Yes by all accounts it is. It went from Loews Theatres to Golden Theatres to Cineplex Odeon to Loews Cineplex to AMC Entertainment and since May 2006 it has been under independent ownership.
Actually AMC has redone the Village VII & are redoing the Kips Bay as we speak, so they seem to be working on their theatres that have lower attendance first, just like Regal will be redoing Battery Park City soon. The numbering of the seats I think will coincide with the changes to the AMC Stubs program where the Premiere members will have special reserved sections set up just for them as well as separate lines for tickets and concessions & other perks that the people that have the free version of stubs will not.
Thanks Mike (saps)! Yes the was the great theatre building spree of the late 90’s & early 2000’s that had Loews Cineplex, Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatre Circuit & General Cinemas all building these huge multiplex cinemas everywhere without much research involved in the actual business aspect of the locations themselves. It promptly drove each one of these chains into bankruptcy a few years later.
They are apparently in the process of installing reserved seating in this cinema, as seats and rows are now being individually lettered and numbered. The old Irwin seats that date back to 1999 when they were first installed in the Loews North Versailles however are still being kept for now, unfortunately they have a lot of wear and tear on them.
They also probably figure that their targeted audience of millennials will look everything up on their smartphones & will not even look up to see what titles are listed on the marquee of the theatre. Unfortunately it’s not just AMC as Cineplex is also doing the same thing up in Canada as they are renovating the older Famous Players Multiplexes they have owned since 2005.
As reported by the Coney Island Blog the Shore is now slated to become a hotel and catering hall with retail, there will also be a restaurant and rooftop swimming pool. http://www.theconeyislandblog.com/?p=3383
Bow Tie seemed to be fully committed to this location as witnessed by the extensive renovations they had carried out. I wonder what changed their mind? I guess the “price was right” it’s also interesting to note that four of the five locations acquired by Cinepolis were former Clearview Cinemas. This now gives Cinepolis the entry point into the lucrative Northeastern marketplace. I wonder if they will try their Luxury Cinema Dining & Alcoholic Beverage/Bar concept at the Chelsea? Only time will tell.
I have checked the Calderone Theatres digital collection and unfortunately the Lynbrook is not one of the theatres that they have photo’s of. The collection does however contain lot of vintage photos of the Calderone, Cove, Heampstead, Mineola, Rivoli & Valley Stream Theatres.
AMC finally has removed the Loews signage (see in photo section) and instead of Movie Titles playing the Marquee it now simply reads AMC 19th Street East, the neon has also been changed from white to red to match the red AMC Logo. I wonder when the Kips Bay, 34th Street Lincoln Square & the Orpheum will get the same treatment? On the AMC website they still refer to this theatre as AMC Loews 19th Street East.
Wow, the Shore is just a plain ugly grey box, it looks like they ran out of money during the design and construction phase. Some of the Canadian complexes opened during the same era were much better in terms of design and aesthetics. No wonder they had to merge with Loews to survive. It’s a shame the original Shore had to be demolished.
Is really is a shame that even the front facade could not somehow be salvaged and reincorporated into the new multiplex to somehow give it a little bit of personality.
Link to article in the NY Daily News about the seats being ripped out and thrown into the garbage: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/ziegfeld-theater-seats-thrown-closure-article-1.2526011
Actually this was originally opened in November 94 under the “Sony Theatres” nameplate. In April of 1994 Sony, which owned Loews at the time announced all of the Loews Theatres would be renamed Sony Theatres, all of the signs were changed to Sony for all of the existing theatres here in NYC except the Oriental in Brooklyn, which luckily did not have to suffer that particular indignity. The largest regular auditorium in this complex was named “Loews” as a homage to the original Loew’s 72nd Street theatre. About 3 years after the name change Sony Retail Entertainment decided to go back to using the Loews Theatres name again. This theatre and the Metreon in San Francisco were among the last complexes to be re branded from Sony to Loews.
Wasn’t there talk at some point of Disney taking it over and making it into sort of an “El Capitan Theatre” East? When was the last time the Ziegfeld was renovated, was it by Cineplex Odeon sometime in the mid-nineties?
Part of the reason that may have also hurt the Ziegfeld was that it was not built for live performances like many of the great Palaces from the classic era that presented vaudeville in their early days. It has helped give many of them a second lease on life as they can present live preformances, concerts, comedy shows etc. This venue was built for film presentation only, no stage, no stage house, no dressing rooms etc. I wonder if it would have been possible to retrofit this like was done at the Loew’s Astor Plaza, but also keep the film capabilities as well. Perhaps it just would have been too cost prohibitive.
Thank you Dave-Bronx, there is a book that I have called “Gensler – The Architecture Of Entertainment” that details the Lincoln Square Project, along with ones they had done for Warner Brothers in Burbank, Paramount Pictures in Hollywood & Sony Pictures in Culver City. It’s really a shame they never did another multiplex again because looking at the projects in the book, their design principles evoke a timeless quality of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The Loeks defiantly put a lot more effort into the design of their multiplex projects than A Alan Friedberg or his predecessor Bernie Myerson ever could as evidenced by this complex, Sony Lincoln Sq, 84th Street etc.
Ah yes the Famous Players streetscape theatre concept, these definitely became obsolete well before their time thanks to the stadium seating craze that took over the market place. It’s really a shame because these theatres were really well executed & thought out in their design and unifying theme principals. A concept that Gensler Group took and ran with for their Sony Theatres Lincoln Square complex in NYC which opened in November 1994. Petroff Partnership of Toronto help design these complexes along with the in house design department of Famous Players at the time. I wish there were design blueprints or architectural photos around that would help document these complexes better.
Thank you for posting that video, Mike. The concession stand signage is exactly like the one at the Loew’s Paradise Quad. I can’t believe that even in the mid 90’s they were still using Cups for Popcorn, not bags like every other chain by that time.
I was here way back in September 2001 to see the fully restored Sony reissue of the roadshow version of Funny Girl, which was presented in 6 track digital sound and a Technicolor dye transfer print. It was a stunning print and the sound made the experience simply breathtaking. Plus to have it been shown in such a magnificent house. I will remember it for the rest of my life as one of those cinema going experiences that will never be matched. We even got a present from the Ziegfeld a film poster which I still have in pristine condition. Farewell sweet Ziegfeld, you were a class act up until the very end. You will live on in our collective memories forever.
Who else still has 70mm film capability to show “Hateful Eight” in NYC, the Cinema 1,2,3 & Village East? Did AMC keep the 70mm projector equipment in the Loews Auditorium at Lincoln Square?
Do they still have the original seats from Nov 94 in the rest of the auditoriums? I know the Loews Auditorium did get a seating upgrade in the mid 2000’s. I believe Irwin Seating Company was the main supplier they used in their 90’s projects. This place does need a refresh, but I hope they do not get rid of a lot of the Gensler Design details that went into the look of the lobbies and auditoriums, otherwise it will wind up looking just like any other modern AMC with no unique individuality whatsoever.
Looking at the photo’s on the archive site you can see all the design details that Rockwell Group had done for Loews Theatres that would be carried out in all new multiplex’s constructed from hence forth. I think the Loews 84th street redo was done just before this project to gauge his design concepts for the theatres & how patrons would respond. I also wonder why Gensler only got to do the Lincoln Square project for the chain and were never used again by Loews?
Yes by all accounts it is. It went from Loews Theatres to Golden Theatres to Cineplex Odeon to Loews Cineplex to AMC Entertainment and since May 2006 it has been under independent ownership.
Actually AMC has redone the Village VII & are redoing the Kips Bay as we speak, so they seem to be working on their theatres that have lower attendance first, just like Regal will be redoing Battery Park City soon. The numbering of the seats I think will coincide with the changes to the AMC Stubs program where the Premiere members will have special reserved sections set up just for them as well as separate lines for tickets and concessions & other perks that the people that have the free version of stubs will not.
Thanks Mike (saps)! Yes the was the great theatre building spree of the late 90’s & early 2000’s that had Loews Cineplex, Regal Cinemas, United Artists Theatre Circuit & General Cinemas all building these huge multiplex cinemas everywhere without much research involved in the actual business aspect of the locations themselves. It promptly drove each one of these chains into bankruptcy a few years later.
They are apparently in the process of installing reserved seating in this cinema, as seats and rows are now being individually lettered and numbered. The old Irwin seats that date back to 1999 when they were first installed in the Loews North Versailles however are still being kept for now, unfortunately they have a lot of wear and tear on them.
Thanks rivest266, currently in Street View the entrance looks it got turned into a LOLE Clothing store after Foot Locker moved out last year.
They also probably figure that their targeted audience of millennials will look everything up on their smartphones & will not even look up to see what titles are listed on the marquee of the theatre. Unfortunately it’s not just AMC as Cineplex is also doing the same thing up in Canada as they are renovating the older Famous Players Multiplexes they have owned since 2005.
As reported by the Coney Island Blog the Shore is now slated to become a hotel and catering hall with retail, there will also be a restaurant and rooftop swimming pool. http://www.theconeyislandblog.com/?p=3383
Bow Tie seemed to be fully committed to this location as witnessed by the extensive renovations they had carried out. I wonder what changed their mind? I guess the “price was right” it’s also interesting to note that four of the five locations acquired by Cinepolis were former Clearview Cinemas. This now gives Cinepolis the entry point into the lucrative Northeastern marketplace. I wonder if they will try their Luxury Cinema Dining & Alcoholic Beverage/Bar concept at the Chelsea? Only time will tell.
According to a Real Estate listing website, it is listed for sale for $4,499,000 and will be delivered to the buyer vacant.
I have checked the Calderone Theatres digital collection and unfortunately the Lynbrook is not one of the theatres that they have photo’s of. The collection does however contain lot of vintage photos of the Calderone, Cove, Heampstead, Mineola, Rivoli & Valley Stream Theatres.
AMC finally has removed the Loews signage (see in photo section) and instead of Movie Titles playing the Marquee it now simply reads AMC 19th Street East, the neon has also been changed from white to red to match the red AMC Logo. I wonder when the Kips Bay, 34th Street Lincoln Square & the Orpheum will get the same treatment? On the AMC website they still refer to this theatre as AMC Loews 19th Street East.
Wow, the Shore is just a plain ugly grey box, it looks like they ran out of money during the design and construction phase. Some of the Canadian complexes opened during the same era were much better in terms of design and aesthetics. No wonder they had to merge with Loews to survive. It’s a shame the original Shore had to be demolished.
Is really is a shame that even the front facade could not somehow be salvaged and reincorporated into the new multiplex to somehow give it a little bit of personality.
Link to article in the NY Daily News about the seats being ripped out and thrown into the garbage: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/ziegfeld-theater-seats-thrown-closure-article-1.2526011
Actually this was originally opened in November 94 under the “Sony Theatres” nameplate. In April of 1994 Sony, which owned Loews at the time announced all of the Loews Theatres would be renamed Sony Theatres, all of the signs were changed to Sony for all of the existing theatres here in NYC except the Oriental in Brooklyn, which luckily did not have to suffer that particular indignity. The largest regular auditorium in this complex was named “Loews” as a homage to the original Loew’s 72nd Street theatre. About 3 years after the name change Sony Retail Entertainment decided to go back to using the Loews Theatres name again. This theatre and the Metreon in San Francisco were among the last complexes to be re branded from Sony to Loews.
That is great news! I hope they will be able to restore plenty of the former glory this theatre once used to have.
Wasn’t there talk at some point of Disney taking it over and making it into sort of an “El Capitan Theatre” East? When was the last time the Ziegfeld was renovated, was it by Cineplex Odeon sometime in the mid-nineties?
Part of the reason that may have also hurt the Ziegfeld was that it was not built for live performances like many of the great Palaces from the classic era that presented vaudeville in their early days. It has helped give many of them a second lease on life as they can present live preformances, concerts, comedy shows etc. This venue was built for film presentation only, no stage, no stage house, no dressing rooms etc. I wonder if it would have been possible to retrofit this like was done at the Loew’s Astor Plaza, but also keep the film capabilities as well. Perhaps it just would have been too cost prohibitive.
Thank you Dave-Bronx, there is a book that I have called “Gensler – The Architecture Of Entertainment” that details the Lincoln Square Project, along with ones they had done for Warner Brothers in Burbank, Paramount Pictures in Hollywood & Sony Pictures in Culver City. It’s really a shame they never did another multiplex again because looking at the projects in the book, their design principles evoke a timeless quality of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The Loeks defiantly put a lot more effort into the design of their multiplex projects than A Alan Friedberg or his predecessor Bernie Myerson ever could as evidenced by this complex, Sony Lincoln Sq, 84th Street etc.
Ah yes the Famous Players streetscape theatre concept, these definitely became obsolete well before their time thanks to the stadium seating craze that took over the market place. It’s really a shame because these theatres were really well executed & thought out in their design and unifying theme principals. A concept that Gensler Group took and ran with for their Sony Theatres Lincoln Square complex in NYC which opened in November 1994. Petroff Partnership of Toronto help design these complexes along with the in house design department of Famous Players at the time. I wish there were design blueprints or architectural photos around that would help document these complexes better.
Thank you for posting that video, Mike. The concession stand signage is exactly like the one at the Loew’s Paradise Quad. I can’t believe that even in the mid 90’s they were still using Cups for Popcorn, not bags like every other chain by that time.
I was here way back in September 2001 to see the fully restored Sony reissue of the roadshow version of Funny Girl, which was presented in 6 track digital sound and a Technicolor dye transfer print. It was a stunning print and the sound made the experience simply breathtaking. Plus to have it been shown in such a magnificent house. I will remember it for the rest of my life as one of those cinema going experiences that will never be matched. We even got a present from the Ziegfeld a film poster which I still have in pristine condition. Farewell sweet Ziegfeld, you were a class act up until the very end. You will live on in our collective memories forever.
Who else still has 70mm film capability to show “Hateful Eight” in NYC, the Cinema 1,2,3 & Village East? Did AMC keep the 70mm projector equipment in the Loews Auditorium at Lincoln Square?
Do they still have the original seats from Nov 94 in the rest of the auditoriums? I know the Loews Auditorium did get a seating upgrade in the mid 2000’s. I believe Irwin Seating Company was the main supplier they used in their 90’s projects. This place does need a refresh, but I hope they do not get rid of a lot of the Gensler Design details that went into the look of the lobbies and auditoriums, otherwise it will wind up looking just like any other modern AMC with no unique individuality whatsoever.
Looking at the photo’s on the archive site you can see all the design details that Rockwell Group had done for Loews Theatres that would be carried out in all new multiplex’s constructed from hence forth. I think the Loews 84th street redo was done just before this project to gauge his design concepts for the theatres & how patrons would respond. I also wonder why Gensler only got to do the Lincoln Square project for the chain and were never used again by Loews?