Savoy Theatre
710 Mattison Avenue,
Asbury Park,
NJ
07712
710 Mattison Avenue,
Asbury Park,
NJ
07712
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So glad this theater is finally being renovated and not torn down. I’m still looking for any production photos from 1965-66 winter season of Asbury Playhouse at the Savoy Theater. I was a young actor, just starting out in the business. Now semiretired.
Here’s an article from today’s Asbury Park Press talking about the renovation of the Savoy, which is currently under way. It includes a short video of the interior.
There is also a 22 photo collection titled “The lost theatres of Asbury Park”, which is also the title of a seperate article in today’s Press. There’s a link to that on the article page, or you can just click here. Always nice to see an old theatre come back to life! ;–) .
December 25th, 1970 grand opening ad as adult cinema in the photo section. It was an Art Theatre Guild theatre.
May 5th, 1911 grand opening ad in photo section.
I was an actor/apprentice in the 1965-66 Asbury Playhouse at the Savoy Theater. I played Marvin in Enter Laughing, Bollinger in Inherit the Wind, a Shark in West Side Story, chorus in Brigadoon. I’d be interested in any production photos that might exist. Contact me at .
No one mentioned the 1965-66 winter stock co. that operated it as the Asbury Playhouse. I performed my first role as an actor on that stage as Rumpelstiltskin. And the rest is history. (lol). Actually, I am a SAG actor now. Who knew?
I remember “The Colossus of New York” played here in the 1950’s. Fun movie for a little boy. In the 1970’s they showed X rated movies. It closed at the end of December 1976. I am posting a 1914 photo of the theater with its “blade”.
Ran into the owner today. He said its ‘sold’ and there are no seats, but said the stage was there tho. I could see into the lobby, or what was left of it and it looks like theyre doing work in there.
I found a photo in the book Asbury Park’s Glory Days that shows that the Savoy did not ever have a marquee but it DID have a tall blade over the entrance that spelled out Savoy. At a minimum, a marquee or a blade needs to be installed to give this theater, which is otherwise hidden from the street, some presence.
This is my first visit to Asbury since I posted in early October that the theater had been sold to Sackman and that a restoration was planned. Mattison is one block off of the main drag of Cookman and is much quieter but a restored theater will help change that. The Office building which envelopes the theater is fairly large and handsome. However, the first thing to go should be the storefront mosque and the adjacent Bail Bonds office. This is not the image you want to represent. The Marque, which was removed in the 80’s, should be restored to define the entrance of this theater. Peering through the “lobby” entrance it appears that some work has started, but the lobby appears to be very disappointing. It is really small and doesn’t appear to have ANY character at all. There is a small staircase off that lobby that I assume would go up to the balcony. The new owners say that they expect to have a 1,000 seat theater but the capacity at the time of closing was in the 800’s. A prior plan to renovate envisioned a comfortable theater of 600. No offense, but New Jersey is not one of the slim states and larger seats will be required. I also have to assume that nothing is left of the original ornamentation as none ever been referenced in any article that I’ve seen so the “state of the art” performing arts space will likely just be a “modern” space with little reference to the past.
Happy to announce that it looks like this theater will indeed be renovated. Maddeningly, there is no mention in the article as to the current state of the theater, how much is left, how ornate it was/still is, or the ultimate quality of the restoration. However, it is welcome news nonetheless. The article follows from the Asbury Park Press:
ASBURY PARK — The century-old Savoy Theatre is going to be saved and renovated into a state-of-the art live performance theater.
Trip Brooks, the representative of Sackman Enterprises who oversees many of that company’s historic renovations of Asbury Park buildings, said Friday that Sackman went under contract in June to buy the five-story Kinmonth Building at 710 Mattison Ave. with a year’s deadline.
Besides office space, the building, built in 1911, housed the Savoy vaudeville theater. In the 1930s, movies started being shown and for many years the Savoy was part of the Walter Reade group of movie theaters in Asbury Park. Eventually, the theater went dark, as did most of the downtown until the past decade’s revitalization.
“Our plans are to take it through the approval process with the city,” Brooks said on Friday. “Our idea is to restore the old office section with offices related to theaters. We will have a production company and a Savoy Club.”
The Kinmonth Building, when purchased, will be added to Sackman Enterprises’ downtown buildings that company president Carter Sackman has bought and completed historic renovations. That list includes the Steinbach Building, the Post Building, the old Asbury Park Press Building and most recently, the 550 Cookman Building, which is on track to be completed and open with retail, apartments and four cinemas that will seat a total of 650 and include the renovation of the historic adjacent Seacoast Trust Building.
The Savoy will be a 1,000-seat theater, Brooks said, and is important in the Sackman mix for the downtown, which has been primarily residential and retail.
The city’s Arts Coalition of Asbury Park worked hard in 2005 to buy the Kinmonth Building from owner Michael Fornino but could not come up with the $250,000 required as a down payment to hold it. The price tag at that time was $5.1 million.
Brooks declined to say how much they have contracted to pay Fornino. The Neptune resident and longtime Asbury Park businessman purchased the building with partner Jerold Wagenheim in 1980.
Fornino could not be reached for comment Friday.
“I think it’s a very exciting project,” Mayor Ed Johnson said. “The Savoy is really one of the last of the historic theaters at the Jersey Shore. Asbury Park was always known for its grand theaters, which were torn down one by one.”
“To (Tripp and Carter’s) their credit, they have been methodically taking those steps and they’re taking them in one of the worst economic environments since the Depression,” said City Manager Terence Reidy said.“People come and look at the city and there’s this real legitimate sense of momentum and commitment that feeds on itself.”
Sackman Enterprises must build a new parking deck downtown as its projects are completed and the city fills up with people and cars.
“The renovation of the 550 Cookman Building has pushed the demand for the new parking, and the Savoy will push it right over the top,” Reidy said.
Asbury Park Press article ‘Savoy Theatre set to be renovated’
http://www.app.com/article/20110905/NJNEWS/309050025/-1/7daysarchives/Savoy-Theatre-set-to-be-renovated
Last Thursdays Tri City Newspaper reports that Carter Sackman a redeveloper has entered into a contract to buy the Kinmouth Office Building and the Savoy Theater and wants to restore the theater for use. That’s good news.
Still standing in Google photos – looks like there’s a long narrow entrance going from the auditorium all the way down to Cookson Avenue to the south – looks like a theatre entrance.
View link
There is a reference to the potential reopening of the Savoy in this article.
The building still stands. There’s a collection agency in the lobby and, I think, a storefront church just to the left of that.
It would be great if ArtsCAP could get a hold of it. AP is no longer dead, but a fully functioning theater could bring a much needed spark to the other businesses around there, especially the restaurants.
I’m still confused as to whether this theater is still standing or not. It looks like almost every abandoned building in Asbury Park on the East Side of the tracks has now been torn down. There are lots and lots of empty lots! I guess it’s better than eyesores.
There are also lots of new restaurants, stores and other retail establishemts. The landscaping throughout the city is very well done. There are quite a few new condominium developments in various stages of completion. I have to say, there finally appears to be some progress being made in this sad town.
Unfortunately, so much of its past has been destroyed that it will have very little of the charm that even Ocean Grove has next door.
As to Ruthck stating that “Asbury in general is just dead.” I believe he hasn’t been there in many a moon. They have spent more than 15 million dollars thus far in restoring themselves! New buildings, new homes and new streets! It is ‘the’ place as The New York Times has reported twice in the past year.
Walter Rosenberg and his brother Henry were cousins of Willie Hammerstein, hence Walter Reade Jr was second cousin to Oscar Hammerstein 2nd. The Rosenbergs and the Hammersteins were related by marriage.
The building is again for sale at $3.5 Million +/– It’s in bad shape from the outside. Has anyone been in the theater lately? Is the balcony still there? What remains? I performed on that stage in ~1972—some 35 years ago and it was pretty run down then…Asbury in general is just sad.
Also, the XXX movies run in the 1970s at the Savoy were by a company owned by Walter Reade, but known by a different corporate name, for obvious reasons.
Walter Reade Sr. was originally Walter Rosenberg, and the St. James Theatre was named the Rosenberg in its early years.
The Savoy is still standing, and dormant. It is reasonbly intact, the seats and booth equipment have been gone for some time. If you view the building from the next block on Cookman Ave., you can see by the fire escape just how steep the balcony was! The building itself was named the Kinmouth Building in honor of Dr. Hugh and J. Lyle Kinmouth. J. Lyle established the Asbury Park Press, and his initials were used as the call sign of the (then) Press’s radio station WJLK.
Hi Saps, It just so happens that I was in Asbury Park this past weekend and took a walk “downtown”. I could be wrong, but I think this corner is in the process of being gutted and the adjoining building torn down. Asbury seems intent on destroying most of what little remains of its glorius architectural past. There are several new condominium projects underway which will bring some very badly needed higher income people into the area, but there is still a very depressing feeling about this town. I also noticed several big new restaurants that have recently opened. I don’t know how they will stay in business over the winter.
I did make my way over to The Paramount and it was actually open! There was a performance scheduled that evening of Kathy Najimy and Mo something or other. I wasn’t able to attend but the ticket agent did allow me to take a quick peek inside and it was in much better shape than I expected it to be in. It’s pretty big. I hope to attend a performance or movie here in the near future and will report on the Paramount site.
Back to the Savoy, I had totally forgotten about this theater. I was only aware of the Paramount and The Baronet as the only ones left. Had I remembered, I would have looked specifically for this theater and reported back accordingly. I hope that I’m wrong about the destruction.
If anyone else can shed any light it would be appreciated.
Do tell. Is the building still standing?
I meant, what happenned with the suppossed sale? Did it occur? What’s next? :–)