Loew's Valencia Theatre
165-11 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11432
165-11 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11432
36 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 480 comments
This was one of the first movie palaces I remember going to when I was a kid. I’ve been back many times, first sneaking in to church services, and then on tours given by the church. I love the place, but hopefully they’ll repaint the lobby one day (yuck.)
Great pictorial and history of this gem. https://tilesinnewyork.blogspot.com/2014/02/movie-palaces-part-1-loews-valencia.html
Simply put: the chandelier was an addition by the church.
There is no chandelier in any of the 1929 photos of the auditorium.
Can anyone tell me if the chandelier shown in the Gothamist photo set is original to the auditorium? I’ve never seen an atmospheric design with a chandelier hanging from the “sky” before.
They also did a tour, sorry I missed it. In looking at the photo’s it looks like the original projection windows have been covered up and there is an air conditioner in one of them. I wonder what the former projection room is used for currently by the church?
new set of great photos here http://gothamist.com/2015/07/20/tabernacle_queens_movie_palace.php#photo-1
For amazing color photos of the Valencia go to ScoutingNY.com
Color photo from the balcony uploaded.
I know this is late notice, but tonight, April 7th, at 8:30, WNYE-TV channel 25 will be airing an episode of their Blueprint NYC series devoted to the Loew’s Wonder Theaters. If you miss it, you may be able to watch the episode at their website after it has aired.
Thanks Matt, Loew’s seemed to do the same thing in the Jersey, stripping out all equipment before they left. The 175th Street however was left intact when Rev. Ike took it over in 1969. I wonder if the original screen is still in the Valencia.
I’m not 100% sure but I seem to recall our tour guide mentioning that the projection room was stripped of all projection equipment.
Auditorium #5 in the Sony/Loews Theatres Lincoln Square complex on New York’s Upper West Side is named in honor of this former Loew’s Motion Picture Palace.
Does anyone know what the status is of the projection booth is? Is there still any equipment left up there by Loew’s, that they did not take with them when they left in 1977.
I recently photographed the Loew’s Valencia. Check out some of the images and a short write up at After the Final Curtain
http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=6288
This is a link recently sent to me via Facebook with many amazing photos of this former theatre.
Free tours of the Valencia are being offered by the church on Saturday, September 21st by appointment only. More info here: http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=6862
Yes, I didn’t realize the Alden was still open then yet too, and as a theater. In any event, while the removal of the Jamaica El was a fiasco for the Jamaica business district, it really only made a bad situation worse. It was in trouble even before the removal of the el. In any event, the removal of the el can’t be blamed as one of the reasons for the demise of the Valencia, as the Valencia had already closed BEFORE the el was removed.
That’s a great photo, with a peek of the marquee of the RKO Alden across the street in the lower right corner. I had forgotten that this theater was still open in ‘77. Forgotten NY has a collection of photos of the downtown Jamaica strip from a recent walking tour: http://forgotten-ny.com/2011/06/jamaica-avenue-queens/ Looks like the teardown of the Jamaica section of the El was finished by the end of 1978.
Actually, the Tabernacle of Prayer was already in the Valencia BEFORE service on the eastern end of the Jamaica El closed…. See here for a photo. Notice the Tabernacle of Prayer cross is already up, and the Valencia Theater sign gone: Click here for link
“paktype: I heard that this theater’s patronage suffered with the closing of the Jamaica elevated in the mid 1970’s.” Ironically, the demolition of ‘The El’ was trumpeted as the key to a ‘revitalized Jamaica’. When the Jamaica portion was taken down in 1977, the two main dept stores, Gertz and Macy’s closed almost immediately after. This was a huge blow to the downtown Jamaica Ave commercial strip, an area that was in decline for almost a decade by that point. As pointed out by others, by the time the Valencia closed, it had long since stopped showing ‘first-run’ movies. I remember only ‘Blaxploitation’ and B horror/slasher flicks at that point. I was a child in the ‘60’s, and my fondest memories were of shopping on the Ave, and our mother taking my sister and me to a Disney matinee on a Sat afternoon.
However, as stated here, the Tabernacle of Prayer for All People pentacostal church has done a beautiful job of restoration and maintenance: it is well worth a visit if you happen to be in this area on a Sunday.
I just came across this on a site called Scouting New York:
Just a quick note on the incredible Valencia Movie Palace in Queens. For those who would like to see this work of art in person, the Tabernacle of Prayer Church has generously set-up visiting time every Sunday from 11:00-11:45am, when services will not be in session. Just walk right in the lobby – they’ll be expecting you! Please try to come during these times, as the church will otherwise be conducting services and programs in the theater throughout the day.
The address is 165-11 Jamaica Ave, with F, E, J, and Z service just a few blocks away. Needless to say, I highly recommend the trip.
The Queens Movie Theater You Will Not Believe – http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=6288
I saw her appear in Let it Ride on Broadway. Also it’s interesting to note that she is buried in Farmingdale, as are a number of other celebrities.
That is partially true. The last film I saw there was ‘MAHOGANY’ with Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams in 1976.