Lindy Theatre
118 Graham Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11206
118 Graham Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11206
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 26 comments
The photos that show on any given theater is the “most viewed” photo of that theater. So it takes a while for new photos to make it there of course.
John, new picture will not replace the old. At best it will be in a rotation schedule.
Thanks Willburg145 for this terrific period photo. hopefully, it will replace the current photo at the top of the page. This picture really gave a picture on how life was on Graham Ave. in 1940.
Testing.
Lindy Theatre
I don’t know if I can post this here…. Here’s a tax photo of the Lindy.
http://nycma.lunaimaging.com/luna/servlet/detail/NYCMA~7~7~1004275~851766?sort=borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code&qvq=w4s:/what%2FMoving%2BPictures;q:3080;sort:borough%2Cblock%2Clot%2Czip_code;lc:NYCMA~7~7&mi=0&trs=2
The December 6, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World said that a group of Williamsburg exhibitors had met at the Progress Theater, 116 Graham Avenue, on November 20 to establish a branch of the New York City Exhibitors' Association.
I don’t know if the addresses have been shifted since 1913, or if the entrance to the theater actually was once in the other store building that fronts the auditorium. It must have been the same house, in any case.
Cezar DelValle’s Brooklyn Theatre Index says that this house was in operation as the Progress Theatre in 1912-1913, became the Variety Theatre from 1914-1917, and returned to being the Progress Theatre from 1918 until 1933, when it became the Lindy Theatre, closing in 1954.
There is a building at 69 Graham Avenue,formerly Schecter’s Furniture store and it looks like it was a movie theatre. I will try and take a picture and post it.
I remember the Lindy well. Locally we called it “The dumps” Not very comfortable seats, only two aisles going down to the screen. Showed really old movies. (late 40s – early 50s)
Well, Willburg145, you have a much better imagination than I do … By the way, some interesting comments regarding the Lindy were recently posted on the Graham Theatre page. They are worth a look.
I have checked out the Rent a Center. It certainly gives the impression of being a theater.
Bway, I could not agree with you more on this. Along these lines, you might also wish to check out another movie house situated at the opposite end of Graham Ave. It was known as the Public Palace and, if anything, seems to be an even less probable former movie house site. Yet, this apparently was the case, at least through the silent era. Hope you – and anyone else – will enjoy a view of this site.
/theaters/17101/
Judging about Ken’s photo, I would never have guessed this was a theater at one time.
A June 2006 photograph I took of the recently re-clad facade of the Variety/Progress/Lindy Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186884475/
Here’s an aerial view to back up what Ken mentioned above. The lobby area was the very low buiding seen in this photo, right next to the large apartment building, on the block in which the backs of the stores are facing us. The auditorium, jets out next to it, to the left of that low building, and strectches to McKibbon St as Ken mentioned.
View link
The building at 118 Graham Avenue (current retail use as RAC-Rent-A-Center) is the former Variety/Progress/Lindy Theater. The former auditorium space at the rear of the store widens out and when viewed from the McKibbon Street side, the exterior brickwork of the auditorium can be seen.
There is currently no visible trace of any cinematic decoration to be seen either within or on the exterior.
Yeah, something is not right here. This was the block with “118” when I took the photo. The corner building is ann old woodframe building, and the building code did not allow that from around the turn of the century onward, so this is an old building.
Actually, the numbers get higher as they go north (meaning the building with the blue awning would be higher than the deli, etc).
When I was I there and took the photo, I was confused. I don’t know exactly which building was 118, however, it was one of the ones in the photo.
In 1912, Trow’s list a theatre on this site belonging to Samuel Goodman (in keeping with an all to common practice of the period the theatre is listed only by the owner’s name). However in the 1914 Motion Picture Directory it appears as the Variety. In the late 1910s it becomes the Progress Theatre (seating 600). Under that name it is listed in the FDYBs. However to confuse matters the FDYB in some editions list 110 Graham and in other editions the correct 118. It became the Lindy in the early 1930s. It is still listed in the 1957 FDYB at 118 Graham.
I can’t be positive but my memory says it was next to the Deli.
I may be wrong on that though.It’s so long ago.I always connected the
Deli with the Lindy.I know it was closer to McKibbon St.
So anyway, since this is the corner of Graham and McKibbon, looking towards the Rainbow on the next block or so, was the Lindy right next to the deli building (now the Rent-a-Center), or midblock where the blue awninged store is.
If it is the blue awninged store, this can be changed to “closed/demolished”, if it’s the “rent-a-Center” next to the deli, then it’s probably the original building with an altered fascade.
I didn’t upload the original 4mp photo, but the sign says “McKibbon St” in the original larger version of my photo. This is on the opposite side of the Rainbow Theater (see my photo taken the same day of the Rainbow in it’s section).
Actually I suspect that the blue awning is where the Lindy was located as it was definitely in mid-block. As for the Rainbow, it is across the street past the red-gabled former(?) convent buildings, 2 blocks past McKibbin St., between Montrose & Meserole.
Bway,
If the street sign says McKibbon St. then it’s the Rent a Car.
The Mini Market was a Jewish Deli in the forties.
Since I can’t see the street sign I’m not sure what I'm
looking at.The Lindy was about a block before the Rainbow
Theater.It was on the opposite side of the street.
Here is the site of the Lindy theater, it could only be the building with the Rent-A-Center (heavily altered), or the one with the blue awning, after the theater was demolished. Joe, do you know where it was on this block? None of these buildings had numbers on them, but how the numbers ran, it had to be one of these buildings, and it couldn’t be the one on the corner, or the one to the left of the rent-a-center.
Click here for link to current photo
I believe I used to pay .04 cents for admission.My knish was
a nickel.
I remember when Earth vs. the Flying Saucers was playing there in the mid-50’s. Aroung this time there was a hue & cry when the price of the Saturday kiddie matinee went up from 25 to 26 cents. There may not have been a concession stand here, but someone with a tray of candy would go up and down the aisles selling the treats.