Plans To Revive Beloved Montclair Movie Theater Back On Track

MONTCLAIR, NJ — There’s some good news on the horizon for “one of Montclair's most iconic landmarks,” the Bellevue Theatre.

On Thursday – exactly one year ahead of the 100th anniversary of the beloved venue’s grand opening on May 13, 1922 – Mayor Sean Spiller and Deputy Mayor Bill Hurlock joined Bellevue Theatre President Doreen Sayegh, representing owner Jesse Sayegh, to announce plans for reopening the historic cinema later this year.

The trio are expected to release more details at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

The reopening will come after renovations, repairs and refurbishments that will give a new life to the former movie theater. There will be a diverse lineup on the menu, including studio, independent and international releases, as well as live entertainment such as musical performances, film festival screenings, lectures and receptions.

The theater operated without a break for 95 years until 2017. After the lease of former tenant Bow Tie Cinemas expired in 2017, community members rallied to save it. Thousands of fans signed an online petition to prevent the venue from “wasting away into another gentrified retail or office space.”

Their wishes took a huge leap towards becoming reality when Sayegh signed a new lease with a group dedicated to returning the theater to its former glory. The company's backers included some big names in show business, including producer Luke Parker Bowles and actor Patrick Wilson, both of whom are Montclair residents, as well as real estate developer Steven Plofker.

There were plans to do a huge renovation, including installing a bar on the first floor and a restaurant on the second floor, which would have required approval from the local Zoning Board of Adjustment. But earlier this year, the group announced that it hit a major speed bump amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The zoning board application was withdrawn in January.

• See related article: Plan To Save Beloved Montclair Theater Put On Ice Amid Pandemic

However, plans for a lower-key revival are now back on track, the theater’s supporters said Thursday.

“I’m delighted we are working to reopen Bellevue Theatre,” Deputy Mayor Bill Hurlock said, adding that it will serve as a “cultural hub and economic force” in the area.

“This is one of Montclair's most iconic landmarks,” Hurlock said. “I commend everybody involved for their commitment to restoring this beautiful building to its former glory.”

Ilmar Vanderer, founder of 'Save Montclair's Historic Bellevue Theatre' Facebook page, said that he was “overjoyed” to hear about the new plans.

“This proves that dreams can come true, hard work does pay off, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Vanderer said.

Doreen Sayegh thanked the community for its “incredible support” over the past four years.

“I am thrilled to follow in my father's footsteps and reopen the Bellevue Theatre with a full renovation and many more programming options, including special performances and fun, festive events for children, families and adults,” Sayegh said.

“We hope the entire community will join us to celebrate our fall 2021 reopening and our spring 2022 centennial,” Sayegh said.

Vanderer provided the following background information about the beloved venue:

“The Bellevue Theatre opened in 1922, designed by architect J.H. Phillips as an entertainment mecca where films and vaudeville acts were presented in ornate Tudor-style settings with tapestries, wooden beams and a tea room. United Artists acquired Bellevue in 1983 and triplexed it, obscuring many of the original design elements but also allowing the Theatre to offer a greater variety and a more frequently rotating schedule of film programming. Independent theater operator Jesse Sayegh, then-president of the New Jersey chapter of the National Association Of Theater Owners, purchased Bellevue in 1996, renovating, modernizing, and expanding the historic theater from three screens to four. Bellevue was leased to Clearview Cinemas in late 1997, and then to BowTie Cinemas in 2013, when they assumed the lease from Clearview Cinemas parent company, Cablevision. The Bellevue closed its doors to the public on November 12, 2017 when Bow Tie Cinemas lease expired. Bellevue has been an economic engine for Upper Montclair Business District, is convenient to pedestrians from nearby residential neighborhoods and on reopening will be the only entertainment venue in the immediate area. Bellevue Theatre is located at 260 Bellevue Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043 and is accessible by walking, auto, or mass transit via NJ Transit bus and train lines to the Bellevue Plaza Bus Stop or Upper Montclair Train Station.”

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