Did you know that the BAM Harvey Theater on Fulton Street is now the largest, grandest movie venue in Brooklyn? Indeed, the Harvey is now a movie palace with a gigantic screen. At a  time when audiences prefer streaming movies in their living room, BAM has created a compelling reason to turn off the TV and go out to see a movie.

This is big news.

BAM’s state-of-the-art movie palace has a brand new Steinberg Screen. It is now a great place to see newly restored Hollywood flicks like The Godfather 1 and 2, Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia. They will also be showing films like Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen’s new movie, starting Friday, July 26th.

Good job BAM. You are really securing your reputation as the best movie theater in Brooklyn and maybe NYC. Yay.

The venue known as the “Harvey” first opened in 1904 as the Majestic Theater presenting dramas, light opera, musicals, and vaudeville. In 1942, the Majestic was turned into an elegant, first run movie house. During the 1960s, the Majestic closed and sat abandoned for nearly two decades.

Back in the 1980’s, BAM’s Executive Producer Harvey Lichtenstein wanted to stage Peter Brook’s production of The Mahabharata and decided to restore the old, derelict theater just two blocks from BAM. Funds were raised and the theater was renovated.

The theater will, I assume, continue as a multi-arts venue, as it embarks on its renewed life as a movie palace.