Free Event: Lost Movie Houses of the Bloomingdale Neighborhood

Monday, March 30, 2020 at 630pm
Ballroom of Hostelling International-NY
891 Amsterdam Avenue at 103rd

During the 20th century there were 16 movie theaters in the Bloomingdale area. Now the only one that remains standing is the Metro (formerly the Midtown Theater), and all that’s left of that is an empty shell.

Midtown Theater

The number of  UWS movie palaces peaked in the late 1930s when 13 of these theaters were operating at the same time. Local historians Jim Mackin and Gil Tauber have researched the stories of these 16 theaters with the help of Dan Armstrong who created maps that will be part of the presentation.

The presenters have gathered some terrific photographs to illustrate their talk, and will also touch on Bloomingdale’s connections to the early history of the movie industry.

Mackin and Tauber have come up with some genuine surprises and, since many of the pioneering producers, actors and directors lived in the neighborhood, they’ll include them in the talk. The two historians plan to “dazzle people with movie palaces they might remember and some they’ve never heard of.”

The program is co-sponsored by the Columbus Amsterdam BID and Hostelling International-NY.

310 Riverside Drive, New York, NY