Kings Theatre

Let’s hope Marty can get some payback from Ratner for supporting his AY project in the form of a Loew’s Kings rennovation.

Quote:
*A little help? I would guess at least $75 million worth to return it to something close to its original elegance. *

Perhaps, but a LOT less than it would to restore many of the other theaters in Brooklyn or Queens….that are basically gutted. At least the place is totally salvagable, unlike places like the Flushing Keiths, or perhaps the Loews Shore which are in total shambles. 75 million there probably wouldn’t even get places like that eveb a quarter restored/fixed.

There is realistic hope for the Kings. Brooklyn has changed drastically over the last decade. Older buildings such as the former Board of Education and Williamsburg Savings Bank tower are currently being converted to luxury condos with apartments selling for over one million. A Billion+ entertainment complex is planned for Coney Island, and Brooklyn will have it’s own version of Madison Square Garden featuring the Nets. A large cultural center in the middle of Flatbush Ave is viable. The political forces appear to be for it. The time is right. I believe the Kings will be restored.

I thought that was too good to be true! But I do see the draperies in the current photo too, but am sure they need to be replaced. The place still looks elegant, even if needs a little help.

That last photo of Warren’s is from page 94 of the 1980 book “Movie Palaces, Survivors Of An Elegant Era” by Ave Pildas. It is doubtful that the draperies have survived as seen there in the intervening 26 years, sad to say. But ‘Bway’ is right; the place is restorable.

Thanks, Warren. I forgot about the Loew’s connection to the Capitol and the Metropolitan completely escaped my mind. Architectural splendor aside, the Kings would have been too remote from the downtown hub (and Brooklyn’s own “theater district”) to have been considered a true flagship for the borough.

Somewhere along the way, the Times picked up an extra 500 seats in its count for the Kings. While the ‘88 article reasonably rounds up the total to 3200, the article from last Sunday’s paper gives that number at 3600. Also… while this was obviously a significant jewel in the Loew’s crown – and no doubt their premiere house in Brooklyn – wouldn’t the Loew’s State in Times Square have been considered the chain’s flagship?

The potential deveoper picture in the Times showed only a few people. I was at the tour in mid October and there were between 50 and 100 people present.

That is a great photograph. Take a look while you can.

Here is hoping there is a happy ending on Flatbush Avenue!

Is there any way one can buy the video on the Wonder Theaters?

The same we feel about people chattering away and text messaging on those obnoxious cell phones!

Well fella posting duplicate messages is not contributing. It is called cluttering. Your repeat comments are the same annoyance to other’s as is the ‘usual off-topic gibberish’ that you complain about other’s doing. It appears to me that your troublemaking ways surface when you run out of legitimate comments to make. If you have nothing interesting to say then say nothing.

The Loew’s Kings video is the same one posted by Dan in PLG on Sep 29, 2006 at 4:52pm. It is also the same video in a downloadable form posted by Dan in PLG on Oct 1, 2006 at 8:49am. Getting desperate for comments fella.