King of kings

摘要

When Kings Theatre opened in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1929, it was a sight to behold. As one of five "Loew's Wonder Theaters," the 3,200-seat Kings Theatre was distinguished by a lavish interior that took its cue from the Palace of Versailles and the Paris Opera House. New York City's third-largest theater offered a palatial escape to the more than 2.5 million residents . of the borough of Brooklyn (Kings County). Kings Theatre featured movies and vaudeville acts. Then, in the 1930s, vaudeville gradually faded; in the 1960s, moviegoers started gravitating to multiplexes. By the 1970s, crime and decay brought low a once-thriving Flatbush and its cornerstone three-story theater. Kings Theatre finally closed its doors in 1977. Over the next 36 years the vacant building lost whatever regal standing it once had to neglect and vandalism. Virtually every light fixture and railing was broken or stolen. Nearly two-fifths of the audience chamber suffered severe water damage. Entire sections of the mezzanine were deteriorated, corroded, or washed away. In the fall of 2012, Superstorm Sandy inflicted the coup de grace when it ripped off the roof, leaving the domed ceiling at risk of destruction.