ed , i don’t doubt that it became a concert venue, but weren’t most of these bands/performers at the height of their popularity at that time? why would they book concerts on staten island?……
robert , if you mean ready as a movie theatre , i believe a previous poster stated the orchestra seats were removed when it became a nightclub. the balcony is intact according to the poster. when i pass by i check if anyone’s there ,to get a look but it is always closed.
robert , if you mean ready as a movie theatre , i beleive a previous poster stated the orchestra seats were removed when it became a nightclub. the balcony is intact according to the poster. when i pass by i check if anyone’s there ,to get a look but it is always closed.
going there in the 60’s and 70’s as a youth it was much smaller than paramount and st george. the “stadium seating” effect of the balcony still paled in comparison to those other theatres. i also seem to recall the interior lighting being rather bright during screenings , which distracted from the movie showing. the ceiling motif , i recall , added to this effect. the square screen could not accomadate the “cinemascope” format of the day , and the sound was muffled as i recall…..
sorry gustav , i didn’t realize you meant amateur theatre. as far as i know they don’t have it at the st. george. i would question whether it would attract enough of an audience here to sustain the lane. in the village yes , but on s.i. i doubt it.
the website didn’t work, and the real estate firm said the person handling it wasn’t in. gustav , as far as the community theatre idea goes, i think the ship has sailed on that. the st.george has cornered the market on it , and the way the city crucified the owners of that establishment does not bode well for any potential owners of the lane.
i believe it is now regal , UA is done i think. i was there the opening weekend of star wars 3 and there were 10 people at the screening! i believe the writing is on the wall. the reopening of the adjacent bowling alley doesn’t seem to be paying off. ironically , this theatre’s opening resulted in the demise of the still standing twin and single screen houses on s.i. now it is being killed by the stadium 16…..
to vito et al., i went to the Lane yesterday, there is a century21 sign on the marquee. does not indicate if site is for sale , lease , or rent. phone number 718-698-0100, or online www.domsgold.com .
will call tmow.
vito i will look into goings on there , it is landmarked is it not? if so the uses are limited…and if not , the nightclub idea is dead (drugs) and the st george, magnificently restored by mrs r, has cornered the market on retro entertainment. i wonder what condition the interior of the lane is in?….
i’m just looking over the flyer the owner gave me , it says among other things “1930 theatre seats”. if that’s what the red seats are they were stored quite well. vito you should visit the place i think you would find it interesting. he also has large photos of a crowd outside the lane and the palace theatre during a large snowstorm.
i just visited the place , the owner said the seats are from the paramount. there were rows of red seats that were in varying condition , they did not look old or worn enough to be original seating. next to these were stacks of single seats , these were mostly blue with some a grayish blue color. i asked about the ticket boxes , he said they are not for sale. there were also not for sale signs on a large reel from the st george and a projector base from the lane.
vito , as a veteran of these theatres do you know when the liberty closed? i grew up in stapleton in the ‘60s , i was always at the paramount but do not recall the liberty being open….
i can confirm mp775’s earlier comment about the work order posted on the theatre , it is valid thru september. a local business owner told me the owner of the property is going ahead with plans to convert the site to condos/apartments.
i visited today and i must say renovations made are impressive. the rest rooms are now on the ground floor, you no longer have to climb a steep staircase to get to them, and the individual theatres and sound are much improved. the nachos were a bit salty however.
i visited only once,in 1974, for a double bill of “andy warhol’s dracula” and “night of the living dead”. i recall the theatre being quite cramped. comments indicate it is still the same, i will check it out soon and see.
is the theatre officially toast?
ed , i don’t doubt that it became a concert venue, but weren’t most of these bands/performers at the height of their popularity at that time? why would they book concerts on staten island?……
robert , if you mean ready as a movie theatre , i believe a previous poster stated the orchestra seats were removed when it became a nightclub. the balcony is intact according to the poster. when i pass by i check if anyone’s there ,to get a look but it is always closed.
robert , if you mean ready as a movie theatre , i beleive a previous poster stated the orchestra seats were removed when it became a nightclub. the balcony is intact according to the poster. when i pass by i check if anyone’s there ,to get a look but it is always closed.
going there in the 60’s and 70’s as a youth it was much smaller than paramount and st george. the “stadium seating” effect of the balcony still paled in comparison to those other theatres. i also seem to recall the interior lighting being rather bright during screenings , which distracted from the movie showing. the ceiling motif , i recall , added to this effect. the square screen could not accomadate the “cinemascope” format of the day , and the sound was muffled as i recall…..
sorry gustav , i didn’t realize you meant amateur theatre. as far as i know they don’t have it at the st. george. i would question whether it would attract enough of an audience here to sustain the lane. in the village yes , but on s.i. i doubt it.
currently the premiere theater on s.i. , its only real competition is the atrium.
the website didn’t work, and the real estate firm said the person handling it wasn’t in. gustav , as far as the community theatre idea goes, i think the ship has sailed on that. the st.george has cornered the market on it , and the way the city crucified the owners of that establishment does not bode well for any potential owners of the lane.
i believe it is now regal , UA is done i think. i was there the opening weekend of star wars 3 and there were 10 people at the screening! i believe the writing is on the wall. the reopening of the adjacent bowling alley doesn’t seem to be paying off. ironically , this theatre’s opening resulted in the demise of the still standing twin and single screen houses on s.i. now it is being killed by the stadium 16…..
once the premier theatre on staten island , it has fallen on hard times. i would be surprised if it survives this year.
evidently it is though. used to go there back in the day, since staten island theatres were crummy (at that time). goodbye , farewell and amen.
to vito et al., i went to the Lane yesterday, there is a century21 sign on the marquee. does not indicate if site is for sale , lease , or rent. phone number 718-698-0100, or online www.domsgold.com .
will call tmow.
i will post my findings on the lane’s site.
how long did it last as a “dirty movie” theatre?
vito i will look into goings on there , it is landmarked is it not? if so the uses are limited…and if not , the nightclub idea is dead (drugs) and the st george, magnificently restored by mrs r, has cornered the market on retro entertainment. i wonder what condition the interior of the lane is in?….
took another tour on saturday , the restoration is incredible. does anyone have info on movie nights? if so i’m there….
i’m just looking over the flyer the owner gave me , it says among other things “1930 theatre seats”. if that’s what the red seats are they were stored quite well. vito you should visit the place i think you would find it interesting. he also has large photos of a crowd outside the lane and the palace theatre during a large snowstorm.
i just visited the place , the owner said the seats are from the paramount. there were rows of red seats that were in varying condition , they did not look old or worn enough to be original seating. next to these were stacks of single seats , these were mostly blue with some a grayish blue color. i asked about the ticket boxes , he said they are not for sale. there were also not for sale signs on a large reel from the st george and a projector base from the lane.
thanks for the info vito. jean , do you know how much they are asking for the seats? i would love to have one….
vito , as a veteran of these theatres do you know when the liberty closed? i grew up in stapleton in the ‘60s , i was always at the paramount but do not recall the liberty being open….
today’s s.i. advance states the palace was indeed in port richmond , as was the ritz.
i can confirm mp775’s earlier comment about the work order posted on the theatre , it is valid thru september. a local business owner told me the owner of the property is going ahead with plans to convert the site to condos/apartments.
does anyone know exactly when the theatre closed? i am 46, a lifelong s.i. resident and dont remember it being open in my youth..
i visited today and i must say renovations made are impressive. the rest rooms are now on the ground floor, you no longer have to climb a steep staircase to get to them, and the individual theatres and sound are much improved. the nachos were a bit salty however.
i visited only once,in 1974, for a double bill of “andy warhol’s dracula” and “night of the living dead”. i recall the theatre being quite cramped. comments indicate it is still the same, i will check it out soon and see.