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Second Act For Paradise?
Restoration Under Way

By HEATHER HADDON

Developers are finally well on their way to flipping the stage lights back on at the Loew’s Paradise Theatre after more than a decade of vacancy. Rehabilitation work at the Grand Concourse landmark began again in earnest earlier this year to pave the way for a large-scale theater predominantly showcasing Latino cultural events.

The developer, Gerald Lieblich, is restoring the baroque interior of the facility and the 3,855-seat theater is slated to open this fall. The concert hall will include a restaurant, bar, VIP seating and a party room. Roughly six storefront spaces flanking the main theater section had been partitioned as of last week, and “for rent” signs were prominently displayed.

“We’re in the process of restoring the facility … and we’re almost there,” said Lieblich, who runs a large Manhattan development firm. Lieblich leased the theater space to Paradise Theater Productions, a company run by Richard Boter, a Manhattan attorney.

Lieblich would not give more details about the redevelopment. Boter did not return calls for comment, but an overview prepared by him and posted on the Web site for R. Paniagua, a Latino marketing agency promoting the theater’s events, stated that the project will meet “the needs of the largely Latino community surrounding this site and … the entertainment industry for a large venue for major productions.”

Big-name Latino musicians will constitute at least 65 percent of the 100 weekend shows expected annually, according to the site. The space will also be available for special events, like boxing matches, political events and TV shows.

A foreman working at the site last week agreed that the new theater should be completed by the fall. The worker described the space as “very big.”

Something big hasn’t happened at the Loew’s since it shut its doors in 1994. The 4,000-seat movie theater had provided entertainment to generations of Bronxites since it was built in 1929. The theater was subdivided in 1973, and fell into disrepair thereafter.

The much-anticipated reopening of the majestic space has stalled repeatedly since it was purchased by ABI Property Partners in 1994. ABI signed a 10-year lease with Daniel DeCesare, a Westchester developer, who sunk millions into restorations to create a sports and entertainment complex. DeCesare eventually ran out of funds, and legal wrangling began in 2000 over who controlled the facility. ABI finally won in 2003.

Lieblich purchased the 141,312-square-foot building that year for $4.5 million, according to city finance records. His company, the First Paradise Theaters Corporation, leased over 57,000 square feet to Paradise Theater Productions last January.

Since then, restoration has continued on the building’s ornate interior, which includes marble columns, Greek statues and gilded fixtures. Work has also progressed on the adjacent commercial spaces. Walls now divide the first floor stores, though nothing has been built within them. The building contains an additional 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the second floor.

Work has also been done on the main section of the facility’s façade, with a bright, new Loew’s Paradise sign hanging outside. The building’s exterior was designated a landmark by the city in 2001, but efforts to get a similar designation for the interior have dragged on for years.

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