Metro Theater On Upper West Side Set To Become Retailer: Permits

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The long-vacant Upper West Side Metro Theater — which showcased in its day both art-house films and porn — will finally get a new tenant after more than a decade of standing vacant, building records show.

The landmarked theater on Broadway between West 99th and 100th streets is being prepared for a retailer and will not continue as an art center, according to Building department records.

A new work application was submitted on March 3rd related to a past application filed in 2020 to "convert existing motion theater building to retail use with general construction, structural upgrade as per plan."

The historic movie theater opened in 1933 and kept movies reeling until it shuttered, and remained shuttered, in 2006.

While Metro began as a standard movie theater, it transformed into an art film center in the 1950s and 60s then took a turn toward the low-brow, according to theater historians.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Metro Theater served as one of Upper West Siders' go-to places for porn.

Much like the city itself, Metro Theater smoothed the rough edges in the 1990s and returned to featuring feature films.

Gilman Architects are listed on the application as part of the possible project, which the document says will cost an estimated $1.2 million.

There were reports, including from the WestSideRag, that the construction had already started within the theater, but the Department of Buildings told Patch that the permits to actually do the construction have not been issued.

In fact, the city agency received 311 complaints about unpermitted work at the location, and sent inspectors to the theater on Saturday to observe the site, but did not see any work being done.

The DOB inspectors are heading back to the scene soon, though.

Patch was unable to get into contact with longtime theater owner Albert Bialek, but he told the WestSideRag that he could not say what was coming to the Metro Theater until March 20th due to a confidentiality agreement.

Patch was able to find the building record showing that the Upper West Side space is being prepared for a retailer.

Storefront vacancy on the Upper West Side has been a long-growing issue in the community, and there may be no greater symbol of the neighborhood's vacancy blight than the shuttered Metro Theater.

There have been a handful of efforts in the past 15 years to push the city to reopen the theater, most recently in 2018 when a GoFundMe campaign exceeded its $3,600 goal to help the arts establishment get back on its feet.

However, the creator of the fundraiser ended up returning the funds to donors after the costs needed to make an impact exceeded fundraising possibilities.

At one point in 2016, it was reported that Planet Fitness would take over the space, but the plans fell through.

Patch will update the story when any more information is discovered.