New look of Loews Pitkin Theater unveiled

New renderings of the Loews Pitkin Theater, at 1501 Pitkin Avenue in
Brownsville, were published yesterday by ArchPaper. The Pitkin Theater
— once home to the likes of Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle and Humphrey
Bogart — was closed since 1969, until ground was broken last week on a
new charter school and retail complex. Developer POKO Partners is
working together with Kitchen & Associates, a firm based in
Collingswood, NJ, on the renovation. According to POKO, the project
will “mesh what remains of the building’s sumptuous Art Deco interiors
with high-tech, sustainable features, creating something at once
historic and cutting edge.” The base of the building will house 70,000
square feet of retail with a 90,000-square-foot, 1,100-seat elementary
and middle school, run by Ascend Learning. The project is slated for
completion in the next 18 months. [ArchPaper]