Harlem Board Seeks Neighbors' Input On Fate Of Historic Theater

HARLEM, NY — A West Harlem community board is asking the public to weigh in about what should be done with a historic but decaying old movie palace that two competing developers want to remake into an affordable housing complex.

The 1,857-seat RKO Hamilton Theater on Broadway and 146th Street showed its last movie in 1958. Since then, it has hosted an evangelical church and served as a boxing ring, a disco and a refrigerator warehouse, according to a 2013 Daily News article, but eventually fell into disrepair.

While the theater's ornate terra cotta exterior on Broadway is landmarked, the interior is not, and developers Brisa Omni New York and Brisa Builders are both seeking to build on the site while preserving some of its historic elements.

Omni and Brisa both pledge to build hundreds of affordable units on the site, as well as a new arts center to maintain the theater's heritage.

The companies presented their plans to Community Board 9 in July. The board is now asking neighbors to fill out a poll by Sept. 30, indicating which plan they prefer.

The proposal by Omni, a Manhattan-based developer specializing in affordable housing, would build two new 14-story buildings on the site, including up to 200 new apartments for families making between 30 and 110 percent of the area's median income.

Omni decided against trying to rehabilitate the theater space after finding it would cost as much as $50 million, presenters said. Instead, they would preserve elements including the theater's fabric wallpaper, stair railings and light fixtures to be used in the new building.

Omni is proposing to build an "entertainment hub" focused on theater, dance and the performing arts — including a 200-seat theater that would be managed by Diana Byer, founder of the New York Theatre Ballet.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn-based Brisa's proposal calls for a new 18-story tower and another 10-story building built on the vacant lot at the north end of the site. They would house a combined 250 new affordable apartments.

Brisa is proposing a 20,000-square-foot community arts facility, including a brick box theater to be built inside the shell of the existing theater.

More information about the proposals is available at Community Board 9's website, or watch each developer's presentation at the July 13 meeting below (Omni's starts around the 8 minute mark, while Brisa's begins around 52:30).