Loew's Inwood Theater
132 Dyckman Street,
New York,
NY
10040
132 Dyckman Street,
New York,
NY
10040
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While at Fort Tryon and the Cloisters this past Sunday, I finally saw the former Loew’s Inwood. If the facade was converted to fifth’s, from left to right, first would be a combo Dunkin Donuts, 2nd and 3rd – The Children’s Place and 4th and 5th the CVS for a total of three storefronts not a huge CVS. The CVS runs the length of the building as does Children’s Place. The combo donut/ice-cream is in an original redone storefront which was part of the structure. Nice area of low lying buildings soon to be redeveloped NYC nightmare of high rises, There goes the neighborhood and the people who call it home. At the parkside (Broadway and 200th St. is a Packard dealership with its original facade intact as a parking garage. At least it is main business is cars.
Texas2step posted a 1931 photo of a shootout near the Loew’s Inwood. The full story with additional photos is in the link below.
http://myinwood.net/gangsters-on-the-dyckman-strip-1931-shootout-makes-national-headlines/
@lostmemory nice pix, I will feel more glamorous shopping at CVS now :)
Relinking.
In March 1964, the Inwood closed.
The movie palaces of Washington Heights and Inwood.
View link
No Balcony, I can see from Jack Theakston’s post and pictures that there were stairs already in the back.Good idea!Add on when we get the money.
Nice old pictures, first time that I have heard of this theatre.
The two interior photos, circa 1927, are from the first volume of “American Theaters of Today” by Sexton and Betts.
The Inwood was typical De Rosa— a strictly Adam neighborhood with no balcony (stadium seating at most). De Rosa’s theaters were built to be modified: the similar Lafayette in Suffern, which could have even been a sister theater to the Inwood, underwent additions in the late ‘20s after the theater’s success.
I saw my very first movie at the Inwood, in 1939, when I was 5. My Grandpa Charlie was baby-sitting for the day, while my Grandma and Mom went shopping downtown. Gramp and I took a trolley across Fordham (from Valentine) and then the IRT down to Dyckman Street to see a Marx Brothers flick (I forget which one, sadly), all of which enchanted me. The ladies were not quite so enchanted, when they found out.
I went to JHS 52 located on 204th St between Broadway and Academy St. There was a red brick Annex to JHS 52 on the corner of Broadway. I graduated in 1952. The ceremony was held in the LOEW’S INWOOD Theater on Dyckman Street. There was another theater on the south side of Dyckman Street around the corner from Broadway named the ALPINE. It; like the LOEW’S INWOOD ran through to THAYER Street. On 207th Street there was a LOEW’S DYCKMAN Movie House located between Sherman and Academy. All of these movie houses were single level; no balcony. The RKO COLUSEUM at 181st and Broadway was vaudeville / movie theater with a balcony and large stage. The LOEW’S 175 theater was the grandest of the uptown theaters. It had a balcony and large stage for shows. It contained an ORGAN on a revolving stage that lifted up from the pit. The lobby and staircase was carpetted and walls gold gilted. Last time I passed many years ago it was church.
I was nearby today and walked around the site. From across the street, one can observe the tall long roof of the former theatre rising behind the CVS facade. Clearly there was once an auditorium there. On the street behind Dyckman (Thayer) the building has a closed back entrance.
130-2 Dyckman St. is now a CVS drug store. Looked around inside and out – no trace of a theatre history remains.
IS 52 is still open.
The building on 204th Street and Broadway (opposite Cumming) was a school, P.S. 52. I attended part of the 7th grade there in 1958. We then moved to NJ in late December, 1958. Born in Washington Heights in 1946 and lived in Inwood Park until we moved. We also saw movies at the Dale and RKO Marble Hill in the Bronx, the Alpine and Loew’s Inwood Theater on 207th Street, the theater in Riverdale and another movie theater on I believe 200th Street down near the El. TV didn’t work well so went to movies (matinees mostly with a matron posted to watch the kids) every week for as little as 25 cents – 35 cents.
I’ll have to get uptown again and check it out. Thanks for responding, jack4c.
A school, I believe.
Actually… I thought I passed a building up around 204th Street and Broadway that looked like a former theater. Anybody have an idea what that might have been?
CConnolly… that theater is the Coliseum on 181st Street and B'way. It is still in operation as a quad – with all 4 theaters located in the former balcony area. The orchestra was converted to retail some years back. Full history is on this page: /theaters/526/
Was there another theater down on Broadway about two or three blocks north of the George Washington Bridge? I’m not talking about the Loew’s 175th.
I was in this neighborhood about two weeks ago after getting stuck in some awful traffic on the Cross Bronx (what else is new, right?). I made my way to Broadway and as I was heading down, I could definately see what was once a fairly large movie theater on the west side of Broadway. It was somewhere (I guess) in the 180’s.
Is that theater listed here?
The theater, obviously is no longer there, but yes, the edifice is there and is rendered typical low income retail dump para los dominicans, oblivious that they are in what was once a palace for entertainment for the people of Inwood, Manhattan. C'est la vie, right?
Thats a large amount of seats all on one level.