Brooklyn Today for July 16
Good morning. Today is the 197th day of the year. On July 16, 1901, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that “well-known Brooklyn actress” Henrietta Levy had purchased two buildings at 15 and 17 Willoughby St. with the intention of remodeling them into a theater. The Eagle described Ms. Levy as being part of the vaudeville troupe of Watson and Dupree, which often played Manhattan vaudeville houses.
According to the “Cinema Treasures” web site, the theater opened in 1903 as Watson’s Cozy Corner. It soon deteriorated into a “notorious burlesque house” and tavern where men met prostitutes. In 1908 Marcus Loew, who later became famed for his opulent movie theaters, bought it and turned it into Loew’s Royal Theater, featuring “family vaudeville.” It closed in 1922 and was later demolished.
Well-known people who were born today include singer-actor Ruben Blades (“Crossover Dreams”), actor Corey Feldman (“Stand by Me”), comedian-actor Will Ferrell (“Semi-Pro,” ‘’Blades of Glory”), violinist Pinchas Zuckerman and former NYC Consumer Affairs Commissioner and Miss America Bess Myerson.