Century's Floral Theatre
250 Jericho Turnpike,
Floral Park,
NY
11001
250 Jericho Turnpike,
Floral Park,
NY
11001
7 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Floral Terrace (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Century Theaters, Playhouse Operating Co.
Functions: Banquet Hall
Previous Names: Floral Park Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jun 18, 2010 — "Jaws"... Happy 35th!
- May 14, 2010 — Please Post Today, May 14 --- "Jaws," Happy 35th
- Feb 20, 2008 — Century's Queens Theatre, Queens Village. NY
Opened on April 18, 1927, and standing in Floral Park on Jericho Turnpike at Park Place, this once-elegant Century Theaters movie house had a balcony. The Century Floral Theatre closed sometime in the late 1980’s and was converted into a catering hall, known as Floral Terrace.
A small stage theater still exists in some part of what was once a theater.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 82 comments)
Hello all. I have just posted 5 pictures of the Floral Theatre taken sometime in either the late 70’s or early 80’s. I had asked permission from the manager to photograph the auditorium and was refused. So all of what you will see were taken during an intermission and in a hurry. Without the use of a tripod and timed exposure a full house picture was out of the question. I am of the opinion that the colors shown in my pictures are from a repaint done in later years and do not represent what the house originally looked like when first opened. My previous post described the pipe organ it once possessed. I do not know when it was removed or where it went. My guess is that it coincided with the installation of air conditioning. I remember seeing these large round fixtures protruding from the auditorium ceiling which undoubtedly had something to do with the AC.
Possibly the AC unit was installed in the old organ chamber. Back in the early seventies I lived in the Garden City Park & Floral Park area and saw many a film in the Floral Theatre. Going to that theatre was a first class experience. I’m happy that the new owners had the foresight to preserve as much of the architectural details that they did which helps keep the memory of the Floral Theatre alive.
A clarification of sorts. In my recent post to comments posted by Ed Solero regarding the Floral’s pipe organ I stated in that it was installed in 1928. This is from the book entitled The Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ, Vol.2 authored by the late Dave Junchen and published by Showcase Publications in 1989. This volume covers pipe organ manufacturers whose names began with the letter “L” through “W”. Dates were taken from his first hand research with United States Pipe Organ Company archives. It is possible that the organ was installed after the theatre opening. David published volume 1 and had material for his third and final volume which was to have been exclusively on Wurlitzer. Unfortunately he died before it could be published and it was finally published in 2005 by the American Theatre Organ Society. Theatre organist Jeff Weiler spent quite a few years putting David’s material back together and expanded on it as well. It is a great tribute to David’s memory. The ATOS should still have copies available of this issue and the other volumes can be found either through EBay or ABE Books.
In a series of New York Places which are no more (or something like that) which someone had linked to Facebook there is a picture of the Floral, without the vertical but still with a marquee. Way back when I said the vertical was removed when the marquee had to be modified for the widening of Jericho Turnpike. Also, the marquee in that picture was a modern box, not the incandescent image which I’ve usually seen. Don’t know when the transition was made but even that went when Jericho was widened and the marquee was reduced to a slab with the signboards elevated to the northern and western walls of the theater.
In a real estate piece in the April 24, 1927 Brooklyn Eagle there was a discussion about the development of Floral Park. It was anticipated that 300 new homes would be built within the year. It was also noted that the Floral, which actually read Floral Park on the front of the marquee, had just opened the prior Monday, April 18th, and had been built at a cost of $100,000.
Additional photo added.
Photo of the Floral as it originally was. Despite a vertical reading “Floral” the front of the marquee said Floral Park. I believe a modification, still with signage, was made, but that’s a memory thing. At the time Jericho Turnpike was widened the overhang was too great and the marquee was removed and a slab installed. I believe that was when the vertical also came down. Large signage on the building was then installed. See photo section.
Uploaded photo of a later marquee in the 1950s. Note the vertical is gone. Was there until shortly before.
In 1975(?) I lived just down the street, over Grey Photographers, at 280 Jericho Turnpike, when Jaws opened…. That had to be the last time that the Floral had a line to get into it. We couldn’t get to the front door for the huge line on the sidewalk that went all the way around the corner at the gas station! That lasted for more than a week!
Reviewing the photos in the photo section. At some point in time the vertical shown was either modified or changed. I lived in the adjacent town and never saw the one pictured.
I believe the closing date was in the late 1980s. At the end of its run it was a dollar house taking over from the Bellerose in the adjacent village which then closed. Subsequently the Bellerose reopened as the dollar house, presumably when the Floral building was sold.