It may be hard to imagine today, but the gloriously restored Kings Theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn, once sat empty and derelict for nearly forty years.
Originally opened in 1929 by Loew’s Theatres as a movie palace inspired by the opulence of Versailles and the Paris Opera House, the 3,676-seat venue fell on hard times in the 1950s, eventually shuttering in 1977. It became the property of the City of New York in 1979.
After a painstaking two-year-long, $95 million-restoration process, Kings Theatre reopened its doors on February 3, 2015, with singer Diana Ross inaugurating the magnificent hall for its second coming. Since then, Brooklyn’s largest theater has been hosting a multitude of events each year, including concerts, musicals, and comedy shows in its gilded and velvet-draped auditorium.
For a blast to the late-’20s past and a peek at its many lavish details like Art Deco lamp fixtures, mahogany paneling, and the grand lobby, watch the video above.