Loew's Jersey Theatre - Misplaced Pages

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Loew's Jersey Theatre
Construction
Facade seen from across Journal Square July 1, 2006

Address	54 Journal Square Jersey City, NJ, U.S.
Public transit	Journal Square Transportation Center
Owner	City of Jersey City
Operator	Friends of the Loews
Capacity	3,021
Current use	Revival house films and Performing arts center
Opened	September 28, 1929
Architect	Rapp and Rapp
Website
loewsjersey.org

The Loew's Jersey Theatre is a movie palace type theater and live entertainment venue located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Opened in 1929, it was one of the five Loew's Wonder Theatres, a series of flagship Loew's movie palaces in the New York City area. It was designed by the architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp in a Baroque/Rococo style. Tri-plexed in 1974, and then closed in 1986, it was dark for years. It was purchased by the city in 1993 and been operated by a volunteer organisation, the Friends of the Loews, since that time. The theater was designated as a New Jersey Registered Historic Site in 2009. In a move opposed by Friends of the Loews, the city in June 2014, agreed to let AEG Live operate the venue. After going to court, the lease by Friends of the Loews remains in effect. In February 2021 it was announced that the theater would undergo an $72million restoration.

History

The cost of construction in 1929 was US$2 million. The capacity of the theatre on opening day was 3,021 patrons.

The theatre was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on August 15, 1985. It also received a Determination of Eligibility from the National Register of Historic Places on October 17, 1985 but was not listed due to an objection by the owner.

Closure

The theatre closed in August 1986. The final film shown was Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. The Loew's Corporation sold the theatre to Hartz Mountain, who announced plans to demolish the theatre and build a new structure on the site.

Restoration

Volunteers began restoration of the theatre once it had been acquired by the city of Jersey City, to prevent it from being demolished.

The Garden State Theatre Organ Society acquired a sister pipe organ to the missing Loew's Jersey pipe organ, originally installed at the Loew's Paradise theatre, and began the installation and restoration of the organ. A video of the organ being played on November 3, 2007 is available on YouTube.

Programming

The Loew's Jersey is a popular venue for film and photography shoots. The lobby of the Loew's Jersey was the disco in the film The Last Days of Disco and was featured in a 2007 Geico commercial featuring their gecko character.

In February 2011 the band The Strokes shot a music video for the single "Under Cover of Darkness" off of their 2011 album Angles at the Loew's Jersey Theatre, featuring the main lobby, promenade and stage.

The theater is a popular venue for fundraising, corporate events, and weddings.