Midtown’s iconic Paris Theatre has closed
Photo by Ajay Suresh on Flickr
New York City’s last single-screen movie theater shuttered this week. The Paris Theatre, which has been located on 58th Street since 1948, has officially closed its doors, according to the blog Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York. The 568-seat theatre showed indie and foreign flicks, particularly French films.
Joe Wagner, a real estate broker with Douglas Elliman, posted a photo of the notice of closure found on the theater’s door on his Instagram on Wednesday. It reads: “Unfortunately, our lease has ended and the Paris Theatre is now closed. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to all our guests over the years. Thank you for your patronage and we regret that we cannot continue to serve you.”
In June, rumors of the Paris’ closure hit the theater circuit, with reports warning its lease would not be renewed this summer. The theater was operated by City Cinemas but located in a building owned by developer Sheldon Solow. Solow also owns building occupied by the Beekman One & Two theater, which appears to have closed as well, with its website removed. Solow is currently developing a 19-story condo building next to the Paris Theatre at 7 West 57th Street.
The Paris was the last single-screen theater dedicated to platform releases in the country, according to Indie Wire. The website calls the theater the greatest “arthouse,” known for showing upscale, specialized films. According to Vanishing New York, the Paris closed once before in 1990 after a 20-year lease expired, but reopened shortly after with new management.
The closures come as nearby Ziegfeld Theatre closed in 2016, followed by the Landmark’s Sunshine Cinemas on the Lower East Side and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on the Upper West Side.
[Via Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York]
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