4. Broadway Theatre, 31-15 Broadway
Steps from the elevated train, Broadway Theatre opened in 1924. The large, stadium-style theater was part of the Small & Strausberg Circuit which had locations throughout Queens and Brooklyn. It was one of over 40 theaters designed by the prolific architect Charles Sandblom, a protege of Thomas Lamb. Like the Astoria Theater, the Broadway Theater was eventually taken over by the Skouras chain. After the theater closed in 1962, it lost the marquee and vertical “Broadway” signage. Its brick facade was covered on two sides by a rather drab beige shell. It’s now a bank.
