Campaign Aims To Save Abandoned Queens Theater That Hosted Marx Brothers, Judy Garland

FOREST HILLS, NY – "One day, somebody will fix it." That's been the thought Forest Hills resident Richard Thornhill has had for much of his life as he passes the long abandoned RKO Keith's Theater. It seemed that would never happen when he learned its latest owners had plans to demolish it to make room for luxury condos.

Thornhill decided that "somebody" had to be him. He launched a petition on Change.org in early October to save the Flushing theater. It has since garnered more than a thousand signatures.

"We're just trying to show people that there's an interest in the RKO and having a theater and keeping our history in Queens," Thornhill told Patch. "Even though it's in a state of despair, it's ours."

Thornhill admitted he's never been inside the RKO, which has housed performances from stars like the Marx Brothers, Judy Garland, Mae West and Connie Stevens.

The theater, built in 1928, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and its ticket lobby and grand foyer are landmarked. It was closed off in 1986 when Thornhill was still young, but he said he always dreamed of one day being able to go inside.

"I would walk by it with my mother and she would say she would go there and how beautiful it was," he said. "I know it's in pretty bad shape, but I thought someday it would eventually get fixed."

The theater was passed between companies for years until it was bought in 2016 by Xin Yuan Real Estate. The Chinese developers plan to restore its landmarked ticket lobby and grand foyer and demolish the rest of the building, making way for a 16-story luxury condominium tower.

Upon hearing the news, Thornhill joined Save the Flushing RKO Keith's Theatre, a Facebook group which boasts more than 1,800 members. After brainstorming with other members on the page, he decided on a petition. In the text, he calls on the developers not to give up the space, but to consider restoring the RKO to a functional theater again. The petition surpassed a thousand signatures Wednesday, with many signors sharing their own memories of the theatre as a Queens staple.

"I was just thrilled when we hit 1,000," he said. "There was a part of me wondering if anyone was going to actually read this, but another part of me knows that people who grew up here see value in this theater."

Xin Yuan Real Estate is aware of the petition but still plans to move forward with the demolition and has full governmental approval to do so, managing director John Liang told Patch.

"The ticket lobby and the grand foyer are both landmark buildings that we will restore," Liang said. "As developers we can only follow what's in the zoning and approved by the government. Different people have different goals to achieve."

The developer has already started limited demolition and restoration of the theater's landmarked, Liang said. They are currently negotiating with the theatre's neighboring houses to begin construction. He expects the tower, slated to host around 300 condos, will take around two years to complete.

Both Liang and Thornhill acknowledged this wasn't the first attempt to save the RKO. Each recalls a history of groups who tried to revive the decrepit theater since it first shut down but failed to rally enough money or support.

But Thornhill remains hopeful, relentlessly sharing his petition on social media and contacting local politicians. He said he's reached out to offices for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and the Landmark Preservation Network but has yet to hear back.

In the meantime, he encourages people to keep signing.

"This is kind of a last push, we're trying one last time," Thornhill said. "I don't really have a goal number in mind. I just want as many people to sign as possible."

Lead image via Chris Kellberg.