Plaza Theatre
393 East Main Street,
Patchogue,
NY
11772
393 East Main Street,
Patchogue,
NY
11772
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 150 of 202 comments
Last I heard, Brookhaven Town was trying to condemn the Plaza, but I haven’t heard anything in a while. The place looks awful on the outside.
Newsday and Newsday.com are working on an article about the history, and future, of the Plaza Theatre. If you are interested in talking to a reporter, please email: .
Thanks!
PW
Violet and Jolly-
The tall dark-haired man you’re speaking of worked at the UA Patchogue on Main Steet, before it became the Performing Arts Center. We used to refer to him as “Clark Gable” (it was the hair, I guess), but his name was Charlie. After UA closed that theater, perhaps a year after the Patchogue-13 opened, I remember I had to go back and retrieve some door hardware to use over at the Patchogue 13. I went into the building, and Charlie was there reading the paper! Scared the hell out of me. He had a key to the building, and continued “hanging out” there, though the theater was closed for some time. I do have it from a reliable source that he is no longer with us.
As far as the Plaza, UA did hold the note on this building, though it’s closing operator was RKO or Almi-Century. I remember doing inspection reports at this theater when it was open, for UA Real Estate, with the manager of the Bay Shore Drive-In (around 1983, I would guess).
Hi! Just discovered this website and love it. My family used to summer in Patchogue 50s-70s and it was one of the happiest times of my life. I’ve also posted a message on the Patchogue theatre web site. But I just wanted to share my recollections of the Plaza. I remember vividly when it opened. It was considered high-class at that time and would show “art” films. While that may have been the noble intent it eventually showed mainstream Hollywood films. I remember seeing Hitchcock’s MARNIE there as well as AIRPORT. I got married in 73 and moved to Las Vegas in 79, so I haven’t seen Patchogue since the mid 70s but I can tell you, that the Plaza was a lovely, modern movie theatre in its time and it was a pleasure to see movies there. I also remember Sweezy and Newins and wasn’t there a dept. store called the Bee Hive or something like that located close to the Plaza? My grandmother always shopped at this store and Sweezys. I made some wonderful friends in Patchogue in those years – was usher for Ronnie Bruce in his wedding, served in Basic Training with Tony Graviano in South Carolina, visited Sharon and Ray Terry’s
first apt when they got married (it was called a Garden Apt and it was one of the first in Patchogue!), tooled around town in Bob Capo’s red MG with the top down (Bob used to drive it right into our backyard!). I remember the Patchogue Community Pool and John’s Bargain Store and the Rialto Theatre and the great old Patchogue Theatre on Main Street. We used to attend Mass at every Sunday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel… it used to be downtown on Main Street and then they build a newer, bigger church on (I think?) Medford Ave. I remember the 5 & 10 on Main Street (I believe it was across the street from the Patchogue Movie Theatre) – does anyone remember the 5&10 and its name? The Rialto was where we saw every Jerry Lewis movie and the scary movies of the period. Anyone out there who would like to share memories and/or updates of Patchogue, I’d love to hear from them here! Thanks!
I don’t live in Patchogue, but it’s really for the best. Judging from the pictures I"ve seen, there was absolutely no way that this would be revitalized or restored as a working theater. Too much time had passed. What I don’t understand is why the owner just left it to rot all these years?
Well, it’s officialy….the Plaza Theater has FINALLY been condemned, and will be torn down. An end to a two decade long battle to rid East Main Street of the blight of the Plaza Theater.
Here’s an article from the Long Island Advance:
View link
Here’s some quotes from the article about the theater:
[i]
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The theater condemnation has spurred other positive movement along the corridor, Eddington explained. For instance, a developer has opted to buy the abandoned True Value Hardware Store, located across the street from the theater and a little further east. Like the Plaza Theatre, the hardware store has also become an eyesore and roost for pigeons.
“The condemnation of the Plaza Theatre is what appears to have spurred this developer into wanting the True Value Property,†said Eddington. Eddington added that the new owner has agreed to pay for an extension of the Patchogue sewer system up to his building and to pay for the caps needed for other businesses en route to hook into sewer lines as well.
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The corridor project itself, said Eddington, for now will include buying the several parcels of land on which the Plaza Theatre is located in order to convert the back parcels into a large off-street parking lot; realigning the two intersections; and improving the traffic flow on East Main Street from Route 112 to Phyllis Drive and between Swan Lake and County Route 101.
Eddington said he negotiated with Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, who had removed $4 million for the project from the county’s 2007 budget. “The Patchogue East Main Street Project was just one of several projects put on hold when the legislature brought the capital budget in $14 million over. I negotiated for Levy’s help with the Plaza Theatre condemnation and for enough money to be placed into the 2007 budget to get a number of things done on the project,†he said.
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The last movie I saw at the Plaza was Ghostbusters, and that came out in 1984, so it was still open in 1984. It closed soon after that though, but I don’t know if it was a year or two years later.
Wow, I’m really excited to see so many people interested in Patchogue on this site. I really like reading about Patchogue’s history and its current developments.
I’m too young to remember these theaters (except, of course, the new Patchogue Theater), though I feel like I vaguely remember seeing “The Fox & The Hound” at the Plaza. That movie came out in ‘81, and I was born in '84, so perhaps it was a re-release around 1988 or so. The posts here indicate it closed sometime around 1985. Does anyone remember it being open later than that?
Time for this to go ………….
CT member and former theater manager Wally1975 sent me an image of the Newsday article to post here:
Newsday July 6 2006
Click Here: Check out “Plaza Theater in Patchogue to be condemned – Newsday.com”
The theater is getting worse and worse, the fasace is now covered with graffiti.
I worked in the box office at the Plaza during my junior and senior years of high school. Some of the movies that were showing at the time were Breakfast Club, Weird Science and Silverado, so the Plaza had to have closed after 1985. I don’t care what anyone says about the Plaza, it was a great place to work and see shows. When I worked there it was an RKO theater not UA- I believe it was always RKO. I remember the nostalgic 40s and 50s retro decor and the fact that the place was always spotless. I remember the color scheme as red not blue, however. I saw some of the pictures of the inside of the Plaza on lioddities.com and was really saddened to see the terrible fate of such a great place. I can remember Friday & Saturday nights of a movie premiere when the line for tickets would stretch around the building into the parking lot. Me and my best friend would always try to work the same hours; me in the box office and she at the concession stand. Joey- you stated in your 9/19/04 entry that you took some pictures of the interior- are these the same pictures that are on lioddities.com?? If not, where can I view them?? Do you have any pictures of the lobby or box office?? Any info would be welcome, thanks
I think the last movie I saw there when it was a single screen was either CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, or SUPERMAN. I liked the woodwork on the sides and the stained glass exit signs.
I remember seeing tales from the crypt in the old rialto theater and then having to walk past the old church, and behind the bank and chinese food place, and it was late and dark, and as a young kid you were scared sh##less because you thought one of those crazy you just seen in the movie was lurking behind some garbage dumpster…… ahhh the good old days… sure miss them.
The old Patchogue theater across from the old Patchogue Stationary is now The Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts, near the lace mill. It has been meticulously restored in the mid 90’s, and while it no longer shows movies, it is used by Bellport’s Gateway Playhouse for Broadway Shows, as well as other activites.
The Plaza theater was on the east side of Patchogue near where the old Finast was near Washington Ave and Phylis Drive.
Was the Patchogue Theater located across the street from the Patchogue Stationary store and next to the Post Office?
For some reason I seem to remember a theater near the Lace Mill. Which theater was which?
You are all talking about the Patchogue Theater, but not about the Plaza. The Plaza may be worth it. Many people still, myself included, still think the Loew’s Kings in Brooklyn, /theaters/1360 ,is worth saving, and that has been closed since 1979. You may also want to do a keyword search on this site for the Loew’s Jersey, which was restored. Maybe the Patchogue Plaza can be saved as a movie house for fifties revival film festivals, or a performing arts center. I would like to see the blue curtains and lights shine again. They want to move me into Staten Island, but I would certainly come to see that.
Yes! The pencil thin mustache. I also miss Patchogue Stationary. Office Max, Staples, et al, just don’t compare. I know that Patchogue is struggling to come back; I hope it succeeds.
Isn’t it – hasn’t it long been the time – to tear down the Plaza Theater? It was once worth saving, but in its current, ruinous (and long-deteriorating) state, it’s become a ruin with little of note that could be (and/or, logically, should be) salvaged. If the audience is there to support it, the wisest plan would be to build a new multiplex on the land.
Yes, it was with out a doubt across from patchogue stationary and a couple stores down from chucky’s grill. you could even cut through next to that big church with the big iron gate alley way. thats him tall, skinny, with dark hair combed back, big nose and a pencil thin mustache. I dont know why the name robert sticks in my mind. I know they had done a small ad in the local paper about him having never missed a day of work at the theater I think his sister or something gave the interview, so maybe he had passed away… not sure. take care.
I asked my sister and this was her response:
I remember the guy….Have no idea which theatre. It wasn’t the Rialto, I don’t think it was. Had to be Patchogue theatre. I don’t know. Carl and Ethel were at the Rialto…an old German couple…Carl was short and round. Ethel was ugly as a mud fence and mean.
I am PRETTY sure it was Patchogue…but it could have been the Plaza. He always looked the same, right? Dark hair sort of slicked back, a kind of big nose??
I DO remember him….I have to ask my sister if she does….she may have known his name because she asst-managed the Rialto and had to deal with the other theaters. But I can picture him. When were you a movie goer there?
I remember seeing a really tall skinny man dressed in red jacket and black pants who was an usher working at the patchogue theater taking tickets when you walked in. it was on main street across from Grants. it seemed like he was there forever, anybody remember him?
I was definitely thinking of the Plaza. The Ward and Glynne’s, or, as it is known today, the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts was darker in its color scheme. The plaza was blue, with lighting of the type never thought of in the 1920s. There were many gels over what can be considered floodlights behind those blue curtains.