Teatro Puerto Rico
Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon y Calle Lloveras,
San Juan
00909
Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon y Calle Lloveras,
San Juan
00909
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Wometco Theatres
Architects: Pedro de Castro
Functions: Nightclub
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Cine Puerto Rico
Nearby Theaters
Located on the Avenida Juan Ponce de Leon at La Parada 21 (Calle Lloveras) in the Santurce district. The Cine Puerto Rico was opened in 1925 and was designed in an Art Deco style by architect Pedro de Castro for United Theatres. It reopened on May 6, 1937 with Maurice Chevalier in “The Beloved Vagabond”. Interesting theatre that was part of the Cobian-Wometco theater chain. It had another reopening on June 12, 1962 with Glenn Ford in “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. During the 1960’s and 1970’s, it specialized in horror movies. Many of the Peter Cushing-Christopher Lee-Vincent Price movies played here.
Because of the type of movies it played, the Puerto Rico had some of the coolest (to a ten year old) lobby displays in town. I distinctly remember the one for "Frogs" featuring a giant frog with a human hand sticking out of its mouth. Also, the one for "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" featuring a life size Victoria Vetri.
During the early 1980’s, the Puerto Rico showed more mainstream fare such as "Rambo". It was one of the last Santurce cinemas to close down, in the late 1980’s.
It was briefly revived in the early-1990’s as a double bill theater, long after this kind of movie house had practically disappeared. It was not a sucessfull idea and the Puerto Rico closed down for good.
It was later turned into a disco called Asylum which was a trendy place for a while. Later the nightclub has operated as a disco called "EL Teatro". Recently I visited it and the lobby, carpeting was the same as in the former theater. Quite a nostalgic sight. In recent years the nightclub has been renamed Red and then 7Eight7.
To this generation, the Puerto Rico theater is a fun place to dance, but to someone growing up in the 1970’s, it will always be "the place" to see scary movies.
Contributed by
Jose Mendez
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
hey Jose how are you? where you able to get in during the day? where you able to take any pictures
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enjoy
Any pictures of the inside? I went into the website several times (www.elteatropuertorico.com) but it was under construction and now the web shows the Club Lazer in Old San Juan. The pictures are of club customers, nothing on the Puerto Rico. Andres.
About the origins of the Cine Puerto Rico on Ponce de Leon Avenue; it goes back to 1925, when it was built by as a silent movie house by renowned architect, Pedro De Castro for “United Theater”. Owner was Lloveras and the Architectural Style and facade was Art Déco. For the first decades of the century it was considered as one of San Juan’s finest.
El Teatro Puerto Rico. I remember a Host by the name of Freedie Baez.
Who would introduce the star of Puerto Rico or Latin America back in the 1970’s. I saw Iris Chacon, La lupe, Tito Puente, El Puma, along with tons of Cowboy movies. I was located by brook ave. It is now another Universal church of Christ.
This Teatro Puerto Rico is in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Lacated in Ponce de Leon Avenue and Lloeveras St. Retro must be remembering the famous Puerto Rico in New York City.
Renewing link.
Hi Andy-
Let’s have lunch
Stephen 212 492 6949
I remember seeing so many movies there.“The Spy Who Loved Me”, “Rambo”,“Inside Moves” “Willard” and countless Hammer horror movies.
Opened May 6th, 1937 and reopened on June 13th, 1962. Grand opening ads posted.