Regarding those updates from the other day, reader Graehme wrote:
CBGB Theatre?? What??? What is this? I've never heard of such a thing, despite fetishizing the world of CBGB for thirty years and more. Please elucidate, if you know more.
It’s the truth. For a brief window of time between 1977 and 1978, the Anderson Theatre on Second Avenue -- just a few steps to the south from St. Marks Place (across the street from Gem Spa) -- was an adjunct venture for CBGB. You can read more about it here.
After CB’s short tenure there, it morphed from the Anderson to The Orpheum. I remember seeing “Little Shop of Horrors” with my mother there in the 1982 or so. Since the mid-90’s, however, it’s been the home of “Stomp.”
Back to the David Johansen/Gramercy Gym debacle for a sec: I re-posted a pic on that last corrections post of the old Palladium and pointed out a doorway I thought might be the 116 in question. Bob Egan weighed back in again. Here’s what he had to say -- in typically crazy-thorough fashion:
Hi Alex, I saw your report today. You ended by thinking the door might be next to the Palladium (#124 on the map) . I think you were off by one building and a parking lot. See the details below.
#116 and #118 seem to share an entrance. But if it’s like the one in the photo of the old guy, then maybe there was another entrance on the side. It would probably be facing 14th street since it has the #116 on it and I don’t think they would put that on a door in the back alley.
Yet another addendum...
The Orpheum (where Stomp is now) is actually at 126 2nd Ave. while the Anderson/CBGB was at 66 2nd Ave. The Anderson was torn down and replaced by apartments in the 1990s.
Cinema Treasures has a great photo of the front: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/31581
Posted by: quartzcity.myopenid.com | February 21, 2013 at 02:11 PM
i remember going to the CBGB Second Ave theater, I think it was Patti Smith on New Years eve, or a few nights before new years. We waited outside in line in the freezing cold for over an hour-it was so freakin cold, my girlfriend and I got soup from an Indian Restaurant on 6th st to keep warm--then when we got inside it was just as cold! there was no heat. Ah, those were the days!
Posted by: Patti Sirens | February 21, 2013 at 02:24 PM
Thanks Alex. I've found a little more info too. Seems CB's 2nd Ave Theatre was a quixotic venture if ever there was one - I found a quote from Hilly saying he lost something like $160,000 on it. Crazy.
Posted by: Grahame | February 22, 2013 at 11:56 AM
Bit late coming back to this but I also had a look around to try and find an image of the frontage of 116 East 14th but had no luck. Confusingly, some places list the 3rd City Theater (apparently demolished in the 50s) as 116, and that looks to be right next door to Luchows. This video from 1973 only shows a low building in that space though (there's a still of the image toward the bottom of the page): http://forgotten-ny.com/2012/11/it-looks-like-1973/
So I think you're right that it must have been the next building along.
Posted by: RJJNY | March 01, 2013 at 06:33 PM