Metro Theater

Midtown Theater
Fair

Metro Theater

Site overview

The Metro Theater, a rare surviving small Art Deco style neighborhood movie theater in Manhattan, has one of the finest facades of its type in New York City. Originally known as The Midtown, the theater was designed and built in 1932-33 by the firm of Boak & Paris. It is distinguished by its glazed terra-cotta facade, executed in various colors, predominantly beige and black. A central medallion features bas-relief stylized figures holding theatrical masks.

Metro Theater

Site overview

The Metro Theater, a rare surviving small Art Deco style neighborhood movie theater in Manhattan, has one of the finest facades of its type in New York City. Originally known as The Midtown, the theater was designed and built in 1932-33 by the firm of Boak & Paris. It is distinguished by its glazed terra-cotta facade, executed in various colors, predominantly beige and black. A central medallion features bas-relief stylized figures holding theatrical masks.

Metro Theater

Site overview

The Metro Theater, a rare surviving small Art Deco style neighborhood movie theater in Manhattan, has one of the finest facades of its type in New York City. Originally known as The Midtown, the theater was designed and built in 1932-33 by the firm of Boak & Paris. It is distinguished by its glazed terra-cotta facade, executed in various colors, predominantly beige and black. A central medallion features bas-relief stylized figures holding theatrical masks.

Metro Theater

Site overview

The Metro Theater, a rare surviving small Art Deco style neighborhood movie theater in Manhattan, has one of the finest facades of its type in New York City. Originally known as The Midtown, the theater was designed and built in 1932-33 by the firm of Boak & Paris. It is distinguished by its glazed terra-cotta facade, executed in various colors, predominantly beige and black. A central medallion features bas-relief stylized figures holding theatrical masks.

Primary classification

Recreation (REC)

Terms of protection

New York City Landmarks protects the exterior (facade and marquee)

Designations

New York City Landmark, designated July 11, 1989

Author(s)

Julie Kroon | | 2/18/2012

How to Visit

Currently under renovation (as of December 2016)

Location

2624-2626 Broadway
New York, NY, 10025

Country

US

Designer(s)

Other designers

Boak & Paris, architectsJ.J. Secoles Inc., contractor
Commission

1932

Completion

2 June 1933

Commission / Completion details

Designed in 1932, site work started January 1933, completed June 2 1933A seven-story tenement on the site was demolished in November 1931. The architects Boak & Paris completed the plans for the theater in December 1932. The Arlington and Harvey Hall Realty Co. obtained a new building permit by the following month. Construction was completed on June 2, 1933 and a Certificate of Occupancy was issued on June 7.

Original Brief

movie theater

Significant Alteration(s) with Date(s)

1954: The ticket window was moved from inside to outside, replacing one pair of glass doors to the left of the entrance. The glass and aluminum doors and storefront windows were replaced in the original configuration. 1982: Red neon Deco-style letters spelling “Metro” were added to the top of the marquee, replacing the name “Midtown.” Rows of small lightbulbs were added to edge the top and bottom of the marquee.Changes in ownership: The Midtown changed hands many times in the 1940s-80s. It was a movie theater for first-run films until the 1970s when adult films were shown. When it was taken over in 1982 by New Yorker Films, it was renamed the Metro and switched back to first-run films in 1985. By August 1986 the movie theater had been twinned – divided into two different theaters with 325 seats on the lower level and 200 upstairs. The theater closed in 2003, only to reopen a few months later, close again in August of 2004, and reopen after renovations in December of the same year. The building was closed yet again at the end of 2005 and has remained vacant since then through the time of this report. Various plans have been proposed to use the building for retail or a theater and education complex, but nothing has gone through yet. The current owner is Broadway Metro Associates, LP.

Current Use

Not in use

Current Condition

The lower level below the marquee is in poor condition. The original black and pink terracotta has been painted over with a blue/gray color which is now peeling. The metal ceiling tiles on the underside of the marquee are rusting as well as the columns holding up the marquee. The ticket window has been boarded up and there is some graffiti on it.The upper level looks to be in much better condition. The terracotta is slightly dirty, but intact other than the top strip which shows some spalling.The interior was gutted in October 2007 and is now waiting for a new tenant.

General Description

The building is 50’ wide facing Broadway and extends 100’ back on the lot, rising the equivalent height of about 3.5 stories. The theater was designed in the Art Deco style. The façade is glazed terracotta of various colors – mostly black and pink – and features a central medallion depicting figures holding theatrical masks. The upper façade, a geometrical pattern of terracotta, is separated from the lower part by a chrome-striped marquee running the width of the building. This marquee hangs over the street level and was originally supported by eye-bars attached to the façade but now has three columns. The underside of the marquee is made up of stamped metal ceiling tiles.

Construction Period

January-June 1933

Original Physical Context

The Ariel East condominium tower is directly next door at 2628 Broadway, with Ariel West across the street. Built in 2006, the Ariel towers bought up air rights of the Metro Theater and surrounding buildings to achieve 37-story (Ariel East) and 31-story (Ariel West) heights – the tallest buildings on the Upper West Side.

Social

The Metro Theater is one of the only small neighborhood movie theaters remaining on the Upper West Side.

Cultural & Aesthetic

The theater displays both the Art Deco and Art Moderne styles, and has one of the finest facades of its type in New York City. It is a prime example of the use of colored glazed terracotta, and it represents the culmination of the uniquely designed pre-WW2 small neighborhood theater type.

Historical

Before World War 2, movie theaters were designed to be grand palaces. The grandest example of a 1930s modern theater in New York City was Radio City Music Hall, built in 1932. During the Depression, large projects became impractical and the sizes of theaters shrunk to 500-1000 seats instead of 2000-6000. The Midtown Theater as built had a seating capacity of 550. It fits the typology of theaters of the 1930s which were still being built to impress, but with a more modest scale and budget. When construction started again after WW2, designs were more simple and utilitarian.

References

Marthey, Lynne D. \"Midtown Theater." Landmarks Preservation Commission: Designation List 218, 11 July 1989. Web. 14 February 2012.Dunlap, David W. “What to Make of the Metro Theater.” The New York Times online 14 Nov 2007. 14 February 2012 . Satow, Julie. “After Legal War, a West Side Landmark May Rise.” New York Times 18 May 2011. Proquest. 14 February 2012.Cinema Treasures, LLC. “New Metro Twin.” Your Guide to Movie Theaters. 2000-2012. 14 February 2012 . | http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1710.pdf