It's been closed since May for renovations. You might recall the news last year that the cinema was sold to real-estate developer Charles Cohen, who plans to use it to film selections from the Cohen Film Collection, originally known as the Raymond Rohauer Film Collection, after the man who built it. Cohen acquired it in 2011.
According to Wikipedia, Cohen's realty corporation "owns more than 12 million square feet of real estate" and "specializes in 're-positioning' commercial space to increase its rental income." Cohen is also a film lover.
The Quad opened in 1972. It was New York's first four-screen cinema. It is expected to reopen in the fall.
I had a bunch of dates at the Quad back in the 80s and early 90s. They once had a vending machine in the lobby, an altered ices cream sandwich kind of machine, called "Objets Vend'Art." There were four doors, and each door featured a different kind of art; things like "Dada," "Lawn," etc. I think it was $1 for anything from the machine.
ReplyDeleteFor a while, one door was devoted to "Mrs. Wilson's 8th-grade Art Class." I remember getting a plastic refrigerator magnet in the shape of a cat's face. It came with a note from the 8th-grade artist that said something like, "This is a cat refrigerator magnet. Please take good care of it."
I had that magnet for years...
lived directly across the street for several years. i think i saw one or two films there. good news, it hasnt been torn down.
ReplyDeleteLet's just hope Cohen doesn't ruin it. And that his "personal collection," whatever that is, is worthy of all other films apparently being shut out. I highly doubt it.
ReplyDeleteI hope it survives with good programming. I've spent a lot of time there and at Cinema Village over the years. I was at the other cinema-extreme today, at the AMC 25 on 42nd street, watching The Rubble Kings, a really interesting documentary about gangs and the music scene in the Bronx in the 70s and 80s. I don't know if it will be extended, but recommend people to try and see it. Two other viewers in the audience this afternoon. The AMC still has vestiges of earlier years - ornate painted ceilings - but is a rather surreal (not in a good way) scene.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good thing. The Quad had fallen into complete disrepair, and that would be fine, but it had also stopped showing good indie and arthouse films. It was mainly being used as a rental house, where filmmakers rented it to show films that couldn't get booked anywhere else. While this could be democratic in theory, it led to a bunch of bad films and people stopped going there. The new owners won't just be showing his collection, but also other rep fare (classic, older films) and new films. And we didn't lose a theater to some yogurt shop - it will keep showing films.
ReplyDeleteAw man, the Quad is where I was finally able to see on the big screen Beyond the Valley of the Dolls in the early 0-0s. It was a stone gas, man!
ReplyDeleteI saw Flash Gordon in the Quad back in 1980. Also The Fox and the Hound, I think.
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! I found a listing of Flash Gordon at the Quad!
ReplyDeletehttps://books.google.com/books?id=9-UCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=%22flash+gordon%22+1980+%22quad+cinema%22&source=bl&ots=n5sxLFu28x&sig=d2iUHCobijb-C86R1aEKaU6CGSs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAmoVChMI2ayayfXsxgIVDG0-Ch0lMAdU#v=onepage&q=%22flash%20gordon%22%201980%20%22quad%20cinema%22&f=false
Alongside La Cage Aux Folles, Elephant Man and Melvin and Howard - ah the memories flooding back.
Is The Quad ever reopening? ��
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ReplyDeleteThe theatre will not reopen in the fall. Passing by today I could see that while ongoing, the renovation work has not progressed very far. I asked someone there the status and he replied they hope it's ready by December, but that sounded optimistic at best.