Brooklyn Heights Cinema Moving to Dumbo
The building at 70 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights is in contract to be sold, and Brooklyn Heights Cinema will close August 27, theater owner Kenn Lowy told Brooklyn Heights Blog and DNAinfo. He plans to reopen in a new location in Dumbo, and is working on signing a lease there. He said he hopes…
The building at 70 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights is in contract to be sold, and Brooklyn Heights Cinema will close August 27, theater owner Kenn Lowy told Brooklyn Heights Blog and DNAinfo. He plans to reopen in a new location in Dumbo, and is working on signing a lease there. He said he hopes to reopen in the new location in late September or early October.
The blog published a letter to customers Lowy planned to post last night:
Sadly, we will be closing this location on August 27th. After 44 years on Henry Street, we will have to move to a new location, a smaller space in nearby Dumbo. The reason for our move is twofold. The number one reason is that nowadays there are not enough movie goers in Brooklyn Heights to sustain a two screen cinema. The other reason is that the building that the Brooklyn Heights Cinema has called home for over 40 years, is being sold. While economics would have forced this move anyway, it is happening now because of an impending sale. When we began looking for a new location here in the Heights, it become clear that no suitable space was available. So we started looking in Dumbo. We are currently working to finalize an excellent location we’ve found and expect to reopen in Dumbo in late September or early October. I know this is a huge blow to our loyal neighborhood customers and I hope you’ll visit us at our new location in Dumbo, a short walk away. Your support earlier this year enabled us to purchase a new digital projector. Without that projector, moving forward would have been impossible. We are NOT going out of business. We are simply relocating and nothing would please us more than if you continue to support us and attend the wonderful independent films we will continue to show, often films that you can’t see anywhere else in Brooklyn. We cannot thank you enough for all our support over the years. Kenn Lowy and the staff of the Brooklyn Heights Cinema.
The cinema, more than 40 years old, claims on its website to be “the oldest and longest running independently owned and operated cinema remaining in New York City.” The owner of 70 Henry Street put the building up for sale after a proposed addition was rejected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Will you miss the theater in this location?
With 70 Henry Street in Contract the Brooklyn Heights Cinema Will Close [BHB]
Brooklyn Heights Cinema to Close this Month [DNAinfo]
Brooklyn Heights Cinema Coverage [Brownstoner]
The idea that the theater is closing because not enough people in the Heights go to the movies (so says Lowy and echoed by some comments here) is ridiculous. As if Dumbo-ites or people in the rest of the city are SO much more sophisticated that they support the arts in a way the BH neighborhood doesn’t. Just a silly argument. The main reason the theater is closing is that a 2-screen cinema ANYWHERE is not really economically viable these days, even in Manhattan or LA. Tell me how many small theaters like this are left anywhere. The Heights is no different, and if he’s going to replicate the size in a new place in Dumbo like the old Rebar space, he’s not going to do much better. The other reason is that the physical structure of this theater was mediocre at best. Over the years the seats, sound and video quality all suffered. He made some improvements but it wasn’t perfect. The building wasn’t designed as a theater so it was never a great movie-going experience. I loved having the cinema in BH, went there dozens and dozens of times (both for capacity performances and empty ones), will miss it dearly, and really wish a cinema re-opens in the location – but let’s be real about why this one is closing and why it would be hard for a new one to open.
I also lived 1 block away from this cinema for a time, and would occasionally see movies here too. Of the maybe 10 films I have seen here over the years, only ONE had an attendance of [barely] over a dozen people.
When I lived in brooklyn heights I was 1 block from this place I would pass by it nearly every single day. I made it a point to go to movies there anytime I saw anything remotely interesting because I loved having this in the neighb; with few exceptions I was generally amongst a handful or fewer people every time I went. It introduced me into new genres I never knew about and I experienced movies in a way I probably will never again (you had an entire theater to yourself!). It’s a bummer but lets get real – if people wanted a movie theater they would have gone and supported it. In BKH the emphasis seems to be on the garbage served up for brunch along montague street.
Used to really enjoy the Brooklyn Heights Blog. But some new writers do a lot of the work now and it has really turned aweful — just a pulpit for uber-liberal, anti-development politics. Used to be for everyone. In any event, the guy that wrote this piece must be blind… The Blog reported tons and tons of stories about this last year. And the hook was always that the new condo being build was going to include a theatre in the basement — and Lowy was going to lease it. What happened to that idea? Can someone look into that? I think a lot of people would be interested to know.
Thanks. FTR — wasnt calling YOU blind… Was referring to the silly article on BH Blog. Any way, sad to see this place go… It was always ‘crowded’ when I would go see films there. Too bad the new builder wouldnt think of a single screen in the basement, still think it would do well if rent was affordible.