Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
FINALLY: The Loews Kings Theater Is Really Coming Back To Brooklyn!
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 23, 2013
Modified Jan 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 13
By
Garth Johnston
Published Jan 23, 2013
Modified Jan 24, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Way back in January of 2011 word came that one of the five storied "Wonder Theaters" of New York was going to reopen in 2013. Well, the refurbishing of the Loew's Kings Theater in Flatbush didn't quite make that date. But it is really, truly going to get to return to the glory it deserves! Today Mayor Bloomberg and Brooklyn mascot Marty Markowitz proudly attended a ceremonial groundbreaking in the once-glamorous movie palace. The old girl has been closed since 1977.
Originally constructed in 1929, the 3,200-seat Loew’s Kings Theatre is, according to the city, the largest indoor theater in Brooklyn. Designed with the Palace of Versailles and the grand Paris Opera House in mind it features ornate architectural details in the French Renaissance Style and is quite the show stopper. Plus, it is chock full of Brooklyn history: Barbara Streisand and Sylvester Stallone both worked as ushers there back in the day!
So what is happening now? A company called ACE Theatrical, which has been trying to revamp the space for the last three years, has secured funding for a $93 million renovation to bring the space to its former glory. They're going to be fixing up everything from the grand staircase to the joint's seven giant chandeliers and hope to have it back up and running by late 2014/early 2015. Just don't expect any IMAX flicks to show here! ACE will be adding a four-story stagehouse to the back to the theater to allow it to host more than 200 concerts, dance performances, musicals and comedy shows a year.
"Once the largest and grandest indoor venue in Brooklyn, Loew’s Kings Theatre was a major attraction for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and countless visitors," Mayor Bloomberg said today. "Soon it will be again. This massive restoration project will be great for the Flatbush community, for Brooklyn’s booming cultural scene, for local artists and cultural groups, and for New York City."
We. Can't. Wait. Now, what about the other Loew's Palaces?
Tagged
brooklyn
Kings Theater
loews
loews kings
mayor bloomberg
movie palace
old new york
tod seelie
original
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
What do you see when you record the whole of the boroughs?
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 5, 2026
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
Arts & Entertainment
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
It's a busy month at the branches.
By
Alec Hamilton
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
By
Hank Shteamer
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .