Belvedere Theatre

64-28 Myrtle Avenue,
Glendale, NY 11385

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Functions: Church

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Belvedere Theatre 2004

Located in the Glendale section of Queens. The Belvedere Theatre was opened in 1922 and had seating all on a sloping floor. Initially it was equipped with a Robert Morton 2 manual 5 ranks organ which was replaced in 1927 with a Wurlitzer 2 manual 4 ranks organ. I never remember it being open although the gaudy old marquee made it into the 1970’s. It was closed many years before becoming a ladies dress store, which actually restored the theatre to its original splendour but the floor was leveled. It is now a church.

My mom remembers going to this theatre with my grandmother in the 1950’s because my grandmother was collecting the dishes they were giving out. She remembers the bill changed three times a week, I guess sub-run double bills.

Contributed by RobertR

Recent comments (view all 72 comments)

Bway
Bway on December 28, 2014 at 4:41 pm

The Belvedere, now the Christ Tabernacle, had huge exposure this past week with the Vice President Biden, Gov Cuomo, and other officials…..along with thousands of cops attending funeral services here for Officer Ramos, NYPD shot in the line of duty.

RobertR
RobertR on December 29, 2014 at 7:14 am

A vintage picture of the theatre open has to exist somewhere

Bway
Bway on December 29, 2014 at 1:07 pm

For many years it was Friedrich’s Childrens Clothing Store. If the 1980’s tax photos are available, it may show it as Friedrichs. I think that store opened in the theater after the theater closed. It closed in the 80’s some time, and became the church.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 29, 2014 at 1:47 pm

The Belvedere Theatre had a Robert Morton organ installed in 1922, which was replaced by a Wurlitzer in 1927. Specifications for the Wurlitzer are on this web page.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on December 30, 2014 at 9:18 am

Bway, I was going to write a post about the funeral but I guess you beat me to it. The NY Times article describing the service did briefly note the church’s prior cinematic past. It also referenced a 850 seat capacity, which is a bit higher than the 756 number noted at the top of this page.

All in all, it’s good that the old theater can still serve a positive purpose, as it certainly did last Saturday.

RobertR
RobertR on December 30, 2014 at 11:52 am

The theatre stopped showing movies in the 50’s and the place sat empty 20 years.

Bway
Bway on December 30, 2014 at 1:15 pm

Yes, that’s when Friedrich’s moved in. It was there in the 70’s. Don’t know when it moved in however.

RobertR
RobertR on December 31, 2014 at 5:57 am

I believe the church added a balcony that the theater never had

Bway
Bway on January 8, 2015 at 12:13 pm

That may explain the extra seating that John described. We have to remember that the theater also had been altered to become a store for at least 20 years. I don’t know what they did to convert it to a store, whether it used the theater ornamentation on the walls, and just took out the seats, or if it was gutted when it became a store already, to be rebuilt decades later when the church bought it.

RobertR
RobertR on April 13, 2023 at 9:09 am

When Friedrich’s renovated, the theatre was restored and except that the floor was leveled and the seats removed it looked exactly like it had as a movie theatre.

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