The Baronet Theatre Marquee - a photo on Flickriver

            THE HISTORIC BARONET THEATRE 

The historic Baronet Theatre, originally the Ocean Theatre built in 1913, on Fourth Avenue in Asbury Park had its last curtain call on Wednesday, Sept. 22, as wrecking crews razed the theatre because of safety concerns.

City fire and code officials said the theatre’s roof had col¬lapsed and that the exterior walls were cracking, buckling, and in danger of collapse.

City officials determined the theatre was an eminent safety hazard and issued the order to have it razed. Of¬ficials said the structure had gone beyond the point where any repairs could have remedied the structural problems. 

Several workers for the waterfront redeveloper, Asbury Partners, removed four old movie projectors from the small upper projectionist’s loft at the theatre. The workers also saved the original marquee and some reels of film. 

The projectors were so heavy they needed to be removed using some of the wrecking equipment.

Asbury Park historian Helen Pike said she never thought that many of the Asbury Park images in her book “Asbury Park’s Glory Days” would be vanishing at such an alarm¬ing rate. 

“Never did I imagine my book would become a photo¬graphic archive of the city’s lost architectural touchstones. Once the Fast Lane and Asbury Lanes go, that side of Fourth Avenue will be a canvas as blank as in the days of founder James A. Bradley.

“My fervent hope is that whatever comes next is as iconic and as culturally valuable to the greater Asbury Park community as what’s been lost,” she said. 
The art-deco-style Baronet Theatre, at 205 Fourth Avenue, opened in 1913 as the Ocean Theatre and was owned by Harry Rockefeller. 

It was purchased and renovated by local theatre mo¬gul Walter Reade in 1953 and the current marquee on the theatre is from Reade’s New York City theatre of the same name, once on 57 Street. Reade moved the original New York City marquee to Asbury Park when he sold the theatre. 

The theatre seated 546 in recliner seats and had a stage with proscenium arch. 
The Baronet was one of only a few hundred single-screen theatres remaining in the country. The only other similar theatre in this area is the Bradley Beach Cinema. 

Walter Burns and Maurice Roberson purchased the theatre in 1986 and tried to restore and reopen it. Asbury Partners purchased the old theatre three years ago.

Taken in: United States / New Jersey / Asbury Park / Waterfront (show map)

Taken on: September 10, 2005

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Camera: Canon EOS 20D, f/4.0, 1/60 sec, 18mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 20D
Lens:	18.0-55.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.017 sec (1/60)
Focal Length:	18mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	On, Red-eye reduction
Exposure Program:	Program AE
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