Shore Theater facts for kids
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| Former names | Coney Island Theater |
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| Address | 1301 Surf Avenue |
| Location | Brooklyn, New York 11224 |
| Coordinates | 40°34′33″N 73°58′54″W / 40.5758°N 73.9816°W |
| Owner | Pye Properties |
| Type | Theater |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 17, 1925 |
| Closed | 1978 |
| Construction cost | $2 million |
| Architect | Paul C. Reilly and Douglas Pairman Hall |
The Shore Theater is an old theater building in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It was once known as the Coney Island Theater. This seven-story building looks like it was built in the Renaissance style. It has both office spaces and a theater inside. You can find it where Surf Avenue and Stillwell Avenue meet. It's right across from Nathan's Famous hot dogs and the Coney Island subway station. The building was finished in 1925. It was meant to help make Coney Island a fun place to visit all year round. After being closed in the 1970s, it sat empty for many years. Now, it is being turned into a hotel. As of 2022, the building is still being worked on.
Contents
History of the Shore Theater
Building the Coney Island Theater
Coney Island started as a popular seaside resort in the mid-1800s. More people visited after railroads were built. Fires in the late 1800s cleared land for theme parks. Many parks were built by the early 1900s. The New York City Subway came to Coney Island in 1920. The Riegelmann Boardwalk was finished in 1923. This led to more new buildings, like restaurants and hotels. Many amusement rides and theaters were also built.
The Coney Island Theater was built where an old train station used to be. This station was called the Culver Depot. One person living there didn't want to leave. They were eventually paid $5,000 to move. The Chanin Construction Company built the theater. Its president, Irwin Chanin, wanted to create a place for fun all year. Architects Paul C. Reilly and Douglas Pairman Hall designed the building. Construction started in May 1924.
The Coney Island Theater was special because it was made of strong materials. It used brick, limestone, and terracotta. Other Coney Island buildings were often made of wood. This theater also had seven stories. Most other buildings in the area were only one or two stories tall. It also had offices for entertainment companies. There were shops on the street level too. The building cost about $2 million to build. In April 1925, Loew's Theatres took over the theater.
Theater Shows and Movies
The Coney Island Theater opened on June 17, 1925. Marcus Loew, the head of Loew's, was there. Many famous actors and performers attended the opening day. These included Johnny Hines, Barbara La Marr, and Mae Busch. In 1941, Vaudeville shows were added every week. For the next 30 years, the theater mostly showed vaudeville.
By 1964, the theater was no longer run by Loew's. It became known as the Brandt Shore Theater. For about a year, it only showed movies. But starting in 1966, it also hosted musicals and plays. Burlesque performances were added in April 1966. Movies continued to be shown alongside the live shows. By the early 1970s, the live performances stopped.
Closing and New Plans
The building was sold in 1978 or 1979. The new owner was Horace Bullard, who owned Kansas Fried Chicken. He bought many properties in Coney Island. Mr. Bullard tried to turn the theater into a hotel and casino. But his plans did not work out. Even though Coney Island was redeveloped in the early 2000s, the Shore Theater stayed empty. It started to fall apart.
People who didn't have homes sometimes stayed there. Graffiti artists also visited the building. Pictures from 2006 showed that the electricity still worked. But the floor was covered with trash. Few people were allowed inside the building. Security was increased after a blogger broke in. The theater was made an official city landmark in 2010. This means it is a special building that should be protected.
In January 2016, a company called Pye Properties bought the Shore Theater. They paid $14 million for it. At first, they didn't say what they would do with it. But they thought about a hotel and entertainment complex. In August 2018, they announced plans for a 50-room boutique hotel. This would be the first new hotel in Coney Island in over 50 years.
Architects showed their design in January 2019. After some small changes, the city approved the plan. The new plan includes a spa and shops on the first floor. Hotel rooms will be in the old office spaces. The developers hoped the hotel would be finished in 2021.
Shore Theater's Design
The Shore Theater building has two main parts. The southern part, facing Surf Avenue, held offices. The northern part, away from Surf Avenue, was the theater. The ground floor had shops. Above the ground floor, there was a tall section with large, rounded windows. This section is called a piano nobile.
The third through fifth floors have light brown brick walls. Each section has two rectangular windows. The sixth floor has similar windows but with a terracotta outside. It also has a decorative band called a frieze. The seventh floor is the top floor. It has light brown brick and another frieze. The corners of this floor are set back.
Outside Features
The front of the building on Surf Avenue has many shops. There is also a decorative ledge called a cornice above the ground floor. This side has seven sections. One section has a roll-down gate for a driveway. A doorway next to the driveway has rope designs. It also has carved stone blocks around it. Above this doorway is a stone sign that says "Coney Island Theatre Building."
A tall sign with the word "SHORE" used to be on the corner. This was near Surf and Stillwell Avenues. But it was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It was not replaced.
The side of the building on Stillwell Avenue also has shops on the ground floor. The office part of the building looks similar to the Surf Avenue side. But the theater part is just plain brick. The office section has three main parts. The windows on the upper floors do not line up with the sections below. The northern part of this side is a plain wall. It has an emergency staircase from the theater.
The western and northern sides of the building were originally next to other buildings. So, they have a simpler design. The southern part of the western side is brick. It has three windows on each floor. The northern part of the western side is a plain wall with an emergency staircase. The northern side has no windows. It has slightly sticking out plain walls.
Inside the Theater
The Shore Theater had a large auditorium in its northern part. When it was new, it could hold 2,472 people. The theater had a huge domed ceiling, about 150 feet (46 meters) wide. Pictures from 2006 showed that the theater had cool designs. These included pictures of the Halve Maen, a Dutch ship. There were also dancing mermaids.
According to a historian, there was a mosaic fountain. This was on the mezzanine level (a floor between two main floors). There were also marble columns. The lobby ceiling had lights shaped like things from the ocean. A plaster artwork on the ceiling outside the auditorium was too damaged to fix.
The southern part of the building had commercial spaces on the first floor. Offices were on the floors above. These offices were used by different groups. They included a children's program called Head Start. There was also a Medicaid office. A cigar company and a dress maker also had offices there. The commercial space was once a bar. Later, it became a Kansas Fried Chicken restaurant.
