It is no
secret that I love history. I love old buildings that are filled to the brim
with stories others have forgotten. They sit silently waiting for someone to
pay even the slightest bit of attention. It is only when we are in those quiet
moments can we communicate with the past. Naturally Kings Theatre is one such
place.
I have
been aching to get into this place for some time now. Ever since I learned it
existed and as I patiently waited for its grand reopening, staying on top of
the word on the street. Well now that word has to be shouted from the rooftop.
There is a great, hot, new concert venue in Brooklyn and its closer to me than
the Barclay Center!
How did I
get so lucky, you ask?
This is
how.
Once upon
a time, there was this glamorous movie theatre where youngsters would bring
their dates to in Brooklyn. It was quite a majestic building for such an
average outing. Those who attended probably never realized what a gem they were
taking for granted. I am certainly a fan of preserving the past in buildings
and homes of every kind and everywhere. Once they are no longer reminders of
where we came from it becomes harder to celebrate our progress. Pieces from our
collective history are invaluable as far as I am concerned.
About a
year or so ago, I was reading up on Kings Theatre as part of my daily research
for my blog. I heard they were renovating this masterpiece aiming to return it
to its prior glory. Before that, I had no idea what lay hidden in that unassuming
building so close to my house. Actually I probably didn’t even notice the
abandon building falling further into despair as the neighborhood around it
were struggling through the beginning of their own gentrification situation.
From then
on I kept a watchful eye out for updates on the progress of this renovation. I
knew once it reopened there would be much fanfare. What I didn’t appreciate
until I was there, was how much work had been put into this project and what a
treat it was to have Kings Theatre alive and well again.
In
February 2015, Diana Ross performed a concert that kicked off the start of a
new chapter in the life of Kings Theatre. From then on I was seeing more and
more advertising and hearing about more and more bookings of shows I could
actually see myself sitting through. The first star I really longed to see had
been there during this month in fact, Kevin James. That would have certainly
been something to see.
When I
was on the site looking through their upcoming events I noticed that Kings was
offering historic tours. I thought that would be perfect for me. I had been
dying to get in to see what it was like and holding out for a show that I HAD
to see. I didn’t know how long that would take. Unfortunately these tours were
only offered on Monday mornings and my day job didn’t think I should take my
hour lunch break before I even got into the office.
Since I
am interested in a plethora of topics I am a sucker for signing up for just
about any newsletter subscription from the websites I frequent. I never know
what information I can gather this way and I never want to miss out because I
forgot to check back within a certain amount of time. This has served me well
time and time again. This time I believe Kings Theatre will be in on the winning
side too.
On a
random day going through the many, many emails I get soliciting me to see
shows, concerts, attend holiday meals at restaurants I patronize, I stumbled
upon an offer from Kings Theatre. They were holding their first ever, and I
hope more will be on the way, Happy Hour Historic Tour! It would be a weeknight
and include booze. I knew instantly there could not be a better time for my
initial visit.
In its
heyday Kings Theatre was meant for live performances and back when it opened in
1929 that meant Vaudeville. When I hear that word I think of Gypsy Rose Lee as
she started out her career as a vaudeville child actor. Thankfully to her,
let’s say determined mother, her career ending up creating a whole new stage
act, the Strip Tease. P.S. I saw the impossibly perfect Patti Lupone as Mama
Rose which itself is a dream come true. I can hear her belting out “Some
People” in my head right now, and on my I-Pod (yes I have one and I am holding
onto it for dear life) when I commute home.
The
building closed in 1977 and was purchased by The City in 1983. From there on it
was burglarized and vandalized about as much as was physically possible.
Because of the ornate décor the materials that were once purchased from
catalogs had become very valuable and were stolen. As the area around it
changed for the worse, this continued to happen until every last copper wire
had been removed. I kid you not. Demographics are a powerful beast.
The road
back was a long one. In 2005 a former patron began the process of getting this
project off the ground. By 2008 New York City Economic Development Corporation
(NYCEDC) was involved and looking for other investors. The $95 million project
took two years to complete (2013-2015) and the Kings Theatre Redevelopment
Company (compiled of several kinds of backers) was the organization in charge.
There is currently a fifty-five year lease in place.
According
to the Kings Theatre website:
“As one
of the five original “Loew’s Wonder Theatres,” the Kings was originally
ordained a movie and live performance theatre of epic proportion……………With the
depression and the decline of vaudeville in the early 1930s, the theatre
converted to showing only feature films.
From the 1950s through the mid-1970s, the Loew’s Kings Theatre faced a
steady decline. With the onset of multiplexes, it was nearly impossible for the
Kings to compete with only a single screen in its arsenal.”
When it
comes to the incredible renovation, they go on to say:
“Original
plaster and painting schemes have been restored, vintage carpet and seating
have been recreated and historic lighting fixtures have been renovated and
re-installed. New state-of-the-art building systems, including new HVAC,
expanded patron restrooms and concessions facilities will provide the very
finest in patron comfort.”
The tour
itself was beyond informative. There were around ten or so people attending. I
was just happy not to be the only one there. It was a strange but very cool
feeling to be walking through this place learning about its former life as well
as the thousands of tasks it took to get it to this point. There was an
introductory film that was only a few minutes long. The images present shows
the transformation from what the building was like when workers first broken in
all the way through its current state. If you did not know what Kings Theatre
had been through you would have sworn you pulled up into your very own French
style manor, which is no coincidence as it was inspired by the Palace of
Versailles. I could have guessed.
The lobby
is so impressive I could have stood there and sipped wine until the end of
time. There is just so much to look at. It totally transformed me. I felt like
I had taken a trip to another place and time. It was magical.
Of the
many facts I learned these are the ones that stand out the most for me:
· This
property is City owned but privately managed, thank God;
· There are
three thousand seats that are more comfortable than you
will find attending a play;
· The
nearby parking lot has four hundred and twenty spaces;
· This
building is not a historic landmark, but rather has historic features
both inside and out;
· The
Ladies Lounge and King’s Club are reserved as VIP areas now but
originally were smoking lounges and bathrooms that contain some of
the
actual furniture;
· Anywhere
you sit you are at most one hundred fifty or one hundred
fifty-five feet from the stage (there are no balcony seats); and my
favorite…
· This was
the first theater to have air-conditioning in the 1960’s and is
still the perfect temperature, which for me is a blessing.
I hope
this brand new “Broadway in Brooklyn” stays forever. I would love to see many
more stars take advantage of this venue and the many people who are aching to
return for all of their entertainment needs. It is sort of hard to reach by
public transportation alone, but now people from other boroughs know how much
fun it was all of the years we Brooklynites had to schlep to and from Madison
Square Garden. It was no picnic that is for sure.
Secretly
I am keeping my fingers crossed that Bill Maher, Jerry Seinfeld, and Mary J.
Blige will book dates. Toni Braxton, Ne-Yo, and Robin Thicke are all performing
next week as a way to promote the Grammy Awards. Those are some pretty big
gets. I know the older people in my tour group would love to have some Brooklyn
artists return to the stage here, especially Barbra Streisand, although I don’t
know how likely that is. But if it’s good enough for Diana Ross and Gladys
Knight it should be good enough for Babs.
As you can
see from this year’s brand new to do list (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/04/for-year-6-20162017-to-do-list_19.html),
I can now cross off Kings Theatre and soon enough the Brooklyn Historical
Society too. In July I am attending a talk entitled: “Brownstone Brooklyn:
Pioneers in the Gentrification Movement” with City Limits Publisher Jarrett
Murphy, historian Suleiman Osman, and New York Times columnist Ginia
Bellafante.
There is
much new activity all over Brooklyn nowadays specifically in Coney Island. They
now have their own amphitheater with a series of summer concerts from many of
your favorite artists. Anyone who lives in Brooklyn or spends much time here
has no excuse for being bored and stuck at home (see link below).
On
similar note, the creators behind Brooklyn Night Bazaar are in the midst of
renovating their new venue in a former Greenpoint banquet hall that had been
empty since 2013. This new site will have retail therapy, restaurants,
entertainment, and just about anything else you want to do. It is slated to
open in August (see link below).
You are
only as good as your weakest employee and although I only met three of them on
this tour that was enough to convince me of the future success that the Theatre
will no doubt have.
I would
like to give a special thanks for our hosts and tour guide for the evening,
General Manager Jason Sandoval.
I can’t
wait to see what you boys dream up next.
I will be
checking my emails.
For More
Information on Kings Theatre:
For Other
Brooklyn Hot Spots:
For More
Tour Information:
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