2. The Harbor Theater, Bay Ridge
“Always cool as the harbor breezes,” was the slogan of the Harbor Theater on 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge when it opened in July 1935. The phrase advertised one of the theater’s main features, a $30,000 cooling system. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle described the theater as “absolutely fireproof” with a modernistic design and seating for up to 825 people.
According to Cinema Treasures, the theater closed in 1976 and was converted into the Harbor Racquetball Club. The balcony was replaced with locker rooms and the courts were installed at the orchestra level. Later the space also served as a fur showroom and is now the Harbor Fitness gym. Amid the treadmills and weights you can still see remnants of the stage’s proscenium and other decorative architectural elements inside.
