By LANDMARK WEST!
The Metro Theater’s recent acquisition signals the long-awaited revival of an UWS staple. But little is known about how long renovations will take to allow the public in once again, or what the renovated theatre will look like in the end.
If one were walking up Broadway on the Upper West Side in 1934, one would have had the choice of eighteen theaters in which to see movies, including The Circle Theater (between 59th and 60th Streets), The Colonial (between 62nd and 63rd), The Yorktown (later New Yorker) at 89th Street, The Stoddard at 90th Street, The Alden at 97th Street, and the Metro Theater (between 99th and 100th).
At the time of the Metro’s designation in 1989, four of those eighteen theaters were still in operation and open to the public. Now, only one remains standing, the Metro.
The Metro opened in 1933. The architectural firm of Boak & Paris created a neighborhood movie theater with global ties. Its sleek design incorporated elements of Art Deco and Moderne with the Greek masks of Tragedy and Comedy displayed on the medallion bas-relief fixed to the facade above the marquee. The new theater connected Depression-era Americans to the colorful world of film.
According to the New York Times, the landmark movie theater that closed 20 years ago was sold to a nonprofit after it received $3.5 million in discretionary grants from Gov. Kathy Hochul. “The nonprofit, the Upper West Side Cinema Center, used those funds and $500,000 in grants from the State Senate to complete its $6.9 million purchase of the Metro Theater on Friday. It plans to revitalize the building, on Broadway near West 99th Street, with a five-screen theater, a lobby lounge and a public cafe,” the publication published.
The theater underwent a renovation in 1986 under new management, which saw the auditorium sliced in half to create two screens. Boak & Paris’s striking Art Deco interiors were still intact; although severed at the waist. However, in 2005, the LPC granted the demolition of the interior.
This new acquisition could involve some significant changes to the theater as a five screen plan has been proposed. The theater might also get a new name, as pointed out in the press conference on Sunday, April 6th, the “Metro” sign is not part of the theater’s individual landmark status.
Many parties interested in its revitalization have come and gone over the years. We hope this most recent acquisition sees the return of an UWS gem.
Image 1: Office for Metropolitan History
Image 2: NYC Municipal Archives.