On the New York City Department of Finance website in the ACRIS system there is a copy of the original lease between 1832 Realty LLC (Oriental’s Lanlord) and TJX companies (Marshalls). In the lease are several architectural drawings that shows what the Marshall’s did to the former Oriental Theatre such as leveling out the lower theatre floor for retail. Based on some of these drawings it looks like the upper balcony portions (including the marble staircases) of the theatre are in fact intact but most of it is hidden behind false drop ceilings and new walls, the auditorium’s original ceiling is also hidden. Also based on some of these drawings it looks like the former stage area of the theatre where vaudeville once played has been gutted out unfortunately.
br91795 or dave-bronx: Did Garth get any property when Cineplex Odeon took over the Walter Reade chain in NYC? I know LCE owned the Baronet/Coronet at the time of its closing in 2001.
Is this really one of the last remaining old style Century Houses left in the metro NYC area? In Brooklyn every single Century House is gone except for the Kings Plaza which opened in 1970 and is now a sixplex, it’s been mordernized quite a few times since 1970 so no traces of Century theates are left in this cinema.
When the Loews 42nd Street E-Walk first opened it featured a highly stylized but basically non funtional type marquee, all it had was two frames for mylar type movie titles, about 4 years after opening Loews wised up and replaced it with a much plainer one that featured a full color LED type sign. So they may do that with the Boston Common unless zoning regulations prohibit such.
When I visited Boston a few year ago I remember there used to be a electronic LED type zipper sign on the lower silver part of the marquee underneath the “Loews Theatres” letters. What suprised me was how small it was compared to the same type of marquee’s we have in New York City, I assumed this was because of zoning regulations. I guess the sign is totally turned off now. The vertical part of this marquee is very cool looking, it’s very art deco inspired. What ever became of the Backlot?
Wasn’t the Wordwide the only original Cineplex Odeon Cinema, that kept the Cineplex Brand in Manhattan? I know the Baronet/Coronet was converted over to the Loews Coronet I/II.
Also American Companies were not required to divest their international holdings, MGM held on to the international division of Loews for a while & Gulf + Western (Paramount) owned the Famous Players Circuit in Canada.
Hi Ron:
I remember visiting the Copley Place when I was in Boston a few years back, it had a nice gold colored Loews sign. The Boston Commons was really nice, sort of like our 34th Street, which opened the same year.
Unfortunately the only annual Loews Cineplex reports I have is on paper hard-copy, it used to be availible on the corporate website, but the link is now dead, sorry.
I think the decree was eased up at some point, From 1989-1998 Sony Pictures owned both Columbia-TriStar Pictures & the Loews Theatres Circuit, such cross ownership would not have been permited if the decree was still in place as originally written.
dave-bronx: Thanks, I think the Extra 3 theatres are the 3 IMAX theatres, In California and New York. They may be counted separately.
Also with the Fortway closed there are 41 Cineplex Odeon’s & 142 Total.
According to the US Theatre Locations section of the Loews Cineplex Enjoythereeldeal website; as of Jan 12th, 2005 in the United States there are:
73 Loew’s Theatre Locations, 42 Cineplex Odeon Cinema Locations, 09 Star Theatre Locations(only in Michigan) & 06 Magic Johnson Theatre Locations. I believe that makes 130 Locations total.
Weren’t most of those circuits taken over by Cineplex Odeon in their late 80’s spending spree, When Garth was buying up theatre chains like there was no tomorrow?
br9175, this this the full list of all the theatres that Loews Theatre Management and Cineplex Odeon had to divest in NYC & Chicago in order to get appoval from the Department of Justice for the merger back in 1998:
The 14 Manhattan theaters to be divested consist of 13
Cineplex Odeon theaters (Chelsea, Chelsea West, 1st & 62nd,
Ziegfeld, Park & 86th Street, Waverly Twin, Olympia, Art
Greenwich, Metro Twin, Beekman, Regency, 62nd & Broadway, and 59th
Street East) and one Sony-Loews theater (34th Street Showplace).
The 11 Chicago area theaters to be divested consist of 8 Cineplex
Odeon theaters (600 North Michigan, 900 North Michigan, Biograph,
Bricktown, Watertower 1-4, Watertower 5-7, Burnham Plaza, and
Broadway) and 3 Sony-Loews theaters (Hyde Park Quad, River Run
Eightplex, and Old Orchard Quad).
br91975, actually I was able to also get a copy of the 1999 Loews Cineplex anuual report a few years back by mail as well, I did also try to get the 2000 one as well, but no one could seem to find it. So I downloaded the PDF file and printed it out. I think as soon as they were taken over by ONEX the reports were pulled off the corporate website, it’s really a shame because the 1999 one it just filled to the brim with historic photos of important Loews Theatres.
I wonder for the other theatre fans out there if the Science and Industies Business Library in NYC would have them on file, it’s probably on microfilm there.
Yes BobT, you are absolutely right todays United Artists is a small shell of its former self, just another division of Regal, from what I hear the name itself may be gone in two more years. Nothing at all like the former United Artists Eastern Theatres Inc. of the 1970’s.
Actually Loews(Sony) owned the Oriental until the very end, it was held by a holding company called Hawthorne Amusement Corp., I have the original article about the closing.
No theatres in Bensonhurst are left, they are all gone, The Oriental, Benson, Walker, Marboro, Walker are now only alive in our memories.
Wow, those annual reports are really great, thanks Ron! Its like a blast from the past going through all of those. There is a lot of info to look over.
Loews Theatres was indeed the foundation for Loews Corp. In the 1960’s conglomorates were all the rage as you had companies such as ITT owning Hotels, Insurance & Car Rental. Most companies have since restructured themselves into similar lines of busiess, except for Loews which still has Lorillard, CNA, Bullova etc.
Loews Cineplex used to have their annual reports online as well, when they were still a public coampany, I wonder if it is archived anywhere online?
Your right in that losing the Loew’s name is the saddest part. Other now defunct chains include: Century, Interboro, Randforce, Stanley, Brandt and all of the ones that Ron mentioned above.
On the New York City Department of Finance website in the ACRIS system there is a copy of the original lease between 1832 Realty LLC (Oriental’s Lanlord) and TJX companies (Marshalls). In the lease are several architectural drawings that shows what the Marshall’s did to the former Oriental Theatre such as leveling out the lower theatre floor for retail. Based on some of these drawings it looks like the upper balcony portions (including the marble staircases) of the theatre are in fact intact but most of it is hidden behind false drop ceilings and new walls, the auditorium’s original ceiling is also hidden. Also based on some of these drawings it looks like the former stage area of the theatre where vaudeville once played has been gutted out unfortunately.
br91795 or dave-bronx: Did Garth get any property when Cineplex Odeon took over the Walter Reade chain in NYC? I know LCE owned the Baronet/Coronet at the time of its closing in 2001.
Is this really one of the last remaining old style Century Houses left in the metro NYC area? In Brooklyn every single Century House is gone except for the Kings Plaza which opened in 1970 and is now a sixplex, it’s been mordernized quite a few times since 1970 so no traces of Century theates are left in this cinema.
Wasn’t the Company Paramount & Warner jointly owned at one point called Cinamerica Theatres LP?
When the Loews 42nd Street E-Walk first opened it featured a highly stylized but basically non funtional type marquee, all it had was two frames for mylar type movie titles, about 4 years after opening Loews wised up and replaced it with a much plainer one that featured a full color LED type sign. So they may do that with the Boston Common unless zoning regulations prohibit such.
YankeeMike: Actually it’s two blocks, 86th St. to Benson Ave. then Benson to Bath Avenue.
When I visited Boston a few year ago I remember there used to be a electronic LED type zipper sign on the lower silver part of the marquee underneath the “Loews Theatres” letters. What suprised me was how small it was compared to the same type of marquee’s we have in New York City, I assumed this was because of zoning regulations. I guess the sign is totally turned off now. The vertical part of this marquee is very cool looking, it’s very art deco inspired. What ever became of the Backlot?
Wasn’t the Wordwide the only original Cineplex Odeon Cinema, that kept the Cineplex Brand in Manhattan? I know the Baronet/Coronet was converted over to the Loews Coronet I/II.
Late 70’s, the protest in the community about the triple x features was immense at the time.
Thanks for the clarification!
Also American Companies were not required to divest their international holdings, MGM held on to the international division of Loews for a while & Gulf + Western (Paramount) owned the Famous Players Circuit in Canada.
Hi Ron:
I remember visiting the Copley Place when I was in Boston a few years back, it had a nice gold colored Loews sign. The Boston Commons was really nice, sort of like our 34th Street, which opened the same year.
Unfortunately the only annual Loews Cineplex reports I have is on paper hard-copy, it used to be availible on the corporate website, but the link is now dead, sorry.
I think the decree was eased up at some point, From 1989-1998 Sony Pictures owned both Columbia-TriStar Pictures & the Loews Theatres Circuit, such cross ownership would not have been permited if the decree was still in place as originally written.
And the Loews Port Chester should be opening in October of this year.
dave-bronx: Thanks, I think the Extra 3 theatres are the 3 IMAX theatres, In California and New York. They may be counted separately.
Also with the Fortway closed there are 41 Cineplex Odeon’s & 142 Total.
According to the US Theatre Locations section of the Loews Cineplex Enjoythereeldeal website; as of Jan 12th, 2005 in the United States there are:
73 Loew’s Theatre Locations, 42 Cineplex Odeon Cinema Locations, 09 Star Theatre Locations(only in Michigan) & 06 Magic Johnson Theatre Locations. I believe that makes 130 Locations total.
Weren’t most of those circuits taken over by Cineplex Odeon in their late 80’s spending spree, When Garth was buying up theatre chains like there was no tomorrow?
br9175, this this the full list of all the theatres that Loews Theatre Management and Cineplex Odeon had to divest in NYC & Chicago in order to get appoval from the Department of Justice for the merger back in 1998:
The 14 Manhattan theaters to be divested consist of 13
Cineplex Odeon theaters (Chelsea, Chelsea West, 1st & 62nd,
Ziegfeld, Park & 86th Street, Waverly Twin, Olympia, Art
Greenwich, Metro Twin, Beekman, Regency, 62nd & Broadway, and 59th
Street East) and one Sony-Loews theater (34th Street Showplace).
The 11 Chicago area theaters to be divested consist of 8 Cineplex
Odeon theaters (600 North Michigan, 900 North Michigan, Biograph,
Bricktown, Watertower 1-4, Watertower 5-7, Burnham Plaza, and
Broadway) and 3 Sony-Loews theaters (Hyde Park Quad, River Run
Eightplex, and Old Orchard Quad).
br91975, actually I was able to also get a copy of the 1999 Loews Cineplex anuual report a few years back by mail as well, I did also try to get the 2000 one as well, but no one could seem to find it. So I downloaded the PDF file and printed it out. I think as soon as they were taken over by ONEX the reports were pulled off the corporate website, it’s really a shame because the 1999 one it just filled to the brim with historic photos of important Loews Theatres.
I wonder for the other theatre fans out there if the Science and Industies Business Library in NYC would have them on file, it’s probably on microfilm there.
Yes BobT, you are absolutely right todays United Artists is a small shell of its former self, just another division of Regal, from what I hear the name itself may be gone in two more years. Nothing at all like the former United Artists Eastern Theatres Inc. of the 1970’s.
Actually Loews(Sony) owned the Oriental until the very end, it was held by a holding company called Hawthorne Amusement Corp., I have the original article about the closing.
No theatres in Bensonhurst are left, they are all gone, The Oriental, Benson, Walker, Marboro, Walker are now only alive in our memories.
The Oriental, Fortway & Marboro all closed up shop in May, June & July respectively.
Wow, those annual reports are really great, thanks Ron! Its like a blast from the past going through all of those. There is a lot of info to look over.
Loews Theatres was indeed the foundation for Loews Corp. In the 1960’s conglomorates were all the rage as you had companies such as ITT owning Hotels, Insurance & Car Rental. Most companies have since restructured themselves into similar lines of busiess, except for Loews which still has Lorillard, CNA, Bullova etc.
Loews Cineplex used to have their annual reports online as well, when they were still a public coampany, I wonder if it is archived anywhere online?
Your right in that losing the Loew’s name is the saddest part. Other now defunct chains include: Century, Interboro, Randforce, Stanley, Brandt and all of the ones that Ron mentioned above.
June 23rd was the final day of operation for the UA Crossbay I. The Crossbay II is still open and showing movies.
It could be a another chain such as CineMark, Carmike or National Amusements come in and scoop up the properties as well.
Do you think the Loews name will survive this merger?