The borough of Brooklyn is making a comeback and along with it comes the revival of the Loew’s King’s Theater. The architectural wonder with beautifully painted ceilings and intricate designs opened in 1929 but has been non-functional since 1977. The plan is for ACE, Goldman-Sachs, and the National Development Council to spend $94 million dollars to revitalize the theater for a 2015 re-opening.
The property had been virtually neglected and untouched since the last time a movie was shown there, leaving it festering with mold and toxins. Understandably, this left contractors hesitant to step in. That was until EverGreene Architectural Arts, headed by Toland Grinnell decided to take the project on. There have been previous efforts to revive the Kings that fell through, but we will finally see one come to fruition.
In my honest opinion, $94 million dollars is an exorbitant amount of money to spend on such a project, but with the opening of the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn just about two years ago, it may be justified. The Loew’s Kings could act as a nice compliment for the huge concert venue. With the novelty of Barclays and the nostalgic feel of the Loew’s Kings, the tandem may spark more interest in the arts in Brooklyn than there has been for a long time.
From an economic aspect, I see the project as an investment that will pay off in the long run. Many people are already flocking into Brooklyn to check out the new amenities the Barclays Center, which sold more tickets than any other venue in the United States and third most globally in its first year, has to offer. This bodes well for the Loew’s Kings in terms of drawing a crowd.
Brooklyn is typically not the first place tourists will visit when coming to New York, but with the borough’s seemingly newfound interest in restoring the arts, we may see that change. I can’t really see anything trumping Manhattan, arguably the arts capital of the world, with Times Square, Broadway, and MSG. However, the Loew’s Kings, Barclays Center, and other venues will be a step in giving it a run for its money.
I fondly recall, while performing with her last year at Barclays Center, fellow Brooklynite Barbra Streisand looking back on her memories of ‘Old Brooklyn. These memories include her performances at the Loew’s Kings. Many other current and former Brooklyn residents share a similar sentiment.
Many signs seem to point to the restoration being a good idea. I would love to see yet another performing arts venue in Brooklyn and when the Kings re-opens, you bet I’ll be there. It’s an exciting time to live in Brooklyn, thats for certain and things are only looking up!
Works Cited:
Dunlap. David W. “Giving Old Loew’s Kings In Brooklyn a Second Chance.” New York Times. Web. 8 November 2013.
I love that they are trying to brink back an old architectural wonder. Rather than spending even more money to open up a completely new place, they are making use of their resources and fixing something up. I agree with you in that $94 million seems like a lot of money. If the theater is a success, however, I believe it might be worth it. I feel like even with this new opening and the other arts, tourists would still not go to Brooklyn. I feel like when tourists think of NYC, they automatically think of Manhattan. Maybe Brooklyn will just have to prove to the rest of the country that it also has great arts, but I wonder if that will take some time or not. It’s great that Brooklyn is adding more arts though. It’s making NYC an even more arts-diverse place.
I really like that Brooklyn is making a comeback by incorporating more of the arts in the borough. I agree that the new theater would be a nice compliment to the Barclays Center, and hopefully with these two businesses booming, more companies will look towards Brooklyn, and not solely on Manhattan. Also, the theater may bring in big revenue to offset the costs. I agree with Margaret, in that people think of Manhattan when they hear the words new york city. This is a great start for Brooklyn, and it’s amazing that this change is happening right in front of us.
As someone who lives in Brooklyn, I think this is an amazing idea. Bringing back an old building like Loew’s King Theatre will attract tourists, but also people from the other boroughs. I agree that 94 million dollars is a large sum of money. But the point that you made about Barclays Center was also correct. It did attract many people to Brooklyn and has had a great impact on Brooklyn. I believe the remodeling of Loew’s King Theatre will have similar results.
The arts have been a main part of Brooklyn for the last century. I feel Brooklyn has had tourism from Coney Island way before the Barclay Center was built. Although Manhattan is the star of the show Brooklyn where all those new performers lived because manhattan was to expensive.
$94 million in todays pricing is nothing. The Barclay center cost $4.9 billion to build. Spending that type of money on these new art centers only makes the neighborhood more desirable and brings even more tourism then there was before.
I agree this is a great idea and i cannot wait to go to the movies in style 🙂
I don’t know much about Brooklyn or the Loew’s Kings theater, but if the theater is as large as I imagine, $94 million isn’t that crazy. Consider the cost of building it from scratch and add the brand name recognition of an old time theater and it could actually come out as a good investment! I would love to see Brooklyn grow as a center of the arts in New York and I think the Loew’s Kings is a great start!
That is a lot of money, but the benefit pays off! My church used to be the Loews Metropolitan Theater; it was in a similar condition. Now that it’s renovated, it is so beautiful and full of artwork intertwined with the architecture. Besides aesthetics, it is also a gathering place that draws in many people and improves the surrounding area. Similarly, this building will attract a lot of people and their money which I’m sure will more than make up for the cost. It’s interesting to follow how Brooklyn is developing these days. Areas such as Williamsburg and DUMBO are among the best and most expensive places to live in NYC right now. Though, as you said, Brooklyn will never trump Manhattan in popularity, it is definitely being built up and refined in many ways.
Right of the bat, Goldman Sachs bailing out the arts, great! Having lived in Brooklyn my entire life, there are so many abandoned theaters that lack the initial push to get off their feet. For me, this is such a shame because I think that there is a readily willing and able population willing to spend their money, but eventually make their way into Manhattan to get what they are attempting to pursue. In addition to this, the old fashioned run down look has an appeal of its own. People will readily rush to theaters like this because they are different from the flashy lights of Broadway. For Brooklyn to have a unique artistic climate of its own would be a great thing. It would allow for more visits to Brooklyn and also bring out many Brooklynites who do not normally opt to visit the arts.
That is an immense amount of money to spend on the project. But, if you think about it, it’s a very nice idea. It’s always better to bring back something that you cherish, and renew it than to try and fill the void with something completely new. I think that it is a good idea for Brooklyn, as it will add even more of an incentive for people to visit.
I love it when parts of the city undergo transformations (such as SoHo or Lincoln Center, which used to be slums). Not only will Leow’s King’s Theater neighborhood prosper when the remake is completed, but it will be thriving with business! I just hope that it will not become a social problem where the lower class are pushed out of their homes in order to accommodate the region’s growth.
I am from Brooklyn so any positive change to the borough gets me excited. The Barclays center was a huge step towards change in the arts of Brooklyn and now with the reopening of the Leow’s King’s Theater, Brooklyn art is at a high not achieved for so long. 94 million dollars is a lot of money but I do think it will be worthwhile in the end. To bring some tourists to Brooklyn would be a huge accomplishment.
I have only been to Brooklyn once and it was so pretty and the whole time I wished that I lived there! Bringing changes to Brooklyn is like when a fashion comes back in style. It gets people excited and makes them want to buy or see more. I think that although 94 million dollars is a lot of money, it will be used for cool ideas to bring tourists to Brooklyn to see how beautiful the borough really is.
The incorporation of artwork into their borough is a very admirable endeavor for Brooklyn to engage in. The institution of a new theatre into the already amazing Barclay’s center would be even more amazing and possible promote further success for such enterprises. This institution will also help drag tourists to Brooklyn because no longer will people have to resort to going to Manhattan to experience arts in the great city of New York. The amount of money being spent to accomplish this task is an instance that is well spent and will likely further returns in the future that are just as great if not greater than the amount of money spent on this endeavor.
Brooklyn is becoming a more touristy area which is nice. It takes away from the focus of Manhattan which seems to be considered the centerpoint of New York City. But why pick Brooklyn over any of the other boroughs like Queens or Staten Island? Anyways, the revival of the theater sounds great. Even though it might not be as famous as MSG, it will be great for locals to experience the arts.