Harlem Bespoke: Things do not look good for the former Coliseum Theatre on Broadway by 181st Street in Washington Heights. A campaign to save the theater from demolition
received over 8,600 signatures last year but the word on the street is that the historic structure will be demolished soon. Asbestos abatement signs are now up on the front doors and a former retail tenant has since shuttered at the corner entrance.
An
online ad for the new retail building shows a glassy box-like structure planned for the site but it is unclear if these final plans have been approved. DOB paperwork has not been posted yet so the future of uptown address is still a bit unclear. More details on the efforts to save the Colisseum can be found in our past post:
LINK
HarlemBespoke.com 2018
Anything in it or on it to save? We're too accepting of these losses.
ReplyDeleteMany people will disagree with me, but the Coliseum was a wreck inside and would have required an enormous investment to bring it back to life. By the time we moved to the Heights (2005), the theater was divided into four mini-theaters in the former balcony, and you could hear the sound of the movie next to you as well as whatever you might have been watching. Right now, The United Palace is doing so much good stuff already. I just hope that whatever replaces it brings needed retail and possibly non-profit community services.
ReplyDelete