WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 24, 2017 3
Could the Ridgewood Theater be reused as an arts space?
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
One man is trying to reboot the
historic former Ridgewood
Theater to its past glory by
advocating creating a fi ne arts or performing
arts space on the ground fl oor.
Anthony Arroyo has been a fan of
the Ridgewood Theater since he was a
child, and was saddened to see a sign
on the historic façade advertising for
rental units and commercial space at
the once-thriving community theater.
Remembering all the fun he had at
the Ridgewood Theater in years past,
Arroyo concocted a plan to bring the
arts back to the former theater for a
new generation to enjoy.
“I am obsessed with the Ridgewood
Theater, and cannot see anything else
being there but the theater,” Arroyo
said. “However, due to the growing
artistic culture that is now Ridgewood,
and surrounding areas, I truly believe
a fi ne/performing arts theater would
create such a frenzy.”
He quickly reached out to the
current owners of the building and
requested photos of the interior of the
theater and a walkthrough. He learned
that the apartments have been rented
out, but the owners are still looking for
commercial renters to take space on
the ground fl oor.
Aft er fi nding out about the availability
of the approximately 15,000-squarefoot
commercial space — and a nearly
8,000-square-foot basement — Arroyo
set up a GoFundMe page and an online
petition to get the community involved
in saving the Ridgewood Theater as a
community arts space. According to
Arroyo, funds collected during the
GoFundMe campaign will go toward
renting out the commercial space until
investors take notice, or until they can
get grants to try and keep the space as
a theater.
“I sent a wishful email to the COO
of a well-known, but small theater
company, and he loved the idea,”
Arroyo said. “I spoke on how the
area of Ridgewood, Bushwick, and
surrounding areas are changing. It
is not what it was years ago when
they first closed The Ridgewood
Theater. We can get the community
involved also, such as talent shows,
independent movie showings and
plays, along with regular showing
of movies. I envision possibly three
or four smaller theaters, and a large
theater on main fl oor.”
The Ridgewood Theater offi cially
opened on Dec. 23, 1916. In the 1980s
the theater was converted into a fi vescreen
multiplex. As ticket sales began
declining, the Ridgewood Theatre
closed in March 2008.
The façade of the former theater,
however, received landmark status
by the NYC Landmarks Preservation
Commission in January 2010 and
cannot be changed or altered. The
building was gutted for renovations
in November 2014.
The Ridgewood Times has reached
out to the building’s leasing administrator
and did not hear back by press
time on Wednesday aft ernoon.
To view the GoFundMe page
visit www.gofundme.com/savethe
ridgewood, to view Arroyo’s
petition visit www.thepetitionsite.
com/725/733/688/we-have-to-savethe
ridgewood-theater/.
File photo/Ridgewood Times
Anthony Arroyo wants to see the commercial space on the ground fl oor of
the newly developed Ridgewood Theater become a community arts space.
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