Inside The Stunning Loew’s Kings Theatre Restoration

After sitting vacant for nearly  four decades, the Kings Theatre (1027 Flatbush Avenue) is undergoing a $94 million restoration that is transforming the enormous site from a place wrecked by years of water damage and vandals to the former grandeur of Brooklyn’s largest theatre that is about to reopen in January as a major performing arts venue.

This week, we got to go on a tour, led by the project’s architects and city officials, of the theatre to see the astounding progress being made at the site that debuted at the tail end of the country’s Jazz Age in 1929 and shuttered in 1977 because of dismal attendance. After it closed, the city acquired it in 1983 because of the owner’s failure to pay taxes, and a number of people tried, but failed, to resuscitate it (including Magic Johnson). Along with attempts to revitalize it over the decades, there were those who wanted to demolish it and put in its place a shopping center, or another movie theater.

“[Former Borough President] Marty Markowitz moved heaven and earth to save this theatre from the wrecking ball,” said David Anderson, president and CEO of ACE Theatrical Group, one of the groups that is leading the current restoration project.

One of the five Loew’s “Wonder Theatres” that were constructed in New York and New Jersey, Kings Theatre was designed by the architecture firm Rapp & Rapp as “an entertainment palace where films and vaudeville acts were presented amidst sumptuous interiors inspired by the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House.”

In 2008, the city Economic Development Corporation launched a search for an entity to undertake a major renovation of the site that had fallen into disrepair, with the goal of reviving it as an economic engine and cultural hub. The Kings Theatre Redevelopment Company – a consortium of ACE Theatrical Group, the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, and the National Development Council – was tapped to lead this effort in 2013.

When the project’s architects, Martinez+Johnson Architecture and EverGreene Architectural Arts, first saw the theatre after years of standing dormant, it was a mess.

“The ceiling was caved in, vandals had come in – anything that was worth anything, they stole,” said Gary Martinez, the president and CEO of Martinez+Johnson Architecture. “It was an urban wreck.”

At the beginning of the project, there was a long period of “forensic investigation to see how the building was built in the first place,” Martinez said, noting that they uncovered many details about the theatre from old photos and articles, as well as from interviews with Dorothy Solomon Panzica, the manager of the Loew’s Kings Theatre from 1961-1975.

But, those working on the project, including Neil Heyman of the Gilbane Building Company, stressed how much potential they knew the building had.

“This building has life, and we were called upon to bring life back into this building,” Heyman said.

When the theatre reopens in January, the 93,000-square-foot building (which is larger than its original 86,000 square feet) will include 3,000 seats, restored original chandeliers (which were, thankfully, too high up for vandals to swipe), recreated decor, new carpeting and tapestries that were created from remnant samples and historic photographs, a restoration and recreation of the original terra cotta facade and marquee, and an upgraded front-of-house amenities, including restrooms and concession areas. Plus, it is slated to offer about 200 annual performances, from popular music to comedy and dance.

“We see this having a transformative impact,” said Benjamin Branham, the chief strategy officer at the city Economic Development Corporation.

Matthew Wolf, of ACE Theatrical Group, noted that the project has tried to focus on hiring community residents for the project and noted that, when it opens, there will be numerous full-time and part-time jobs available. To keep up with possible job openings, you can go to the Kings Theatre’s Facebook page.

“We’ll be doing shows at night and on the weekends, which allows people to earn a supplemental income, Wolf said.

Anderson said that their “vision is programming for the entire community.”

“No matter what you like or where you’re from, you’ll be able to say, ‘There’s something there I like,'” Anderson said.