Union Theaters
990 Stuyvesant Avenue,
Union,
NJ
07083
990 Stuyvesant Avenue,
Union,
NJ
07083
9 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 33 comments
https://tfpnj.blogspot.com/2023/07/union-theater.html
Link to my blog which features photos from inside the building prior to demolition. I visited the building several times, hoping one day I would walk inside and all the interior partition walls would be gone. That never happened unfortunately.
Demolished as of 4/19/2023.
The Township of Union, NEVER purchased or took ownership of the Union Theaters at least not according to the property records (See link below). Currently it is owned by a company called Stuyvesant Building LLC. out of Kings Point, New York (That’s Nassau County on Long Island) which purchased the property in 2015, previous to that it was owned by Mousa Kafash in 2014 and prior to 2014 it was owned by Spiros Papas of Westwood, NJ.
https://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin/m4.cgi?district=2019&l02=20190290300016_____M
and by the way the Tap Into Union article was wrong. I don’t know where they got their information but Monmouth County maintains an extensive records of every property tax record in almost every county (Ocean County being the only exception) so I would go by that and not some online website which has no formal standing as a member of the press community, its just a bunch of residents writing articles for their local towns.
After purchase by the city, the Union is awaiting demolition: https://www.tapinto.net/towns/union/sections/business-and-finance/articles/union-theater-to-be-demolished-what-s-next?fbclid=IwAR1VqlUspwbCWyviaunn5PGnTmmG_A72Bws5gNAifRNWy7IsamLeCytS31E
I saw a sneak preview (remember those?) of Raiders of the Lost Ark here. The theater was only about 25% full, this may be due to the fact that Nightwing was the featured movie and maybe no one had heard of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Needless to say, once Raiders opened, sell out crowds followed for a several weeks.
The union theater closed on march 3, 2020. Fire, Health and Building Department violations and summonses, including non-working fire alarms, a failure to maintain in good working order all means of egress devices and safeguards, exposed pipes and a hole in the ceiling and not supplying adequate heat in the building.
Not gonna last long at those prices. They will be getting movies after pay per view.
This is now a second run discount theater still operated by Empire Cineplex. The only one in the NY Tri State Area since the South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY also operated by Empire Cineplex has closed in Feb. Tickets are now $3.50. You can’t get this price anywhere in this area.
This became a twin cinema on March 17th, 1978. Ad in the photo section.
Remodeled Late 1968. Ad in the photo section.
I always like going here i seen tons of movies here like The Dark Knight, Scream 3, Marvel’s The Avengers and The Matrix just to name a few.
I like this theater been going has a kid and still now. They got $5.00 all day tuesday.
Just passed by tonight, theater has reopened
Looks like Empire Cinemas is taking it over: http://union.empirecineplex.com
Someone has been doing work on this theater in recent months. New tiling has been put down both inside and outside the lobby, and current movie posters have been installed inside the glass cases mounted on the main wall just past the entrance. The marquee also no longer says “For Sale”.
The theatre is now closed with a “for sale” sign on the marquee. It has been closed for several months now.
Last time I worked here was in Dec 1997, just a day before Titanic came out. It was a twin then and the new owner was taking over the next day and went non-union. Shortly after he made it 7 screens. I know even when I worked there water would pour into the building after heavy snow. I wonder if this could be the reason for the unsafe condition mentioned by shany94.
As of Feb. 2014 this theater is closed and for sale – a red sign on the front doors states that the building is unsafe for human occupancy … End of an era.
a ok theater seen alot of movies there.
I was sort of impressed by the size of the screen here – while it wasn’t like a multiplex, it was a good size give the theater I was in the other night to see Fados. Clean and well maintained with a neighborhood feel – it reminded me a bit of the theater the same owners run up in Westwood.
When you walk in there’s one screen to the right, then beyond it a long hallway leading to three screens to the right, and two to the left (2 being the largest I assume), and back in the lobby there is one screen straight ahead. A decent size lobby – no Cineplex Oden-style touches however. The bathroom seemed a bit dated as well (they also had a separate handicap room across the hall from the party room, which is behind the outside box office, to the left when you enter the building). I’d come back if they showed more art house films.
I miss the big theaters myself sometimes. They would have been terrific on opening weekend for a film like “The Dark Knight”, but I also remember how utterly empty they could be during weekday matinees.
I recall an early ‘70s re-release of “Ten Commandments” there, as well as “Escape from the Planet of the Apes.” I think I also saw the “special edition” reissue of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” there in 1980.
Would like to have seen the Union prior to its subdivision, but I have to agree with RichardR about the “lousy twin job.” More recently, I went there in its 7-plex configuration, and it wasn’t bad. Wondering along with Jerseygirl4159 about where they could have crammed in seven screens. The Union as originally built couldn’t have been too much different in size from the old Maplewood and Clairidge theatres, and those are both 6-plexes with broom closets for auditoriums. Could the new owners have annexed space from adjoining properties?
Listed as part of RKO-Stanley Warner Theatres, Inc. in the 1976 International Motion Picture Almanac.
I grew up in Union and every movie that shaped my moviegoing experience was seen at this theatre. The Dirty Dozen, In Cold Blood, Bonnie and Clyde,To Sir With Love, Cool Hand Luke and every Disney picture ever made I saw there.It was actually a pretty depressing place until RKO did a major facelift in 1968. They added 70mm and made it a major showcase theatre. They reopened with I Love You Alice B Toklas in December 1968. The 70mm was rarely used except for engagements of Sweet Charity and Tora, Tora, Tora, possibly one or two others. It was truly a great place to see movies. Saw the Wild Bunch there in 1969 and was blown away forever. In 1977 in the middle of it’s run of Close Encounters they did a
lousy twin job and the magic was gone.