I think the bottom line is, if the Keith’s were in Times Square, Trump or somebody would be interested. But it’s in Queens. Of course, if it were in Times Square it could probably make money. In Queens, it would have to be part of some major redevelopment project. You know, like with a new baseball stadium, new stores, new housing… too bad there’s nothing at all like THAT going on nearby…
That “press release” is one of the most unprofessional pieces of PR crap I’ve ever read — and I’ve read PLENTY of PR crap. They simply lifted whole sections out of Boymelgreen’s boiler-plate PR statements for THEIR plan, and recycled it to make it seem like there’s a plan “in place” — when, in fact, there is NO plan in place. The fact that the identical sentence about condo buyers being able to “use a portion of their unit as a home office” is repeated just a few lines apart, shows just how badly this release was put together.
It would appear that this piece of property just keeps attracting the bottom-feeders in NYC real estate.
Whoops, sorry — that link didn’t seem to work; go to http://maps.live.com, put in 744 Allerton Ave, Bronx, NY as the location, and choose Bird’s eye View; you’ll see the building on the south side of Allerton.
The street view photos on Google Maps and the Bird’s eye View photos on LiveSearch both show Payless still there, and those appear to be fairly recent. Interestingly, viewing the building from the rear in the Live Search Bird’s eye View (http://tinyurl.com/3ocwn6) you can see that the theater building has a stepped roof that actually peaks in the middle, rather than at one end — which seems kind of curious to me.
Comparing the two photos, it appears that allegation is correct — although the actual theater entrance and marquee would have been to the left in the second photo, behind the corner building in the foreground.
Incredible finds! You ought to post this to some of the other RKO Stanley Warner/Proctor’s theaters mentioned…or at least make sure the guys in charge here are aware of it, so they can alert others somehow. This is BIG…really BIG!
This is really a great story, one which I hope will receive wider press coverage. And the description of the Palace at the top should be updated as well — describing its status as “closed” and its future as “uncertain” now seems inaccurate.
Hey shoeshoe, if you write for Fairfield Weekly, do you know Lorraine Gengo? She used to be the editor, but I think she left. I’m an old friend of her mother.
p.s. As for there being a bowling alley downstairs, I really don’t recall that. But I do remember there being a bowling alley in the area known as Woodhaven Lanes — and if you want a classic example of just how confused the community names in Queens can be, try Googling “Woodhaven Lanes.” You’ll immediately get a page on which it is variously referred to as:
Woodhaven Lanes, in Forest Hills
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes – Rego Park, NY 11374 – …
Brunswick Woodhaven Lane – Queens/Middle Village – Flushing, NY 11385
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes in Flushing
John, thanks for that information. I suspect that the Drake would not want to be known as a Middle Village venue, because the Arion already was drawing the Middle Village crowd, and the Drake wanted to be identified with the area from which it was most likely to draw — whether that was thought of as West Forest Hills (at it apparently was initially) or Rego Park.
I know I saw that series, but I can’t remember how long ago it was. I do have Robert Caro’s Moses biography, The Power Broker, which is of course the authoritative work and the basis for much of what was said about him in the film. Fascinating, and deeply flawed, personality — and the ultimate irony is that, though he built all those roads, detested mass transit and was determined to pave over just about everything, he never learned to drive!
Anyway, now back to the Polk’s Red Hot XXX Double Feature, “I Can’t Drive A Stick” and “Rear-Ended Thanks to Robert Moses.” Sorry, all out of popcorn.
Well, you certainly make some very reasonable, intelligent arguments. I agree completely that the city has improved in many ways since that 70s – 90s period. But whether you “have to” tear down in order to build is open to question. Was it really necessary to tear down Penn Station in order to build a new MSG? Was it really necessary to tear down the Singer Building in order to build whatever that glass box is that stands in its place? Most decisions are based on the economic conditions at the time and speculation, not on real necessity. Look at all the additional “land” being created over the West Side rail yards, or the Atlantic rail yards. How much of that is going to be utilized for middle class housing — REAL middle class housing that families can actually afford? And how many housing units would be available if real estate interests weren’t warehousing buildings and controlling the market to ENSURE that prices are driven up? And what does any of this have to do with the Polk Theatre? Not a blessed thing, as usual, but thanks for the opportunity to vent!
We now return you to Hot Nurses in today’s XXX Polk double feature.
LuisV, your rose-colored glasses need a cleaning. The fact that large parts of NYC in the 70s and 80s were dangerous and filthy doesn’t mean that architecturally significant buildings had to be demolished to change things. Yes, there’s a lot of exciting stuff being built. But there’s no reason why existing stuff can’t be preserved and made clean and vital. “Economic feasibility” in the city has come to mean driving the middle class completely out of Manhattan, and turning Queens into a wasteland of architecturally dreadful Fedders specials (see ForgottenNY.com for details) without so much as a blade of grass around the paved-over front lawns. You’re confusing expediency with feasibility, and squeezing every last bit of profit out of property with responsible, sustainable development.
R before E, E before R… doesn’t much matter now that it’s G O N E, does it? It’s just a shame nobody was able to salvage the marquee — especially if the original art moderne lettering was still underneath. That was a gem, and should have gone to that museum of vintage neon signs.
I doubt there were many more stage productions of anything like “Bagels and Yox” after that. The Jewish population in that area was rapidly departing in the mid to late 60s. We moved from E. 167th and College Ave. to Queens in ‘63. My aunt had moved from Belmont Avenue to Concourse Village, on the other side of the Concourse near 161st St., around 1965 or 66. She hung on for a while, but moved to Florida in the early 70s. My uncle had lived in the vicinity of E. 167th and Sherman Ave., but moved to Central Ave. in Yonkers around '65 or '66.
I think the bottom line is, if the Keith’s were in Times Square, Trump or somebody would be interested. But it’s in Queens. Of course, if it were in Times Square it could probably make money. In Queens, it would have to be part of some major redevelopment project. You know, like with a new baseball stadium, new stores, new housing… too bad there’s nothing at all like THAT going on nearby…
That “press release” is one of the most unprofessional pieces of PR crap I’ve ever read — and I’ve read PLENTY of PR crap. They simply lifted whole sections out of Boymelgreen’s boiler-plate PR statements for THEIR plan, and recycled it to make it seem like there’s a plan “in place” — when, in fact, there is NO plan in place. The fact that the identical sentence about condo buyers being able to “use a portion of their unit as a home office” is repeated just a few lines apart, shows just how badly this release was put together.
It would appear that this piece of property just keeps attracting the bottom-feeders in NYC real estate.
I have never before heard of a “vacant” site being sold on the basis of a development “plan” that the previous owner drew up and then abandoned.
Whoops, sorry — that link didn’t seem to work; go to http://maps.live.com, put in 744 Allerton Ave, Bronx, NY as the location, and choose Bird’s eye View; you’ll see the building on the south side of Allerton.
The street view photos on Google Maps and the Bird’s eye View photos on LiveSearch both show Payless still there, and those appear to be fairly recent. Interestingly, viewing the building from the rear in the Live Search Bird’s eye View (http://tinyurl.com/3ocwn6) you can see that the theater building has a stepped roof that actually peaks in the middle, rather than at one end — which seems kind of curious to me.
Comparing the two photos, it appears that allegation is correct — although the actual theater entrance and marquee would have been to the left in the second photo, behind the corner building in the foreground.
Boy, that photo kind of defines the gritty 70s!
“my friend’s the projectionist and she showed me everything.”
Ah, to be young again.
‘Twas beauty killed Donald Manes?
Incredible finds! You ought to post this to some of the other RKO Stanley Warner/Proctor’s theaters mentioned…or at least make sure the guys in charge here are aware of it, so they can alert others somehow. This is BIG…really BIG!
This is really a great story, one which I hope will receive wider press coverage. And the description of the Palace at the top should be updated as well — describing its status as “closed” and its future as “uncertain” now seems inaccurate.
Hey shoeshoe, if you write for Fairfield Weekly, do you know Lorraine Gengo? She used to be the editor, but I think she left. I’m an old friend of her mother.
Boy…that just looks worse all the time!
So let’s see: it went from 1232 seats, to 918, to 771, to 0. Guess that’s progress.
p.s. As for there being a bowling alley downstairs, I really don’t recall that. But I do remember there being a bowling alley in the area known as Woodhaven Lanes — and if you want a classic example of just how confused the community names in Queens can be, try Googling “Woodhaven Lanes.” You’ll immediately get a page on which it is variously referred to as:
Woodhaven Lanes, in Forest Hills
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes – Rego Park, NY 11374 – …
Brunswick Woodhaven Lane – Queens/Middle Village – Flushing, NY 11385
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes in Flushing
How many more places can it be?
John, thanks for that information. I suspect that the Drake would not want to be known as a Middle Village venue, because the Arion already was drawing the Middle Village crowd, and the Drake wanted to be identified with the area from which it was most likely to draw — whether that was thought of as West Forest Hills (at it apparently was initially) or Rego Park.
Nice job supplying him with the photos, Warren! (And, I suspect, giving him the idea for the article…?)
Not unless they were directly in the path of one of his highways.
I know I saw that series, but I can’t remember how long ago it was. I do have Robert Caro’s Moses biography, The Power Broker, which is of course the authoritative work and the basis for much of what was said about him in the film. Fascinating, and deeply flawed, personality — and the ultimate irony is that, though he built all those roads, detested mass transit and was determined to pave over just about everything, he never learned to drive!
Anyway, now back to the Polk’s Red Hot XXX Double Feature, “I Can’t Drive A Stick” and “Rear-Ended Thanks to Robert Moses.” Sorry, all out of popcorn.
Well, you certainly make some very reasonable, intelligent arguments. I agree completely that the city has improved in many ways since that 70s – 90s period. But whether you “have to” tear down in order to build is open to question. Was it really necessary to tear down Penn Station in order to build a new MSG? Was it really necessary to tear down the Singer Building in order to build whatever that glass box is that stands in its place? Most decisions are based on the economic conditions at the time and speculation, not on real necessity. Look at all the additional “land” being created over the West Side rail yards, or the Atlantic rail yards. How much of that is going to be utilized for middle class housing — REAL middle class housing that families can actually afford? And how many housing units would be available if real estate interests weren’t warehousing buildings and controlling the market to ENSURE that prices are driven up? And what does any of this have to do with the Polk Theatre? Not a blessed thing, as usual, but thanks for the opportunity to vent!
We now return you to Hot Nurses in today’s XXX Polk double feature.
LuisV, your rose-colored glasses need a cleaning. The fact that large parts of NYC in the 70s and 80s were dangerous and filthy doesn’t mean that architecturally significant buildings had to be demolished to change things. Yes, there’s a lot of exciting stuff being built. But there’s no reason why existing stuff can’t be preserved and made clean and vital. “Economic feasibility” in the city has come to mean driving the middle class completely out of Manhattan, and turning Queens into a wasteland of architecturally dreadful Fedders specials (see ForgottenNY.com for details) without so much as a blade of grass around the paved-over front lawns. You’re confusing expediency with feasibility, and squeezing every last bit of profit out of property with responsible, sustainable development.
Hey shoeshoe, if you do get your behind-the-scenes tour, be sure to bring a camera!
R before E, E before R… doesn’t much matter now that it’s G O N E, does it? It’s just a shame nobody was able to salvage the marquee — especially if the original art moderne lettering was still underneath. That was a gem, and should have gone to that museum of vintage neon signs.
I doubt there were many more stage productions of anything like “Bagels and Yox” after that. The Jewish population in that area was rapidly departing in the mid to late 60s. We moved from E. 167th and College Ave. to Queens in ‘63. My aunt had moved from Belmont Avenue to Concourse Village, on the other side of the Concourse near 161st St., around 1965 or 66. She hung on for a while, but moved to Florida in the early 70s. My uncle had lived in the vicinity of E. 167th and Sherman Ave., but moved to Central Ave. in Yonkers around '65 or '66.
Neat photos! Thanks for sharing!