Teatro Paradise
Centro Rio Pierdras,
San Juan
Centro Rio Pierdras,
San Juan
1 person
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Located near the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, this theater showed double features for students with tight wallets.
The Paradise was successful for many years, but the the area became a victim of urban decay and crime. Students stopped hanging around the area and went to mall multiplexes instead.
The long-closed Paradise is currently in the midst of a renovation project.
Contributed by
Jose Mendez
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Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
It was a long narrow theater. I went a lot when I was at UPR and lived at the Darlington. Saw it in January and looks as awful as in the Jan. 19 pics. Well, they were taken a few days after I passed by the theater. What a shame!
I was thinking it’s better if they tear it down and rebuild it from scratch. All they can preserve is the sign, no point in letting that space go to waste. They can build a really nice theater in the heart of a historic district. Let me know what you think.
If I remember correctly, in the 60s Rio Piedras had the Paradise (Cobian), Modelo (a Llamas theater) and Cobian’s New Victoria, the remodeled old Victoria which the interior was decorated as the newly remodeled Puerto Rico in Santurce nd played day-and-date with Santurce theaters. I don’t remember any other theaters in Rio Piedras. I don’t know what to tell you. If they destroyed the Paramount, except for the facade, then they can do the same with the Paradise. I really don’t know what to tell you. Sorry. Have a good night, Davsot.
PS: Love your Flicker Photostream, Davsot.
thanks, if you can, add me.
I believe that, along with the nearby New Victoria, the Paradise was a Wometco Commonwealth theater at one time. And, yes, it was great that both venues offered reduced ticket prices to students with IDs.
I am doing a documentary about Cine Roosevelt. If you have any memorabilia or information about Teatros Cobian, the original owners of the cinema, please contact me at
I seem to recall some plans for renovation during an architecture festival the tourism company did a few years ago but nothing ever came out of it. The Main building itself it’s closed to the public, however there’s an opening nearby that people use to exhibit movies.
I’m a student at the UPRRP and I am interested on making a student interdisciplinary project for the restoration and reopening of the Paradise. There has been multiple plans of restoration and architectural plans of renovation have been made, so the possibilities of opening the Paradise are higher than they seem. I am planning on making this proposal part of a full creative investigation. If you are a student of the UPRRP, from any faculty, and are interested on a project that could save Rio Piedras please contact me:
P.S. right now the Paradise functions as an “private” parking spot (the structure, I believe, belongs to the government, but the access to it is private). I will upload recent photos.
Soy estudiante en la UPRRP y me interesa iniciar un proyecto estudiantil interdisciplinario para la restauración y reapertura del Paradise. Se han hecho múltiples intentos para hacerlo, y se han llegado a presentar planos de remodelación, así que creo que es posible. Pienso hacer la propuesta como parte de una investigación. Si son estudiantes de la UPRRP, de cualquier facultad, interesados en un proyecto para salvaguardar Rio Piedras por favor contáctese conmigo:
P.D. actualmente el Paradise está siendo utilizado como estacionamiento “privado” (la estructura le pertenece al gobierno tengo entendido, pero el acceso es privado). Pondré fotos actuales.
Back in the 1970s, the Paradise showed “The Black Windmill”, “Star Wars”, and Chinese martial-arts films.