Trans-Lux Southstreet Seaport Cinema

210 Front Street,
New York, NY 10038

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pharlap
pharlap on August 30, 2011 at 10:51 am

Since this was the Seaport Cinema page, I just wanted to add that Trans Lux only bankrolled 1 two-month repertory schedule. I was the booker. It was fun to screen things like “He Who Gets Slapped” and Leos Carax' “Boy Meets Girl” (North American Premiere?),but it was a losing proposition. You could hear a quarter rolling down the street after 6:00

Ed Solero
Ed Solero on July 21, 2011 at 11:29 am

I, too, remember the Autopub in the plaza below the GM building. I went there once as a boy with my family in the 1970’s and we sat in the “Drive-In theatre” and watched the movie “Airport,” which had by then already been on network TV. Being so young at the time, I have no idea what sort of presentation was made at the Autopub (must have been 16mm rental prints, no?), but I seem to recall that it was in something close to its widescreen format because I can remember noticing how the split-screen sequences played much better than in the network TV broadcast.

I never did get to see the New York Experience, but I remember it running for years at the McGraw-Hill Trans-Lux.

GDellaFa
GDellaFa on July 19, 2011 at 5:31 pm

Quite the experience in the lobby of the New York Experience. I also remember the popcorn popper and this is the place where I first heard Jolson’s “Sonny Boy” — in the lobby. In the show, it was the place where I was introduced to the Roxy Theatre—and the rest is history. The NYE had a great sound system, and they really played up the grand sound of the Mighty Wurlitzer. Loved it. I was 13.

SethLewis
SethLewis on May 11, 2009 at 12:20 pm

Thanks to westbethkid and nyretiree for remembering the Autopub…a restaurant my dad Alan Lewis set up with the Longchamps company based on the Pub Renault in Paris…great concept that may have been a couple of years too early or too late in the economic cycle…The Drive-In movie concept within the restaurant truly predated the movie & draughthouses of today was a lot of fun

NYRETIRED
NYRETIRED on May 11, 2009 at 10:47 am

I do remember the Autopub. Sunken plaza with tables/umbrellas outside during the summer months. Auto replicas inside. Socialized at the bar, while winding down after a day’s work upstairs at GM. Those were the good ‘ole days ! Does anyone have any photos of the Autopub?

westbethkid
westbethkid on March 16, 2009 at 7:44 am

I totally remember the popcorn popper in the lobby! And alot of the decor was “olde timey” new york with art deco fonts. It was a little spooky because I went a couple times and it always seemed like we were the only people there… I don’t know if there was fog in the theater though. There was a vegetarian restaurant called “the Beanstalk” that was nearbyâ€" we would have a meal there sometimes… and speaking of old new york, does anyone remember the Autopub?

ChrisinNH
ChrisinNH on March 16, 2009 at 7:08 am

I remember it! I went there a few times and it was a lot of fun. Just getting into the theater was fun. Wasn’t there an old time popcorn popper in the “lobby”? Like walking through a museum gallery. It was a little spooky for me. A little dark as soon as you stepped off the elevator.

The “Experience” itself I thought was great. I know some people were disappointed by the fact that t was mostly slides, but the sights and sounds were everywhere. Was there fog in the theater at some point?? Look, I was a kid. My weekends were the Bronx Zoo, Ice Capades, Ringling Brothers at MSG. I wish I could go back and see it again. It was at the Magraw-Hill Building in Midtown Manhattan. I have a collection of comments from other people if anyone’s interested.

Chris Mills

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on June 14, 2008 at 11:10 am

I have a leaflet for The New York Experience. A Trans-Lux/Bing Crosby Presentation. Located at McGraw-Hill Building, (Lower Plaza between 48th & 49th Streets), 1221 Avenue of the Americas, NY NY. 10020. There were 45 projectors and 16 screens.

Luis Vazquez
Luis Vazquez on June 14, 2008 at 10:59 am

I remember the New York Experience as well though I remember being underwhelmed by the “Experience”. I believe that there were also NY memorabilia displays in the lobby. Kind of like museum displays. Anyone else remember that?

This theater was taken over by the Taiwan Chinese government for a Taiwan cultural show. I think that lasted for about a year or two.

westbethkid
westbethkid on September 1, 2006 at 11:38 am

does anybody have any video footage of the “new york experience?” I remember seeing it many years ago, and would sure like to have/buy a copy of it. Especially the part about the “mugging.”

bamtino
bamtino on September 11, 2005 at 4:11 pm

The address of this theatre was 210 Front Street, New York, NY 10038.

br91975
br91975 on April 25, 2005 at 11:52 am

There used to be a regular ad in the Times for the ‘New York Experience’, about the size of 1-½ inches of column space, which ran in the Weekend section every Friday, up until its engagement at both the Trans-Lux theatres came to an end. The second ‘NY Experience’-esque show I think was called ‘Hello New York’, or something along those lines; I remember what was a newly-installed marquee outside the then-former Plaza Theatre bearing that name.

hardbop
hardbop on April 25, 2005 at 10:09 am

I remember that New York Experience. I remember going there shortly after I moved to NYC back in ‘82, though I couldn’t remember what building it was in. I knew it was in the basement/base of one of those office buildings on the west side of Sixth Avenue. All those buildings look the same anyway. I remember when they closed it. I don’t remember the New York Experience at the Seaport. I also remember that the beautiful Paris Theatre in midtown had one of these New York Experience type shows after it closed as a movie theatre, but it didn’t last long and I didn’t go.

RobertEndres
RobertEndres on April 25, 2005 at 9:42 am

The Trans Lux New York Experience was located on the lower level of the McGraw-Hill Building on 6th Avenue a couple of blocks south of the Music Hall. I worked there as a relief projectionist for several years. Since it was close to my home base at the Music Hall I could actually go underground through the Rockefeller Center concourse from the Experience to the Hall and back. The theatre had a longer run than the Seaport Experience, opening before 1974 when I started at the Hall. After closing, the space became a theatre for Chinese arts and performances, and may be unused now.

hardbop
hardbop on April 25, 2005 at 8:27 am

I took a walk down to the South Street Seaport yesterday and took a look at what used to be the Trans Lux. The space is vacant. If there wasn’t the skeleton of an awning on the building you wouldn’t even know the space was used as a theater.

RobertR
RobertR on April 13, 2005 at 10:59 am

The repetory was for a short time but this theatre was always a Trans-Lux house.

hardbop
hardbop on April 13, 2005 at 9:56 am

Boy, Trans Luxe must have operated this theatre for about a minute. I thought I was hallucinating, but I vaguely remember a listing for “Gone With the Wind” here, but I never went.

I’ll be attending the Tribeca Film Festival starting next week and, time permitting, I’ll take a swing by the South Street Seaport and see what is up with this building.

RobertR
RobertR on October 6, 2004 at 7:29 pm

I cant swear but I think it’s a restaurant

br91975
br91975 on October 5, 2004 at 7:38 am

Does anyone know what became of the building which housed the Trans-Lux South Street Seaport Cinema? (I don’t make it that far downtown all that often.) Was it demolished or converted to retail?