Fabian Theatre
45 Church Street,
Paterson,
NJ
07505
45 Church Street,
Paterson,
NJ
07505
9 people
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Showing 101 - 111 of 111 comments
Bob
I would love to see those photos from The Fabian, especially the interior shots. If it is easier, I can give you my e-mail. Let me know.
BTW…what other Passaic County theaters do you rememeber and that you might have frequented?
Rhett, I have some poor quality photos of the interior from the 1920’s. I’ll ask my friend to scan them and see if he can post them. I also have some terrific photos of the exterior from the “Jack and the Beanstalk” premiere.
In the mid-60’s, my Mom would often take the bus to Paterson to shop at the big department stores, and I can remember going with her. I had to go there last year for jury duty, and spent some time walking around downtown. It’s truly sad to see the condition it’s in. That area around City Hall with its stately buildings must have been quite prime in the old days.
Bob,
You’re SO right. Being a Paterson native myself and having been to the Fabian when I was a kid, I am greatly saddened on how they let this theater disolve into an eyesore. The hard part is, that it’s still there. I always wished too that someone would restore this theater to it’s original design so that it could become a live landmark for Paterson to show premieres, concerts, shows etc.
Can you imagine the 50th of “A and C, Jack and the beanstalk” at the Fabian, where it premiered. What a story that would’ve been.
You’re right about Paterson. It’s not a safe haven for anyone, even in daytime. Back in the day, my mother could take us kids there, park on the street and not have to worry about getting mugged. It was a different time. Paterson was different. Like the Fabian, The Plaza Theater on Union Ave. also dilapidated and was finally demolished for an auto parts store 2 years ago. Paterson has not one theater now. I don’t know, was it the movies that brought in the bad crowds or just a sign of the times. Blaxploitation, kung fu, slasher movies. Some of them were pretty good and are now classics. I think that through the years, people just become more disrespectful. That’s why the theaters failed. Bad management, bad product, bad people, the times.
Bob, I always wanted to get inside the Fabian to see what it’s become, as well as to have some nostalgic flashback. Might you have any pictures of it’s interior. I was there last year and took pics of the exterior.
I was in the Fabian in 1991 to promote a new book that I had written on Abbott and Costello. At that time, the theater could have still been salvaged. While it was in rough shape, much of it was still intact. (We moved one of the drop ceiling titles in the projection booth of the backstage theaters, and the original proscenium was above it. It was beautiful and in very good condition.)
I was in the theater just a few years ago, and was shocked to see how much damage had occurred. Apparently, a subsequent owner had allowed scavengers to strip anything they could sell. Marble had been rather savagely removed from the mezzanine overlooking the lobby. They even jack-hammered the ornamental air ducts from under the balcony. To make matters worse, there was now considerable water damage to the side walls. The sad part was seeing much of the original ceiling and proscenium, as the leaky roof had caused portions of the drop ceiling to come loose and fall. I left there realizing that this once great theater was beyond hope.
Plus, to be brutally honest, downtown Paterson is not a very safe place, even in the daytime. There’s absolutely no way that a theater could survive in that area.
We did get to see the indoor swimming pool, and it was truly bizarre. In the basement of this decrepit theater/office building, was this beautiful swimming pool with all of these intricate in-laid tiles. Unlike the rest of the building, this area was in fairly good condition. It looked like the scavengers hadn’t discovered it.
Although it was held at the Fabian, we hosted the 50th anniversary premiere showing of Abbott and Costello’s JACK AND THE BEANSTALK at the Loew’s Jersey in 2002. There were no suitable theaters to host this commemorative event in Costello’s hometown of Paterson.
What a shame.
Does anyone remember the Majestic Theater in Paterson which was across thr street from the U.S? They used to show triple feature cowboy films at one time
The Garden, The U.S, The Rivoli…Downtown Paterson had plenty of theaters that all diminished one by one. I believe you can still see the Orpheum sign on a wall by one of the parking lots….In the Hillcrest section…The Plaza (which I hope to include on this site) was demolished 2 years ago. Paterson has nothing, but the Fabian…..a couple of towns over, in Passaic, there’s the Montauk, another former palace, still intact, still running…but, it’s showing porn and a true smut palace. The powers that be don’t have the sense to restore that one either because both towns are crime zones so why bother.
Does anyone remember the Garden Theater which was around the corner from the Fabian?
I always hope that the powers that be in Paterson would wake up, forget about the space and restore the theater to its former glory. It’s the only surviving theater of Paterson and should be spared the wrecking ball. The theater could be a flower in Paterson’s junkyard. Maybe Mayor Torres should check out this site.
The Fabian was one of the best theaters. Back in the day (the 70’s) a family could go to the Fabian and not expect to get mugged afterwards. But Paterson today, is a dangerzone, with gangs and punks and junkies etc. They’d have to clean up the town first.
Last movie I saw there, 1972…The Godfather.
Spragga…The Fabian closed in the early 90’s due to the deterioration of the neighborhood, no-parking at all and the spate of movies. Splatterfilms, low budget horror, martial arts. But mainly, the neighborhood. I saw The Godafather there in 72. My Grandfather took me. In those days you could go to the Fabian and not fear for your life. Now , Paterson is a gangland area of thugs. The Fabian is still there. I’d love to see them restore it, as well as paterson, which they’re trying to do. I think it’s a pipedream though.
The Fabian Theatre is located at 45 Church Street.
Hello. My question is why did the Fabian Theatre close for business?