3. It Was Turned into a Nightclub
The construction of the Verrazzano bridge drew people toward the center of Staten Island and away from the formerly buzzing shore town of St. George. The nearly 3,000 seat theater struggled to draw crowds. When the theater was put up for rent in 1976, a young Staten Island couple, Dean Thompson and Victoria Hallerman, tried to keep it going. After less than a year, the opulent theater became too costly to operate, and it closed in 1977.
Over the next three decades, more hopeful entrepreneurs tried their hand at revitalizing the struggling site. The theater would transform into a nightclub, an antiques showroom and even a roller rink! There was a glimmer of hope in the 1990s when the space was turned into a performing arts center that hosted several shows, however this too, was short lived. The future of the St. George Theatre was bleak until a dedicated Staten Islander, and her family, stepped up to save it.
