Here are some ads for the Cinart during it’s XXX period. The address is clearly identified as 102 Court Street, which means this was the former Borough Hall/Boro Hall Theater. So we can update the address above and ad some AKA information.
Warren… we must be tolerant here. One person’s toilet is another one’s treasure. This site is already overpopulated with theaters that certainly wouldn’t be considered “treasures” from an architectural or aesthetic point of view. Like it or not, this site has become a repository for any and every theater past or present that membership cares to post. Fortunately, we can all choose which theaters to keep track of and which to ignore.
What gives with AMC having to divest itself of certain theaters – as per the terms of the merger with Loews? I thought the E-Walk should have been sold by now. What were the deadlines? Is there something in the works?
BrooklynJim… If you have a computer with a DVD player, you should be able to pause the image at the right moment and then capture the screen shot (on a Windows PC it is CTRL+Print Screen buttons). You should then be able to paste that image into your photo editor and can then crop away any extraneous information (say your desktop background or whatever) and… voila!
Sounds easy enough, right? Most theories do until you try to put them into practice! Anyway, can’t hurt to try. See how it works out. The most primitive jury-rig solution would be to take a digitial photo of your TV screen while the DVD is paused. It would work best on an LCD or Plasma screen, but you can experiment. Get out the lab coat and goggles and have a go!
The highlighter is a little something special for you, Lost. The entrance for BRIC studios must be that doorway you can see about halfway up the block near the sidewalk grating. Looks like one enters through one of the former rear orchestra exit doors.
No. The building is across the street to the right from the Dollar Dreams store. The image should show you the north side of Fulton Street; the Dollar Dreams store is on the northwest corner of Fulton and Rockwell Place while the Strand entrance is on the northeast corner. Compare the photo at the top of this page (note the Ionic columns) with the corner facade of the building on the northeast corner. If you follow the building roof line up Rockwell Place, you will see where it increases in height for what must have been a grand foyer and you can also see the peak to the roof as well as the rectangular shape of the stage loft housing at the north end of the property. The BAM Harvey is a smaller building to the right of the Strand, with a lower profile but much more pronounced roof peak and stage loft.
Did that help you get your bearings?
Lovetheoldtheaters… If you have a Macintosh, the local.live site will not work. It is powered by Windows and only works on that system. Of course, if you have one of those awesome new dual-platform Macs, you should be in business if you switch over to the Windows side to view the site.
Here’s an aerial view from local.live.com showing the Strand and the Majestic (now BAM Harvey) theaters sitting side by side – albeit off center from each other due to the block’s trapezoidal shape:
Close out the white “Welcome” box on the left and maximize the window so you can take in the full image. The Strand is the large theater on the left with the Ionic façade and entrance on the rounded corner of Fulton Avenue and Rockwell Place. I guess the BAM Harvey entrance is through the archway that is adjacent to the right of the Strand. That structure seems barely attached to the auditorium behind it. It looks like there would be an entrance closer to the Harvey auditorium on the side street (Ashland Place) but an alternate angle view of that façade doesn’t show any signs of such an entrance. BAM flies advertising banners between the Strand’s columns â€" two of which can be seen in the image above. Not being familiar with either theater when I passed by sometime last year, I just assumed that the Strand building was where the Harvey was located. I didn’t realize there was another auditorium that ran parallel along Ashland Place. You can make out how impressive the stage housing is for the Harvey compared to its size â€" it looks at least the same size as that of the Strand and perhaps even bigger, which probably made it attractive to BAM as a performance space. You can also see how much more lobby and foyer space the Strand appears to have (logically so, given its nearly 3000 seat capacity).
Does anyone know the status of the interior or about its future prospects? Does BAM own this as well? How much damage would have been done in a conversion to a bowling alley? I cringe at the thought, but perhaps its not as invasive as I’m imagining.
Found this small postage-stamp sized image of the theater when it was under the Sony name. I’m guessing this was in the mid ‘90’s (say from '94 or a bit later) not that long after the multiplex opened:
Forgot to post this photo after I took it back in May, but it looks like the old Century’s Argo sign was indeed removed from the roof of the former ticket lobby earlier this year:
Ha… I just realized I’ve been having a conversation with myself on this theater’s page since December of last year. And I never even attended a movie here!!! I guess this is not one of Long Island’s more beloved old theaters, eh?
Both photos show the Alden featuring the popular 3-D martial arts extravaganza “Dynasty” on a bill with a Frankenstein film that is either this European import, which was released in the U.S. in ‘77 or might possibly be Andy Warhol’s X-rated version of the tale which was also shot in 3-D. The former is probably the more likely scenario.
I presume the shot was taken down 43rd Street. Note the billboard on the side of the building in the lower portion of the photo, advertising the film (Chaplin’s surname is barely legible).
Here are some vintage interior shots I snagged off the ibdb.com site:
The short two-line history of the theater provided on the ibdb page contradicts the introduction above by Bryan Krefft in that it states the theater was sold to Joe Leblang in 1915 and adds that his widow “forfeited” the building to the mortgage holder in 1938 – who promptly leveled the structure.
Yes, Warren, my typing error. I meant 8th Ave. Thanks for pointing it out. Hollywood… both theaters were known as the Adonis at different times. I believe the name probably has a longer association with the Tivoli than it does with the Cameo turned Playpen.
As best as I can recall, it was just a hole in the ground during the years between the Loew’s buidling’s demolition and the construction of Virgin complex and Bertlesmann Building that rises above it. You would have seen nothing by blue construction shedding (plastered with posters and such) at the time. I remember the same for the Rivoli site – although I don’t believe that lot stood vacant for quite as long as did the State’s.
And I’ve definitely experienced the same disorientation when trying to confirm suspicions as to the theaters where I saw certain films. I used to keep a log back around 1979 through 1984 or so which tracked each movie I saw, the theater I attended and the admission price paid. I sure wish I could find that damn book today! I’m still looking around, believe me!
Hardbop… you wouldn’t recognize the block today at all!!! A gleaming glass tower now occupies the site on which Broadway’s own Parthenon (the Greek-inspired facade of the Rivoli) once stood.
Hollywood… as a few of us here suspected, you are confusing the theater listed on this page with the former Squire/Ideal theater that later became the XXX Cameo and subsequently assumed the Adonis moniker when the former Tivoli (the subject of this page) was demolished. The photo you have posted is definitely a shot of that other theater listed on CT here and located further to the south down 8th Ave near 43rd Street. That theater still exists and still goes by the name Playpen.
The Tivoli theater discussed on this page was located on B'way between 50th and 51st. While both buildings resemble each other to a degree, you can compare your photo with the one Warren posted on August 16th, 2005 to note the differences.
By all means, please repost your photo on the right page as it offers a glimpse of that theater during a period of operation that is not documented there.
The Embassy II, III, IV had the balcony carved in two, while the State’s balcony theater featured the entire original balcony area and used the original upper proscenium arch to house the screen. Most of the upper side wall and ceiling ornamentation was intact and visible from the State’s upstairs theater (which would have been the State 2). The downstairs theater had a relatively low ceiling (due to the extension of the balcony overhang to accommodate the theater upstairs) and had sidewalls that were completely obscured by drapery that blended in with the screen curtains. The building that housed the State was very similar in design to that which houses the Embassy II, III, IV so that might be where your confusion is setting in. Both were also on the same side of Times Square and occupied northeast corner lots.
I’m trying to remember if the State featured those TV monitors under the canopy that would run coming attractions loops to advertise the movies playing inside. I remember the National (one block south of the State) definitely had them. I don’t think any of the Embassy Theaters (including the short-lived Embassy V in the fomer Victoria) had them.
The UA Twin @ Broadway and 49th was the last name used by the great Rivoli Theater – which is very much listed on this site. That theater was actually on a trapezoidal block bounded by the east side of Broadway and the west side of 7th Ave and running from 49th to 50th Street.
The Mayfair/Demille (the theater on this page) was known as the Embassy II, III, IV after it was triplexed and stands on 7th Avenue just off the northeast corner with 47th Street. The Embassy 1 is the former Newsreel Theater adjacent to the RKO Palace just a block to the south (and now the Times Square Visitors Center). The former Gaiety/Victoria theater on the west side of Broadway just south of 46th Street was briefly known as the Embassy V before it was razed (along with the old Astor and several legit theaters to the west) to make way for the Marriot Marquis in 1982. It is listed here as the Victoria.
The RKO Warner is listed here as the Strand Theater and was also known as the RKO Cinerama 1 and 2 during the 70’s and ‘80’s. It was demolished in the late '80’s. The other theater you’re looking for (on the west side of Times Square opposite the Embassy) is listed here as Movieland and was built as the Central and subsequently dubbed the Gotham, Forum, Forum 47th (and possibly one or two other variations) before B.S. Moss dubbed it Movieland in the late '70’s. The former lobby space now houses the Roxy Delicatessen and the old auditorium (which housed a disco for a while) was demolished to make way for the W Hotel on 47th.
So then, would your recollection be that the Cameo became the Playpen after the Adonis/Playpen was closed for demolition in 1990? And do you recall any attempts to book 1st run non-porno fare at the Adonis in its last days such as the story conveyed by AlexNYC on March 23rd and 26th of this year?
Huzzah, Ken! I could get lost for hours in this one theater alone, let alone all of Upper Broadway. I simply must get up there one day when I have no other agenda but to stroll and photograph.
Great image, Warren, despite the graininess. The auditorium appears to have been far more elaborately ornamented than I would have thought, particularly for what would be a 2nd run nabe. I imagine the intentions were a bit loftier when it was built? Perhaps Century’s thought it might compete with the Valencia and Triboro? I love the straight line and right angle patterns. No curves in sight – not even on the chandelier! An interesting contrast to the usual Adamesque or Art Deco/Moderne interiors found in most nabes throughout the borough.
What? No KenRoe photos of the 175th? Don’t let me down, Ken… Passed by again yesterday on my way home from The Cloisters. Had there been an easy parking spot in sight, I’d have pulled over and filled my digital camera’s memory card with images. I grabbed a fleeting shot from my car window while stopped at the traffic light… but I hesitate to even post it. Of course, I won’t let that stop me:
I’d be interested in seeing that photo as well, hollywood. The two facades (the Tivoli/Adonis and the Cameo/Playpen) were very similar in architectural styles and can be easily confused. They’re also on the same side of 8th Ave and within blocks of each other. But so many of those XXX theaters in the area changed or swapped names over the years that its easy enough to believe. You can set up a photobucket account for free (www.photobucket.com), or if you like you can contact another CT member who already has a photobucket account and perhaps they’ll post it here for you. I’ve hosted other members' photos on my photobucket several times already.
Here are some ads for the Cinart during it’s XXX period. The address is clearly identified as 102 Court Street, which means this was the former Borough Hall/Boro Hall Theater. So we can update the address above and ad some AKA information.
Offering videos 3 for $100:
NY Post 3/8/82
Day and dating with the Deluxe on Bath Ave:
NY Post 3/10/82
Listed in the old Neighborhood Movie Guide:
NY Post 12/11/80
BrooklynJim… where are you?!?
Warren… we must be tolerant here. One person’s toilet is another one’s treasure. This site is already overpopulated with theaters that certainly wouldn’t be considered “treasures” from an architectural or aesthetic point of view. Like it or not, this site has become a repository for any and every theater past or present that membership cares to post. Fortunately, we can all choose which theaters to keep track of and which to ignore.
What gives with AMC having to divest itself of certain theaters – as per the terms of the merger with Loews? I thought the E-Walk should have been sold by now. What were the deadlines? Is there something in the works?
BrooklynJim… If you have a computer with a DVD player, you should be able to pause the image at the right moment and then capture the screen shot (on a Windows PC it is CTRL+Print Screen buttons). You should then be able to paste that image into your photo editor and can then crop away any extraneous information (say your desktop background or whatever) and… voila!
Sounds easy enough, right? Most theories do until you try to put them into practice! Anyway, can’t hurt to try. See how it works out. The most primitive jury-rig solution would be to take a digitial photo of your TV screen while the DVD is paused. It would work best on an LCD or Plasma screen, but you can experiment. Get out the lab coat and goggles and have a go!
Damn, I have to brush up on my html… But I’ll definitely keep that in mind, Lost!
Just for you JoeB… I grabbed a snapshot of the webpage:
North side of Fulton between Rockwell and Ashland Places
The highlighter is a little something special for you, Lost. The entrance for BRIC studios must be that doorway you can see about halfway up the block near the sidewalk grating. Looks like one enters through one of the former rear orchestra exit doors.
No. The building is across the street to the right from the Dollar Dreams store. The image should show you the north side of Fulton Street; the Dollar Dreams store is on the northwest corner of Fulton and Rockwell Place while the Strand entrance is on the northeast corner. Compare the photo at the top of this page (note the Ionic columns) with the corner facade of the building on the northeast corner. If you follow the building roof line up Rockwell Place, you will see where it increases in height for what must have been a grand foyer and you can also see the peak to the roof as well as the rectangular shape of the stage loft housing at the north end of the property. The BAM Harvey is a smaller building to the right of the Strand, with a lower profile but much more pronounced roof peak and stage loft.
Did that help you get your bearings?
Lovetheoldtheaters… If you have a Macintosh, the local.live site will not work. It is powered by Windows and only works on that system. Of course, if you have one of those awesome new dual-platform Macs, you should be in business if you switch over to the Windows side to view the site.
Here’s an aerial view from local.live.com showing the Strand and the Majestic (now BAM Harvey) theaters sitting side by side – albeit off center from each other due to the block’s trapezoidal shape:
Fulton Street view to North
Close out the white “Welcome” box on the left and maximize the window so you can take in the full image. The Strand is the large theater on the left with the Ionic façade and entrance on the rounded corner of Fulton Avenue and Rockwell Place. I guess the BAM Harvey entrance is through the archway that is adjacent to the right of the Strand. That structure seems barely attached to the auditorium behind it. It looks like there would be an entrance closer to the Harvey auditorium on the side street (Ashland Place) but an alternate angle view of that façade doesn’t show any signs of such an entrance. BAM flies advertising banners between the Strand’s columns â€" two of which can be seen in the image above. Not being familiar with either theater when I passed by sometime last year, I just assumed that the Strand building was where the Harvey was located. I didn’t realize there was another auditorium that ran parallel along Ashland Place. You can make out how impressive the stage housing is for the Harvey compared to its size â€" it looks at least the same size as that of the Strand and perhaps even bigger, which probably made it attractive to BAM as a performance space. You can also see how much more lobby and foyer space the Strand appears to have (logically so, given its nearly 3000 seat capacity).
Does anyone know the status of the interior or about its future prospects? Does BAM own this as well? How much damage would have been done in a conversion to a bowling alley? I cringe at the thought, but perhaps its not as invasive as I’m imagining.
Found this small postage-stamp sized image of the theater when it was under the Sony name. I’m guessing this was in the mid ‘90’s (say from '94 or a bit later) not that long after the multiplex opened:
Sony Bay Terrace
Here’s a 1980 listing for the theater in the Post’s Neighborhood Movie Guide:
NY Post 12/11/80
Still grinding the triple X triple bills in 1982:
NY Post 3/10/82
Forgot to post this photo after I took it back in May, but it looks like the old Century’s Argo sign was indeed removed from the roof of the former ticket lobby earlier this year:
Former Argo May 2006
Same view December 2005
I throw the 12/2005 shot in for comparison.
Ha… I just realized I’ve been having a conversation with myself on this theater’s page since December of last year. And I never even attended a movie here!!! I guess this is not one of Long Island’s more beloved old theaters, eh?
Retired to the suburbs, like so many other Manhattanites!
Well… at least they found a good home and didn’t wind up in some dumpster or garbage heap broken to shards. Thanks for sharing, Marty.
Both photos show the Alden featuring the popular 3-D martial arts extravaganza “Dynasty” on a bill with a Frankenstein film that is either this European import, which was released in the U.S. in ‘77 or might possibly be Andy Warhol’s X-rated version of the tale which was also shot in 3-D. The former is probably the more likely scenario.
Just to revive a year old thread, here’s an image of those crowds lining up for Chaplin’s “City Lights” in 1931:
Balcony 50 cents
I presume the shot was taken down 43rd Street. Note the billboard on the side of the building in the lower portion of the photo, advertising the film (Chaplin’s surname is barely legible).
Here are some vintage interior shots I snagged off the ibdb.com site:
Foyer
Rear of house
Side boxes
The short two-line history of the theater provided on the ibdb page contradicts the introduction above by Bryan Krefft in that it states the theater was sold to Joe Leblang in 1915 and adds that his widow “forfeited” the building to the mortgage holder in 1938 – who promptly leveled the structure.
Yes, Warren, my typing error. I meant 8th Ave. Thanks for pointing it out. Hollywood… both theaters were known as the Adonis at different times. I believe the name probably has a longer association with the Tivoli than it does with the Cameo turned Playpen.
As best as I can recall, it was just a hole in the ground during the years between the Loew’s buidling’s demolition and the construction of Virgin complex and Bertlesmann Building that rises above it. You would have seen nothing by blue construction shedding (plastered with posters and such) at the time. I remember the same for the Rivoli site – although I don’t believe that lot stood vacant for quite as long as did the State’s.
And I’ve definitely experienced the same disorientation when trying to confirm suspicions as to the theaters where I saw certain films. I used to keep a log back around 1979 through 1984 or so which tracked each movie I saw, the theater I attended and the admission price paid. I sure wish I could find that damn book today! I’m still looking around, believe me!
Hardbop… you wouldn’t recognize the block today at all!!! A gleaming glass tower now occupies the site on which Broadway’s own Parthenon (the Greek-inspired facade of the Rivoli) once stood.
Hollywood… as a few of us here suspected, you are confusing the theater listed on this page with the former Squire/Ideal theater that later became the XXX Cameo and subsequently assumed the Adonis moniker when the former Tivoli (the subject of this page) was demolished. The photo you have posted is definitely a shot of that other theater listed on CT here and located further to the south down 8th Ave near 43rd Street. That theater still exists and still goes by the name Playpen.
The Tivoli theater discussed on this page was located on B'way between 50th and 51st. While both buildings resemble each other to a degree, you can compare your photo with the one Warren posted on August 16th, 2005 to note the differences.
By all means, please repost your photo on the right page as it offers a glimpse of that theater during a period of operation that is not documented there.
The Embassy II, III, IV had the balcony carved in two, while the State’s balcony theater featured the entire original balcony area and used the original upper proscenium arch to house the screen. Most of the upper side wall and ceiling ornamentation was intact and visible from the State’s upstairs theater (which would have been the State 2). The downstairs theater had a relatively low ceiling (due to the extension of the balcony overhang to accommodate the theater upstairs) and had sidewalls that were completely obscured by drapery that blended in with the screen curtains. The building that housed the State was very similar in design to that which houses the Embassy II, III, IV so that might be where your confusion is setting in. Both were also on the same side of Times Square and occupied northeast corner lots.
I’m trying to remember if the State featured those TV monitors under the canopy that would run coming attractions loops to advertise the movies playing inside. I remember the National (one block south of the State) definitely had them. I don’t think any of the Embassy Theaters (including the short-lived Embassy V in the fomer Victoria) had them.
The UA Twin @ Broadway and 49th was the last name used by the great Rivoli Theater – which is very much listed on this site. That theater was actually on a trapezoidal block bounded by the east side of Broadway and the west side of 7th Ave and running from 49th to 50th Street.
The Mayfair/Demille (the theater on this page) was known as the Embassy II, III, IV after it was triplexed and stands on 7th Avenue just off the northeast corner with 47th Street. The Embassy 1 is the former Newsreel Theater adjacent to the RKO Palace just a block to the south (and now the Times Square Visitors Center). The former Gaiety/Victoria theater on the west side of Broadway just south of 46th Street was briefly known as the Embassy V before it was razed (along with the old Astor and several legit theaters to the west) to make way for the Marriot Marquis in 1982. It is listed here as the Victoria.
The RKO Warner is listed here as the Strand Theater and was also known as the RKO Cinerama 1 and 2 during the 70’s and ‘80’s. It was demolished in the late '80’s. The other theater you’re looking for (on the west side of Times Square opposite the Embassy) is listed here as Movieland and was built as the Central and subsequently dubbed the Gotham, Forum, Forum 47th (and possibly one or two other variations) before B.S. Moss dubbed it Movieland in the late '70’s. The former lobby space now houses the Roxy Delicatessen and the old auditorium (which housed a disco for a while) was demolished to make way for the W Hotel on 47th.
So then, would your recollection be that the Cameo became the Playpen after the Adonis/Playpen was closed for demolition in 1990? And do you recall any attempts to book 1st run non-porno fare at the Adonis in its last days such as the story conveyed by AlexNYC on March 23rd and 26th of this year?
Huzzah, Ken! I could get lost for hours in this one theater alone, let alone all of Upper Broadway. I simply must get up there one day when I have no other agenda but to stroll and photograph.
Great image, Warren, despite the graininess. The auditorium appears to have been far more elaborately ornamented than I would have thought, particularly for what would be a 2nd run nabe. I imagine the intentions were a bit loftier when it was built? Perhaps Century’s thought it might compete with the Valencia and Triboro? I love the straight line and right angle patterns. No curves in sight – not even on the chandelier! An interesting contrast to the usual Adamesque or Art Deco/Moderne interiors found in most nabes throughout the borough.
What? No KenRoe photos of the 175th? Don’t let me down, Ken… Passed by again yesterday on my way home from The Cloisters. Had there been an easy parking spot in sight, I’d have pulled over and filled my digital camera’s memory card with images. I grabbed a fleeting shot from my car window while stopped at the traffic light… but I hesitate to even post it. Of course, I won’t let that stop me:
Smile as you pass
I definitely was smiling. I need to get into this theater some day.
I’d be interested in seeing that photo as well, hollywood. The two facades (the Tivoli/Adonis and the Cameo/Playpen) were very similar in architectural styles and can be easily confused. They’re also on the same side of 8th Ave and within blocks of each other. But so many of those XXX theaters in the area changed or swapped names over the years that its easy enough to believe. You can set up a photobucket account for free (www.photobucket.com), or if you like you can contact another CT member who already has a photobucket account and perhaps they’ll post it here for you. I’ve hosted other members' photos on my photobucket several times already.