Landmarks Preservation Commission January 12, 2010, Designation List 425 LP-2325 RIDGEWOOD THEATER BUILDING, 55-27 Myrtle Avenue, Queens Built: 1916; Thomas W. Lamb, architect Landmark Site: Borough of Queens Tax Map: Block 3451, Lot 7, in part, consisting of the front (southern) portion of the building facing on Myrtle Avenue, bounded by the southern and parts of the eastern and western lot lines, and a line parallel to and 55 feet north of the southern lot line On March 24, 2009, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as a Landmark of the Ridgewood Theater Building and its related Landmark Site (Item No.6). The hearing had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. There were sixteen speakers in favor of designation, including the owner of the theater, a representative of Councilmember Diana Reyna, representatives of the Queens Preservation Alliance, the Friends of Ridgewood Theater, the Ridgewood Property Owners Association, the Ridgewood Development Corporation, the Four Borough Preservation Alliance, the Municipal Art Society, the Historic Districts Council, the Society for the Architecture of the City, and the Landmarks Conservancy. There were no speakers opposed to designation. The Commission has also received several letters and emails in favor of designation, including one from the great grandson of the architect, Thomas Lamb. Summary The Ridgewood Theater, constructed in 1916 in the rapidly developing section of Ridgewood, was designed by prominent theater architect Thomas Lamb. The theater is located on Myrtle Avenue, the area’s major commercial thoroughfare, contributing to the creation of a town center for the residents who were moving into the nearby rowhouse developments. This building was constructed during the earliest period of the development of the movie theater as a building type, and was part of the industry’s efforts to bring this new and exciting form of entertainment to small towns and local communities throughout the country. This theater showed movies continuously for more than 90 years, retaining its original use through numerous changes in the presentation of movies and the interior environment of the theater, including the addition of sound for “talkies,” and in spite of the competition provided by television and other forms of entertainment. It was one of the longest-running movie theaters in the country when it closed in March, 2008. The theater’s façade displays the Beaux-Arts training and skills of architect Thomas Lamb in its straightforward design enhanced with classical and geometric elements such as pilasters and heavily encrusted shields, created in glazed terra cotta. The building retains a strong presence on the street as it rises above the neighboring structures, with its name carved onto the building and its large projecting marquee advertising the wonders within. The Ridgewood Theater’s impressive white façade has helped it stand out from its neighbors, and makes it as attractive to local residents today as when it was constructed.

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS History of Ridgewood, Queens1 Located in western Queens County, the town of Ridgewood2 originally spanned the Brooklyn-Queens border. Part of the town was located in the eastern end of Bushwick, Brooklyn3 while another section was part of the adjacent town of Newtown, one of the original three towns of Queens County. Inhabited by the Mespachtes Indians prior to being settled by Europeans, Bushwick was one of the original six towns that joined together to become the City of Brooklyn in 1854. The high, thickly wooded terrain running east from Ridgewood through the center of Long Island was the most noticeable aspect of the area’s topology. During the 17th and 18th centuries, farms in Bushwick and Ridgewood were farmed by Dutch and British families, who grew lettuce, corn, potatoes, cauliflower, and a variety of fruits for urban markets in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Th

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