1929-1977, Scouting NY
Loew's Kings Theatre.
I love any excuse to drive far out on the prominent Brooklyn avenues (Flatbush, Bedford, etc.) because they take you through so many different neighborhoods, and you're guaranteed to stumble on something you'd never expect to find. Today, I passed by the Loew's Kings Theatre on Flatbush (near Beverly Rd), and I had to take a moment to snap some pictures of this incredible relic.
The Kings Theatre was one of the five Loew's "Wonder Theaters," the company's flagship NYC movie theaters which are better described as palaces. Each was ornately designed and could seat thousands. The Kings Theatre was built in 1929 and could hold 3,676 movie-goers. In addition to the main feature, showings often included vaudevillian stage acts up until the Great Depression. Barbara Streisand, Henry Winkler, and Sylvester Stallone all worked as ushers here before its closure in 1977.
I love the ornate work on the facade -
What's amazing to me is that, originally, most of this beautiful designwork was obscured by the vertical Loew's banner. It's like the standard was so high that they literally had to layer expert craftsmanship on top of expert craftsmanship. Also, that original awning is fucking incredible.
At some point later, the awning was swapped out for a much less grand version, which appears to still be there today (I believe this picture was taken around 1960, when the advertised movies "Under Ten Flags" and "Walk Like A Dragon" were released).
The awning is now in an extremely sorry state:
You can even see the remnants of the old Loew's logo (man, I'd kill to have that on my wall):
The inside once looked like this:
It now looks like this (at least, in 2006).
Apparently, Marty Markowitz had his first kiss at the Kings, so he's much in favor of finding a way to save it (too bad he didn't get to third base in one of the abandoned building on Admiral's Row; maybe he'd be slightly less supportive of tearing it all down for a supermarket parking lot). The latest news I can find on it comes from 2008, when the city opened the doors for developers, estimating that it would cost approximately $70 Million to restore. Something tells me there weren't that many takers.
I've said it before, and I'll probably be saying it til I die: if it were in Manhattan, this would simply not be tolerated. The only reason (valid or not) this is allowed to happen is because it's a 25 minute drive down Flatbush Avenue.
If it makes you feel any better, both the Jersey City and Bronx Wonder Theatres have been restored, while the Queens and Harlem theatres are being used as churches. Amazing that there was a time when people cared so much about a movie theater, especially one so far out on Flatbush Ave.
-SCOUT
PS - Save the Loew's Kings! - More info on the attempts to save the theater
PS - I didn't realize it, but the picture I took is about the same angle as the 1960 photo. Here's a quick comparison:
The furniture store is now a GameStop, the luncheonette is now a liquor store, and what looks like a department store on the right has been torn down. Anyone else reminded of Hill Valley 1955 vs. Hill Valley 1985 in Back to the Future?
[Scouting NY]
10:09:24 PM 
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