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A porn theater in Brooklyn Heights! My, how times have changed. Montrose, though, I think we just wanted to hear about the drugs.
West coast version: I went to a summer camp where campers and counselors swam naked together. The counselors took mushrooms between sessions. One of them told me all about the naked dryads and the flying saucer. Unfortunately, I missed all the action because I signed up for the backpacking “tribe.”
Thanks MM, that is very interesting. It sounds like downtown Brooklyn and Times Square are really moving in opposite directions (notwithstanding the fact I haven’t seen any porn theaters in downtown Brooklyn). Between your description of Court Street and the house of ill repute that was once in the great mansion on Pierrepont, it sounds like Brooklyn Heights was a much grittier (and interesting) place during various past eras. Not that I can complain about the peace and quiet that exists there now.
Wow…..you have a great memory! If I may chime in…….Downtown Brooklyn was the shopping destination for all Brooklynites…….this was before the “malling” of Brooklyn. It was always exciting to exit the subway @ DeKalb Avenue and race up the block to shop at May’s! If my mother had a little bit more money that day, we’d also go to A&S and perhaps have dinner at Junior’s. That was a real treat!
My favorite hang-out in the mid to late ’70’s, though was The Rollerdome on Empire Blvd. Fabulous disco music, slick wooden floor and we all had huge hair and even bigger platform shoes……that goes for the guys and girls. So fun.
Biff, they didn’t make Fulton St a pedestrian mall until around 1977. That was the beginning of the end of the middle class shopping area that was there. One by one, the old, great stores closed up and the large stores were all subdivided into little shops, with their upper stories allowed to go to seed. McCrory’s, May’s, Woolworth’s, and many more. A&S turned into Macy’s, which wasn’t a good thing. Gage and Tollner closed up, and remained closed for years, then reopened, then closed, then got turned into a TGI Friday’s and then closed. Next door to it was Crazy Eddie’s, which was a large electronics company run by a man named Eddie Antar, who created a fortune, only to loose it within 10-15 years through some shady financial shenanigans. It was the Circuit City of its day, and it was a shock when they went under.
When I moved here, Albee Square Mall already had replaced the old Albee Theatre, which I heard was fabulous. There was also the Loew’s on Fulton St, which is now the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. I’m told they salvaged much of the interior, I hope so, it was one of those old movie palaces. There was also the Duffield Theatre, which was torn down for a really cheezy 2 story retail building.
Up on Court Street, where Barnes and Noble and the movie theatre is, used to be a large porn theatre, and a row of seedy storefronts. Montague street used to have many more interesting shops, and when I moved here, there was a bank, then a Burger King in the building where Banana Republic is. There used to be lots more fun restaurants and pubs that were cheap and cheerful and a lot of fun.
I’m sure Cobblehiller, Benson, the What, and others who grew up here have plenty more memories, as well as Bxgrl who moved to Brooklyn much earlier than I did.
Yes, I know it sounds arcane, but we used to go a lot, get high and dance our asses off for hours. Danceteria, Peppermint Lounge, Ritz, Lone Star, CBGB, Mudd Club, TR3, and a few small bars that allowed it. And it didn’t cost BIG money either, you could go out with a $20 in your pocket and even get a slice somewhere, and have a couple bucks left when you got home. I think the subway was like 50 cents then.
Yeah, the REAL 42nd, before it became Disneyworld [effing] north.
We used to go to the village, and hang out by Electric Lady hoping to see someone, anyone! A slightly older friend of mine actually saw Hendrix there once! Remember the midnight movies, when you could still smoke in the theaters! We saw Blade Runner at the Waverly, and Apocalypse Now at the 8th St. Playhouse stoned out of our minds! Or we’d go to CBGB, the Mudd Club, or the old Ritz and dance like fools. And take the subway home at some insane hour of the morning.
We were having a blast, in the middle of NYC, and it was glorious!
A porn theater in Brooklyn Heights! My, how times have changed. Montrose, though, I think we just wanted to hear about the drugs.
West coast version: I went to a summer camp where campers and counselors swam naked together. The counselors took mushrooms between sessions. One of them told me all about the naked dryads and the flying saucer. Unfortunately, I missed all the action because I signed up for the backpacking “tribe.”
I think I remember the Crazy Eddie skits on SNL with Dan Ackroyd. Here’s the real deal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-Mhynh_pg
Thanks MM, that is very interesting. It sounds like downtown Brooklyn and Times Square are really moving in opposite directions (notwithstanding the fact I haven’t seen any porn theaters in downtown Brooklyn). Between your description of Court Street and the house of ill repute that was once in the great mansion on Pierrepont, it sounds like Brooklyn Heights was a much grittier (and interesting) place during various past eras. Not that I can complain about the peace and quiet that exists there now.
Wow…..you have a great memory! If I may chime in…….Downtown Brooklyn was the shopping destination for all Brooklynites…….this was before the “malling” of Brooklyn. It was always exciting to exit the subway @ DeKalb Avenue and race up the block to shop at May’s! If my mother had a little bit more money that day, we’d also go to A&S and perhaps have dinner at Junior’s. That was a real treat!
My favorite hang-out in the mid to late ’70’s, though was The Rollerdome on Empire Blvd. Fabulous disco music, slick wooden floor and we all had huge hair and even bigger platform shoes……that goes for the guys and girls. So fun.
Biff, they didn’t make Fulton St a pedestrian mall until around 1977. That was the beginning of the end of the middle class shopping area that was there. One by one, the old, great stores closed up and the large stores were all subdivided into little shops, with their upper stories allowed to go to seed. McCrory’s, May’s, Woolworth’s, and many more. A&S turned into Macy’s, which wasn’t a good thing. Gage and Tollner closed up, and remained closed for years, then reopened, then closed, then got turned into a TGI Friday’s and then closed. Next door to it was Crazy Eddie’s, which was a large electronics company run by a man named Eddie Antar, who created a fortune, only to loose it within 10-15 years through some shady financial shenanigans. It was the Circuit City of its day, and it was a shock when they went under.
When I moved here, Albee Square Mall already had replaced the old Albee Theatre, which I heard was fabulous. There was also the Loew’s on Fulton St, which is now the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. I’m told they salvaged much of the interior, I hope so, it was one of those old movie palaces. There was also the Duffield Theatre, which was torn down for a really cheezy 2 story retail building.
Up on Court Street, where Barnes and Noble and the movie theatre is, used to be a large porn theatre, and a row of seedy storefronts. Montague street used to have many more interesting shops, and when I moved here, there was a bank, then a Burger King in the building where Banana Republic is. There used to be lots more fun restaurants and pubs that were cheap and cheerful and a lot of fun.
I’m sure Cobblehiller, Benson, the What, and others who grew up here have plenty more memories, as well as Bxgrl who moved to Brooklyn much earlier than I did.
Yes, I know it sounds arcane, but we used to go a lot, get high and dance our asses off for hours. Danceteria, Peppermint Lounge, Ritz, Lone Star, CBGB, Mudd Club, TR3, and a few small bars that allowed it. And it didn’t cost BIG money either, you could go out with a $20 in your pocket and even get a slice somewhere, and have a couple bucks left when you got home. I think the subway was like 50 cents then.
Dancing, cobblehiller? What is that? I think I heard it is illegal.
Yeah, the REAL 42nd, before it became Disneyworld [effing] north.
We used to go to the village, and hang out by Electric Lady hoping to see someone, anyone! A slightly older friend of mine actually saw Hendrix there once! Remember the midnight movies, when you could still smoke in the theaters! We saw Blade Runner at the Waverly, and Apocalypse Now at the 8th St. Playhouse stoned out of our minds! Or we’d go to CBGB, the Mudd Club, or the old Ritz and dance like fools. And take the subway home at some insane hour of the morning.
We were having a blast, in the middle of NYC, and it was glorious!
What, I don’t often hear about what downtown Brooklyn was in the ’70s (type of stores, people, etc.) What do you remember about it?