Brooklyn's Loew's Kings Theater to finally get a makeover
The rusting, dirt-caked marquee that hangs outside the Loew’s Kings Theater over a bustling commercial stretch of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn last promoted a film in 1977. Years of neglect have left the interior rotted by time, stripped by thieves and desecrated by vandals and pigeons.
New York City, which seized the building decades ago in lieu of back taxes, has long teased the neighborhood with proposals to restore the lost luster of a local landmark. But this time, the city says, it is for real.
A developer has signed an agreement, made a down payment on a $70 million renovation and plans to turn the building back into a functioning entertainment venue, this time presenting live performances, city officials said Tuesday.
“We’re on our way to making that dream come true,” said Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, who is to formally announce the restoration in his State of the Borough address Wednesday....
Some original touches survive, like dusty crystal chandeliers still hanging in the lobby. The stage has aged less gracefully; it is flanked by torn burgundy curtains covered in droppings from birds that roosted inside until a broken skylight was sealed.
David Anderson, the president of ACE Theatrical, said it would take a while to evaluate the extent of the damage, but he emphasized the company’s commitment to the original design. “We’ll be able to recreate what it looks like when it was first put into use,” he said. “We’ll be able to very accurately recreate what is no longer there and restore what is there.”
“It’s an absolutely wonderful space,” said Richard J. Sklenar, executive director of the Theater Historical Society of America. “There’s nothing there that can’t be taken care of; $70 million sounds like it can do the job.”
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New York City, which seized the building decades ago in lieu of back taxes, has long teased the neighborhood with proposals to restore the lost luster of a local landmark. But this time, the city says, it is for real.
A developer has signed an agreement, made a down payment on a $70 million renovation and plans to turn the building back into a functioning entertainment venue, this time presenting live performances, city officials said Tuesday.
“We’re on our way to making that dream come true,” said Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn borough president, who is to formally announce the restoration in his State of the Borough address Wednesday....
Some original touches survive, like dusty crystal chandeliers still hanging in the lobby. The stage has aged less gracefully; it is flanked by torn burgundy curtains covered in droppings from birds that roosted inside until a broken skylight was sealed.
David Anderson, the president of ACE Theatrical, said it would take a while to evaluate the extent of the damage, but he emphasized the company’s commitment to the original design. “We’ll be able to recreate what it looks like when it was first put into use,” he said. “We’ll be able to very accurately recreate what is no longer there and restore what is there.”
“It’s an absolutely wonderful space,” said Richard J. Sklenar, executive director of the Theater Historical Society of America. “There’s nothing there that can’t be taken care of; $70 million sounds like it can do the job.”