National Register of Historic Places

Loew's Kings Theatre

Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Listed
August 21, 2012
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
12000534

About this property

The Kings Theatre (formerly Loew's Kings Theatre) is a theater and live performance venue at 1027 Flatbush Avenue in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City, New York. Designed by Rapp and Rapp as a movie palace, it opened on September 7, 1929, as one of five Loew's Wonder Theatres in the New York City area. The theater's interior decor was supervised by Rapp and Rapp along with Harold Rambusch. Owned by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Kings Theatre has been operated by ATG Entertainment since 2015. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kings Theatre occupies an irregular site and is divided into two sections: the lobby section and the auditorium. The lobby section has an elaborate terracotta facade with a marquee and an arched entrance storefront. The entrance leads to a vestibule and two lobbies with high ceilings, in addition to several foyers and lounges. The auditorium has 3,250 seats on two levels, with an elaborately decorated proscenium arch, walls, and ceilings. Like the other Wonder Theaters, the Loew's Kings Theatre featured a "Wonder Morton" theater pipe organ manufactured by the Robert Morton Organ Company, though the organ has since been removed. A theater on the site was originally proposed in 1919 by William Fox. Allied Owners Inc. took over the theater site and developed it starting in 1928, leasing the venue to Loew's Theatres. The Kings Theatre originally presented films and live shows, although the live shows were discontinued within a decade of the theater's opening. The theater slowly declined after World War II, screening films almost exclusively. The theater closed in August 1977 due to high costs and low attendance. Despite several attempts to redevelop the Kings Theatre, it lay abandoned for more than three decades and gradually decayed during that time. ACE Theatrical Group leased the theater from the New York City Economic Development Corporation in 2013 and, after a $95 million renovation, reopened it on January 23, 2015. Since then, the Kings Theatre has functioned as an event venue.

Location

1027 Flatbush Ave.
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
40.64801, -73.95701

Categories

ARCHITECTUREENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Flatbush Town Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
Erasmus Hall Academy
Industrial
0.1 mi
Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church Complex
Colonial
0.2 mi
US Post Office-Flatbush Station
Industrial
0.2 mi
Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Long Island (Brooklyn Heights)
1776Revolutionary War
0.4 mi
Battle of Long Island — Battle Pass
1776Revolutionary War
0.4 mi
Battle of Long Island — Jamaica Pass Flanking
1776Revolutionary War
0.7 mi
Battle of Long Island — Gowanus Heights
1776Revolutionary War
0.9 mi
Battle of Long Island
1776Revolutionary War
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Loew's Kings Theatre listed on the National Register?

Loew's Kings Theatre was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 2012.

What type of historic resource is Loew's Kings Theatre?

Loew's Kings Theatre is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Loew's Kings Theatre?

The period of significance for Loew's Kings Theatre is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Loew's Kings Theatre?

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