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Long-deserted Manhattan cinema to grow to be boutique theater

Right after a extremely very long intermission, this theater is eventually established to return.

For 17 several years, Manhattan’s Metro Theater has been accumulating dust on the Upper West Facet. Since 2005, the 82-12 months-outdated Artwork Deco theater has sat vacant, just about residence to numerous tenants — City Outfitters, Earth Physical fitness, Alamo Drafthouse, an arts instruction nonprofit — all of which ultimately fell as a result of. 

Now, even though, it is formal: A lease has lastly been signed and the historic developing will remain a cinema. 

“There have been so a lot of bogus starts and unsuccessful options at The Metro I feel a whole lot of us began to truly feel like Charlie Brown with the football and had offered up currently being fired up,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine instructed The Article. When he read nonetheless a different potential business was fascinated in bringing again the Broadway constructing, “I decided that I would not rejoice until finally I listened to it right from a tenant that a lease experienced been signed.” 

And now that is eventually occurred. 

“This is authentic, I read it direct from the head of the company: The lease has been signed so there is no turning again,” he went on. “They’re inquiring for a little bit of anonymity at this place, but I can notify you unambiguously that this is genuine, it is going on, and it’s a very best circumstance situation.”

The 10,260-square-foot constructing will turn into a “Community Entertainment” and “multi-monitor cinema heart, with cafe amenities and group assembly rooms on a rental basis,” longtime owner Albert Bialek advised The West Aspect Rag. Given that getting developed in the 1930s, the two-tale creating has housed an art property cinema, pornography theater and two nationwide motion picture chains, and continue to features the same landmarked exterior. Its interior, nonetheless, has since been gutted. 

metro theater lease signed 2022
A sign advertising the place in February 2021.
James Keivom for NY Article
metro theater lease signed 2022
The Metro Theater at 2626 Broadway, circa 1994.
Museum of the City of New York/Getty Visuals

“It variety of performs for this new structure due to the fact it is going to be a huge variety of lesser screens,” Levine mentioned optimistically of the blank interior canvas.

The but unnamed corporation of “renowned people” from California are refusing to expose their identity until eventually they “file their plans” in the subsequent couple of months, but they’ll provide motion picture-goers an liquor-equipped dine-in movie working experience, the Rag documented. 

In reaction to The Post’s inquiry, film chain Alamo Drafthouse — which practically built a five-screen theater in the area prior to backing out in 2012 — offered no remark regarding if it is the secret new tenant. 

The information is a substantial boon for the place, which has lost a ton of businesses for the duration of the pandemic and is now pockmarked by empty storefronts. 

“It’s been a rough two decades,” reported Levine, who represented part of the Upper West Facet for the duration of his time on New York City Council from 2014 to 2021. “We experienced feared this would be a chain apparel retailer or a pharmacy, even though anything at all would’ve been far better than abandonment.”

Its vacancy has indeed been not only unfortunate but also costly: Bialek has been billed above $840,000 in city property taxes in the time the deal with has remained vacant, the Actual Offer previously documented.

“This is gonna rework that area,” Levine went on enthusiastically. “This is just the enhance that the community required.”