10 Broadway Landmarks That Are Gone (But Not Forgotten)

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 7:31am

This is a very interesting article.  I did manage to go to Colony  Records once and a couple of times at the Times Square Visitor's Center.   http://www.playbill.com/news/article/from-colony-records-to-cafe-edison-10-broadway-landmarks-that-are-gone-but-not-forgotten-367591

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:06am

 

Updated On: 10/18/15 at 08:06 AM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:10am

I clearly remember the time that Bryan Batt was on as one of the guests.  His performance of "The Caveman Song" was hilarious!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhpyQst780

[Comden Green]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:10am

Thanks for the article.   And especially the list at the end of similar places that are actually still there for now.   I've pasted the list into my ny file.   Ready to explore on my next trip.   

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:15am

The author of the article is Jennifer Ashley Tepper.  I need to buy one of her Broadway books.  

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 8:26am

The Mayfair became the De Mille theater home to many roadshow movies such as Spartacus & Barabbas. On the bottom of the structure was a Grays Papaya type of store selling hot dogs, soda & burgers etc plus the usual  gift shop. I miss this Times Square. Times Square today is sanitized . If I were a tourist coming here I would say. "This is it"? It looks like a mall on steroids . It has no heart or feelings.

 

I wonder when the Brill Building will be pounded to dust in the name of progress.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:17am

 

What a WONDERFUL article! Congrats, Jennifer Ashley Tepper!

 

And thank you for writing about Sam's.

 

 

[brdway411]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 10:27am

I miss Cafe Edison. Dined there for over 25 years. Was always reliable. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 11:24am

Not sure I would call it a Broadway landmark but I spent a good deal of time at Tin Pan Alley on 49th Street in the early 80's.  It was a vibrant artistc hangout that I have fond as well as bittersweet memories of.

http://tinpanalleylive.com/project.html

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 12:28pm

I will group them all together but I mourn the loss of every picture palace in Times Square. Most cities have at least one. LA has a slew of them.NY has zilch.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 12:48pm

What, no mention of the Gaiety Theater on the west side of Broadway at 46th? Heresy! The number of dances that have been choreographed from atop those seats could fill a book...

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 1:03pm

The block long billboard atop the Astor and Victoria theaters and the old Ripleys Museum all across the street from the old Virgin megastore .It was originally the site of the Loews State theater building. It also was the home base in NY of MGM.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 1:23pm

The one thing that struck me about the demise of Colony Records was the number of people of my generation and younger who posted statuses about how said they were that it was closing because it was "a great place to browse." However, when pressed, they admitted that was all they used it for, browsing. They still went home and made their purchases on Amazon and other online outlets. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 1:58pm

It maybe had to do with their outrageous prices. Footlight's was much better.

 

I tried to sell collector item records. The prices they wanted to pay me were laughable especially when you saw how much they resold them for.

Updated On: 10/18/15 at 01:58 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 4:29pm

My memory must be playing tricks on me.  Was Cafe Edison ever called the Gaiety Cafe?  Late 70s early 80s?

[delongpre]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:07pm

Brill Building has official landmark status. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/brill-building-landmarked/

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:20pm

Landmark status can be revoked.

 

The RKO Keith's theater in Flushing was designated. It was overturned and only given partial status when a developer came in with a ****load of money and he met up with a crooked politician . The politician had it overturned  and only the lobby is now designated. It was a hollow victory as the developer kind of gutted the lobby before fleeing the country after the mafia, Chinese mafia & US government came after him.

The building now sits there rotting away and has for almost 30 years. It could have become a performing arts center. Updated On: 10/18/15 at 09:20 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:20pm

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Updated On: 10/18/15 at 09:20 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:20pm

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Updated On: 10/18/15 at 09:20 PM

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 9:46pm

When I was doing two shows a day (attending, not performing), my lunch stop was always JR's on 46th Street.   They were reasonably priced and their burgers were to die for!   I miss it every time I go to the city now. 

[Fred Casely]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 11:20pm

Re:  The Mayfair.  In December 2010, my husbear and I had a quick drink in the Tex-Mex restaurant that had been the Mayfair.  You could see it had once been a theater.  I asked the bartender if he knew anything about the history of the place and he said it had been a porno theater at one time.  The place had great nostalgic value for me as my husbear died just a month later.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/18/15 at 11:29pm

I do not think it ever went porno but if it did it would have been at the very end.

[markypoo]

Posted: 10/19/15 at 4:42pm

Anyone remember a restaurant called THE CHINA BOWL that was located somewhere @ 45th or so on the east side of Times Square?

Used to get carry outs there in the mid-'80s and take them back to my room at the Hotel Edison.  Really decent food and not that expensive. 

 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/19/15 at 4:45pm

Hawaii Kai

Ho Ho's

Automats

Brass Rails