Lindenhurst Theatre

20 E. Montauk Highway,
Lindenhurst, NY 11757

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BillyKess
BillyKess on April 8, 2004 at 8:00 am

As sad as it is to lose a landmark, it has always been my opinion that “local officials” need to stay out of it. I consider myself an independent thinking, compassionate conservative, and to me, even republicans are too liberal.

As what I believe to be the American way, governments should stay out of ownerships. The government should not be able to tell the current owner of the closed theater that he can’t demolish what is his. I am sorry to be saying what you don’t want to hear, but that is how I feel.

Personally, I don’t want to see it demolished. I would like to see it preserved, but that decision is not mine, nor the mayor’s, nor anyone else to make but the OWNER.

The government has too much power as it is. As you all know, recently, in NY it has become illegal to smoke cigarettes even in bars. Even if 90% of the patrons AND the owner smokes. That is insane. It should be up to the owner. If the owner wants to allow smoking and risk the loss of business from non-smokers who choose not to patron his establishment, that should be his choice.

If the owner wants to ban smoking in his establishment and risk losing business from the smokers, that too, should be his choice.

And if the owner of the Lindenhurst theater wants to demolish it, and use the property to build a drug store, a nail salon, or anything he wants, he too, should have that choice.

Sorry, but this is the way I feel.

The only thing left to do is try our best to convince him NOT TO demolish it – but at his own free will not to.

He is the owner. That’s the bottom line.

billy kess. www.lindynews.com

bobditt
bobditt on March 30, 2004 at 5:54 am

Hi Orlando
How can I get a t-shirt?
Bob Dittmeier
Farmingdale

RobertR
RobertR on March 9, 2004 at 1:27 pm

I agree, even if The Westbury theatre was in good shape they would not be in the running for the same shows as the Music Fair. I think the Westbury Twin had seating of 1200 so it’s half the size.

Orlando
Orlando on March 8, 2004 at 11:49 pm

The Westbury Twin, whose interior is in deplorable condition want grants to turn the crumbling building to a performing arts center. As owners, they are responsible for the condition of their theatre. The Westbury Music Fair handles this (the performing arts, etc.) very well and I doubt the patrons of the Music Fair will go to Post Avenue for events now handled by them. In the case of the Lindenhurst Theatre, the village and surrounding towns are crying for this. We don’t have this on the south shore which would make this unique.

RobertR
RobertR on March 8, 2004 at 6:59 pm

I think this is the same idea the owners of The Westbury Twin had, but thats a soap opera of itself.

rbtmichl
rbtmichl on March 8, 2004 at 6:54 pm

Hello Orlando. I was researching theaters and came across this web page. I’ve had a dream of operating a performance space on Long Island for many years – something like a mini Westbury Music Fair but with more than just music. I have connections with www.statetheatre.org and would like to propose to the Village and/or owner of the Lindenhurst Theatre something similar. The State Theatre has a long history and is currently a successful and thriving non-profit performance venue due to it’s skilled and creative board of directors and staff. Please contact me to discuss this further. Thanks. Robert.

Orlando
Orlando on February 27, 2004 at 3:55 pm

The Lindenhurst Theatre will be a major concern for voters on March 16, 2004 in the Village of Lindenhurst. The Babylon Beacon will be running a story this coming first week in March.

Orlando
Orlando on February 24, 2004 at 4:41 pm

Thanks to the Save the Lindenhurst Theatre Committee which I founded, this theatre will not become a Walgreen’s Drugstore! Hooray for us! Over 7,500 local signatures presented to the Village of Lindenhurst, where the theatre is located forced officials to reconsider. The mostly Republican board states the building has no historical value along with the Lindenhurst Historical Society, so the building is still on the endangered list. An election on March 16, 2004 for mayor, Raymond Doran, the lone Democrat and theatre supporter through the fight to save it will be running. Hopefully he will win and forge ahead with his plan to save the theatre. Should the Republican nominee for mayor win, the theatre will be lost because he and his board have already thwarted Mr. Doran’s efforts to save the Lindenhurst Theatre. (Tne drugstores have not given up as they’re eyeing the Lindenhurst Bowling Alley opposite the theatre for their pill-popping enterprise). The owner who closed his Northport Theatre in retaliance to the Lindenhurst Theatre furor will wait out the community until he gets his way. (He has a long wait as long as I am alive and breathing). The Republican nominee for mayor has ties to the bowling alley owner and that owner has applied for the downgrading of the bowling alley property and all of this is to be resolved after the electoin which is 3 weeks away. I as a Lindenhurst resident outside the village border, will campaign for Raymond Doran, because I can’t vote in the village election. I will be in front of the theatre for the two weekends and week prior to the election to insure that Raymond Doran gets elected mayor. I will respond to any inquires on the theatre via this site.

William
William on December 17, 2003 at 6:18 pm

The architect of the Lindenhurst Theatre was Maurice D. Sornik. Other theatre he designed were the Central Islip, Central Islip,L.I. NY, Darien, Darien, Conn., Cort, Somerville, NJ, Center, Bloomfield, NJ..

CraigTupot
CraigTupot on November 8, 2002 at 1:09 am

I am also a resident of Lindenhurst. I graduated from NYIT as an architect major … and I always would pass by thinking about how I would love to restore that building. The Lindenhurst movie theater is an icon to Lindenhurst. I would hate to see it go. Losing the Lindenhurst Movie Theater would be a great tragedy as watching Narragansett Inn on Montauk Hwy in Lindenhurst burn down. Narragansett Inn was run down before it was destroyed, but I would of love to see something more unique be designed in its footprint than senior housing. Now you just drive by Lindenhurst … as if driving through lonely roads on an upstate hwy. I also once heard CVS wanted the corner of where the Lindy Movie theater sits. What a shame that will be? How many more Pharmaceutical, Pizza Palaces, Nail and Hair Places can cram into our small town? The town board needs to rethink there quaint town. They have started to beautify Lindenhurst with its elegant outside street lighting, old english style phone booths, and quiet little parks … but the real key is to pressure these outside landlords, and store owners to upkeep their properties. I always looked at Lindenhurst as having great potential to be that model town for the when attracting business. We have a strong and caring community. We just need some focus and action with our Town Officials. If you ask me, as a designer, I would love to see the Lindenhurst Movie theater turn into a move theater/cafe. A theater that would show old time movies from the 20’s to 90’s in which patrons could sit at cafe style seating to eat and chat. I don’t think the theater should compete with the farmingdale multiplex … it should become something unique in itself. The theater has the charm … it just needs the love for it to happen.

Craig S. Tupot –

MarieTupot
MarieTupot on November 7, 2002 at 6:41 am

I am very sad to see the Lindenhurst Theater close. It has been a vital part of the Community of Lindenhurst and its families. One would wonder .. why isn’t our own Village trying to preserve this building .. why isn’t the Beautification of Lindenhurst Committee involved on keeping the Lindenhurst Movie intact. I moved to Lindenhurst in 1955 at the age of 15 ½ from Brooklyn. My husband has lived in Lindenhurst since the age of two (1940/41). It was a wonderful treat as a child to go to the Lindenhurst Theater and see so many wonderful movies .. it was even better than to be allowed as a teenager to meet your friends there and see a movie only for a time later, to be entering the same movie theater on a date or with your future beau. So many special times shared on a Friday or Saturday Night or a Sunday matinee. I remember so well going to the Lindenhurst Movie Theater as a teenager and then bringing my own children to the same movie theater and to experience with them the same wonder that I felt as a child seating in the seats and waiting with excitement for the movie to begin. In Europe, new is built right next to the old buildings and the old buildings are preserved for all to enjoy. It is sad that here in young America, we do not follow that tradition of preserving heritage. The Lindenhurst Theater could be restored to what it originally was. There could be a wonderful mix of movies, old movies to be shown on a particular night which would be attractive to the senior citizens and current movies to entertain the young couples and single people and let us not forget the Disney Movies for our little ones to look forward to on a Saturday afternoon.“”