Bronx’s 1929 Paradise movie palace returns as a 4,000-seat performing arts center

The Bronx’s landmark Loew’s Paradise Theatre, a 1929 movie palace, will reopen later this year as the Paradise Performing Arts Center, with a community welcome event planned for Nov. 10.

The venue holds about 4,000 seats, and among New York theaters only Radio City Music Hall is bigger. Its leaders say it fills a gap in the borough. “Every borough of New York City has major performing arts centers except The Bronx,” said Scott Perrin, the center’s executive director.

What the Paradise Performing Arts Center plans to stage

Plans call for movie screenings, family shows, stand-up comedy and educational programs, along with live concerts and dance. To pay for programming over the long run, the team is talking with individual donors, philanthropic backers, corporate sponsors and elected officials. Civic and corporate groups that want to partner with the center are asked to get in touch.

Perrin leads the management team. He produced the Off-Broadway musical “Our Sinatra” and the Tony-nominated “A Grand Night for Singing.” The two managing directors are Peter Martin, co-owner of the Triad Theater and a producer of “Celebrity Autobiography,” and Charles Piazza.

Nov. 10 community welcome and the building’s history

Guests at the Nov. 10 event can tour the building on their own and sample food and drinks supplied by Bronx businesses. The center says it wants to present artists who reflect the community and to open the arts to as wide an audience as possible.

Loew’s built five Wonder Theatres around the New York area, and the Paradise, which first opened its doors on Sept. 7, 1929, was one of them. After it closed in 1994, the building served as an event space and later a church. The city landmarked its exterior in 1997, then added the lobbies and auditorium interior in 2006.

Perrin said he expects the center to reach many young people in the Bronx by bringing arts and culture to their own neighborhood.