Brentwood Theatre

Bloop, you are incorrect. The Brentwood looked nothing like the Babylon which was constructed in the 1920s. Prudential Theaters which had a similar look were the North Babylon, Cinema Bay Shore and Mid Island.

Just posted a new ad… 1979 !

Originally built by Prudential and probably made the transition to UA.

Was this a GCC Theatre?

I am sad that its no longer a movie theater but at least the building is being used for something positive rather than continue sitting there empty being an eyesore.

For anyone interested, I uploaded a photo of the theatre cum soccer academy taken this past weekend just before Hurricane Irene.

Oops. 1984

The area isn’t horrible. It’s perfectly fine. It’s just heavily hispanic, particularly with many immigrants from El Salvador. The building now has new life as the Brentwood Soccer Academy.

I cant believe its gone it had more lives than a cat……….

As I promised myself a few weeks back, I got back to the Brentwood this morning with camera in hand and snapped about two dozen photos. The owner is gutting the place for re-use as a commercial space of some kind. While I was snapping away, I spotted a worker coming around from the back of the building and tried to ask him some questions, but he spoke very little english. A few moments later, he was back outside and handed me his cell phone. Apparently, he was concerned to see me snapping away and called the owner – who was curious as to my intentions and asked to speak to me. I didn’t get a name, but I spoke to a very nice – but very puzzled – woman who wanted to know exactly what I was up to. I explained that I was a movie theatre buff and that the photos were for my own private collection and possibly to post online in a theatre forum. She was dubious at first and couldn’t understand my interest in the building since it was no longer a theatre, but I guess I convinced her that I had no agenda of any kind. She took my email address and first name and I told her I’d be happy to send her copies (and encouraged her to let me know when work was complete so I could photograph the finished refurbishment). She wouldn’t elaborate on the proposed new use for the building and I really couldn’t sort it out from this stage of the rehab work.

The two-story glass front lobby has been partially boarded up and is in the process of being replaced with cinderblock (I presume this is a temporary measure to protect against the elements). The former lobby space has been opened up to the former auditorium – which has been gutted to the bare brick walls and the steel framework of the ceiling. I guess if a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll just shut up and post ‘em here:

Here’s a link to the first photo in the album. Just click on the “next” button from there. That probably works easier than linking to each of the 24 images separately. In several of the photos, you’ll see the last remnant of the upper lobby wall at the far left of the building just over the former box office. The doorway into the balcony seating is still there. This is the last interior remnant of the old theatre.

I passed by this theater earlier today and it is in sad shape. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me at the time. The two story glass front (through which one could clearly see the entire two tier lobby) is obscured with graffiti. There is a sign high up on the glass that is partially damaged advertising a spanish language church. The building itself seems to be in a state of neglect. On the flat canopy above the entrance and box-office, a small fragment of the word “Theater” still hangs in red letters.

I’ll have to get back there soon for some photos.

Have not been over this way in the last 2 years whats the status?