Brownsville

Revamped Loew’s Pitkin movie theater is a Brownsville treasure

Eye on Real Estate

February 7, 2018 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle
This is Brownsville's former Loew's Pitkin movie theater, which sold recently for big bucks. Eagle photos by Lore Croghan
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Oh, the nostalgia.

Nothing beats the glamour of the old-time picture palaces where our grandparents went to the movies.

The Loew’s Pitkin, which opened in 1929 at 1501 Pitkin Ave. in Brownsville, was one of the great ones.

It was designed by Thomas Lamb, who was a big name in theatrical architecture. Brownstoner.com writer Suzanne Spellen identifies the architectural style of its exterior as “Art Deco with Mayan and Art Nouveau touches.”

After sitting vacant and deteriorating for decades, the movie theater was brought back to life by developer POKO Partners and rebuilt as the Brownsville Ascend Charter School.

There are commercial spaces on the first floor of the 164,000-square-foot building with a Dollar Tree store, a Subway sandwich shop and a Pizza Hut restaurant as tenants.

In late December, POKO Partners sold the property for $53 million to Pitken Terrace LLC with Shulem Herman as member, city Finance Department records indicate.

He’s a Brooklyn real estate investor.

The Real Deal, which was the first publication to report the transaction, said it might be the priciest single-building sale ever in Brownsville.

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