From Sunnyside Post:
The commercial building that is presently occupied by Center Cinemas, PJ Horgan’s and Dime Savings Bank is likely to face the wrecking ball, following a recent sale of the property.
The property, located on the corner of Queens Blvd and 43rd street was sold by Dime Savings Bank for $6.675 million on Dec. 20 to “42-25 Queens Blvd. Corporation,” a newly established firm run out of Astoria.
Michael Christopher, a representative of 42-25 Queens Blvd Corp., said “We have no plans at this point for the property” and have “not decided what to do with it.”
However, local real estate agents expect the new owner to develop the site and build residential units. The annual operating income from the property is $326,000, barely enough to cover the debt servicing on the property.
Furthermore, given the size of the lot (16,300sqf) and the recent up-zoning, a developer can build a structure with a maximum floor area of 68,424sqf. The current building only has a floor area of 16,080 sqf.
The owner of Center Cinemas, Rudy Prashad, said he put a $5.2 million bid on the property. His goal was to keep the existing building so the future of the cinema would not be in jeopardy.
Prashad said he had recently spent $600,000 putting in new screens, a sound system and digital equipment.
10 comments:
The movie operator ran a great business with lower prices for first run movies shown elsewhere. It would be horrible for the surrounding areas to lose this movie house!
Where are the preservationists on this one?
The "Sunnyside Theater" on 50th St & Roosevelt Ave was demolished about 30 years ago for an A&P (a now defunct supermarket chain) It's now a Rite Aid.
The Center Theater was always the darker, smellier, chewing gun on the floor theater of the bunch. On the other hand, it has been a nice small family operation. Architecturally, there's nothing here worth preserving.
This would be the last theater that I walk to in less than 30 mins. and for that, I'm sorry to see it go.
Childhood memories. Can't forget seeing "Independence Day" here when I was a kid.
Yeah, it was stickier, danker, and drew more obnoxious patrons as the years went on, but you couldn't find a better bargain like "Super Tuesdays."
Damn up-zoning. Like we need an even more crowded Sunnyside.
"The radio and the telephone and the movies we all know...are just passing fancies...and in time may go.
But oh my dear our love (for the movies) is here to stay".
So it goes. Progress advances.
The steam engine was replaced well over a hundred years ago, by the internal combustion engine, etc.
But oh my dear, downloads are here to stay.
Stream it on your smart phone and load it onto your 50" flat screen.
No one will be leaving home for much anymore.
The former "Bliss Theater"--done in a sort of Egyptian Art Deco Style and currently used by Jehovah's Witnesses-- still remains in Sunnyside.
The old "Sunnyside Garden Arena", which used to be located right behind it, is long gone.
The site has been occupied by "Wendy's" for many years.
The 5&10 cents stores, followed now by many local movie houses, are becoming history.
There are a few great picture palaces (i.e.Loew's Jersey in Jersey City) that still feature some astonishing film presentations--mostly classics.
Take some solace in that, as I do, visiting often.
Terrible ...I watched KISS rehearse and do pre production with Eddie Kramer for the famous "Alive" album there as a teenager.
Who pays over $,000,000,000.00 for a piece of property and "has no plans" for it?
One less reason to stay in Queens.
I wonder if the Main Street Theater near Jewel Ave.
will be closing soon too. I see admission dropping there recently.
At one time both theaters had the same owner.
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