Scott,
You forget that the City of New York owned this theater since 1979 and they forgot everything including any kind of decent security. Also they weren’t very interested in adding a new roof!!
Former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden (with a little prompting) saw the need for
that new roof. But then again, what happened to the 3 murals on either side of the auditorium?
Somehow under the City’s watchful eye they were meticulously removed!
Scott,
You forget that the City of New York owned this theater since 1979 and they forgot everything including any kind of decent security. Also they weren’t very interested in adding a new roof!!
Former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden (with a little prompting) saw the need for
that new roof. But then again, what happened to the 3 murals on either side of the auditorium?
Somehow under the City’s watchful eye they were meticulously removed!
Hi Scott!
You asked about the wires strung across the lobby. They were left over from the 1966 film ‘Sleepers’
with Rpber Di Nero, Dustin Hoffman, Vitorio Gassman, Kevin Bacon and Minni Driver.
The scene was shot up on the mezzanine with Gassman talking to a drug dealer.
As far as the blueprints, they are available at the Theater Historical Society along with detailed early
photographs. Can destruction be restored or recreated, the answer is yes. i.e. The New Amsterdam.
I was inside the theater earlier today and can report that there was no further damage. The new owners share our love for these old palaces and fully intend on a faithful restoration. Entrances
and exits have been fortified and they are in the historical research stage.
After 23 years of effort the Save The Kings can say ‘Mission Accomplished.’
Originally the Loew’s Kameo had nude plaster cherubs along the walls but when the elders of the Philadelphia Church took over they thought that this was inappropriate. Therefore they went out
and got ornate plaster people to ‘dress’ the cherubs.
The companies who designed theaters were also in the business of building churches so you can
see how a one time theater could easily become a church!
You never know with the editing but we taped much more this morning. I assume some of which will be combined with footage at my house that shows off a variety of artifacts and memorabilia that can be a part of a Loew’s Kings Vaudeville/Movie Museum.
During today’s visit I noticed that the magnificent drapery that hung above the proscenium was no longer there!
I certainly agree that the New Amsterdam was the catalyst that changed Times Square and Loew’s Kings can do the same for Flatbush Avenue.
Dear Scott,
Just because you didn’t know about it, doesn’t mean that I was not involved in the most recent developments. However I considered confidentiality more important than tooting my own horn.
The best news of all is that Ace Theatricals has stated: ‘We will recreate what it looks like when it was first put into use, we will be able to very accurately recreate what is no longer there and restore what is there.“ I never wanted to see this cathedral of the ornate multiplexed. I always wanted to see it return to it’s roots as a live theater.
Anna of Brooklyn:
Since I am “CEO” of ‘Save The Kings’ for the past 21 years, I guess I am the world’s greatest authority on this last of the wonder theaters to be dormant. What can I do to help?
At this point, it’s not visible but the original asbestos curtain is up in the fly space! Actually it’s an asbestos curtain painted to look like a stage curtain complete with tassels.
On one of my visits to the old dark house, I found that the orchestra pit doors were locked from the inside. This led me to believe that the ‘homeless’ had taken up residence inside the orchestra pit!
Also that they were responsible for the theft of bathroom copper pipes, brass banisters and those wall sconces. All this would not have been possible without the indifference of the owner, the City of NY.
The Marquee: The marquee covers the original installed by Art Kraft Strauss. At the time they owned 51% of Loew’s Theaters and therefore got the job. Art Kraft was responsible for those early Times Sq. billboards: (The Smoking Camel Sign, The Pepsi Sign, etc.)
If you stand underneath the marquee, you will see the original underbelly. When Loew’s decided on a more modern look, they chopped off the ornate detail and created a box and that remains.
Where was it reported that the city would spend at least $35 million on restoring Loew’s Kings? I have been actively involved in Save The Kings since 1987 and had not heard any such figure.
For all nostalgia buffs: In the basement of Loew’s Kings there was a rarely or never used screening room. Everything in the room is covered with a fine plaster dust. However one wall sports a few — holes where the projectors were once situated.
On my last trip to the theater, I noticed that the murals on both sides of the balcony were now —– missing. Perhaps even more interesting, they weren’t torn down by the homeless, but removed by a professional who took care to peel them off the wall gradually leaving a white plaster rectangle in their absence. How could this happen? (Great Security!)
I believe to make the Kings profitable, it must become a Center for the Performing Arts and should be enclosed in a big box shopping mall. In that way the lobby of the theater can provide access to more than the theater. It could also provide access to an adjoining multiplex, a comedy or jazz club in the former basketball court, etc.
A previous post talked about the Victorian Furniture that could be restored. BUT whatever happened to that furniture? After 30 years, where could it be? Don’t worry it’s been preserved and protected by the former manager of Loew’s Kings. Along with all kinds of memorabilia that could be the backbone of a Loew’s Kings Museum. Imagine a visual history of the vaudeville days and the movies of the 60s and 70’s! It’s all intact and waiting!
Dear Roberta and Janet,
A few years ago I got a guided tour of Fabian’s Atlanta Fox. Aside from the incredible architecture, I was really moved by a second box office that was at the side of the building. This was especially for the Black theater goer. After they bought their tickets, they were forced to climb 7 flights of stairs to get to their ‘seating section’ just below the projection booth in the very top of the balcony. As you know, there are aisles that cut through the row of seats in any theater. However, at the Atlanta Fox, the Black Section had walls to separate the section, but no aisle cuts!!!
From what my guide told me, this separate box office and separate staircase to the seating was in use until the early 60’s. Being from Brooklyn I remember the Brooklyn FOX where disc jockey, Murray the K hosted Rock and Roll Shows. Here, the acts were integrated and so was the audience. But then—-
that’s Brooklyn.
Tom M: I was referring to the stage lifts. There being two that are controlled by ‘cork screws’ that are topped by pizza trays and gears that are connected to a motor. As far as the orchestra lift, there are two. One controlled the up and down direction of the house organ and the other allowed the lift to bring the orchestra from the basement up to stage/show level. If you were backstage and standing by the really ancient lighting board, you would see a vertical panel that has three buttons. UP, DOWN and Stage Level. From this position, the technician controlled the movement of the orchestra pit.
I have been down in the basement many times and once, I found that the orchestra pit’s two doors were locked from the inside. In the past, they were not locked. So who could have locked them from the inside—-other than the homeless crowd that made off with all the wall sconces and brass sink pipes!!!
The original C of O is very clear and states the seat count at 3,692. During the 60’s Loew’s wanted to increase the leg room of the orchestra and reduced the number of seats.
To my knowledge, the leaking roof was fixed properly. The separate roof that covered the old store
fronts (once used by Flatbush Development Corporation) totally collapsed and all remains of the old stores has been removed. Therefore, we have a chain linked fence and an empty lot to the right of the theater entrance.
As far as Tom’s suggestions, they seem logical to me and I would suggest such ideas be sent to the Brooklyn Borough President. (.gov)
Nostalgia Department:
Back in the early 60s, two robbers forced the Assistant Manager into the theater’s safe. The lady manager had already left for the evening and she was the only one with the combination. When
she arrived and opened the safe, the AM was gasping for air. She promptly suggested that they
install a phone inside the safe, to which the AM replied: ‘Thanks a lot!’
Also in the late 60s a film entitled ‘Bob and Ted, Carol and Alice’ that starred Robert Culp and Elliot
Gould (at the time, spouse of Streisand) Natalie Wood and Dyan Cannon. The theater manager, that
incredibly creative Dorothy Solomon Panzica (now 90 years young) came up with a promotion idea. She convinced a furniture store across from the theater to put a bed in the window with four naked mannequins and combined this with a contest to win free tickets. What the heck? She had 3,192
seats!! Brooklyn Boy: Paul Mizursky wrote the film!
Shortly after the Kings closed in 1979, a local organization, The Flatbush Development Corporation was given custodial control. At which time, they produced a fund raiser show on stage. Each of the participants wore a straw hat and after all these years, those hats remain backstage. Unfortunately, their show was interrupted by a spotlight in the booth which caught fire.
Through the years, thieves have walked off with wall sconces, brass railings and even copper pipes from the bathrooms! Unfortunately, what you might call ‘security’ hasn’t been very successful.
Down in the basement, there remains a projection/screening room where films were shown. Also, the stage lift mechanicals remain. One motor is covered with a white banner with gold tassel and a slogan suggesting ‘Buy War Bonds’. This dates back to WWII.
At this point, there will not be any opportunity of getting into the Kings for a photo opportunity. However, if I hear of any such future event—certainly, I will alert you.
I knew about the orchestra pit-lift and the separate organ lift, but was not aware of the piano's
own lift. The piano now sits backstage, but on two legs. The screen has been slashed and has
been raised along with the asbestos curtain and the ‘birds’. There are two more stage lifts that
were used to raise scenery and performers.
Let’s not lose hope! Many of us have waited this long and maybe the situation will improve??
Wait! Here’s another curiosity!! If you go into the basement you will find the dual entrances to the orchestra pit. The pit is encased in a ‘box’ that served as an elevator to raise the musicians up and
put them in position. Then backstage next to the lighting board, you would find a primitive control panel that would control this elevator. The doors to the ‘elevator’ were always open, but one time,
I found them CLOSED. What was strange, they were locked from the inside. This led me to believe
that this was done by homeless folk who had taken up residence inside the orchestra pit.
Here’s another little known story about the Loew’s Kings. If you go backstage and look on the back wall, you’ll see iron doors that slide open. These doors lead to the dressing room floors, however
there is no staircase leading to these doors! So how were they used? Steamer trunks and luggage
were lifted and pulled to safety by the back stage crew. There was no elevator and this was the best way of getting the vaudeville stars suitcases up to their dressing rooms.
In fact, there is one dressing room that looks different from the rest. The walls were painted black
along with a refrigerator. Then over the paint job, there were glitter decals. Obviously this was not
done during the vaudeville era. We can only assume that the decorative touches were added during
the 60’s or 70’s.
LuisV
Have you ever toured a ‘former’ theater? While driving in the older neighborhoods, look to the roof line and you’ll see what used to be a movie/vaudeville house. Today it might be a supermarket or
it might be a Rite Aid or it might be an alternative high school. However, if you can talk your way behind the frozen food or the vegetable bins, you will find remnants of theater architecture. One time in Brooklyn, I found the long forgotten ‘RKO Prospect’. My father was a musician and actually played vaudeville here. I went behind the frozen food and up a steel ladder. When I exited onto a
second floor, I found myself in the men’s room of the theater. Actually, I climbed through a sky- light. I know that sounds funny, but yes there was a skylight where you exited (not to the roof) but into the mezzanine bathroom. Upstairs I found the ornate theater walls and what I would call the stadium seating. The seats were gone, but the concrete ‘steps’ design proved that each was 18" higher than the one below. Thus providing that every seat was a good seat. Multiplex theater operators claim that this is a brand new innovation but it was around way back in the 1920’s when the RKO Prospect was built.
Warren,
According to the actual certificate of occupancy, the exact number was 3,692. However in the 60’s the number was reduced to 3,192. As you said, most of the seating is on the orchestra floor and
the mezzanine/balcony only contains 899.
At the two sides of each aisle of seats are magnificent iron ‘standards’—but only upstairs. For the
orchestra, the decorative design team used flat wooden panels.
One of the things that I find most interesting, aside from this being a cathedral of the ornate is the
air cooling system in the basement. Over the years it was updated, but much of the original stuff
is still there! They had two giant tanks that filled with water (from an underground contributory of the Connecticut River.) Then there is a plenum chamber with an air-lock type door similar to what
you might find in a submarine. Then inside the chamber we have a giant (12 foot high) fan and a labyrinth of pierced piping on the ceiling. This allowed for the water to be pumped through those pipes and create a shower into the room. Now, we had a cylinder filled with CO2. (This was the forerunner of FREON. So the cold CO2 mixed with the water shower and the giant fan to create a steady stream of cold air that was then pumped through an elaborate maze of vents throughout
the theater.
Some years ago I checked with the Smithsonian and was told that such a system is rare today but could also be found in vintage buildings around the country and mansions for the very rich.
On the wall of the chamber can be found a certificate from the York Air Cooling Company. They
were the forerunner of York Air Conditioning.
LuisV,
During the administration of Borough President Howard Golden, a new roof was installed. What
fell was a small roof above the old headquarters of the Flatbush Development Corporation. It's
now an empty lot—the roof collapsed and the city leveled the two store fronts. However, to my
knowledge, no further damage has resulted over the theater itself.
I would think that the city and the Borough would and should be working on putting together a
subsidy that would encourage a developer to take on the project. However, since none of us are
privy to such information, we shouldn’t necessarily think that this is not a work in progress.
One thing is for sure and that is no developer or theater operator will create a NEW theater with
the architectural elements and acoustics of the Loew’s Kings.
Just because it was EDC’s job to find a qualified developer, that does not mean that WE can’t
make contact with a developer and convince them of the economic feasibility of this project.
LuisV,
During the administration of Borough President Howard Golden, a new roof was installed. What
fell was a small roof above the old headquarters of the Flatbush Development Corporation. It's
now an empty lot—the roof collapsed and the city leveled the two store fronts. However, to my
knowledge, no further damage has resulted over the theater itself.
I would think that the city and the Borough would and should be working on putting together a
subsidy that would encourage a developer to take on the project. However, since none of us are
privy to such information, we shouldn’t necessarily think that this is not a work in progress.
One thing is for sure and that is no developer or theater operator will create a NEW theater with
the architectural elements and acoustics of the Loew’s Kings.
Just because it was EDC’s job to find a qualified developer, that does not mean that WE can’t
make contact with a developer and convince them of the economic feasibility of this project.
Maybe I am too much of an optimist? Maybe from the indications I have seen, I still believe that Marty Markowitz is sincere and is doing everything possible!
As much as I respect the opinions of those who seem ‘angry’ at the lack of progress, I would ask
those individuals to help find a developer or theater operator who sees the potential. Writing on
this message board is only a first step. Let’s see how much you are willing to DO! Why not make
contact with Markowitz? Why not contact EDC? Why not help to find a developer? Complaining
is not enough!
Go online for the nydailynews.com and search for Loew’s Kings. There is an article today that does not present much hope for the future of this fabled movie/vaudeville palace. However, please note
that, in my opinion, Marty Markowitz has tried and continues to try very hard to move the project forward. However, NYC Economic Development Corporation has already missed two deadlines for
their feasibility and cost studies. When Marty says, he doesn’t think the theater will reopen by the
time he leaves office in 2009—-we should understand that it could take at least two years for the
work to be done—before any opening date.
Bruce1
Scott,
You forget that the City of New York owned this theater since 1979 and they forgot everything including any kind of decent security. Also they weren’t very interested in adding a new roof!!
Former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden (with a little prompting) saw the need for
that new roof. But then again, what happened to the 3 murals on either side of the auditorium?
Somehow under the City’s watchful eye they were meticulously removed!
Scott,
You forget that the City of New York owned this theater since 1979 and they forgot everything including any kind of decent security. Also they weren’t very interested in adding a new roof!!
Former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden (with a little prompting) saw the need for
that new roof. But then again, what happened to the 3 murals on either side of the auditorium?
Somehow under the City’s watchful eye they were meticulously removed!
Hi Scott!
You asked about the wires strung across the lobby. They were left over from the 1966 film ‘Sleepers’
with Rpber Di Nero, Dustin Hoffman, Vitorio Gassman, Kevin Bacon and Minni Driver.
The scene was shot up on the mezzanine with Gassman talking to a drug dealer.
As far as the blueprints, they are available at the Theater Historical Society along with detailed early
photographs. Can destruction be restored or recreated, the answer is yes. i.e. The New Amsterdam.
Bruce1
I was inside the theater earlier today and can report that there was no further damage. The new owners share our love for these old palaces and fully intend on a faithful restoration. Entrances
and exits have been fortified and they are in the historical research stage.
After 23 years of effort the Save The Kings can say ‘Mission Accomplished.’
Originally the Loew’s Kameo had nude plaster cherubs along the walls but when the elders of the Philadelphia Church took over they thought that this was inappropriate. Therefore they went out
and got ornate plaster people to ‘dress’ the cherubs.
The companies who designed theaters were also in the business of building churches so you can
see how a one time theater could easily become a church!
Bernie,
Glad you got in touch.
Bruce1
You never know with the editing but we taped much more this morning. I assume some of which will be combined with footage at my house that shows off a variety of artifacts and memorabilia that can be a part of a Loew’s Kings Vaudeville/Movie Museum.
During today’s visit I noticed that the magnificent drapery that hung above the proscenium was no longer there!
I certainly agree that the New Amsterdam was the catalyst that changed Times Square and Loew’s Kings can do the same for Flatbush Avenue.
View link
Dear Scott,
Just because you didn’t know about it, doesn’t mean that I was not involved in the most recent developments. However I considered confidentiality more important than tooting my own horn.
The best news of all is that Ace Theatricals has stated: ‘We will recreate what it looks like when it was first put into use, we will be able to very accurately recreate what is no longer there and restore what is there.“ I never wanted to see this cathedral of the ornate multiplexed. I always wanted to see it return to it’s roots as a live theater.
Bruce1
Anna of Brooklyn:
Since I am “CEO” of ‘Save The Kings’ for the past 21 years, I guess I am the world’s greatest authority on this last of the wonder theaters to be dormant. What can I do to help?
At this point, it’s not visible but the original asbestos curtain is up in the fly space! Actually it’s an asbestos curtain painted to look like a stage curtain complete with tassels.
On one of my visits to the old dark house, I found that the orchestra pit doors were locked from the inside. This led me to believe that the ‘homeless’ had taken up residence inside the orchestra pit!
Also that they were responsible for the theft of bathroom copper pipes, brass banisters and those wall sconces. All this would not have been possible without the indifference of the owner, the City of NY.
The Marquee: The marquee covers the original installed by Art Kraft Strauss. At the time they owned 51% of Loew’s Theaters and therefore got the job. Art Kraft was responsible for those early Times Sq. billboards: (The Smoking Camel Sign, The Pepsi Sign, etc.)
If you stand underneath the marquee, you will see the original underbelly. When Loew’s decided on a more modern look, they chopped off the ornate detail and created a box and that remains.
Where was it reported that the city would spend at least $35 million on restoring Loew’s Kings? I have been actively involved in Save The Kings since 1987 and had not heard any such figure.
For all nostalgia buffs: In the basement of Loew’s Kings there was a rarely or never used screening room. Everything in the room is covered with a fine plaster dust. However one wall sports a few — holes where the projectors were once situated.
On my last trip to the theater, I noticed that the murals on both sides of the balcony were now —– missing. Perhaps even more interesting, they weren’t torn down by the homeless, but removed by a professional who took care to peel them off the wall gradually leaving a white plaster rectangle in their absence. How could this happen? (Great Security!)
I believe to make the Kings profitable, it must become a Center for the Performing Arts and should be enclosed in a big box shopping mall. In that way the lobby of the theater can provide access to more than the theater. It could also provide access to an adjoining multiplex, a comedy or jazz club in the former basketball court, etc.
A previous post talked about the Victorian Furniture that could be restored. BUT whatever happened to that furniture? After 30 years, where could it be? Don’t worry it’s been preserved and protected by the former manager of Loew’s Kings. Along with all kinds of memorabilia that could be the backbone of a Loew’s Kings Museum. Imagine a visual history of the vaudeville days and the movies of the 60s and 70’s! It’s all intact and waiting!
Bruce1
Dear Roberta and Janet,
A few years ago I got a guided tour of Fabian’s Atlanta Fox. Aside from the incredible architecture, I was really moved by a second box office that was at the side of the building. This was especially for the Black theater goer. After they bought their tickets, they were forced to climb 7 flights of stairs to get to their ‘seating section’ just below the projection booth in the very top of the balcony. As you know, there are aisles that cut through the row of seats in any theater. However, at the Atlanta Fox, the Black Section had walls to separate the section, but no aisle cuts!!!
From what my guide told me, this separate box office and separate staircase to the seating was in use until the early 60’s. Being from Brooklyn I remember the Brooklyn FOX where disc jockey, Murray the K hosted Rock and Roll Shows. Here, the acts were integrated and so was the audience. But then—-
that’s Brooklyn.
Tom M: I was referring to the stage lifts. There being two that are controlled by ‘cork screws’ that are topped by pizza trays and gears that are connected to a motor. As far as the orchestra lift, there are two. One controlled the up and down direction of the house organ and the other allowed the lift to bring the orchestra from the basement up to stage/show level. If you were backstage and standing by the really ancient lighting board, you would see a vertical panel that has three buttons. UP, DOWN and Stage Level. From this position, the technician controlled the movement of the orchestra pit.
I have been down in the basement many times and once, I found that the orchestra pit’s two doors were locked from the inside. In the past, they were not locked. So who could have locked them from the inside—-other than the homeless crowd that made off with all the wall sconces and brass sink pipes!!!
The original C of O is very clear and states the seat count at 3,692. During the 60’s Loew’s wanted to increase the leg room of the orchestra and reduced the number of seats.
To my knowledge, the leaking roof was fixed properly. The separate roof that covered the old store
fronts (once used by Flatbush Development Corporation) totally collapsed and all remains of the old stores has been removed. Therefore, we have a chain linked fence and an empty lot to the right of the theater entrance.
As far as Tom’s suggestions, they seem logical to me and I would suggest such ideas be sent to the Brooklyn Borough President. (.gov)
Nostalgia Department:
Back in the early 60s, two robbers forced the Assistant Manager into the theater’s safe. The lady manager had already left for the evening and she was the only one with the combination. When
she arrived and opened the safe, the AM was gasping for air. She promptly suggested that they
install a phone inside the safe, to which the AM replied: ‘Thanks a lot!’
Also in the late 60s a film entitled ‘Bob and Ted, Carol and Alice’ that starred Robert Culp and Elliot
Gould (at the time, spouse of Streisand) Natalie Wood and Dyan Cannon. The theater manager, that
incredibly creative Dorothy Solomon Panzica (now 90 years young) came up with a promotion idea. She convinced a furniture store across from the theater to put a bed in the window with four naked mannequins and combined this with a contest to win free tickets. What the heck? She had 3,192
seats!! Brooklyn Boy: Paul Mizursky wrote the film!
Shortly after the Kings closed in 1979, a local organization, The Flatbush Development Corporation was given custodial control. At which time, they produced a fund raiser show on stage. Each of the participants wore a straw hat and after all these years, those hats remain backstage. Unfortunately, their show was interrupted by a spotlight in the booth which caught fire.
Through the years, thieves have walked off with wall sconces, brass railings and even copper pipes from the bathrooms! Unfortunately, what you might call ‘security’ hasn’t been very successful.
Down in the basement, there remains a projection/screening room where films were shown. Also, the stage lift mechanicals remain. One motor is covered with a white banner with gold tassel and a slogan suggesting ‘Buy War Bonds’. This dates back to WWII.
At this point, there will not be any opportunity of getting into the Kings for a photo opportunity. However, if I hear of any such future event—certainly, I will alert you.
I knew about the orchestra pit-lift and the separate organ lift, but was not aware of the piano's
own lift. The piano now sits backstage, but on two legs. The screen has been slashed and has
been raised along with the asbestos curtain and the ‘birds’. There are two more stage lifts that
were used to raise scenery and performers.
Let’s not lose hope! Many of us have waited this long and maybe the situation will improve??
Wait! Here’s another curiosity!! If you go into the basement you will find the dual entrances to the orchestra pit. The pit is encased in a ‘box’ that served as an elevator to raise the musicians up and
put them in position. Then backstage next to the lighting board, you would find a primitive control panel that would control this elevator. The doors to the ‘elevator’ were always open, but one time,
I found them CLOSED. What was strange, they were locked from the inside. This led me to believe
that this was done by homeless folk who had taken up residence inside the orchestra pit.
Here’s another little known story about the Loew’s Kings. If you go backstage and look on the back wall, you’ll see iron doors that slide open. These doors lead to the dressing room floors, however
there is no staircase leading to these doors! So how were they used? Steamer trunks and luggage
were lifted and pulled to safety by the back stage crew. There was no elevator and this was the best way of getting the vaudeville stars suitcases up to their dressing rooms.
In fact, there is one dressing room that looks different from the rest. The walls were painted black
along with a refrigerator. Then over the paint job, there were glitter decals. Obviously this was not
done during the vaudeville era. We can only assume that the decorative touches were added during
the 60’s or 70’s.
LuisV
Have you ever toured a ‘former’ theater? While driving in the older neighborhoods, look to the roof line and you’ll see what used to be a movie/vaudeville house. Today it might be a supermarket or
it might be a Rite Aid or it might be an alternative high school. However, if you can talk your way behind the frozen food or the vegetable bins, you will find remnants of theater architecture. One time in Brooklyn, I found the long forgotten ‘RKO Prospect’. My father was a musician and actually played vaudeville here. I went behind the frozen food and up a steel ladder. When I exited onto a
second floor, I found myself in the men’s room of the theater. Actually, I climbed through a sky- light. I know that sounds funny, but yes there was a skylight where you exited (not to the roof) but into the mezzanine bathroom. Upstairs I found the ornate theater walls and what I would call the stadium seating. The seats were gone, but the concrete ‘steps’ design proved that each was 18" higher than the one below. Thus providing that every seat was a good seat. Multiplex theater operators claim that this is a brand new innovation but it was around way back in the 1920’s when the RKO Prospect was built.
Warren,
According to the actual certificate of occupancy, the exact number was 3,692. However in the 60’s the number was reduced to 3,192. As you said, most of the seating is on the orchestra floor and
the mezzanine/balcony only contains 899.
At the two sides of each aisle of seats are magnificent iron ‘standards’—but only upstairs. For the
orchestra, the decorative design team used flat wooden panels.
One of the things that I find most interesting, aside from this being a cathedral of the ornate is the
air cooling system in the basement. Over the years it was updated, but much of the original stuff
is still there! They had two giant tanks that filled with water (from an underground contributory of the Connecticut River.) Then there is a plenum chamber with an air-lock type door similar to what
you might find in a submarine. Then inside the chamber we have a giant (12 foot high) fan and a labyrinth of pierced piping on the ceiling. This allowed for the water to be pumped through those pipes and create a shower into the room. Now, we had a cylinder filled with CO2. (This was the forerunner of FREON. So the cold CO2 mixed with the water shower and the giant fan to create a steady stream of cold air that was then pumped through an elaborate maze of vents throughout
the theater.
Some years ago I checked with the Smithsonian and was told that such a system is rare today but could also be found in vintage buildings around the country and mansions for the very rich.
On the wall of the chamber can be found a certificate from the York Air Cooling Company. They
were the forerunner of York Air Conditioning.
LuisV,
During the administration of Borough President Howard Golden, a new roof was installed. What
fell was a small roof above the old headquarters of the Flatbush Development Corporation. It's
now an empty lot—the roof collapsed and the city leveled the two store fronts. However, to my
knowledge, no further damage has resulted over the theater itself.
I would think that the city and the Borough would and should be working on putting together a
subsidy that would encourage a developer to take on the project. However, since none of us are
privy to such information, we shouldn’t necessarily think that this is not a work in progress.
One thing is for sure and that is no developer or theater operator will create a NEW theater with
the architectural elements and acoustics of the Loew’s Kings.
Just because it was EDC’s job to find a qualified developer, that does not mean that WE can’t
make contact with a developer and convince them of the economic feasibility of this project.
LuisV,
During the administration of Borough President Howard Golden, a new roof was installed. What
fell was a small roof above the old headquarters of the Flatbush Development Corporation. It's
now an empty lot—the roof collapsed and the city leveled the two store fronts. However, to my
knowledge, no further damage has resulted over the theater itself.
I would think that the city and the Borough would and should be working on putting together a
subsidy that would encourage a developer to take on the project. However, since none of us are
privy to such information, we shouldn’t necessarily think that this is not a work in progress.
One thing is for sure and that is no developer or theater operator will create a NEW theater with
the architectural elements and acoustics of the Loew’s Kings.
Just because it was EDC’s job to find a qualified developer, that does not mean that WE can’t
make contact with a developer and convince them of the economic feasibility of this project.
Maybe I am too much of an optimist? Maybe from the indications I have seen, I still believe that Marty Markowitz is sincere and is doing everything possible!
As much as I respect the opinions of those who seem ‘angry’ at the lack of progress, I would ask
those individuals to help find a developer or theater operator who sees the potential. Writing on
this message board is only a first step. Let’s see how much you are willing to DO! Why not make
contact with Markowitz? Why not contact EDC? Why not help to find a developer? Complaining
is not enough!
Go online for the nydailynews.com and search for Loew’s Kings. There is an article today that does not present much hope for the future of this fabled movie/vaudeville palace. However, please note
that, in my opinion, Marty Markowitz has tried and continues to try very hard to move the project forward. However, NYC Economic Development Corporation has already missed two deadlines for
their feasibility and cost studies. When Marty says, he doesn’t think the theater will reopen by the
time he leaves office in 2009—-we should understand that it could take at least two years for the
work to be done—before any opening date.
Bruce1