Loew's Canal Theatre

Nonesense, this theater is still very much standing. Nothing is being torn down in this economic environment; especially for new condos! I still think this theater is still standing behind its facade, mostly intact. I do agree that it could be a wonderful addition to Chinatown’s cultural and economic life, but we need to find out what kind of shape it is in.

I’m confused as well B'way. From what I can gather from reading all of the above posts, it appears to me that the interior is still therea and that this theater might be salvagable. I think it could be Manhattan’s greatest “secret” theater.

Thank you very much for your help! Progress lies ahead.

Thanks, KSwizz. You got much better images than I got from the blueprints. How do you know that dressing rooms are demolished?

To KSwizz: Hi! Thank you for sharing these amazing historic blueprints. Two questions…

In order to help preserve the Loew’s Canal Theatre for future generations, it would be much appreciated if you would permit me to upload your photos to flickr, and place them in a photoset. You would receive credit, if you prefer. Please let me know if that will be possible. Also, do you have any photos available in a higher resolution to read the specifications on the blueprints? Please reply here or e-mail me at and let me know. Thanks! – Michael

Enjoy. Points of interest for me include(See if you find them all): slat walks and associated ladders, organ loft, heating mushrooms, theatre vault, Baudelot cooling tower (btw which isn’t the appropriate style of cooling tower for this application typically I don’t think. Dismantled today), exit tunnel & dressing rooms(currently demolished), trap doors x3!, future orchestra pit, organ pipe backlighting, 21 circuit main chandelier!, sky-walk, 3 styles of external brick-work, creative HVAC plenum use, air washer humidifier, coal chute and coal burning boiler flue detail, indirect ceiling lighting and cove lighting strips, mosaics, projector trajectory, strangely located green room, coat of arms(quartered rampant lions & fleuretty Semme-de-lis is there a real person referenced in this coat of arms?), rose dial compass (nautical feel), ornamental iron diffusers, re-designed cosmetic room, drinking fountain, Steel sub-contractor identified, 11 fire hoses, 2339 seating capacity, sump vent to roof (I wish this were common practice). Anyhow those plans are a trove to be sure. And they are only half of the ones available for this theatre.
There are 20,000 sets of plans and prints at the Avery from the offices of T. Lamb alone. Donated after being stored in a theatre basement throughout John J. McNamara tenure at the helm of the T. Lamb architects.

lol,
This is what this mural is about.

negative i wish, other than the darkness of the garage on the bottom left of the ludlow side of the building. this appears to be used as a 2 van(parallel) garage and storage for a dozen paint buckets. My last look inside that garage revealed only a wall on the right with a door where i’d imagine the back/side offings of the theatre to be located. The only thing this says to me is that its most likely that only a small portion of the “backstage” or loading dock is being used currently and/or disturbed.
What is the name of the non-profit in talks with T. Sung/VJHC?

These are the e-mail addresses:

.columbia.edu
.columbia.edu
Archivist Janet Parks:

Why did they need one C of O on the 8th Sept and then another on the 20th? Seems curious.
i’ve also always wondered what a smoke stack that big is doing there. i mean that theater must have had a righteous big coal burning boiler or something.
I’ve been up the fire escape (missing many steps) on the other side of the building, and it has a similar layout as the front in order to evacuate each side of the balcony seating, but the roof is unreachable.
Warner Theatre Canal above your terracotta black tile fake façade you have a set back and a louver which is typical building exterior for a mechanical room. Inside it appears they have built a loft for storage instead of the original 25ft. lobby ceiling.
Where are the Thomas Lamb plans available? Does anyone know where best where to view these?

Thanks Tim for the photo. It’s actually from 1935! I love how you can see the signs for “Chop Suey” and also the Hebrew lettering on another store front. The melting pot in action!

It’s frustrating that no other information has come forward about this theater, its condition, its current ownership or its potential future, but if i find out any additional infor, I will be sure to post it here.

I just looked at Warren’s photos anew and, yes, what a spectacular theater! And a big mystery. What is still behind the facade? How much is left? As the area continues to gentrify and the Financial District directly to the south continues to develop as a high end residential area, can this theater be returned to an entertainment use? How much of the original detail is left? What condition is it in? I could be wrong but I believe the retail store that operated where the entrance was is no longer in business so there is no one to ask. I think this is New York’s biggest movie palace mystery and, potentially, its biggest hidden gem waiting to be polished!

Can this theater turn out to be one of the most amazing hidden gems of New York? The old photos are spectacular. It appears from prior comments that much of the lobby ornamentation remains though it is in bad shape. No one, however, has been able to definitively comment on the status of the auditorium. Through benign neglect, it is possible that it is all still there. One can hope. I do hope that someone is able to get access soon and report back as to what is left and in what condition.

Chinatown is rapdidly gentrifying and the Financial District (the neighborhood just to the south) is rapidly becoming New York’s wealthiest zip code with all of the new high end condos opening. Chinatown is a quick walk from the booming areas of the Lower East Side and FiDi. This site is becoming more valuable by the day.