"Is there no sense of preservation?
I would think that the new nameless public square in Jackson Heights would be an improvement to the neighborhood, not lead to destruction of our institutions. Could not the Eagle have been rehabilitated? Why wasn't the community warned of this demolition?" - Anonymous
Answer: Because it's in Queens.
20 comments:
in the 1960's,the name was "EARLE".and the pub next door was the "LOG CABIN". the pub at the elevated stairs exit was owned by a Croatian by the name of Joe.
an interesting area before the theatre became PORN.
Criminal
I guess it will now become a Mexican labor office.
These marquees that overhang sidewalks carry heavy insurance premiums for property owners. Would the "community" foot the bill to keep this marquee? I didn't think so.
Mexican labor office? Sounds good to me since it clearly won't become a Hood or Housing Project Labor Office, right?
RIP Jackson Heights, you are now officially dead.
FYI,
according to what I was told:
The "Earle" ("Eagle") was designed in the "Art Moderne (Deco)" style by renowned theater architect John Eberson---who was better know for the development of the "atmospheric" style theater.
The "atmospheric" theater type featured blue ceilings with twinkling stars---upon which drifting clouds were projected.
The Loew's "Paradise" in the Bronx is a NYC landmark John Eberson atmospheric theater.
The "Tabernacle of Prayer For All People" church---formerly the Loew's "Valencia" on Jamaica Ave. Queens---is also an atmospheric Eberson masterpiece.
From what I understand the (Earle) Eagle was stripped of most of its original signature Art Deco-Art Moderne interior fixtures and features.
Too bad that the neon "Eagle" panel from the marquee is winding up in a dumpster.
It could have, at least, been salvaged by the "Museum of The Moving Image" to be included in their collection.
But, unfortunately, Queens is the wild west of destruction and "development".
Very little of our unique history gets respected.
No wonder our borough has become a vast wasteland---stripped of its deserving landmark sites.
Who bears the guilt for these tragedies?
Is it the borough's umbrella organization, the "Queens Historical Society"---Queens Borough Hall---both---or many of the other "preservation" groups and museums that have failed in their mission to preserve what's important?
Brooklyn, unlike Queens, is proud of its history and they sweat to preserve it.
Whatever can be said of their borough president Marty Markowitz---he's making sure that the Loew's "Kings" wonder theater is being restored.
In stark contrast---what did the Shul-Manes administration do to save the RKO Keith's Flushing theater from being ravaged?
Nothing but but watch the crime in progress!
It's sort of sad that something like "EARLE/EAGLE" was just about the only visual identity that Jackson Heights had and now its gone.
What about the completely illegal nature of the demo? There are enough OSHA/DOB violations in this picture to bankrupt the owner.
Sad, but did anyone approach the owner to keep the marque? I recall when the Maspeth marque was torn down , although no one complained to the owner then then.
J.H. sucks!
Living in the bedroom community historic district might be OK but its once grander neighborhood shopping areas have declined.
74th Street has dwindled into an Indo-Pak-Bangla marketplace.
82nd street's better shopping has become a line of discount stores.
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4020
The bar next to the Earle in the sixties was owned by
John Cronin a democratic district leader who succeeded the legendary district and Vounty leader Burt Korhler
Btw love the new design and as always you don't kiss anybody's butt
No need to worry. In the opinion of many, with the exeption of a few communities that you could list on one, maybe two, hand(s), such as Jamaica Estates, Queens has been crap for many decades!
In about a year, I am retiring and moving FARRR away from NYC. At some point, I imagine will be getting a bit homesick and nostalgic about Queens, so I am planning on taking a trip back to here around that time, about 5-10years from now. I expect that what I find in that futuristic cesspoll will not in any way even remotely resemble the Queens I grew up in and loved passionately. At that time, though saddened by what I found, I will leave that now completely foreign (pardon the pun), strange and cold place, and travel back happily and eagerly to my new home, with only my fond memories of the past to satisfy any future surges of nostalgia.
A marquee looks out of place in the Third World. Jackson Heights has been destroyed and doesn't even look like an American city. It looks like a street in Bangladesh.
The rich and money hungry South Asian business men are in quest to better their population only, killing the identity of a neighborhood. The marquee is not garbage, it is a piece of history, but they don't care because money cannot be made from it. I have lived in jackson Heights for over 25 years, and this is purely disgusting. The care of the residents is not a thing that these "business men" care about, they only care about the outsourced populations that come to shop in their stores, residents will not patronize such untrustworthy businesses.
Depressing. I support the pedestrian plaza, but a living theater, greenery, and cafes would help it make sense and appeal to a broader range of clients than most businesses dominating the area now. Of course it will fail, however, as a barren lot surrounded by inwardly facing retail.
All these people commenting on how terrible it is to demolish this marquee. The marquee doesn't even fit in with the neighborhood anymore and it surely doesn't identify with the current population. Why not take it down. Also the demolition has been known for quite some time. Living in the neighborhood I didn't see anyone protesting or actively trying to preserve this so call historical sign. All these bloggers can just criticize but won't take any actions.
Guys....its a sign. Not the type that shines some existential meaning on our lives. Its the kind that identifies a business. A private business. A business looong gone. Another one will take it's place. Who knows...maybe they'll have a neat sign too. Save your energy for the public spaces that get fucked over everyday in the name of development.
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