Free the Loew’s theatre
Posted Under: Arts, Business, Culture, Jersey City, Music, Personal
Unleashing the Loew's
The first date I ever had was at the Loew’s theatre in Journal Square. I was 14. We sat in the balcony. Me, and my boys. She, and her girls. Separated by a couple of rows, I threw Milk Duds at her to get her attention. She took my cue and we met about ten rows back. I couldn’t tell you the movie that was playing, but I recall her dungaree jacket and flowered shirt and the taste of her Doublemint Gum quite vividly.
That’s the kind of relationship that I have with the Loew’s. It’s my first. You can point to the effort to save the Loew’s from being turned into an office tower back in the late 80’s as a seminal moment in our city’s history, at least in terms of how we see that history reflected in our landmarks. The people who are responsible for saving this piece of old JC, some of whom remain active in the Friends of the Loew’s (FOL) effort today, deserve a round of applause, a standing ovation, for sure. But in the years since then, the Loew’s theater has gone from being a potent symbol of urban preservation to a saggy white elephant, in the eyes of many city residents.
“What are they doing with it?” asks long-time city resident Liz Ramos as she munches on a dog at Boulevard Drinks (speaking of landmarks). She works in Journal Square and walks past the Loew’s almost every day. “It feels like they have been renovating for years now. I’m surprised because with all the new people moving into the city, you would think that there would be more activity there. It has so much potential.”
In fact, there is stuff happening at the Loew’s, from live shows to film series, featuring the Wonder Morton Organ, and more. But, in truth, since the Loew’s was saved, arts centers like NJPAC, SOPAC and others have been built or restored and programmed into viable arts and entertainment centers. (NJPAC just celebrated a decade of operation.) The Loew’s is not NJPAC. They’re different animals. One’s an old movie palace with not even a real backstage and the other’s a custom-built performance center.
At the center of our city center
Still, the difference between the two is the level of professionalism brought to the task. NJPAC had it, the Loew’s didn’t. It’s not the FOL’s fault. They did their job, and have been doing the job, since 1986. But preservationists can’t be expected to run an urban arts and entertainment center any more than a bricklayer should be expected to frost a wedding cake. Every administration since the Cucci years has dropped the ball when it’s come to advancing the Loew’s effort. But in light of the city council’s recent allocation of funding for a historic structure study to determine future uses for the theatre, I think it’s time to make some tough calls on the Loew’s.
The Healy administration is just the latest to maintain a clumsy relationship with the FOL, which has been given the job of running the place. The city would love to bring in a professional company to take management to another level, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for either the Healy administration to propose it, or the city council to support it.
“[The city council] doesn’t have the [guts] to do what’s needed,” said one city official, who didn’t want to go on the record, proving the point, I guess. “When the administration tries to do anything with the Loew’s, you get a few people who start yelling and [the council] back down.”
With all the development talk about the Square this year, the city has gotten little more than lip service for the Loew’s from the commercial interests poised to reap the benefits of our city center. That said, the FOL’s have had their shot. It’s been a valiant effort. They’ve gotten the seats replaced, roof repairs, A/C, the organ and lots more, but it’s taken nearly 20 years to get those things done. We can’t wait that long for the Loew’s to make the leap to viable entertainment center.
It’s time for the FOL monopoly to end. There are several arts programming organizations around the city which are doing excellent work without a glorious home like the Loew’s as a base. Just because the FOL has been controlling the site all these years, doesn’t mean it should be. Let’s break it up a bit. Why not get some actual arts groups in residence? Formalize a structure. Hire a manager and a fundraiser with experience and expertise beyond historic preservation.
This would be tough medicine and will result in some people being angry and feeling threatened. That’s to be expected, and maybe the FOL could maintain an advisory role in order to maintain the historic integrity of the theatre. But for the Loew’s to move beyond its current status as a limited, somewhat exclusive club of the well-intentioned, someone’s gotta do something more than commission a study on its future use. After almost 20 years, we shouldn’t be gathering the information, we should be acting on it.
For starters, let's restore this sign
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Reader Comments
Keep Healy’s hands off the Loew’s theater!
Could not disagree more. Imagine what would have happened to this jewel in the city’s hands – falling into disrepair and then handed off to a “preferred” developer?
Look at the Apple Tree house fiasco over the past 20 years …. a simple small building. Need I say more?
All that you suggest about unfulfilled potential has been prevented by the FOL not having a lease providing the legal standing to do it. When Acting Mayor L. Harvey Smith finally granted the lease (2004/2005) the city immediately disavowed and “lost it”, only now five years later finally granting the lease this past spring.
Please rethink and consider joining the board of the FOL.
With all due respect, Mr. Levin, you just haven’t been around long enough to know the history of FOL. Sure, they saved the theater & they deserve our thanks for saving this treasure. But, its like they adopted a foster child to give the kid a life & then kept her locked in a basement. Every administration knows that FOL lacks the business sense to run the place but nobody has the nerve to make them share it. I agree with Mr. Cruz. With the lack of performing space available for artists here, make FOL open its doors to other non-profits and get that baby jumping! FOL is afraid to share it. The City is paying for its upkeep & should make it available to others.
I have to agree with Jerzeegal, the FOL seems to have had plenty of time to do something. I went to see Beck at the Loew’s and would definitely go there to see more shows like that, but “The Untouchables”, not so much. Is FOL an arts organization that promotes arts at the theater or a preservation group that preserves the theater?
FOL has had plenty of time, even though the city only decided to recognize they had legitimate control earlier this year? It’s pretty hard to get people to give you money when your landlord hasn’t been living up to its responsibilities and refutes your control. Despite this, in the interim, FOL has brought all sorts of shows and events to the theatre, in addition to the classic film series. I can imagine things will only get better now that the city is finally cooperating with FOL.
Why can’t FOL promote both the arts and preserve the theatre at the same time?
Yeah, not so much. The building is still in need of MAJOR capital improvements, and without a watchful eye to preserve how that work (heating/ac system, fire/sprinkler system) gets contracted and performed, it could be a disaster to the restoration project. Care to name those “several arts programming organizations” chomping at the bit to get their hands on/in the Loew’s, and then ask exactly how they would program a space that seats thousands? And I *shudder* to compare the Loew’s to NJPAC, which aside from its excellent arts education programs, is a failed experiment at getting folks from Chatham and Montclair to spend less time at Lincoln Center. NJPAC is the milquetoastiest milquetoast “arts” center of all the fad economic boom arts centers that sprouted up in the last quarter-century, and nothing to aspire to. Faith in blogcityblog fail.
You are talking about a city with no permanent homes for the arts! Every single nonprofit arts programming organization that operates in this city could bring something special to the Loews. Bring the programs. Bring the events. Bring the music. Bring something that gets people excited, gets them contributing, and gets them to join in the FOL’s preservation efforts. Why is this an either/or? Can’t there be a balance between FOL and other groups who would like to get involved to make this a vital meeting ground?
Now THERE’S an idea. Well said, bluebird. Cruz, please show us an arts programming group that has reached out to the FOL and been turned down, and then maybe we’ll talk about whether the FOL should be taken out of the picture.
No one who believes in the arts or preservation in Jersey City thinks that FOL should be taken out of the picture. BUT everyone who supports the arts and preservation in Jersey City wants to see the arts flourishing at the Loews. That requires FOL sharing this space. The theater is dark most of the year. If you want the arts to flourish, share this space. If you want to bring needed attention, more volunteers and community donations to this historic treasure, open the doors, put the lights on and come together people. Every arts organization and non-profit in Jersey City wants free space to perform, exhibit, entertain and fundraise. Why should just one organization monopolize this space and the public funding that goes into it? When artists and preservationists unite for a common purpose, they will create a movement. FOL can actually show strength in numbers by leading this movement – organize an arts symposium or performance series or something.
It would be great for all involved if Todd Abramson from Maxwells was doing the booking over there.
It sits dark all summer because the building has no operating AC system. Again, show me an “arts organization” that has approached the FOL about putting on an event or a series and been turned away, and maybe I’ll take seriously your hypothesis that FOL does not “share the space.” Also, I think Todd/Maxwells has worked with the FOL for the Beck and Decemberists concerts, has he not? I agree there should be more of that type of programming, but people who roll their eyes at showing classic films in an actual cinema instantly lose credibility in this debate.
If Todd Abramson was booking shows at the Loews on a regular basis, there would be enough money for the FOL and the classic cinema and the air conditioning.
It’s kinda funny that people think it’s no sweat to just book a 1,000+ seat venue, that it’ll sell out, and that ‘if you build it, they’ll come.’ As if it’s the size of Maxwell’s. If 95% of the bands that played Maxwell’s could support a venue the size of the Loew’s on a regular basis, they’d be playing larger venues.
Check on it – Maxwell’s has worked with the Loew’s to book higher profile bands there. No reason to think they wouldn’t continue to do so, provided they have acts that could come even close to filling the orchestra level.
Let’s first agree that the Loew’s is one of few true jewels in Jersey City. The FOL and related groups deserve credit for saving it.
I propose a Loews Arts Summit, at the Loews.
Invited Attendees: Arts Organizations
Admission Price: Legitimate Programming Ideas. Make a poster board illustrating each idea, 4th grade style. Must suit the space and resource constraints.
There needs to be an open discussion on business requirements as well. For instance the idea that the venue must sell out for arts programming is slightly bogus. Peaceful and organized use is valuable. It’s a lovely place to be. What are the Operating Costs that need to be covered on any given night? What does it cost to turn the lights on?
I would think it is in FOL’s best interest to host the summit, to be proactive and objective. The better FOL can collaborate to program the space, the better chance they have of maintaining position, and demonstrating that they are bringing out the Loews to its full potential.
Someone just hit it on the head, I think. What about it FOL? Collaboration. Cooperation. Implementation. Celebration! We should include Cultural Affairs in this. Maybe they can help get the word out across the city? I’d be happy to show up and share my two cents. (I used to mess around in the arts world for a while.)
Telling that the idea of collaboration was an afterthought to the blogmeister, whose first instinct was to call for giving the FOL the boot, in favor of the still-as-yet-unnamed arts organizations who have allegedly been turned away.
I have to say that I don’t get the feeling this article called for “giving the FOL the boot,” and I’m not sure why it is necessary to call out organizations as if this article were some scheme for one group or another to take control of the Loews. It isn’t. There are many, many artists, event producers and organizations that have approached the Loews about events over the years. Here is what they get: #1 no returned calls or emails (the main response), #2 an astronomical rental fee, #3 a list of “must haves” that a presenting group could not possibly provide — sound equipment, lights etc. If groups work with the Loews to get that space pulling in people, money and supporters, then the “must haves” list will be in place BEFORE groups approach them, which makes the space easier to use. This kind of planning and implementation cannot be done by a few people. It takes a lot of organized folks with lots of energy; event managers, people dedicated to fundraising, people dedicated to preservation, people running the business end, and people dedicated to program outreach. That is why the FOL needs to reach out. Running a space is hard, and programming on top of running a space is even harder. Just ask anyone who has been in charge of a behemoth building before. It’s a multi-tiered system.
One of the first ways that the FOL can lose control of the Loews is if the City Hall or other development interests can play on conflict between the FOL and the wider arts community. That is not good for anyone. Better to circle the wagons.
The bar for entry needs to be lowered, in the spirit of cooperation. Risk needs to be shared. Maybe instead of requiring rental fees, the FOL could consider accepting a share of the receipts for arts programming, just the way they take the receipts for their own film series.
As somebody who has first-hand, direct experience with throwing an event at the Loew’s, I found their rental fee incredibly reasonable, their list of “must haves” (i.e. insurance, fire marshall) completely practical, and found the FOL wonderful to work with. Some of the must haves are requirements placed on them by their landlord, the City.
Again, it’s fascinating that the supposed jilted arts groups remain anonymous on here, while calling the FOL out directly.
David Cruz has long been a pawn of the HCDO developer friendly mobsters who ran this county into the ground.
Lacking anything more than a once telegenic Cable TV The guy was placed as editor of Joe Barry’s Hudson Reporters Newspapers he quickly turned those rags into Russo, Rudy Garcia friendly newsletters.
While he might be funny, he is bitter and his latino political agenda clouds his judgement
Now wait just a minute. Whattaya mean “once telegenic” ??
Pawn of the HCDO? He may be an arrogant SOB sometimes and for sure he’s opinionated, but David Cruz is nobody’s “boy”. I have seen him grilling politicians from Anthony DeFino and Bruce Walters all the way to Jerry Healy and Corey Booker. You’re barking up the wrong tree on this one, Goliath. Did you even read this blog?