The Puerto Rico Theatre

1921 - c. 1996

Built in 1921, the Forum Theatre was founded by Consolidated Amusement Enterprises. Consolidated was the leading independent theater chain in New York until 1941, when the Forum was leased to J.J. Theatres, Inc. in an 18-theater acquisition spanning Manhattan and the Bronx. By 1950, the theater was owned by Jeanne Ansell, who renovated and renamed it to the Puerto Rico, in an effort to market towards the rising Latino audience (Beer). The theater combined live stage shows with film screenings and hosted several famous Latino performers, such as Pedro Infante (Sylvester). By 1957, the theater traded hands again after Ansell was found guilty for tax evasion, but it continued to be known as the Puerto Rico. The theater was a major community hub, hosting both family-friendly events and late night performances. In October of 1966, the theater was the site of a rowdy protest against the results of a boxing championship, and less than a month later, it hosted the award ceremony for the “Rag-A-Muffin Parade and Theatre party.” Ansell further catered to family by featuring “special children’s prices and free admission for children to weekend morning shows” (Beer). However, middle-class families began an exodus to the suburbs by the end of the decade, and the theater was abandoned by 1980. In 1984, it was bought by developer James Sanchez, who attended shows at the theater as a child and invested more than a million dollars to restore the property (Rohter). After two years of renovation, the theater reopened as the Teatro Puerto Rico, featuring 1,400 seats and two smaller 300-seat movie theaters on the former balcony. The theater continued to operate under Sanchez into the 1990s as the Bronx began to revitalize. Unfortunately, the theater struggled to survive, holding a telemarathon fundraiser in 1996 to support its operation (Gomez). There is no record to indicate that the theater ever reopened as an art center, but it became home to a spanish-language church, Iglesia Universal, by 2000 (Siegal). The church continues to operate within the old theater, preserving the location as a community site for local Latinos.

Forum's main entrance
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Details

Category
Organization/Association
Audience
All Ages
Founder(s)
Jeanne Ansell
Tags
cinema, theater, music, film, Latinos, popculture, PuertoRico, eventspace, concerts

Location

  • 490 E 138th St, Bronx, NY 10454, USA
    ? - ?

References

  1. Beer, Amy B. From the Bronx to Brooklyn: Spanish -Language Movie Theaters and their Audiences in New York City, 1930–1999, Northwestern University, United States -- Illinois, 2001. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/bronx-brooklyn-spanish-language-movie-theaters/docview/275984374/se-2.
  2. "Exploitation: 18 Consolidated Theatres Sold to Julius Joelson; Other Briefs." Variety (Archive: 1905-2000), vol. 142, no. 2, Mar 19, 1941, pp. 8-8, 18. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/exploitation-18-consolidated-theatres-sold-julius/docview/1285792247/se-2.
  3. "Parade Ready for Bronx PAL." New York Amsterdam News (1962-), Nov 19, 1966, pp. 24. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/parade-ready-bronx-pal/docview/226722754/se-2.
  4. Sylvester, Robert. "A Latin Audience is Always as Good as the Show on the Stage." Daily News (1920-), Nov 14, 1949, pp. 285. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/november-14-1949-page-341-520/docview/2288091073/se-2?accountid=10226
  5. Gomez, Javier. “Exitoso telemaratón en Teatro Puerto Rico.” El Diario La Prensa. May 26, 1996, pp. 8. ProQuest Historical Newspapers, http://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/exitoso-telemaraton-en-teatro-puerto-rico/docview/368489123/se-2.
  6. Rohter, Larry. “Restoring Hispanic Theater in Bronx,” The New York Times, January 12, 1986. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/12/nyregion/restoring-hispanic-theater-in-bronx.html.
  7. Siegal, Nina. “In the Footsteps of Mambo Kings.” The New York Times. Sep. 8, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/08/movies/in-the-footsteps-of-mambo-kings.html.