The Abandoned Loews Canal St Theatre

A while back, I was walking down the street on the Eastern-most stretch of Canal Street when this defunct television store caught my eye. Then I looked up at the rest of the building and said, "Whoa, what the heck is this place?"

This was originally the Loew's Canal Theater. Built in 1927, it was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, one of the country's most prominent theater architects, and, with 2,314 seats, was the second-largest movie theater in the city at the time. It was part of the empire of Marcus Loew, who made his fortune with a series of penny arcades and vaudeville houses and then movie theaters, and was a co-founder of MGM Studios. Loew died the year this theater opened. Despite its size and elegance, it primarily showed B movies and serials. In 1932, an explosion damaged the box office, while a simultaneous blast occurred at another Loew's theater. It was suspected to be the work of the striking Motion Picture Operators' Union Local 306, but nothing was proven.

It closed in the 1950s, and in the early 60s, the lobby was converted into a retail space and the theater used as a warehouse. The interior of the theater still remains, dilapidated and decaying. Incredible ruin porn photos can be seen here, here, here and here.

The appliance and repair shop was the last retail store, closing several years ago. There have been various plans to convert it into an arts center or residences, but nothing has come of those plans. You can sometimes see someone going into the building; maybe it's still being used for storage? The façade was designated a New York City Landmark in 2010. At the Landmarks Commission hearing, Thomas Sung, the current owner, said, "At some point in life we all must recognize, I guess, the value beyond a commercial purpose." If only more real estate developers would have this epiphany!


History and Photos of the Theater

After The Final Curtain - Loews Canal Theatre

Untapped Cities - Inside The Abdandoned Loews Canal Theater

Animal New York - Closer Look at Decaying Loews Canal Theatre

Curbed - Decaying Loews Canal Theater Makes For Incredible Ruin Porn

Gothamist - Inside the Abandoned Old Loews Theatre on Canal Street

Mapping Yiddish New York - Yiddish Empires - Marcus Loew and Loews Canal Street Theatre