![]() The Metro appeared in the Woody Allen film, Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986. In 2021 the UWS Patch reported: "Storefront vacancy on the Upper West Side has been a long-growing issue in the community, and there may be no greater symbol of the neighborhood's vacancy blight than the shuttered Metro Theater." In popular culture In 2016, the West Side Rag reported that "The Texas theater chain Alamo Drafthouse attempted to revive it, but gave up as construction costs rose." : In 2015, The New York Times reported that the theater would be transformed into a gym. New York City marshals evicted him from the property in January." Souto, whose firm filed for bankruptcy protection last year, had a 49-year lease with an option to buy the property, but defaulted on the terms, Mr. the longtime owner, Albert Bialek, wrested control of the Metro, an Art Deco landmark, after a protracted legal battle with the leaseholder, John R. In 2011, Julie Satow reported in the New York Times that ". Though the building’s exterior is one of the most recognizable landmarks on upper Broadway, its interior-no longer usable as a cinema-had been gutted and no one could say for sure what kind of tenant might make use of such an idiosyncratic space, though the Winick Realty Group was searching." In 2009 Dunlap wrote that "When we left our story more than a year ago, the fate of the Art Deco jewel box known as the Metro Theater was up in the air. Gone is grille work that sprouted like corn stalks." Gone is a golden ceiling molding with a chain of floral bouquets. Gone are seats and plaster and curtains and screen. In 2007 David Dunlap wrote in the New York Times that ".the inside, visible to passers-by on a recent afternoon, has been gutted. This was permitted because only the exterior was protected by landmarking. The following year, in 2006, the interior of the theater was gutted. Elson then leased the theater from Albert Bialek, operating the theater as Embassy's New Metro Twin until it closed again in 2005. The Metro was managed by Clearview Cinemas until it closed in 2003. ![]() The theater is Boak & Paris' only individually landmarked building. In 1989, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the Midtown (now Metro) an individual landmark. In 1982, Dan Talbot acquired the lease to the theater. In the 1970s and 80s it operated as a porn theater. In the 1950s and 1960s, it presented art-house films by directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Louis Buñuel and Roman Polanski. From its opening until the 1950s, the theater presented first-run films. The interior of the single screen Midtown had niches on either side of the screen containing statues of nude women holding glowing dishes. The central part of the marquee features a polychromed medallion depicting the figures of comedy and tragedy. The terra-cotta wall in its facade above the marquee was described in the report designating it a landmark as "The most notable feature of the theater’s facade". Similar to the Variety Theater, Boak & Paris used lights on the underside of the marquee. In 1931 Architects Boak & Paris designed the Art Deco Midtown (now Metro) Theater at 2626 Broadway between 99th and 100th Streets. It must still go to the full community board and the State Liquor Authority.The comedy and tragedy medallion signals the use of the building. The liquor-license application was approved by the committee. League said, “I’m in the market for an R.” A happy committee. ![]() And he emphasized that the landmarked facade and marquee of the theater will be fully restored.īy the way, apparently, the marquee is missing the letter R in Metro. He said there will be first-run movies, blockbusters, independent and foreign-language films, as well as documentaries shown. League couldn’t say for sure how many screens there will be, or when the theater will be ready, but said they are close to hiring a contractor and will begin shortly. We’re coming back and taking another swing at it.” “Alamo came before you guys back in 2013 with the intention of opening a theater in this location, but, unfortunately, was never able to move forward with the project. League acknowledged that Alamo had disappointed the neighborhood once before. Alamo is pizza and salads, Metro will have some of those, but will also have more full entrees, a really nice wine list, and a small bar.” ![]() Tim League, the founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, explained that while the project is “largely funded by Alamo, we’re trying to establish a little bit higher-end brand. Those words, spoken by a member of the CB7 Business and Consumer Issues Committee at Wednesday night’s meeting, reflected the feelings of the entire committee as they responded one by one to the presentation of a team from “Metro Cinema,” there to apply for a liquor license and announce that the long-closed Metro Theater, on Broadway between 99th and 100th Streets, will be reopening as a multi-screen dinner-theater. ![]()
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