Grandview Theater
659 Grandview Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
659 Grandview Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
2 people
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The Lee Theatre opened around 1923 with a seating capacity of 550—sometimes given as 600. In the mid-1930s it was renamed the Model Theatre, closing in 1951. Afterwards, the building became a synagogue at one point.
The Pioneer (sc. 524—also sometimes listed as 600) opened around 1922 and closed in 1955.
Lost Memory, as concerns the seating capacity of the Ridgewood Hippodrome. It most likely opened before the 1913 changes in the city ordinances. This would place seating at less than 299. Judging from your response a lot less. It was probably just a storefront theatre.
Actually, when I lived in Ridgewood, my neighbor was an old lady that had entire sets of dishes from the various theaters in the area. Many of the theaters in Ridgewood gave out a differnt piece from the set each week or so. She must have gone to the movies alot because she had entire sets of dishes.
“Itch” and “dump” were once common slang terms for run-down movie houses. Many of these had problems with cleanliness and sanitation. The Daily News once described the Globe, in Park Slope, as “so filthy that the management kept the lights off even when the movie was over”. In a totally unscientific survey, I have found the term “itch” used more in Brooklyn while in Queens “dump” was favored. Anyone wish to contribute to this survey? In any case, it wasn’t unusual to find two or more dumps/itches in a neighborhood.
Screeno, bank night, dish night, crazy auctions and a whole host of other gimmicks/novelties were once part of movie going and helped to lure audiences into the movie house (as if the double feature, chapter, cartoon(s) and short subject(s) weren’t enough).
My apologies. It should have been Ralph Street for the Ridgewood Hippodrome. Sorry about that.Also in Trow’s Business Directory for 1912, the Ridgewood Casino is listed at 381 Knickerbocker. The 1914-15 Directory does have various theatres listed that were predominately vaudeville, legit, or burlesque. Vaudeville wouldn’t necessarily account for the absence of the Ridgewood as mentioned by Warren. There might be other reasons for this just as there might be reasons for the Woodward and Woodbine Avenue listing for the Grandview.
it would be a grand view if their were two what would you say to that
I have the old rentroll from my grandmother’s building in Ridgewood in 1941. Apartments rented for between $21 and $28 in the building in 1941. $25 was the equivilant of a month’s rent!
That was still a nice windfall back then. As a matter of fact i bet people would still be happy to win $25.
Wow this is the first I ever heard of “Screeno”.
lostmemory, I think the southeastern end of Woodward Avenue, at Catalpa Avenue, is about 860. 552 Woodward is about at Menahan Street. Bway and I had wondered privately between ourselves if Ralph St. was the old name for Menahan, because if you continued Ralph Avenue northeast past Broadway, parallel to Grove and Bleecker Sts. it would BE Menahan St. Thanks for confirming this.
There is an old postcard-type photo of Ridgewood at Ralph St. on the “Lost Brooklyn Trips” website. I’ll send you the link if you don’t already have it.
“The American Motion Picture Directory : A Cyclopedic Directory of the Motion Picture Industry 1914-15” does list the Grand View Theatre (their spelling) and gives the address as Woodward & Woodbine. Hopefully that makes some sense to those in Ridgewood. If not there could be a couple of good reasons for this address. The Ridgewood Folly is not listed. The Grand View is under Brooklyn Theatres. The only one mentioned under its own Ridgewood section is the Irving Theatre. Other theatres listed with the name Ridgewood are:
Ridgewood Hippodrome 498 Ralph Avenue
Ridgewood Amusement Co. 189 Elgert (most likely not the name of the theatre)
Ridgewood Amusement Palace 490 Woodward
Ridgewood Casino 383 Knickerbocker Avenue.
As concerns the 1926 listing of the Grand View on Grand Street. The Film Daily Yearbook erred (it did happen on occasion). It should have read Grandview and not Grand Street. The Grand Theatre opened in 1913 at 741 Grand Street. It is listed at that address in the 1929 Film Daily Yearbook as is the Grand View (once again their spelling) at 659 Grandview.
Thanks for posting that article, it has confirmed what I thought all along that the open air theater was on the parking lot.
I rember the Grandview very well it had uncomfortable wooden benchs but nothing can compare to watching a movie under the stars.
Yes, that’s looking west.
Here’s an angle looking “east”, towards Gates Ave.
Click Here
Thanks, Bway. What’s the direction of your photo ? I think we’re looking north at the north corner of Grandview and Gates, obliquely northwest on Grandview.
No they both occupied the same exact space.
I believe the Folly stood on the space where the parking lot is now, between the GRandview and the white wall. If you look at an old photo of the Folly, there is a building to the right of it, so it couldn’t be on the corner. The building to the right of the Grandview is a newer (probably 1960’s home), and that is on the corner now. The life of the Ridgewood Folly, Grandview Theater could be similar to the Evergreen. Originally an open air theater (the Folly), and then later they built the Grandview next to it.
Here’s a current view of the Grandview Theater taken today.
Click Here for Link
The is Grandview is now Morton Funeral Home, Ridgewood Chapels. The Ridgewood Folly also occupied this site, to the left of the Grandview where the parking lot is now.
The Grandview closed in 55 I thought it was a fun place to catch a flick too bad it had to go
The Ridgewood Folly Theatre closed in 1912 being replaced by the Grandview Theatre in 1913.
S.G. Cogan
Queens Genealogy Workshop
Just a Dragnet joke. Of course I can spell “arrogant” ! I could even sing it to the tune of “Harrigan” !
To protect the innocent !
My modus operandi is to consider myself correct, until proven wrong.
Good. Believing oneself perfect, or correct all the time, is a symptom of a delusional mind.
JOSEPH HARTMAN & SONS purchased most of the land including the Grandview Theatre property from the IVANHOE CO. Your theory is correct as the McKinley Construction Company built many commercial structures including this one.
S.G. Cogan
Queens Genealogy Workshop