry for that address. Does anyone here have better information about this one time movie theater? Maybe it’s on this site and I couldn’t find it.
Then the 1914-15 address must be 1028 Gravesend Avenue (now McDonald Avenue) because the addresses on Washington Avenue (now Parkville Avenue) at that point are below the number 100.
The Lane Theater on Staten Island, NY is still for sale. It’s located at 168 New Dorp Lane. It’s now listed with a new realtor who doesn’t show a name, only the phone number 718-234-0052 on a sign attached to the building. The Lane has been for sale since 2002. It is a landmarked building which restricts it’s use.
I walked by the Lane Theater this morning and the roll gate was up. Someone was inside doing something. It’s listed with a new realtor who doesn’t show a name, only the phone number 718-234-0052, on a sign attached to the building. The Lane has been for sale since 2002.
The RFP submission deadline has now been pushed out to June 4, 2008. That tells me that the city hasn’t received any serious proposals or maybe hasn’t received any proposals at all. Anyone here have better info on the RFP situation?
I’d expect that most patrons would arrive by car or by bus. Local public transportation is the heavily used B41 Flatbush Avenue bus and the little used B23 Cortelyou Road bus. The walk from either the Brighton line subway at East 16th Street is a bit long and not through the best areas. The walk from the Nostrand Avenue subway is a bit longer also through some rough area. For these reasons it’s unrealistic to think that many Manhattanites will venture to the Kings. If the city is serious and the Kings is brought back from the near-dead it will have to somehow be targeted at a lower middle class Brooklyn demographic, a difficult market. We’ll have to see what happens after 05/07/2008 to determine what the city’s intenetions truly are.
Requiring a response to the RFP by 05/07/2008 makes no sense. How does the NYCEDC expect to get responses to what will be an expensive and complex rehab project in such a relatively short time? The cynic in me says that the city sees that the Loew’s is beyond repair and is going through the motions one last time before giving up.
The curbed.com site is a bit of a jumble but I found the blog entry you quoted. Doesn’t sound too “official” though. In a previous post I note that the LK project seems to have faded away as far as the slow poke NYCEDC is concerned.
The neighborhood is still a lower middle-class area. Folks from the wealthier neighborhoods west of Ocean Avenue aren’t in the habit of shopping on Flatbush Avenue. Markowitz can’t be faulted. He can’t invent interest in the theater. The statement by Kevin Robinette, the Ohio architect says alot – “We felt that it was too much of a long shot.” How much more money can NYC be expected to pump into the building just to keep it from literally falling apart?
“But 13 months later, officials said they can’t discuss how many responses they got and what was proposed.” Sad to say, it sounds like very few were interested.
NYC’s landmarking rules make no sense. A gem like the Trylon probably should have some landmark protection. But in my S.I. neighborhood the landmarking of The Lane theater has turned it into an unmarketable and physically decaying structure.
Sal P., you just reminded me. Back in the summer of 1977 I saw Jaws for the first time ever, during it’s re-release at the Benson. I still love that movie.
The Lane theater is still for sale, with a different realtor. It’s back to being listed with Century 21. No info on their websites http://www.c21papp.com/ and http://www.domsold.com/ regarding the theater.
I remember the “Stop Pay-TV” campaign in Brooklyn, NY around 1965-66. In the NYC area the Pay-TV they were so afraid of was cable TV, which was in the process of being built in Manhattan. Cable TV didn’t arrive in the other 4 boroughs until the 1980s.
I was in the plumbing supply place at 135 New Dorp Lane last week. The New Dorp must have been a small theater. The existing dropped ceiling is low and you can tell by looking at the back the back of the building from Jacques Avenue that it wsn’t much higher. The barest hint of a projection area can be seen at the back of the store where the ceiling drops even further. I have no idea if it still exists. The building was long ago split down the middle. Over the years many alterations have taken place. An applicance store is in the other half.
It’s too bad that complications ended your plans to save this old moviehouse. But isn’t it hard even in the best cases to turn old theaters into a viable business today?
I didn’t know the Benson was showing porno as early as 1975. The other ‘adult’ ads are an interesting look back. Also I can’t believe that the awful Beatles TV-movie ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was still being shown in 1975.
Based on the even-numbered address the Parkville Theater was on the NorthWest corner of Gravesend (McDoanald) Avenue & Parkville Avenue.
Two blocks north of this theater at 990 McDonald Avenue & Webster Avenue there is a soda distributor (Culver Narrows Beer & Soda). Years ago the owner told me that the building was a former movie theater. The ceiling is very high and IIRC you could see evidence of where the projectionist’s booth was. I searched this site and found no entry for that address. Does anyone here have better information about this one time movie theater? Maybe it’s on this site and I couldn’t find it.
Then the 1914-15 address must be 1028 Gravesend Avenue (now McDonald Avenue) because the addresses on Washington Avenue (now Parkville Avenue) at that point are below the number 100.
The Lane Theater on Staten Island, NY is still for sale. It’s located at 168 New Dorp Lane. It’s now listed with a new realtor who doesn’t show a name, only the phone number 718-234-0052 on a sign attached to the building. The Lane has been for sale since 2002. It is a landmarked building which restricts it’s use.
I walked by the Lane Theater this morning and the roll gate was up. Someone was inside doing something. It’s listed with a new realtor who doesn’t show a name, only the phone number 718-234-0052, on a sign attached to the building. The Lane has been for sale since 2002.
Still for sale, but with a different realtor. Just a phone number, no realty company listed on the sign.
The RFP submission deadline has now been pushed out to June 4, 2008. That tells me that the city hasn’t received any serious proposals or maybe hasn’t received any proposals at all. Anyone here have better info on the RFP situation?
RFP link – View link
I’d expect that most patrons would arrive by car or by bus. Local public transportation is the heavily used B41 Flatbush Avenue bus and the little used B23 Cortelyou Road bus. The walk from either the Brighton line subway at East 16th Street is a bit long and not through the best areas. The walk from the Nostrand Avenue subway is a bit longer also through some rough area. For these reasons it’s unrealistic to think that many Manhattanites will venture to the Kings. If the city is serious and the Kings is brought back from the near-dead it will have to somehow be targeted at a lower middle class Brooklyn demographic, a difficult market. We’ll have to see what happens after 05/07/2008 to determine what the city’s intenetions truly are.
Requiring a response to the RFP by 05/07/2008 makes no sense. How does the NYCEDC expect to get responses to what will be an expensive and complex rehab project in such a relatively short time? The cynic in me says that the city sees that the Loew’s is beyond repair and is going through the motions one last time before giving up.
Press release- View link
RFP info- View link
The curbed.com site is a bit of a jumble but I found the blog entry you quoted. Doesn’t sound too “official” though. In a previous post I note that the LK project seems to have faded away as far as the slow poke NYCEDC is concerned.
View link
LuisV, do you have a link to the curbed.com story?
I found an old NYCEDC press release from 2006, nothing more recent. Deadline for proposals was in late 2006. Looks like it’s a dead issue again.
NYCEDC press release, 2006
Similar item from Mayor’s Film office announcing RFP, 2006
Not much here either at the Bklyn Boro Pres site, this link brings up a page which references a dead link.
View link
Maybe one of you will have better luck than me, but I can’t find any mention of the Loew’s Kings on the NYCEDC website:
NYCEDC Projects
The neighborhood is still a lower middle-class area. Folks from the wealthier neighborhoods west of Ocean Avenue aren’t in the habit of shopping on Flatbush Avenue. Markowitz can’t be faulted. He can’t invent interest in the theater. The statement by Kevin Robinette, the Ohio architect says alot – “We felt that it was too much of a long shot.” How much more money can NYC be expected to pump into the building just to keep it from literally falling apart?
“But 13 months later, officials said they can’t discuss how many responses they got and what was proposed.” Sad to say, it sounds like very few were interested.
NYC’s landmarking rules make no sense. A gem like the Trylon probably should have some landmark protection. But in my S.I. neighborhood the landmarking of The Lane theater has turned it into an unmarketable and physically decaying structure.
The Lane Theater – Staten Island, NY
Sal P., you just reminded me. Back in the summer of 1977 I saw Jaws for the first time ever, during it’s re-release at the Benson. I still love that movie.
The Lane theater is still for sale, with a different realtor. It’s back to being listed with Century 21. No info on their websites http://www.c21papp.com/ and http://www.domsold.com/ regarding the theater.
Link to a 1938 photo of the Kinema:
http://www.brooklynpix.com/photo1/E/eny112.jpg
Today’s (03/11/2007) N.Y. Times Real Estate section has a story on the Kings:
{Link is free but sign-up may be required}
View link
I remember the “Stop Pay-TV” campaign in Brooklyn, NY around 1965-66. In the NYC area the Pay-TV they were so afraid of was cable TV, which was in the process of being built in Manhattan. Cable TV didn’t arrive in the other 4 boroughs until the 1980s.
I was in the plumbing supply place at 135 New Dorp Lane last week. The New Dorp must have been a small theater. The existing dropped ceiling is low and you can tell by looking at the back the back of the building from Jacques Avenue that it wsn’t much higher. The barest hint of a projection area can be seen at the back of the store where the ceiling drops even further. I have no idea if it still exists. The building was long ago split down the middle. Over the years many alterations have taken place. An applicance store is in the other half.
Theaters are private businesses. They have the right to show or not show any particular film based on whatever criteria they choose.
It’s too bad that complications ended your plans to save this old moviehouse. But isn’t it hard even in the best cases to turn old theaters into a viable business today?
I didn’t know the Benson was showing porno as early as 1975. The other ‘adult’ ads are an interesting look back. Also I can’t believe that the awful Beatles TV-movie ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was still being shown in 1975.