DITMAS PARK — The curtains could soon be raised again at one of Brooklyn’s grand old movie houses. The city has finally found a developer for the enormous Loew’s Kings Theater on Flatbush Avenue, and after more than 30 years of being boarded up, the ornate, 3,200-seat theater will see the light of day again.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has spent years searching for a developer willing to take on the expensive project and has finally struck a deal with ACE Theatrical Group based in Houston, TX. The $70 million needed for the renovation will be allocated from the developer, the Brooklyn Borough President, and City Capital. The developer will also apply for federal and state Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, as well as New Market Tax Credit assistance.

The plan is for the 63,000-square-foot theater to become a live entertainment venue presenting as many as 250 performances a year. The theater could be another world-class stage for the borough -- already home to the venerable Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The Kings will be larger than both BAM and the Walt Whitman Theater at Brooklyn College, located about a mile down the road, making it the largest indoor theater in Brooklyn.

Original Design

Under the terms of the agreement, ACE Theatrical Group will restore the theater to its original French Renaissance-style and expand its stagehouse to accommodate modern shows. Live performances may include theatrical productions, dance and performing arts presentations and musical and comedy shows, as well as community events. The design phase of the project will begin immediately. Construction is expected to begin in two to three years and take approximately two years to complete. According to the EDC, the project will create 530 construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs, not including individual production personnel.

Borough President Marty Markowitz often recounts that his first kiss was at the Loew’s Kings Theater, and has made its restoration one of his pet projects.

“I am delighted that the majesty of the Loew’s Kings Theater, such a rich part of Brooklyn history, will be preserved in the days to come,� said Markowitz. “Once completed, the restored Loew’s Kings will be the largest indoor theater in Brooklyn, hosting concerts, plays, special events and graduations. It will be nothing less than a combination of the Beacon and the Apollo in one architectural jewel of a building—as well as a catalyst for economic growth along Flatbush Avenue and all of Central Brooklyn.�

Markowitz made the renovation’s official announcement at his State of the Borough Address Wednesday night.

The theater closed in 1978, and was never subdivided into smaller movie theaters. Though it is badly damaged from years of neglect, it remains largely unchanged from when it opened in 1929 as one of several “wonder theaters� built by the Loew’s chain throughout the city. Its architecture was influenced by the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House. The theater features high curved ceilings, ornate plaster walls, wood paneling, pink marble, a glazed terra-cotta ornamental façade, and a sweeping staircase leading to the mezzanine.

Back in its heyday, the Kings presented both movies and stage shows, and it was one of several movie palaces in Flatbush (others included the Kenmore, the Albermarle and the Rialto), making the area around Church and Flatbush avenues THE place to see a movie on weekends.

The Kings had a uniformed crew of ushers, and the local youths who worked there over the years included Barbra Streisand, Henry Winkler and Sylvester Stallone. By the ’70s, however, the Church-Flatbush commercial strip had begun to decline, a decline reflected in attendance at the area’s theaters.

— By Phoebe Neidl
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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