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| Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay (778734) | |
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Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by SMAZ on Thu May 12 17:17:56 2011 with pics |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by G1Ravage on Thu May 12 17:48:09 2011, in response to Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by SMAZ on Thu May 12 17:17:56 2011. Funny you should post this now. I just walked past there about 20 minutes ago, and a construction crew was busy bricking up the former ground level windows, which for the past decade had been blocked off with blue construction wall. I was able to look through the openings that hadn't been bricked yet, but could see nothing from the sidewalk that looked interesting.Oh, here's a pic. Of course there's a pic. 
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by LuchAAA on Thu May 12 17:52:22 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by G1Ravage on Thu May 12 17:48:09 2011. Just what Flushing needs is another apartment complex you know.That theater would have been a great venue for entertainment. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by SMAZ on Thu May 12 19:14:36 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by G1Ravage on Thu May 12 17:48:09 2011. I went to that magnificent palace just weeks before it closed when it was a triplex.I didn't even know it once had a fountain. What a shame. These videos show that with some substantial expense, the Keith's can be restored. It's been done elsewhere. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by SUBWAYSURF on Fri May 13 03:50:16 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by LuchAAA on Thu May 12 17:52:22 2011. Remember when the RKO Keith had a gay bathhouse on the 2nd floor? I do. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by RIPTA42HopeTunnel on Fri May 13 05:49:32 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by SMAZ on Thu May 12 19:14:36 2011. It's a lot farther gone than I expected. Even if the residential tower doesn't happen, I don't see the auditorium ever being restored.I had no idea it was landmarked and de-landmarked. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Fri May 13 06:59:34 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by RIPTA42HopeTunnel on Fri May 13 05:49:32 2011. I saw photos a while ago, and gave up hope way back then again. The place basically has to be rebuilt inside, and that "aint" gonna happen. Millions would be needed, and even with the millions, a viable plan to use it and make a profit. Unfortunately, I don't see it.The sad part is that it was delandmarked, and that's when the former owner DELIBERATELY let much of the damage happen. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Fri May 13 07:01:56 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by LuchAAA on Thu May 12 17:52:22 2011. It would have, but it's been falling into shambles for the last 25 years, and that's after DELIBERATE destruction too. The place would need hundreds of millions. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Fri May 13 07:11:10 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by SMAZ on Thu May 12 19:14:36 2011. For an idea of what it once looked like, the Loews Valencia in Jamaica had a somewhat similar interior. It's been used as a Church since the mid 70's and is restored. While the interior was painted very garish colors, the beauty of the place is still there, and fully intact.The Valencia also had the atmospheric interior with the "star" effect on the ceiling like the Keiths in Flushing. Here's the exterior of the Valencia around 2001, showing it is now the "Tabernacle of Prayer". Of course the most noticable difference is the absence of the Jamaica Avenue El out front....  Here's photos of the interior auditorium, from the 1920's, and the color ones from 2003:   And the balcony of the theater in 2003 and in the 1930's:   Here's historic and current photos of the lobby. The current ones taken in 2003, and the historic ones in the 1920's or 30's:     Also the Loews Paradise in the Bronx, also fully restored as a theater and shows what the interior colors should be too (unlike the Valencia, which is intact, but has garish paint colors) 
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by RIPTA42HopeTunnel on Fri May 13 08:23:10 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Fri May 13 06:59:34 2011. I saw photos a while ago, and gave up hope way back then again. The place basically has to be rebuilt inside, and that "aint" gonna happen. Millions would be needed, and even with the millions, a viable plan to use it and make a profit. Unfortunately, I don't see it.The sad part is that it was delandmarked, and that's when the former owner DELIBERATELY let much of the damage happen. I saw photos two or three years ago that looked more encouraging than this new set. I don't think all the damage occurred over that period, though; it was probably a combination of the lighting and selective angles. The article said it was both landmarked and de-landmarked in 1981, which is still five years before it closed. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by Mitch45 on Fri May 13 08:35:14 2011, in response to Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by SMAZ on Thu May 12 17:17:56 2011. Thank you for this.I recall seeing a movie at the Keiths in about 1984. I had never been there before and was stunned at the opulence. Too bad its been allowed to decay like that. Its in even worse shape than Chambers St. I'm glad to hear that the Loews Paradise in the Bronx has been restored. I spent my early childhood (up to age 5) in that area of the Bronx and remember my mother telling me how beautiful that theater was in the '50s when she moved there to live with her sister on Grand Avenue. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by SMAZ on Fri May 13 17:30:18 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Fri May 13 07:11:10 2011. I wish they had done something like that with the Keith's.While the interior of the Flushing theater was actually in a bit better shape than i thought, I don't see how they can get it fixed for less than 70-80 million dollars which is not gonna happen. It could have been Queens' true grand theater house and at a great location too. What a terrible shame. We will never see such splendor built ever again in our lifetimes. The Keith's didn't even get the respectable sendoff that it deserved like the final weeks of Astoria Theater did. Below is the "funeral" for the beautiful theater that I used to go to in my town in Italy in the 80's and where I have so many great memories of both movies, concerts plays and community events. I even use to volunteer there for certain events. It was a true people's house. That is "Culture" mourning. The guys dressed in wife-beaters are the "politicians" who don't give a shit and only showed up because they thought it was election time. Comical but still sad. At least that one is still entirely intact and can be saved with the right investor and there is an active campaign to do so. |
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Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Sat May 14 07:14:09 2011, in response to Re: Inside the RKO Keith and its Alluring Decay, posted by SMAZ on Fri May 13 17:30:18 2011. It's so true. I am glad that most were still around in the 70's, so at least I got a chance to to see movies in many of them as a kid. I saw just about all of them close, and unfortunately many of them destroyed, gutted, etc. |
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