Squire Theater

7 screens on February 21st, 1997. No grand opening ad in Newsday.

Please update theatre closed permanently due to Covid-19 Theatre just announced on their Facebook page

Please update, UA open it as a triplex on March 25, 1983

Please rename Great Neck CInemas

The Squire was a leased property and Bow Tie was not the sole owner. Was just the management of the theater taken over or a purchase made? The original Squire lease only ran until 2020.

The theater was taken over by the former owners of Movieworld Douglaston

The history of the Squire is a little off, U.A. did not close the theatre because of bankruptcy, they sold the building to a gentleman by the name of Warren Whurtzberger who then renovated the theatre to 7 screens and because of his money problems he sold the 7 plex to Clearview Cinemas in 1996. I know this because I was the Division Manager for Clearview Cinemas for Long Island at the time of the sale and was responsible for bringing the Squire into the fold as well as the Franklin also owned by Whurtzberger, who had overextended himself with loans from Boston Concession in order to by and renovate the Squire

In 1941, the Esquire Theatre company, operators of the Squire Theatre, were involved in an arbitration case with five major film companies and the operators of the rival Playhouse Theatre. Esquire had filed a claim that the 30-day clearance given the Playhouse was unfair. As part of their case they compared the condition of their newer theater with that of the old Playhouse which had grown a bit shabby. An article about the case in the July 19, 1941, issue of Showmen’s Trade Review included this description of the Squire:

“…approach to the theatre is made through a store on Middle Neck Road, 20 feet wide and 80 feet long, which has been subdivided into a series of vestibules and lobbies, and this terminates in an auditorium approximately 70 feet in width by 135 feet in length. The auditorium is divided into two parts, the lower level and the stadium level, the lower level containing approximately 660 seats, and the stadium containing 330 seats.

“After leaving the entrance lobbies, one approaches a large promenade which terminates in a lounge approximately 16 by 30 feet in size, off of which are anterooms, and the toilet facilities for ladies and gentlemen.

“Part of the original lot, which was 90 feet in width, has been devoted, to exit facilities and boiler room and heating and cooling apparatus. The stadium is completely fireproof in construction, as is the projection booth and the adjacent spaces in the projection booth.

“In addition to the adequate lighting facilities throughout the auditorium Acousticon units for hard of hearing have been installed on 20 chairs.”

A reminiscence by Anne Meara, who grew up in Great Neck in the 1930s, includes a paragraph in which she mentions going to the Squire Theatre with her mother:

“She loved movies and would take me with her whenever she could. I was thrilled. We would walk down Middleneck Road to the Squire theatre. The Squire Theatre was the Enchanted Wood of Great Neck circa 1935.”

“DeLuxer for Great Neck

“A 700-seat deluxe house, with adjoining parking space for 250 cars, is to be built in Great Neck, L. I., on a site owned by Pomander Square, Inc. House has been leased to a client of D. Seymour Wolfson, attorney, who is withholding the lessee’s name for the present.”

Islip probably has more potential for sub division. Also it’s at a better location, near where Rt 111 intersects with Main St/Montauk Highway. And, it’s in town and parking isn’t too bad.

I think they should resurrect the Islip. True it doesn’t have air conditioning but it’s a nice downtown. But, the previous owners couldn’t make it work. The multiplex in Patchogue didn’t work. Definitely seems like a void but, maybe for a reason. There are a lot of pockets with no coverage, even in Nassau.

Took some photos of the former Playhouse also, Wally, and posted them on that page.