Uploaded to of the exterior pictures referred to by Chris above. This article and others I’ve seen indicates the theater actually goes back to 1917.
In an article in the NY Times for January 25, 2004 the owners, Henry and Anne Stampfel were interviewed. They’ve owned the theater since 1986 but only performed major renovations in 2002 because of the rebirth of the Playhouse just down the street as a multiplex.
When they ripped up the wood floors to put in slanted concrete they also ripped out a wall and found a stage. In addition to new seats, sound, etc. they built a new stage for use in live productions.
Theater is supposed to be opening Spring/Summer 2015. All seats and screens being replaced plus other upgrades. Long delay because of reimbursement problems, a usual Sandy story.
Photos of Fine Arts marquee and Nassau Garage in 1910, the building from which the theater was crafted, linked via comments now in photo section. Links tend to be broken in time.
Photo of Studio 1 from American Classic Images and a 1916 photo of the Arcade have been uploaded. Arcade was on the west side of Atlantic Avenue so this view looks south. Note the original entrance to the Arcade WAS an arcade. Now we need a later shot with the Arcade marquee referred to by Ed Solero in earlier postings.
Newspaper articles always refer to it as First Playhouse so it sometimes passes under the radar. Now that we have a meeting date we know when to check back. No big deal to resubscribe.
The fate of the Playhouse is still up in the air. Discussion on demolition was removed from the agenda of the March Village Board meeting. It MAY be placed on the agenda for April 13th.
Photo of the original Edwards', which had, obviously, been a store previously. Determined it, too, was located on Main Street which should be update in the lead.
Loaded the postcard image of the Lyric to which Dooley Jones referred. I dispute the contention that the Lyric burnt down. As I recall from my youth the building in the picture was the same albeit with the addition of a vertical. It now houses offices of the Town of Oyster Bay.
In the book, Huntington Station “A Vanished Community” there are several pages devoted to the theater. There is also a grainy image which is of no value. One resident remembers, that as a youth, doing a balancing act to get from the retaining wall of the hillside in back of the theater to the theater roof and looking in the mushroom ventilation unit to see the movie.
From Route 111 you can see a mushroom ventilation unit. Was not the theater air conditioned from the beginning? Unfortunately the unit cannot be seen from ground level, only the significantly higher Route 111. Hence, no photo.
The following is the description of the Strand from the Archives of the Rockville Centre Public Library: “The Strand Theatre stood on the north side of Sunrise Highway between Park and Village Avenues. It had 1,035 seats, an organ, mushroom ventilation (the forerunner of air conditioning), large dressing rooms and large aisles. It opened on June 8, 1922 and offered both vaudeville shows and motion pictures.
According to local lore, boys would scrape together 10 cents for one admission. One boy would go in and open the fire exit in the balcony (which was not alarmed) to allow in his buddies.
Additional photo added.
Photo uploaded toward the end.
Uploaded to of the exterior pictures referred to by Chris above. This article and others I’ve seen indicates the theater actually goes back to 1917.
In an article in the NY Times for January 25, 2004 the owners, Henry and Anne Stampfel were interviewed. They’ve owned the theater since 1986 but only performed major renovations in 2002 because of the rebirth of the Playhouse just down the street as a multiplex.
When they ripped up the wood floors to put in slanted concrete they also ripped out a wall and found a stage. In addition to new seats, sound, etc. they built a new stage for use in live productions.
Photo uploaded from the website.
Added a 1930s image of Main Street. Note the original Regent vertical is still in place but a marquee has been added.
Architect was Herbert J. Krapp.
Uploaded a photo of façade architectural detail.
New exterior photo of when theater was in limbo uploaded.
Photo as Beacon in 1954 and later as Clearview uploaded.
Better picture uploaded
Theater is supposed to be opening Spring/Summer 2015. All seats and screens being replaced plus other upgrades. Long delay because of reimbursement problems, a usual Sandy story.
I saw the opera, The Magic Flute there.
Uploaded interior of the Orpheum in the day.
Uploaded three pictures: the theatre on Main Street, Mr. Poro at the box office, Mr. Poro with the marquee.
Photos of Fine Arts marquee and Nassau Garage in 1910, the building from which the theater was crafted, linked via comments now in photo section. Links tend to be broken in time.
Photo of Studio 1 from American Classic Images and a 1916 photo of the Arcade have been uploaded. Arcade was on the west side of Atlantic Avenue so this view looks south. Note the original entrance to the Arcade WAS an arcade. Now we need a later shot with the Arcade marquee referred to by Ed Solero in earlier postings.
Newspaper articles always refer to it as First Playhouse so it sometimes passes under the radar. Now that we have a meeting date we know when to check back. No big deal to resubscribe.
The fate of the Playhouse is still up in the air. Discussion on demolition was removed from the agenda of the March Village Board meeting. It MAY be placed on the agenda for April 13th.
Photo of the original Edwards', which had, obviously, been a store previously. Determined it, too, was located on Main Street which should be update in the lead.
Uploaded a photo with image of the theater on the left. Will try and get a full image.
Loaded the postcard image of the Lyric to which Dooley Jones referred. I dispute the contention that the Lyric burnt down. As I recall from my youth the building in the picture was the same albeit with the addition of a vertical. It now houses offices of the Town of Oyster Bay.
I’ve added a current photo of the façade.
In the book, Huntington Station “A Vanished Community” there are several pages devoted to the theater. There is also a grainy image which is of no value. One resident remembers, that as a youth, doing a balancing act to get from the retaining wall of the hillside in back of the theater to the theater roof and looking in the mushroom ventilation unit to see the movie.
From Route 111 you can see a mushroom ventilation unit. Was not the theater air conditioned from the beginning? Unfortunately the unit cannot be seen from ground level, only the significantly higher Route 111. Hence, no photo.
The following is the description of the Strand from the Archives of the Rockville Centre Public Library: “The Strand Theatre stood on the north side of Sunrise Highway between Park and Village Avenues. It had 1,035 seats, an organ, mushroom ventilation (the forerunner of air conditioning), large dressing rooms and large aisles. It opened on June 8, 1922 and offered both vaudeville shows and motion pictures.
According to local lore, boys would scrape together 10 cents for one admission. One boy would go in and open the fire exit in the balcony (which was not alarmed) to allow in his buddies.