The Loew's Wonder Theatres were

movie palace A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is a large, elaborately decorated movie theater built from the 1910s to the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 1925 and 1930. Wi ...

s of the Loew's Theatres chain in and near

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. These five lavishly designed theaters were built by Loew's to establish its preeminence in film exhibition in the metropolitan New York City area and to serve as the chain's flagship venues, each in its own area. All five theaters are still standing. One operates as a community performing arts center; one is a commercial live entertainment venue; and three are currently used as churches, with one of those also used for entertainment.

Background

Paramount-Publix head Adolph Zukor acquired the successful

Balaban and Katz Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation, or B&K, was a theatre corporation which owned a chain of motion picture theaters in Chicago and surrounding areas. History Balaban and Katz Theatre corporation started in 1916 in Chicago by A. J. Balaban a ...

theater chain in 1926. Partner Sam Katz would later run the Paramount-Publix theatre chain in New York City from the

Paramount Building 1501 Broadway, also known as the Paramount Building, is a 33-story office building on Times Square between West 43rd Street (Manhattan), 43rd and 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Streets in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District neigh ...

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

. Balaban and Katz had developed the Wonder Theater concept, first publicized around 1918 in Chicago. The

Chicago Theatre The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark Theater (structure), theater located on North State Street (Chicago), State Street in the Loop, Chicago, Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 19 ...

was created as an opulent theater with many amenities for its patrons and was advertised as a "wonder theatre". When Publix acquired the Balaban and Katz chain they embarked on a project to expand the wonder theaters, and started to build in New York in 1926. While Balaban and Publix were dominant in Chicago, Loew's was the major player in New York, and did not want Publix theaters to overshadow their own. The two companies brokered a non-competition deal for New York and Chicago, and Loew's took over the New York area projects, developing the five Loew's Wonder Theaters. Publix continued Balaban and Katz's wonder theater development in its home area.

Theaters

* Loew's 175th Street Theatre,

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

(opened 1930) - Operates as a church and an entertainment venue under the name United Palace. * Loew's Jersey Theatre,

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

(opened 1929) - Operates as a classic cinema and performing arts center. * Loew's Kings Theatre,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

(opened 1929) - Reopened January 23, 2015, following a complete renovation. * Loew's Paradise Theatre,

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

(opened 1929) - Between 2005 and 2012 it operated as a venue for live entertainment. It is currently a church. * Loew's Valencia Theatre,

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

(opened 1929) - Remains open as a church, the Tabernacle of Prayer.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Photographs of the Loew's Kings Theatre before renovation by Matt LambrosPhotographs of the Loew's Valencia Theatre by Matt Lambros

Blueprint NYC: Wonder Theatres
Season 5, episode 1 of Blueprint NYC from NYC Media Cinemas and movie theaters in New York City Culture of New York City Theatres in New Jersey Movie palaces *