Then and Now - Boulevard Theatre - Bronx, NY

Loew’s Boulevard Theatre opened in the Bronx, NY on November 1, 1913. Marcus Loew, founder of Loew’s Incorporated, attended the opening night celebrations. It opened as a silent film and vaudeville theater, but was remodeled to show motion pictures only in 1932.

The theater was remodeled again in the late 1950s/early 1960s with a lot of the ornate plasterwork being covered with drapes and curtain, as that had become the style. It was also cheaper to clean drapes than it was to repaint the plasterwork. The first picture was taken around this time. You can see the curtains covering the box seats.

Loew’s closed the Boulevard soon after, and it reopened as an independent theater for a time. It closed for good in the 1980s and was taken over by a furniture store. The lobby and orchestra levels were gutted – only the former balcony remained. The building was taken over by Planet Fitness, a fitness club franchise, who cleaned up the facade. There are no plans for the balcony.