Apollo Theatre
126 Clinton Street,
New York,
NY
10002
126 Clinton Street,
New York,
NY
10002
2 people
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This area, the former site of the Apollo, is now being redeveloped as the massive “Essex Crossing” project which will include a multiplex cinema.
Here is the Apollo Theater after it was taken over by Loew’s, The photo is from a still from the Movie “Naked City” shot in 1948.
btkrefft: great researching!
Thanks for the cool picture, geneser1.
BTW – here is a link to my FaceBook where I have posted what might be the only picture of this Apollo theater when it was called: Apollo Hall in 1900!
View link
I and my friends used to cut through the construction area that became the Seward Park Houses to go to The Apollo theater in the late 50’s and early 60’s. We paid 35 cents to see three feature films. They make up part of a lot of precious memories of my childhood growing up on the Lower East Side of NYC.
Checked Google Maps. Nothing there but acres of parking lots.
Are there any pictures of this movie theater.
None of the old 42nd Street theaters was nice by the time I started frequenting them in 1967, but as an out-of-towner who knew that a movie could play in only one theater in a “zone” at a time, I was fascinated to find first-run movies playing with companion features in dumpy 42nd Street houses while the same new films were running at higher prices just around the corner on Broadway and Seventh Avenue.
The Apollo Theater on Clinton Street south of Delancey Bridge traffic was still open in the 1950’s and 60’s. It was known for it’s “Always a Western” sign. One of the three featured movies was always a Western.
It was closed temporarily, changed management or something, but it was still operating in the 70’s and I think the 80’s as well.
The Palestine changed it’s name to the Winston in the 1960’s.
I used to go to the Apollo Theatre up to the mid to late 60’s where I used to see Jerry Lewis films and many Vincent Price classics. They had delicious hot dogs. Around that same time they had a live show around Halloween that was always a sell out. The 7th Precient used to be right next door and they had their PAL events there every Christmas. There was a cool toy store across the street and I once saw Robert Kennedy at a campaign stop on the same street. It went out of favor as people started going to the Essex Theatre a few blocks away for their films – or the Delancey Theatre (where I saw the Batman movie).
I recall around 1963 attending a function at a catering hall, situated either in the theater basement, or a few doors north of the entrance. The Apollo was still open at the time.
I was going to see movies with my Sister at the Apollo well into the late 60’s. The building was knocked down to build the new 7th precient police plaza. By the 60’s they were showing 3 B movies every week.
The theatre was closed by May, 1954.
Loew’s was still operating this theatre as late as 1953. A NY Times display ad for 2/26/1953 shows that they were playing the Doris Day film, “April in Paris.”
Along with the Palestine, the Charles, and the Ruby, all on the Lower East Side, construction of this theatre was announced in November 1925.
The theatre had 1st floor seating of 1068, mezzanine and balcony seating of 630, and boxes seating 90. There was also an open-air roof-top theatre with a capacity of 1000.
The 1930 edition of Film Daily Yearbook lists the Apollo Theatre as having 1,788 seats and an Apollo Roof Theatre seating 1,000.
The Wurlitzer theatre organ Opus#1419 was installed in 1926, indicating an approximate opening year.
The Apollo Theatre is still listed as open in the 1941 and 1943 editions of F.D.Y. with a seating capacity of 1,712.