Opened in 1928 with 4,201 seats, designed by architects Rapp and Rapp for Paramount Inc. The Brooklyn Paramount Theatre opened with Nancy Carroll in “Manhattan Cocktail” (a silent film with sound effects). The twin consoles of the Wurlitzer organ were opened by organists Henry Murtagh and George A. Johnson. It hosted performers such as Buddy Rogers, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra, facing stiff competition from the numerous surrounding theatres. It closed in the early 1930s and reopened to show only movies. In the 1950s, it hosted concerts showcasing artists such as Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

It finally closed in 1962 with a sparse audience of only 300 for the last screening. It was then converted by Long Island University for use as a gymnasium. In the auditorium the orchestra floor has been levelled to provide the facility with a basket-ball court, and the mezzanine level and loge seats were removed. The rear of the huge balcony has been converted into offices. Harsh spotlights now illuminate the auditorium instead of the original subtle, concealed and projected lighting which gave the auditorium its illusion of grandeur. The Wurlitzer organ has one console which is still in working order and over the years has been maintained. It is normally hidden away beneath the basket-ball court, still located in the old orchestra pit on its elevator.

In 2015, it was announced that Barclays Center affiliate Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment had formed an alliance with Long Island University to reopen the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre as an entertainment venue, which will host music, comedy and boxing events in the auditorium. Restoration work began in November 2018, but due to money restraints, it won’t be a full restoration similar to which the Loew’s Kings Theatre received in 2015.


Editions available:

95 x 120 cm, edition of 9 plus 2APs
[SOLD OUT]

150 x 190 cm, edition of 6 plus 2 APs
AP 1/2 available (last one)