Highway Theater
283 Kings Highway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11223
283 Kings Highway,
Brooklyn,
NY
11223
5 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox Circuit, Randforce Amusement Corp., United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
Architects: Boris Dorfman
Previous Names: Sohmer's Highway Theater
Nearby Theaters
The Sommer’s Highway Theater opened in early-1925 with 1,100 seats. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer (Type B) organ. It was another single level neighborhood house that was later run by UA and then by Golden Theaters as a dollar house.
It had a very irregular schedule in its last days in the 1980’s, opening on holidays and in the summer only (much like the Golden Theater policy with the now-closed and retro-fitted Benson Twins).
It finally closed in 1988 and became a bingo hall and later a church with the bizzare name of Church of the Upper Deck. By 2002 it had reverted back to bingo hall use. In late-2008, the front of the building was removed and the auditorium was gutted and converted into a Walgreens pharmacy. They vacated the building in 2023.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
Currently under demolition. The front facade and marquee are gone. Side walls still standing as of today.
Forgot to say: buzz is theatre will be replaced by CVS.
Everything completely gutted out except for the side walls.
The sign just went up — it is to be a Walgreens.
I have such great childhood memories of the Highway Theater. I grew up in Gravesend during the late-70s/early-80s and spent every dollar I could muster attending movies there. Between 1978-83, I literally saw dozens of movies there, including a slew of Chuck Norris films (Good Guys Wear Black, A Force Of One, The Octagon, etc.), and a bevy of grade B-Z horror flicks as well (Zombie, The Evil Dead, Friday The 13th part III in 3D, etc.).
It’s actually sad to see the last physical remnants of the Highway disappear from sight forever. While the neighborhood will certainly benefit from having a Walgreens, I seriously doubt if 30 years from now anyone will fondly reminisce about the bottle of Robitussin they once purchased there. The Highway was a special place, and I’ll always have fond memories of it.
I remember my mother pulling up on the opposite side of the theatre with me and a friend in the car, and we went across the street to see ROCKY. The theatre was packed, and we had to sit on the right hand side “children’s” section, which had a cover over one of the seats that said CHILDRENS on the back or something to that effect.
The matrons walked about with the flashlights.. but everyone was still screaming.
I saw other movies there as well, but this one I remember well.
I love in the Washington DC area now, and there is something I remembered about the Highway after visiting a local theatre here.
The bathrooms, instead of being in the lobby were INSIDE the theatre auditorium! There were doors right in the auditorium to the right that would take you in to the restrooms. The Avalon theatre here in DC has that same setup.. probably same architect!
My wife grew up about four or five blocks from this theater and we went there occasionally when we were going out. It was an average theater with nothing distinctive to remember it by. Some of the films I can remember seeing there included “Hard Times,” “Murder by Death” and “The Dogs of War.” It was such a mediocre theater that I was absolutely not surprised when it finally threw in the towel and closed.
I have fond memories of the Highway, a tiny and ramshackle house, even as long ago as the 70s. My friends and I always joked that you could here someone flush the toilet when you were sitting in the auditorium. One movie that I know for a fact that I saw at the Highway was “Paper Moon”.
Listing should be changed to demolished. I worked here for the movie “Papillon” on Saturday night, under the Schiering’s regime along with the Granada and Rugby and later on in 1973 at the Oceana.
Walgreens has abandoned the building, which is now vacant. I’ll post a shot from Google Maps; you can see the ghost of the Walgreens sign which was removed.