Forum Theatre

Does the church own the building? My mom attended many shows there. I wonder, do they allow people to take photographs?

Uploaded picture from the day.

I can help y'all on this one! I was biking by yesterday and noticed the very large stagehouse at the bottom of the hill at Brook and 137th. (There’s a small 3-story building on ground level behind it). It also looks larger because it is – the stagehouse is at the bottom of a hill. The entrance to the theater is up and to the right at the corner of 138th and Brown and it’s the Pare de Sufrir church.

I was lucky enough to go inside and park my bike inside the lobby. The marquee is intact, it’s a triangularish shape. The ticket booth is fully intact and there are 6 poster holders in great condition (3 on each side). There is brand new white paint on the walls and ceilings, brand new red carpet throughout the lobby, hallways and auditorium and all the ornaments are intact, but they aren’t stunning, but they are decorative. There are a few chandeliers lining the front of the lobby.

I met the head parishioners who told me it was closed and I told them I love old theaters and about this site and I wanted to check out the auditorium. They obliged. They said in their newsletter and flyers to parishioners, they also call the church, “The former Puerto Rican Theatre” to honor the past. They said when they took it over, it was horribly dilapidated and they put tons of money into the place. You would never know, honestly. It’s all air conditioned now. The stage is nice and is obviously the pulpit.

The auditorium is spacious with the original seats, very comfortable. They pointed out they removed a few rows for handicap accessibility and showed the old row remnants/rivets still noticeable on the floor, painted over. They said they wanted to get rid of the seats and throw them away. I told them if they allowed me to post on here (on the front page) that they wanted to sell them, they could make some money and use it for their church and for upkeep. They agreed. The balcony wasn’t air conditioned but it was spacious. Very nice people.

This theatre is mentioned in Rogelio Agrasanchez, Jr.’s excellent book MEXICAN MOVIES IN THE UNITED STATES.

In 1948, Cuban rhumba dancer Mexican film star Maria Antonieta Pons made a live appearance that filled the South Bronx PUERTO RICO’s 2200 seats and left another 500 with standing room only at each show.

For the run of her 1949 film, her film performance in LA HIJA DEL PENAL was challenged on stage by a live performance from rival rhumba dancer AMALIA AGUILAR in what sounds like a pre- ROCKY HORROR combination of film and stage histronics that drove the audiences wild.

The Cinema Circuit PROSPECT was opened nearby due to the overwhelming suceess of the PUERTO RICO.

There is a photo as the FORUM in the book.

Ed, if you get stuck in here again I promise to send Lost Memory in before New Year with some supplies.

Ha. Maybe that was Shea… it being a typical 1960’s cookie-cutter multi-purpose stadium. The baseball equivalent of the concrete bunker. And whatever kitschy charm that place had was lost when they removed those pastel blue and orange shingles from the exit ramp facades years ago. Of course, they are having a damn good season this year! Maybe they’ll have a three-strip Cinerama revival in the off-season. Lost, start a letter writing campaign immediately!

Greenpoint to the rescue- I passed by this theatre all the time on my route.I always wondered if there was anything theatre related here-it did boast the tell-tale signs of a movie theatre-that being the huge auditorium in the back.

I do that kind of theatre-hunting all the time.I drive the
other people nuts because I always park the van and get out and walk around the perimeter of the building looking at old steel girders that must have held up old ornate theatre-marquis

Lost Memory I’m sure you will agree with me that at least this theatre didnt fall into disrepair as the Loews Paradise did (prior to its extensive rehabilitaion)with its leaky cielings from a hole in the roof that was never repaired.

LOL. We are listening Ed! I have nothing to contribute except that it is gratifying to see such a wide and organised release of Spanish language films. I don’t that happens much today unless it is a crossover film from Almodovar or starring Gael Garcia Bernal.

I think we need some New Yoricans to help us out with the Bronx.

I’m trying to track down the theater listed in the El Diario movie guide as “Cinema Center 2”. The listing provides an address of 138th Street and Brook Avenue in the Bronx, which is the same intersection given for the Forum/Puerto Rico. By 1985 could this have been part of that split balcony? Perhaps the Spanish language films played in the auditroium known as the Puerto Rico and the English language films played the Cinema Center? But then, why Cinema Center 2 and what about Cinema Center 1? I assume that in 1985 the owners were still trying to make a go at the live performance space in the main auditorium. Or are these two seperate buildings? Anyone able to clear up this confusion?

This thread was dead almost two years to the day before I posted these ads… I wonder if anyone is out there who is even interested??? Helooooooooo???

Here is a 1985 ad from the Spanish language publication El Diario:
El Carro de la Muerte 9/20/85

The paper also ran a neighborhood movie guide catering to its Spanish language and bilingual readers:
Cartelera Cinematografica 9/20/85

Interesting history (from the limited information posted) for this theater. From a struggling 2300 seat vaudeville house to large nabe to wrestling arena to performance center/twin cinema and now in partial use as a church. Quite a busy little biography.

A vintage image of the theatre (though mostly obscured by a trolley car) can be found here:
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Images from 2002:
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