Rego Park

Save the Trylon Rally article & picture

Demonstrators rally in front of the Trylon Theater on Sunday

(photo & article by David Chiu, Queens Chronicle Correspondent)

“Save the Trylon!” cried approximately 25 demonstrators who gathered in front of the 66-year-old Trylon Theater in Rego Park on Sunday. They were there to preserve what’s left of the art moderne building before its conversion into a cultural center for Bukharian Jews.
Led by the Committee to Save the Trylon Theater, a group that includes historians, community members and preservationists, protesters aimed to convince the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the building a landmark before more changes are made.
“We would really like to raise awareness as much as possible,” said the committee’s 23-year-old leader, Michael Perlman, prior to the event. “We would like to communicate the strong cultural, historical and architectural significance that this structure bears.”
Holding up black and white signs, which drew the attention of a small crowd of supporters and onlookers, the demonstrators circled underneath the theater’s damaged marquee.
“This marquee used to illuminate a lot of Queens Boulevard,” said Ava Barzvi, who remembered it as a popular meeting place. “This community doesn’t have much history as it is. It is most important that we preserve the artifacts that are inside.”
Protesters were appalled by the changes that were already made to the building. According to the committee, the theater’s interior was gutted this past summer.
Because the Trylon is boarded up, it has become impossible to know exactly what has been preserved and what has been removed. Rumors are circulating of arson and other acts of destruction.
Built during the 1939 World’s Fair, the Trylon Theater epitomized art deco and art moderne styles with its streamlined design. Its unique characteristics included mosaic inlaid tiles, painted cloth murals and an illuminated glass block tower.
At the end of 1999, the theater’s lease expired and it closed down for good, only days after its 60th anniversary. The building was then sold to the Education Center for Russian Jewry, which planned to convert it into a cultural youth center for Queens’ rapidly growing Bukharian population.
The committee is not opposed to the theater being used for the Bukharian Jews. Rather, Perlman said, they just want to save architecture that is important to Queens history. Any further changes to the building could create a rift between the Bukharians and longtime residents, according to the theater’s supporters.
In addition to Perlman, Art Deco Society Executive Director Glen Leiner, and Queens Historical Society Executive Director Mitchell Grubler also spoke at the rally.
Grubler responded to Landmarks Preservation Commission Chairman Robert Tierney’s quote in the New York Times that the Trylon does not meet the commission’s criteria for landmark status.
“He better go back and read the landmarks law because this building qualifies on all terms as a New York City landmark,” Grubler said. “It remains an important symbol of the community, and it embodies the community’s collective and personal history over its 60-plus years.”
Those at the rally also took issue with City Councilwoman Melinda Katz, who, they believe, is purposely obstructing their efforts to landmark the theater. A major supporter of the Bukharian center, Katz has been hesitant about taking any steps that may prevent its opening, Perlman said. “We are the community, and we are telling her that we want this building landmarked and preserved.”
Landmarking the Trylon could mean additional delays for the owners, who have already put in significant amounts of time and money for the renovation.
For her part, Katz has said that any issues Perlman has with the landmarking should be taken up with the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which is where the process begins.
To some, the matter regarding the Trylon is just the latest example of community concerns being ignored by city officials and developers.
“I really feel that Queens is getting a raw deal when it comes to preserving our heritage,” said Nancy Cataldi, president of the Richmond Hill Historical Society. “It seems like the developers are winning. The character of what is Queens is being lost.”
The general consensus among the Trylon’s supporters was that further drastic renovations to the theater would have a long-term detrimental effect on the community.
“This would be a great cultural and historical loss not only to Queens but to New York City,” Leiner said.
“Once it’s gone,” Grubler added, “once it is destroyed, it’s gone forever.”