On Friday, EV Grieve reader Ron Z. noted some activity at the building...
Yesterday, another reader noted, "Construction work going on this AM, door wide open. They appear to be drilling un middle of auditorium floor."
Given the interest in the hidden theater behind the now-shuttered East Village Farms on Avenue A, thought it might be a good time to revisit this space.
The address was a movie theater for many years, first the Bijou in 1926, then the Charles. (The theater closed in 1975, and a church took over the space.) A fire nearly destroyed the building in October 2006.
A reader got inside the space back in July 2009 ... at the time, he sent us these photos — and diagram!
We went inside the space in June 2010...
Here's the Charles in 1966. (Via.)
You can see the Charles here in this shot from 1949. We're looking north from 11th Street. (Via.)
Anyway, just wanted to take another look here before the building comes down.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Revival planned for church and theater on Avenue B
Inside the Charles
Former landmark countercultural theater now for rent on Avenue B
7-story building in the works to replace former countercultural theater/church on Avenue B
2 comments:
I was at the Charles in the 60's saw French language 'Beauty and the Beast,' there were maybe 10 people in the place. But did you ever hear of a movie house on 3rd St between B & C? Showed the usual monster films, as did the movie house on Suffolk & Houston, whose names are long gone from my memory.
I was at the Charles in the early 60's as well, living up the street in Stuy Town, it was a fixture of the neighborhood for many years. But sentimentality aside, from the picture of the interior, it's a fairly indistinguishable example of vintage theater structure with hardly any architectural detailing at all. Would there really be a compelling reason to mourn its loss, other than the impending arrival of the unwanted new apartment and its residents ?
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