5. The Walker, Bensonhurst
The Walker Theater on 18th Avenue and 64th Street in Bensonhurst was named after New York City Mayor James J. Walker who was in office from 1926 to 1932. The theater opened in January 1928 and showed both first and second-run films as well as Italian-language movies. A Wurlitzer organ provided live music to the 2,316-seat crowd.
In 1984, the building briefly held landmark status, but that decision was overturned. Theater owners argued that the business couldn’t be profitable unless converted into a four-screen cinema and the designation wouldn’t allow that. If the conversion wasn’t approved, the business would fail and the building would be at risk of demolition. The landmark status was overturned and the theater turned into a quadruplex, but that still wasn’t enough to keep the theater afloat. The theater closed shortly after in 1988 and was turned into retail space, which for a long time was occupied by clothing retailers Mandee and Annie Sez. Today, the theater is perhaps one of New York City’s most interesting Target stores.
Target Express opened inside the Walker in 2017. The store pays homage to the building’s history with artwork depicting 18th Avenue and the former theater in the checkout area and the shimmering marquee which is reminiscent of the golden age of cinemas. Created by Philadelphia Sign, the large marquee features an Art Deco take on the Target logo and is illuminated by LED lights on the perimeter and shimmering bulbs in the shape of the Target logo below. A 2 sided vertical flag sign hangs above the marquee, installed with special attention to preserving the ornate stonework on the facade. Inside, the racks of clothes and shelves of products are surrounded by the theater’s historic frieze which was restored by Evergreene Architectural Arts.
