According to the agenda for tonight’s Great Neck Plaza trustees meeting the matter of the Playhouse demolition is to be tabled until the March 14th meeting. On and on. Delays without resolution. If this continues like the plans for the Lynbrook it will be 2030 or so before anything happens.
The index of materials physically at Hofstra includes other than those listed by theatrefan. I remember that Calderone’s Strand in Hempstead was listed. Perhaps there is something on the Lynbrook. Always wanted to get there to take a photo of the Strand image to put on CT.
Ed, Hofstra has a whole Calderone archive. Some of it can be seen online. For the rest you have to make an appointment. Never actually been there. Might be some Lynbrook interior photos there.
Some discussion about building a multiplex on County Route 58 where Walmart used to be. Plans for another theater further north fell through years ago. Currently zoning only permits a theater to be built on Main Street in the heart of town.
The last theater opened by Calderone was the namesake showplace in Hempstead. Building still exists. Church was supposed to be renovating the auditorium.
The former Westbury, now The Space, is still a functioning venue, albeit mostly for concerts.
A smaller space operated by Calderone in St. James on Second Avenue still exists but as an office building. See references with photos elsewhere on CT.
I concur. It’s been done elsewhere if the facade was given landmark status. It’s bad enough current office buildings are just glass boxes. See my comments above on this subject and check out the picture of the ugly current Shore in Huntington.
For those of you have been there could you narrow down where it was. What is on the site now so we could have an actual address. Any time frame on when it closed? Was the floor pitched? Was there a center aisle? Any physical description? Marquee?
I remember Newsday carrying movie listings for the Community (which was in Ocean Beach) and Point-O-Woods. Haven’t seen any in recent years. However, have been to Ocean Beach in recent years. The Community, which was just the Community Hall with blackout curtains on the windows, still showed movies up until a couple of years ago. Never been to other Fire Island towns so I can’t comment on them.
Uploaded a 1969 photo of the theatre still in operation. This was taken after a median was installed and the sidewalks were reduced in width. Notice that the front of the marquee has been severely damaged. Aluminum was placed over a portion of the bottom. The section which read “A Century Theatre” has been totally trashed. Additional ornamentation which was originally above that is missing.
So, now we need to see a picture of the marquee in its entirety and a picture of the original which was boxy and had white incandescent letters spelling “Bellerose” and yellow running lights.
On Long Island there were only two tiers, adult and child. Yet, although you paid adult at 12 you still had to sit in the children’s section. Being tall for my age I segued into the theater proper as soon as I was 12. Previously, I carried my birth certificate with me to prove I was under 12 for the cashier. In the darkened auditorium there was no contest with the matron. An aside, still proofed at 26 because I looked under the drinking age and at 65 because I looked too young for the senior.
According to the agenda for tonight’s Great Neck Plaza trustees meeting the matter of the Playhouse demolition is to be tabled until the March 14th meeting. On and on. Delays without resolution. If this continues like the plans for the Lynbrook it will be 2030 or so before anything happens.
The index of materials physically at Hofstra includes other than those listed by theatrefan. I remember that Calderone’s Strand in Hempstead was listed. Perhaps there is something on the Lynbrook. Always wanted to get there to take a photo of the Strand image to put on CT.
This was one of architect Charles Sandblom’s first projects after leaving Thomas Lamb to start his own firm.
Uploaded an interior photo which appeared in the 1/12/1922 Exhibitor’s Herald from Cezar Del Vallee’s Theatre Talks.
Ed, Hofstra has a whole Calderone archive. Some of it can be seen online. For the rest you have to make an appointment. Never actually been there. Might be some Lynbrook interior photos there.
Some discussion about building a multiplex on County Route 58 where Walmart used to be. Plans for another theater further north fell through years ago. Currently zoning only permits a theater to be built on Main Street in the heart of town.
The last theater opened by Calderone was the namesake showplace in Hempstead. Building still exists. Church was supposed to be renovating the auditorium.
The former Westbury, now The Space, is still a functioning venue, albeit mostly for concerts.
A smaller space operated by Calderone in St. James on Second Avenue still exists but as an office building. See references with photos elsewhere on CT.
I concur. It’s been done elsewhere if the facade was given landmark status. It’s bad enough current office buildings are just glass boxes. See my comments above on this subject and check out the picture of the ugly current Shore in Huntington.
What we need now are current interior photos. I understand the main floor is cabaret seating a la Studio 54.
Remember the day you just went to a movie? Now they have all these bells and whistles and charge you an arm and a leg.
Concept boggles the mind.
For those of you have been there could you narrow down where it was. What is on the site now so we could have an actual address. Any time frame on when it closed? Was the floor pitched? Was there a center aisle? Any physical description? Marquee?
Historic theater was destroyed by the weight of the snow on it’s roof on Friday night during the ongoing blizzard.
According to the lead the murals are still visible. How come no one has taken interior pix?
Better exterior photo uploaded.
In the current market fifteen or twenty is not unusual.
Uploaded the theatre card for Mummenschanz referred to above.
Uploaded a picture of the Community Center in which the theater was housed.
I remember Newsday carrying movie listings for the Community (which was in Ocean Beach) and Point-O-Woods. Haven’t seen any in recent years. However, have been to Ocean Beach in recent years. The Community, which was just the Community Hall with blackout curtains on the windows, still showed movies up until a couple of years ago. Never been to other Fire Island towns so I can’t comment on them.
Uploaded a 1969 photo of the theatre still in operation. This was taken after a median was installed and the sidewalks were reduced in width. Notice that the front of the marquee has been severely damaged. Aluminum was placed over a portion of the bottom. The section which read “A Century Theatre” has been totally trashed. Additional ornamentation which was originally above that is missing.
So, now we need to see a picture of the marquee in its entirety and a picture of the original which was boxy and had white incandescent letters spelling “Bellerose” and yellow running lights.
Renovated or torn down and rebuilt? That’s been the plan for the last decade or so.
Great photos. Who knew what a grand playhouse it started out as.
If you really want inaccurate information go to any historical society.
So what’s it like after the long reno?
On Long Island there were only two tiers, adult and child. Yet, although you paid adult at 12 you still had to sit in the children’s section. Being tall for my age I segued into the theater proper as soon as I was 12. Previously, I carried my birth certificate with me to prove I was under 12 for the cashier. In the darkened auditorium there was no contest with the matron. An aside, still proofed at 26 because I looked under the drinking age and at 65 because I looked too young for the senior.