SOUTHAMPTON, NY — It's good news for cinephiles: The Southampton Village Cinema, closed during the pandemic, is set to reopen under new ownership.
Southampton Village Cinema, an iconic Southampton destination that was forced to close in March 2020 during the pandemic, has a new owner, Hill Street Cinema LLC, which plans to reopen the historic structure as a theater for movies and cultural events, according to a release.
The purchase from Southold Properties, Inc., went under contract Tuesday for an undisclosed amount, according to the release.
“The purchase was motivated by our burning desire to preserve this key component of Southampton Village culture as well as to reactivate the building's distinctive architecture, which has anchored the community center for many years,” a Hill Street Cinema spokesman said. “Our movie theater has entertained generations of families throughout the East End of Long Island.”
As movie viewings approach pre-pandemic levels, moviegoers are looking for the “glorious cinematic experience you can't get from streaming home programming,” the new owners said.
The colonial-style movie house at 43 Hill St. it was built by Michael Glynne in 1932 as the 1,062-seat Glynne's Southampton Theatre, “with a sumptuous auditorium noted for its enormous chandelier,” the new owners said.
According to a post on the Southampton Patch website, the theater in its heyday “was a magnet not only for Southampton moviegoers, but also for New York's bigwigs and their glamorous girlfriends who arrived in chauffeur-driven limousines to preview of Hollywood's finest. special offer.”
Local resident Richard Zimmer, interviewed for an oral history, said the theater was the first
line nationwide for new movie releases, “and if a movie bombed here, it was dead,” said Hill Street Cinema LLC.
The theater was then operated by the Prudential Circuit in the 1940s. Then, 50 years later, United Artists Theaters demolished the large auditorium and replaced it with a four-screen multiplex. a fifth screen, converted from an underground dressing room, operated until 1995, the new owners said.
The cinema was last operated by Regal Entertainment Group as Southampton 4 Theatres.
