Kings Theatre (Brooklyn) facts for kids
Renovated facade (2015)
|
|
| Address | 1027 Flatbush Ave Brooklyn, New York |
|---|---|
| Owner | New York City Economic Development Corporation Loew's Theatres (1929–1977) |
| Operator | Ambassador Theatre Group |
| Type | Movie palace |
| Capacity | 3,000 (2015–present) |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 7, 1929 |
| Rebuilt | 2013–2014 |
| Years active | 1929–1977 2015–present |
| Architect | Rapp and Rapp Martinez & Johnson (restoration) |
| Website | |
| https://www.kingstheatre.com/ | |
|
Loew's Kings Theatre
|
|
Close-up of the marquee during renovation.
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | 1027 Flatbush Avenue Brooklyn, New York City |
| Built | 1929 |
| Architect | Rapp and Rapp |
| Architectural style | French Baroque movie palace |
| NRHP reference No. | 12000534 |
| Added to NRHP | August 22, 2012 |
The Kings Theatre, once known as Loew's Kings Theatre, is a cool place in Flatbush, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City. It first opened in 1929 as a fancy "movie palace" where people could watch films and live shows. After closing in 1977, it was empty for many years. But then, it got a huge makeover starting in 2010! The theater reopened on January 23, 2015, as a place for live performances. It's even listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a really important historical building.
Contents
A Look Back at the Kings Theatre
The Loew's Kings Theatre was designed by famous architects named Rapp and Rapp. The inside of the theater was made to look super grand, inspired by places like the Palace of Versailles in France. It was built and run by the Loew's Theatres company. This theater was one of five special "Loew's Wonder Theatres" in the New York area.
Opening Day and Early Shows
This huge theater had 3,676 seats! When it first opened on September 7, 1929, it showed a mix of movies and live vaudeville acts. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with different short acts like comedy, music, and dance. The first show included the film Evangeline, a live stage show, an orchestra, and even a solo pipe organ performance. The movie's star, Dolores del Río, even made a special live appearance! But as vaudeville became less popular, the theater soon started showing only movies.
The Theater Closes Its Doors
On August 30, 1977, the Loew's Kings Theatre closed. The last movie it showed was Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth. After it closed, the theater, which still had its amazing 1929 decorations, slowly started to fall apart. It suffered a lot of damage over the years due to neglect and water leaks. The roof was fixed in 1991 and again in 2007 to stop more damage. The City of New York has owned the theater since 1979. After closing, a film documentary called Memoirs of a Movie Palace was made about it.
Bringing the Kings Theatre Back to Life
For over 30 years, many people wanted to fix up the Kings Theatre. Finally, on February 2, 2010, the City of New York announced a big plan. The goal was to bring the theater back to life as a place for live performances.
The Big Renovation Project
The renovation cost about $93 million! This huge project was a partnership with a private company called ACE Theatrical Group. This company had experience restoring other old theaters, like the Boston Opera House. ACE Theatrical Group spent $95 million on the renovation. They even spent over $75,000 just to fix the lobby furniture! This furniture had been saved for 40 years by the theater's old manager.
The inside of the theater was carefully restored to look just like it did in 1929. The stage area was completely rebuilt with modern equipment. By late 2014, the restoration work was almost finished. The famous singer Diana Ross was the main performer at the grand reopening show on February 3, 2015.
The Mighty Organ
When the Loew's Kings Theatre first opened, it had a special Robert Morton theatre pipe organ. This instrument had 23 sets of pipes and a fancy four-manual console. It was one of Robert Morton's "Wonder Morton" designs, found in all the Loew's Wonder Theatres. The organ was very popular and was played between movie showings.
The Organ's Journey
The organ stayed in good shape and was played one last time in 1974. Then, the Loew's company removed it and gave it to Town Hall in New York City. However, the organ was never put back together there. Most of its pipes and parts disappeared while in storage. In 1998, the beautiful console was rebuilt for use with a similar pipe organ in a private home in Wheaton, Illinois.
In 2011, the family who owned the organ gave it to the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS). In 2013, the organ was moved from the family's home and put into storage. Everyone hoped it would return to the Kings Theatre after the renovation.
A New Solution for the Organ
However, the renovation budget did not include money to move and reinstall the organ. This was estimated to cost $650,000. Also, engineers found that the new mechanical parts installed during the renovation took up the space where the organ pipes used to be. So, it was decided that an electronic organ would be the best solution. This electronic organ would be played through the theater's original console. In December 2014, ACE agreed to help create an electronic version of the Wonder Morton. The original pipe parts that were donated would be sold or given to another suitable place.
Images for kids
-
The renovated interior
See also
In Spanish: Teatro Kings (Brooklyn) para niños
