Montauk Theatre
715 Main Avenue,
Passaic,
NJ
07055
715 Main Avenue,
Passaic,
NJ
07055
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New York Times
March 2, 2006
School Builders Drop Plan to Demolish Nearby Sex Theater and Hotel
By TINA KELLEY
PASSAIC, N.J., March 1 â€" When the Passaic school district chose a home for a new $37 million elementary school, plans included the purchase and demolition of two nearby buildings deemed unsuitable for a school zone: the Montauk Theater, which specializes in pornography, and the Hotel Passaic, the site of prostitution arrests.
But citing a lack of money, the Schools Construction Corporation, the embattled state agency charged with building schools primarily in New Jersey’s poorest districts, told the Passaic superintendent of schools recently that it could not buy and demolish the buildings, at an estimated cost of $5 million.
The decision has angered the superintendent, who accused the agency of reneging on a contract.
Three Democratic state legislators who represent Passaic are also protesting the decision by the corporation, which last year announced that its $8.6 billion budget would cover only half of its expected projects.
“If taxpayers are frustrated about money,” Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer said Wednesday, standing at the site of the school, “I guarantee they’ll be more frustrated if we spend $37 million for a school that absolutely everyone will refuse to send their children to. To have 4- and 5- and 10-year-olds going to school next to a theater that shows pornographic movies, that’s obscene.”
The financial problems at the agency have drawn widespread criticism from educators and politicians throughout New Jersey, and prompted an investigation by the state’s inspector general. In a report, the inspector general called the agency “vulnerable to mismanagement, fiscal malfeasance, conflicts of interest, and waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
Robert H. Holster, superintendent of the Passaic public schools, said that in a 3.1-square-mile city of 68,662, there are limited choices for school sites. Finding this one, on Henry Street at Main Avenue, took several years and much cooperation with the school construction agency, he said.
“Now, for them to make a 180-degree turn and go back on a contractual obligation is unacceptable,” he said, adding that the district would sue the agency if necessary.
“I’m not going to have children in a location where there are undesirables — it’s known as a prostitution and drug area,“ he said, noting that the theater had been closed on a number of occasions for its patrons' inappropriate behavior.
Kevin McElroy, the spokesman for the corporation, said its chief operating officer would meet on Thursday with the legislators who are protesting the agency’s decision. Besides Mr. Schaer, they are Senator Paul A. Sarlo and Assemblyman Frederick Scalera.
“We have decided against pursuing buying the theater and hotel, largely due to cost considerations,” Mr. McElroy said. “However, we’re going back and reviewing everything now. The bottom line is we don’t want to put kids in an unsafe situation.”
The site, on the main street of town, is near a 99-cents store, bargain clothes stores, a grocery and fast-food restaurants.
A sign on the hotel window warns that the area is under 24-hour surveillance. The theater, which has been shuttered during a court battle with the city, has plans to reopen.
Mr. Holster said about a third of the district’s 14,000 students are being taught under conditions that the state calls substandard, and the district has leased five buildings, including a bank and a church, to alleviate overcrowding. It plans to put 700 students in the new school.
“We are in dire need,” he said. “We’re under pressure to meet standards, academic standards, but the conditions for learning are not equitable.”
Mr. McElroy said the agency had already spent about $7 million to acquire land for the school. The theater and hotel would cost $5 million, he said, adding, “We can’t just buy that property and not use it for educational purposes.”
Mr. McElroy said the Henry Street school was one of seven planned for Passaic. “We are considering all possible alternatives” for the Henry Street site, he said.
Around the corner from the school site, Melvin Bermudez was waiting for a bus. He called the hotel “a bad one, with drugs.” Asked if he would send his children to a school next to the theater, he said, “I doubt it.”
Listed in the 1944 FDY as part of Warner Bros. Listed as part of Stanley Warner Corp. in the 1961 Film Daily Yearbook.
I remember the match was for the then..WWWF..main event…Ivan Putski vs. Tor Kamata…Putski was drunk off his arse..it seemed…it wasn’t a big house..and there were seats on the stage for ringside…wish I saw movies there. Many concerts were held there in the 70’s.
I grew up in Passaic in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Fabian Theater was in Paterson.
The Montauk Theater was in Passaic.
They were both on Main Avenue but a couple
of miles and a couple of towns away.
Regarding professional wresting, that
was presented at the Palace Theater
on Market Street in Passaic. Haystack,
Bruno, … every one of the greatest
stars. I can visually recall the posters
pasted along the sidewalk in front of the
Palace advertising coming wrestling
attractions. Pro-wresting and pro-bowling
too were very popular in Passaic during my
boyhood. The bowlers and wrestlers were
practically members of your family, in
terms of familiarity. Can you imagine a
town of maybe 60,000 residents with four or
five theaters around the block from each
other? I lived within walking distance
of them. The Passaic theater district
was better than Times Square, which was
only about an hour away by bus or train &
ferry & subway.
This comment is for Rhett you said that you remember watching a pro- wrestling match at the capital theater in Passaic, Nj… Do you remember who were the participants? I ask because I’ve always felt that a pro wrestling event has always been the ideal show I’ve wanted to see in that theater. The Montauk theater is probably the best bet at this point since the Captitol theater is no longer there. The Montauk has potential to be a far better theater. It can very well be the place where up and coming future comedians can get there start!
Was a Fabian theater in 1963 (courtesy of Bill Heulgig:
View link
On 3/6/1922, a Wurlitzer organ, opus 525, was installed in this theater. In 1923, a Griffith-Beach organ was installed.
The postcard must date prior to 1927. When my uncle, Harry Stein, bought the building, he retitled the building edge to read “Stein Building”. It still reads that way today. PASSAIC
That is definitely the Montauk Theater … the Lincoln Theater
was mid-block on Lexington Avenue. Pictures and words cannot
begin to capture all of the goings on in that general area
of Main Street and Howe Avenue. But I can imagine an episode
of The Twilight Zone in which that benign postcard image is
horrifically morphed into contemporary Passaic.
I found this old postcard. Note the marquee states “New” Montauk. Interestingly it is part of the Lincoln building. Or could this be the Lincoln theater?(not listed on Cinema Treasures, but in the 1951 FDY at 37 Lexington Avenue)
View link
Thanks TC;
Time is running out on me for this current trip to NYC (I leave for LA on Monday) but thanks for the offer of a ride around and directions to some NJ theatres. Hopefully we can do this together next time I am over next year?
I have done the Stanley, New Jersey tour a couple of times. It is wonderful. I also went to see the movies at the Leow’s, New Jersey last week, plus touring the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan theatres. Still many more to go. Too little time, too many theatres!
Let me know if you ever come over to London…that goes for any other Cinema Treasures posters on here!
Will do Ken. I don’t get to Passaic too often, but I’ll keep an eye out for the theater in the local press.
If you’re interested in seeing the more suburban NJ cinemas on this trip let me know and perhaps I can provide some directions and/or a ride.
One recommendation for you is to take the Stanley Theater tour in Jersey City if you haven’t done so yet. I’ve seen the exterior but haven’t made it to the tour yet. Interior photos look fantastic. Easily accessible by public transit (PATH to Journal Square).
Well, I finally got to Passaic today, hoping to take in a movie at the Montauk Theatre, but found it to be ‘closed for renovation’. This must be quite a recent closure as there was no rubbish such as cigarette ends etc behind the roller shutter on the main entrance (which has a bus stop right outside), and the front glass doors were still freshly clean. Letters were still on the marquee proclaiming ‘New Policy. Top Films Mon & Thurs. Doors open 12.
At least I got to see the exterior of this ‘Cinema Treasure’ and just wish I had been in the USA a few weeks earlier so that I could have got inside.
If anyone is local to Passaic/NJ or NYC on Cinema Treasures, can you keep an eye on this one for us please.
CC: That film is Ingmar Bergman’s “Shame”. It’s listed in IMDB under its Swedish title:
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0063611/combined
Bergen County was a real arthouse paradise back then. Besides the Mall in Paramus, there were art houses in Bogota and Fort Lee and probably others.
If you save the picture in the link to your computer, you should be able to blow it up to a much bigger size and hopefully see it better.
If you like to look at old newspapers, the place to go is the Johnson Public Library on Main St. in Hackensack. The Bergen Record microfilm reels are in the basement, and they’re stored out in the open so you don’t have to ask for help – you can take as many as you want and spend the whole afternoon there (which is what I do). Xerox copies are 25 cents per page.
That is a great ad but I wish I could see more of it clearly. I love looking at old newspapers.
Just a question…what movie is playing (in the ad…) at (I think) the Bergen Mall Cinema (theater?) It looks like a movie called “Shame” but I can’t find an entry in IMDB for it. Also, to think that the now lowly Bergen Mall hosted a fine arts theater back then!
Great ad Bill…..from 2001 to gay porn….it’s enough to make you cry. I bet the Montauk was something to behold as a theater , back in the day
Here’s an ad from the Bergen Record dated March 1969, from the Montauk’s good old days:
View link
There are countless articles in the Record of Bergen’s archives from the late 1990s. Most detail the arrests at this theater and the efforts of the community to close it down.
rhett, very saracastically but realistically put. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Yes, some will say that the porn is “saving” The Montauk. Others will argue that the place is drawing a seedy crowd and will either want the place closed or demolished. Frankly, if such as place like The Montauk existed near to where I live, I’d want it closed and/or demolished regardless of it’s former aesthetic value.
Passaic is a classic immigrant community. The last thing on these people’s minds is a classic movie palace in their midst so it’s doubtful for now that there will be any community support.
That’s great that money has been used for renovation…BUT…I doubt seriously that they’re restoring the art work or procenium…what I gather from the reports is that they’re removing every other seat so the “clientele” has a harder time performing sexual acts with each other. So,with all this support to the “clientele”, let’s be frank..they’re not there to watch a movie. They do have places for that…especially in Passaic…no wait, there is a place for that…The Montauk Theater…I have an old newspaper ad from the Montauk when they showed, “My Fair Lady” and “Butch Cassidy”. Sorry, but the Montauk is a symbol for all that’s bad in Passaic. What is the point of keeping it open if alls it’s used for is a XXX sex house. Maybe they should show Shrek to clean the place out. If they are renovating parts of the theater, who’ll see it??
The important thing is that it is still open, and has not been razed, as other similar theaters have (The Pilgrim in Boston comes to mind). Whatever you may think of the owner, she has sunk some money into it by renovating parts of the interior (the workmen used to come in at 12 midnight, when it closed, to do their work). And whatever you may think of the clientele, they have paid money to keep the theater open by their patronage. Anyone who has been to Passaic lately, especially at night, knows that families are not going to go there to see Shrek.
That’s right CC..it just seems that Montauk’s owner is holding it for a tax write-off. Passiac has a gem in it’s own backyard but they’re goin got just let it fester….a damn shame
One of my children had a birthday party to attend this past weekend in nearby Clifton. Knowing the area, I drove down into downtown Passaic to see the outside of The Montauk once again. It’s fascinating. I know a lot of time and money was spent refurbishing Loews Jersey. I cannot help but feel that time would be well spent to rebuild The Montauk.
From the outside, the auditorium must be HUGE. You simply cannot miss this sucker. It stands out brilliantly. As for the neighborhood, my GOD…it’s simply not bad at ALL. There are hardly any vacant stores and the foot traffic was tremendous. Yep, the ethnicity of the people are obviously different from years ago but they come from the same immigrant classes that established and used Passaic as their home 50, 60, 70 years ago. It’s a thriving hispanic enclave. I was completely surprised to see how vital the area was.
I would love to take a look inside the place but from the rather seedy descriptions above, I just don’t think so…
And Rhett: I agree with you 100%. That’s why I find it surprising that no one has grabbed the place yet. Downtown Passaic may be different than it was 40 or 50 years ago but it’s no slum. These are working class hispanics. I’m sure they’d welcome a change to the venue at The Montauk. It’s just not the first thing on their minds….
No one on this site is denying ones right to attend a porno theater if that is your thing, after all in 1974 the Montauk played “Deep Throat” and “Devil and Miss Jones” on a double bill and it was a sell out smash hit. But that was the 70’s, a different time. To those who say they’re glad there’s a theater that shows porn, that’s your right. But, it’s not being a “homophobe” to say that the Montauk is a dilapidated mess. If you wish to go to a theater and see porn the Montauk’s your place, but, when the police have to raid it because men are having sex in the balcony or aisle or bathroom then something is quite wrong. If you want to meet “men” then go to a bar or answer a personal ad. Yes, the Montauk adds a bad element to the former great Passaic. If the theater is that great a monument, then restoring it for more family friendly entertainment is the way. But the owner has no intention of doing so because it’s a great writeoff. They have not upkept the quality of the theater, just the opposite, they let it go because it’s a place for degenerates and perverts. (Those who use the theater for sex needs). There’s many here who are upset that they closed the porn places on 42nd street in NY. I tremember walking along 42nd street in the 80’s. It was a mess and those theaters did not help. They attracted pimps, prostitutes, hustlers, drugs. A family visiting NYC had to fear. Now it’s all Disney. While I wish it could be more single screen theaters, I’m glad they cleaned it up. If you want to buy a popcorn and sit in peace and watch a porn film (in fact I believe they don’t show film but video)then knock yourself out, but it seems that won’t happen .
hello.
I was born and grew up in passaic {corner of myrtle ave and madison street} in the 1960’s and early 70’s. I recall going to the montalk theater as a small child before it turned bad. Was a beautiful theater with an elabotate lobby. I also recall elaborate couches and vanities in the ladies room. Brennnan’s Ice cream parlor was next door and even had its own entrance into the lobby of the montalk. if I recall correctly there was also an entrance across the lobby to the bus station whos front faced henry street, which sold tickets for the nyc line. the lincoln hotel occupied the whole corner of henry and main with its restaurant being on the ground floor, most likely until it closed sometime in the early 50’s. I do know the nj dept of welfare’s office occupied the old restaurant space facing main street in the 1960’s. I also went to the movies often at the central. remember seeing some good sci fi stuff in the early 70’s there. the central was an awesome theater, I remember the facade of the theater gray black and white. the golden coach diner was next door also lost to the wrecking ball. Not many know that the famous beat poet Allan ginsburg was a frequent customer at the diner along with friend passaic born artist and writer Robert smithson whos tag was “ passaic boys are hell” . He wrote “ the monuments of passaic” as well as taking some awesome black and white photos of the passaic area in the 1960’s. I left the passaic area in the mid 1970’s but go back often to take pictures. I wont allow the rough element to intimidate me and keep me from a place that I once called home. Shame whats happend to passaic, good thing for fond memories of what once was.