Art Southern Theatre
1077 Southern Boulevard,
Bronx,
NY
10459
1077 Southern Boulevard,
Bronx,
NY
10459
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This theater was open until at least November of 1986. Beginning as early as 1973, it advertised in the New York papers as the “ART SOUTHERN,” “ART SOUTHERN BOULEVARD,” or just “ART.”
It is sometimes confused with another Bronx theater located at 1 W. Tremont, near the intersection of Tremont and Jerome, that advertised from 1964-1976 under such names as “ART JEROME” and “ART-Jerome Ave.” (It is listed here on Cinema Treasures as “Jerome Theatre”).
Looks like the theater is now unoccupied. The marquee has no lettering on it.
The first few seconds of this video, dated 1965, show the marquee of the Art Theatre with Spanish language movies featured on it.
The Art was catering to a Hispanophonic audience at least as early as 1944, when the “Theater Deals” Column of the April 14 issue of The Film Daily reported that T&J Theatres had taken a long term lease on the house and would follow a policy of films in Spanish.
The Art Theatre was mentioned in the January 18, 1921, issue of The Film Daily. At that time it had 1,402 seats.
This theater is located right by Westchester Ave and Simpson St.
I’m confused here. The Art Theater that I went to in the 1960s was on Tremont and Jerome. Is this a different theater on Southern Blvd. with the same name?
Yes.
Mr. Katz, I mean did the church owners let you come inside?
Not sure what you mean exactly whether it was a physical problem or what. It’s hard to get a good shot because of the elevated train tracks in front. I was permitted to access the inside of the theatre, though.
Mr. Katz did you have any problems taking photos of this former theatre?4
My photos are at http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/17178.html
The 1970 IMPA shows the operator of the Art as Lightstone Theater Enterprises, Inc, president Morty Lightstone. This outfit ran numerous houses in New York at that time as well as several in New Jersey, one in Connecticut and one in Washington, D.C.
The Art Theatre is listed in the Film Daily Yearbook;1926 edition with a seating capacity of 690 (590 in the 1930 edition, 600 in 1940 and 580 in 1950). It had gone from listings in 1957.
Here are three photographs of the Art Theatre I took in June 2005:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/225253718/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/225254308/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/225260715/
Was this the theatre later called Art Jerome? From the 70’s on there was a second run theatre listed this way and I think it might be this one.
This theatre is still standing and is currently in use as a Pentecostal church. To see recent pics of the building, as well as pics of several other old theatre buildings in the neighborhood, check out my web page:
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