Paradise Theater
Encyclopedia
The Paradise Theater, formerly Loew's Paradise Theatre, is a movie palace
-type theater and live entertainment venue located at 2413 Grand Concourse
in Bronx, New York.
in the film The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
on the screen, plus a stage presentation "Cameos" produced by Chester Hale, and British organist Harold Ramsey playing the 4 manual, 7 rank Robert Morton
"Wonder Organ
".
The 23rd largest movie theater
ever to be built in the United States
was commissioned by the Paramount-Publix chain
and was to be named the Venetian Theatre. Paramount-Publix withdrew from the project shortly before construction began and it was taken over by New York's largest movie theatre chain, Loew's Theatres
. The theater was promoted as one of the five "Loew's Wonder Theatres".
The first "Wonder Theatre", opened in January 1929, was the Loew's Valencia Theatre in Jamaica, Queens
. The Loew's Paradise Theatre in the Bronx opened on the same day with the Loew's Kings Theatre in Brooklyn
. These were followed by the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey
, and finally the Loew's 175th Street Theatre in Washington Heights
, Manhattan
.
The Loew's Paradise Theatre was one of the last theatres built in the Atmospheric
style towards the end of the movie palace building boom. The theater's architect, John Eberson
, was famed for creating the Atmospheric theater design which recreated the illusion of an outdoor villa courtyard under a night sky. The Paradise is one of the best remaining examples of his work. Many of his other elaborate designs, including the Paradise Theatre
in Chicago (1928–1956), have been demolished.
Along the Grand Concourse local ordinance forbids the use of large vertical signs. Hence the facade of the theatre is somewhat restrained. On top of the frontage, over the entrance, is the space originally occupied by a mechanical Seth Thomas
clock, where hourly St. George slayed a fire-breathing dragon. As the Bronx Paradise fell foul to vandals in later years, the figure of St. George was stolen. A similar device, now renovated, was also installed at the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City.
The main lobby, reached through a set of bronze doors from the outer lobby, features three domes in the ceiling containing painted murals depicting Sound, Story and Film. In the center of the north wall, beneath a statue of Winged Victory
, was a large Carrara
marble fountain featuring the figure of a child on a dolphin. At the base of the Grand Stair hung an oil painting of Marie Antoinette as Patron of the Arts and a copy of artist Holbein's Anne of Cleves
.
The auditorium was designed to represent a 16th century Italian baroque garden, bathed in Mediterranean moonlight, with stars twinkling in the ceiling as clouds passed by. Hanging vines, cypress trees, stuffed birds and classical statues and busts lined the walls. The safety curtain was painted with a gated Venetian garden scene, which continued the garden effect around the auditorium when it was lowered.
With the dawn of the Great Depression
, live acts were dropped from the program schedule and the Paradise became a regular first run movie theatre. In the late 1940s a concrete slab was installed over the orchestra pit to create four extra rows of seats. It covered the orchestra pit and organ console. The slab was lifted only once, in the 1960s, to enable the removal of the organ console, which with the rest of the organ pipes, has now been installed at the Loew's Jersey Theatre (which had its original organ removed in 1949, and that is now installed in the Arlington Theater
in Santa Barbara, California
).
Over the years, many features and fittings in the Paradise disappeared and by the late 1960s it was on the market for redevelopment, opening only for evening performances. The theatre was twinned in December 1973, then in 1975 it was triplexed and in 1981 was divided into four screens, hiding practically all the original auditorium interior behind drop ceilings and panel walls.
The Paradise Theatre closed in 1994 and lay empty for six years. By November 2000, work had begun on a restoration, but this was halted due to an ownership rights dispute with the restorer. A new owner took control and completed the renovation, re-opening in October 2005 as a live theatre and special events venue. Bernie Williams
appeared at the Paradise playing guitar with his band on September 22, 2007. On October 24, 2009 the Paradise Theater will re-open again under new ownership with a Grand Opening
performance by Charlie Wilson
of The Gap Band.
The building was designated a New York City Landmark 1997. It was designated a New York City Interior Landmark in 2006.
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
-type theater and live entertainment venue located at 2413 Grand Concourse
Grand Concourse (Bronx)
The Grand Concourse is a major thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx in New York City...
in Bronx, New York.
History
Loew's Paradise Theatre opened on September 7, 1929 with Warner OlandWarner Oland
Warner Oland was a Swedish American actor most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality,...
in the film The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu is a 1929 film starring Warner Oland as Dr. Fu Manchu. It was the first Fu Manchu film of the talkie era. It was very loosely based on the novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer.-Synopsis:...
on the screen, plus a stage presentation "Cameos" produced by Chester Hale, and British organist Harold Ramsey playing the 4 manual, 7 rank Robert Morton
Robert Morton Organ Company
The Robert Morton Organ Company was a producer of theater pipe organs and church organs, located in Van Nuys, California. Robert Morton was the number two volume producer of theatre organs, building approximately half as many organs as the industry leader Wurlitzer...
"Wonder Organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
".
The 23rd largest movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
ever to be built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was commissioned by the Paramount-Publix chain
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and was to be named the Venetian Theatre. Paramount-Publix withdrew from the project shortly before construction began and it was taken over by New York's largest movie theatre chain, Loew's Theatres
Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Loews Theatres, aka Loews Incorporated , founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew and Brantford Schwartz, was the oldest theater chain operating in North America until it merged with AMC Theatres on January 26, 2006. From 1924 until 1959, it was also the parent company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The...
. The theater was promoted as one of the five "Loew's Wonder Theatres".
The first "Wonder Theatre", opened in January 1929, was the Loew's Valencia Theatre in Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
. The Loew's Paradise Theatre in the Bronx opened on the same day with the Loew's Kings Theatre in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. These were followed by the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, and finally the Loew's 175th Street Theatre in Washington Heights
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
The Loew's Paradise Theatre was one of the last theatres built in the Atmospheric
Atmospheric theatre
An atmospheric theatre is a type of movie palace which has an auditorium ceiling that is intended to give the illusion of an open sky as its defining feature...
style towards the end of the movie palace building boom. The theater's architect, John Eberson
John Eberson
John Eberson was an American architect best known for his movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre fashion.Born in Czernowitz, Austro-Hungarian Empire , Eberson went to highschool in Dresden and studied electrical engineering in Vienna. He arrived in the United States in 1901 and at first...
, was famed for creating the Atmospheric theater design which recreated the illusion of an outdoor villa courtyard under a night sky. The Paradise is one of the best remaining examples of his work. Many of his other elaborate designs, including the Paradise Theatre
Paradise Theater (Chicago)
The Paradise Theatre was a Balaban and Katz movie palace located in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1928. Located near the intersection of West Madison Street and Crawford Avenue on Chicago's West Side, the Paradise was never a terribly successful movie house...
in Chicago (1928–1956), have been demolished.
Along the Grand Concourse local ordinance forbids the use of large vertical signs. Hence the facade of the theatre is somewhat restrained. On top of the frontage, over the entrance, is the space originally occupied by a mechanical Seth Thomas
Seth Thomas (clockmaker)
Seth Thomas was an American clock maker and a pioneer of mass production at his Seth Thomas Clock Company.-Biography:Thomas was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1785. He started in the clock business in 1807, working for clockmaker Eli Terry...
clock, where hourly St. George slayed a fire-breathing dragon. As the Bronx Paradise fell foul to vandals in later years, the figure of St. George was stolen. A similar device, now renovated, was also installed at the Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City.
The main lobby, reached through a set of bronze doors from the outer lobby, features three domes in the ceiling containing painted murals depicting Sound, Story and Film. In the center of the north wall, beneath a statue of Winged Victory
Winged Victory of Samothrace
The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a 2nd century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike . Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.-Description:The Nike of Samothrace,...
, was a large Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
marble fountain featuring the figure of a child on a dolphin. At the base of the Grand Stair hung an oil painting of Marie Antoinette as Patron of the Arts and a copy of artist Holbein's Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and she was not crowned queen consort...
.
The auditorium was designed to represent a 16th century Italian baroque garden, bathed in Mediterranean moonlight, with stars twinkling in the ceiling as clouds passed by. Hanging vines, cypress trees, stuffed birds and classical statues and busts lined the walls. The safety curtain was painted with a gated Venetian garden scene, which continued the garden effect around the auditorium when it was lowered.
With the dawn of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, live acts were dropped from the program schedule and the Paradise became a regular first run movie theatre. In the late 1940s a concrete slab was installed over the orchestra pit to create four extra rows of seats. It covered the orchestra pit and organ console. The slab was lifted only once, in the 1960s, to enable the removal of the organ console, which with the rest of the organ pipes, has now been installed at the Loew's Jersey Theatre (which had its original organ removed in 1949, and that is now installed in the Arlington Theater
Arlington Theater (Santa Barbara, California)
The Arlington Theater is the largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue in Santa Barbara, California, USA. In addition to regular screenings and artists, it is home to many events associated with the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.- History :Located at 1317 State...
in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
).
Over the years, many features and fittings in the Paradise disappeared and by the late 1960s it was on the market for redevelopment, opening only for evening performances. The theatre was twinned in December 1973, then in 1975 it was triplexed and in 1981 was divided into four screens, hiding practically all the original auditorium interior behind drop ceilings and panel walls.
The Paradise Theatre closed in 1994 and lay empty for six years. By November 2000, work had begun on a restoration, but this was halted due to an ownership rights dispute with the restorer. A new owner took control and completed the renovation, re-opening in October 2005 as a live theatre and special events venue. Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
appeared at the Paradise playing guitar with his band on September 22, 2007. On October 24, 2009 the Paradise Theater will re-open again under new ownership with a Grand Opening
Grand opening
Grand opening is a term used when a business, public office, or private association wishes to announce the official opening of a new location. This differs from just opening the doors on the first day, in that a grand opening is more of a celebration event, not just the first day having the doors...
performance by Charlie Wilson
Charlie Wilson (musician)
Charles Kent "Charlie" Wilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter-producer and the former lead vocalist for the Gap Band. As a solo artist he has been nominated for four Grammy awards, received a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award, and a recipient of a BMI Icon Award in 2005...
of The Gap Band.
The building was designated a New York City Landmark 1997. It was designated a New York City Interior Landmark in 2006.