Movie Theater Rental Conversion Nearly Finished in East Williamsburg

This movie theater-turned-rental building at 167 Graham Avenue in East Williamsburg looks almost ready for tenants. The 56-unit, five-story development will have ground floor retail and community space occupied by a health clinic, according to alteration permits. Architect Nataliya Donskoy filed plans three years ago to convert the theater, which sits on a huge L-shaped lot with frontage on Meserole Street and Graham Avenue.

The building will have two sections, with some apartments on Graham Avenue and the rest at 136-146 Meserole Street (pictured). Amenities include storage, laundry, a shared recreation area in the cellar between the two buildings, four off-street parking spaces, 28 bike storage spots and a roof deck.

During the Depression, the Art Deco-style movie theater opened as the Rainbow Theater, complete with a two-story-high rainbow-lit fixture shining above the marquee. Like most old Brooklyn movie theaters, it eventually became a church —the Love Chapel. A developer bought the 17,500-square-foot property for $4,800,000 in June 2012, and construction began later that month.

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