Paradise Theater
Former Loew's movie palace and concert venue in the Bronx, now preserved as a landmarked building.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Paradise Theater is a historic theater building at 2403 Grand Concourse in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. It opened on September 7, 1929, as one of five Loew's Wonder Theatres in the New York metropolitan area. Designed by theater architect John Eberson, the building was conceived as an atmospheric movie palace, combining film exhibition with elaborate Spanish-inspired exterior decoration and richly ornamented Italian Baroque interiors. Its scale, architectural detailing, and location on the Grand Concourse made it one of the Bronx's most prominent entertainment buildings of the interwar period. The theater was developed during the expansion of large urban cinemas in the late 1920s. A Paramount-Publix subsidiary acquired the site in 1925, and Loew's Theatres took control of the project in 1927. The completed complex included a three-story lobby wing, a two-story retail wing along the Grand Concourse, and a large auditorium extending toward Creston Avenue. The auditorium originally contained approximately 3,855 seats on two levels and included a Wonder Morton theater pipe organ made by the Robert Morton Organ Company. The venue initially presented both motion pictures and live performances, but live shows were discontinued within roughly five years of opening as the theater's primary role became film exhibition. Paradise Theater was designed to offer a highly immersive customer experience. Its terracotta Grand Concourse facade used cream, blue, and salmon-pink elements in a Baroque composition. A mechanical Seth Thomas clock and a moving Saint George-and-dragon sculpture once formed part of the facade's visual spectacle. Inside, patrons passed through a sequence of outer lobby, foyer, and main lobby spaces decorated with murals, woodwork, sculptures, plaster ornament, marble, chandeliers, and decorative metalwork. The auditorium featured an elaborate proscenium arch, ornamental walls and ceilings, and an atmospheric design intended to evoke a grand outdoor setting rather than a conventional enclosed cinema. The theater declined after World War II as moviegoing patterns and neighborhood conditions changed. During the 1970s and 1980s, the auditorium was subdivided on three occasions, ultimately becoming a four-screen multiplex. The building closed as a cinema in 1994 and remained shuttered for more than a decade. A renovation effort associated with Richard P. DeCesare did not succeed, but a subsequent owner, Gerald Lieblich, completed rehabilitation work. Paradise reopened in 2005 as an event venue rather than a movie theater. It changed ownership twice during the following four years and was leased in 2012 to World Changers Church International New York. That congregation vacated the building in 2020. Although it no longer functions as a movie theater, the building's facade and interior spaces remain architecturally significant. They preserve major elements of late-1920s theater design, including the terracotta facade, decorative lobbies, murals, lounges, balcony areas, and auditorium ornament. The Paradise Theater and its surviving interiors are recognized as New York City designated landmarks. Its history reflects the transition from palace-style cinema to multiplex, event venue, and religious use, while its preserved fabric continues to document the cultural and architectural ambitions of the Bronx's Grand Concourse during the golden age of movie palaces.
History
Paradise Theater was developed during the rapid construction of large movie palaces in American cities during the 1920s. A Paramount-Publix subsidiary acquired the Bronx site in 1925, and Loew's Theatres assumed control two years later. Architect John Eberson designed the building as an atmospheric theater, using a Spanish-influenced exterior and a sequence of richly decorated interior rooms to distinguish the venue from ordinary cinemas. It was intended to be the Bronx member of Loew's Wonder Theatre group, which also included major theaters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Jersey City. The building opened on September 7, 1929, shortly before the onset of the Great Depression. Its plan separated the public-facing lobby and retail functions along the Grand Concourse from the auditorium at the rear of the site. The complex occupied about 39,000 square feet, while its interior spaces covered approximately 45,000 square feet. The auditorium provided roughly 3,855 seats on two levels and was equipped with a Wonder Morton pipe organ. The original program combined films with live shows, but live presentations ended within about five years, leaving motion pictures as the dominant use. Paradise was notable for both its exterior and interior. The principal facade used architectural terracotta in cream, blue, and salmon-pink tones, with a Baroque frontispiece, Corinthian pilasters, decorative cartouches, a clock, and a former Saint George-and-dragon mechanism. The auditorium wing on Creston Avenue was more restrained, using patterned brickwork and terracotta details. Inside, the outer lobby, foyers, main lobby, promenade, lounges, and balcony lobbies were decorated with murals, sculptures, wood paneling, plaster ornament, marble, chandeliers, and metalwork. The main lobby contained murals by Hungarian artists Lajos Szanto and Andrew Karoly, while a lower-foyer mural was painted by David Jermann in 1999. Like many palace theaters, Paradise faced long-term pressure from changing entertainment economics and neighborhood conditions. Its auditorium was subdivided three times during the 1970s and 1980s, creating a four-screen multiplex that sacrificed some of the original single-auditorium experience. The theater finally closed in 1994. An early attempt to revive the property associated with Richard P. DeCesare did not produce a successful reopening. The building remained shuttered for more than ten years before Gerald Lieblich completed a renovation and reopened it in 2005 as an event venue. The post-cinema period brought further changes. The property was sold twice within the next four years, and in 2012 it was leased to World Changers Church International New York. Religious use continued until the congregation vacated the building in 2020. The Paradise's current operating status is not established by the supplied references. The structure is important not only as a former entertainment business but also as a surviving example of late-1920s theater architecture. Its facade and interior are preserved as New York City designated landmarks. Surviving features include the Grand Concourse terracotta work, lobby sequence, murals, decorative lounges, auditorium ornament, and circulation spaces. Some original elements have disappeared or been altered: the pipe organ was removed, the Saint George and dragon figures were stolen, and a former goldfish pool was replaced by a concession stand in 2006. The building's layered history illustrates the movement from palace cinema to multiplex, event venue, and religious facility.
- 2020
Church vacates
[1]The church congregation left the former theater, ending the documented religious-use period.
- 2012
Leased for church use
[1]World Changers Church International New York began leasing the building.
- 2006
Former goldfish pool replaced
[1]A concession stand replaced a goldfish pool in the main-lobby area.
- 2005
Reopens as an event venue
[1]A renovation completed under Gerald Lieblich brought the building back into use for events.
- 1999
Lower-foyer mural completed
[1]Artist David Jermann painted a mural in the lower foyer during the building's closed period.
- 1994
Cinema closes
[1]Paradise Theater ended its operation as a movie theater and entered a prolonged period of vacancy.
- 1970
Auditorium conversion begins
[1]The auditorium underwent repeated subdivisions during the 1970s and 1980s, eventually becoming a four-screen multiplex.
- 1934
Live shows discontinued
[1]Live performances were discontinued within approximately five years of opening, leaving film exhibition as the primary function.
- 1929
Grand opening
[1]The Paradise Theater opened on September 7 with film and live-entertainment programming.
- 1927
Loew's takes over the project
[1]Loew's Theatres assumed control of the development and incorporated the property into its Wonder Theatre network.
Products and positioning
A grand Bronx movie palace and architectural landmark whose role evolved from Loew's flagship film exhibition venue to multiplex, event space, and church facility.
Film exhibition · 1929
Movie-palace cinema
The original business was a large Loew's cinema offering motion pictures in an atmospheric movie-palace setting. The venue combined a substantial two-level auditorium with an elaborate entrance sequence, decorative lobbies, lounges, murals, sculpture, and a theater pipe organ. Its design made the audience experience part of the attraction rather than treating the building as a simple screening room.
Film exhibition
Four-screen multiplex
During the 1970s and 1980s, the original auditorium was subdivided repeatedly and converted into a four-screen multiplex. This adaptation allowed the building to continue screening films in a changing exhibition market, but it altered the scale and unity of the original single-auditorium experience.
Events and concerts · 2005
Event venue
After its 2005 reopening, Paradise Theater operated as an event venue rather than a regular cinema. The restored historic interiors offered a distinctive setting for private functions and entertainment-related uses, making the building's architecture part of the venue's commercial proposition.
Religious assembly · 2012
Church facility
From 2012 until the congregation's departure in 2020, the building was leased to World Changers Church International New York for religious gatherings. This use represented the latest documented operating phase of the former theater.
Brand decisions
2012
Lease the building for religious useStrategyBackground
Following a short period as an event venue and subsequent ownership changes, the property required a continuing occupant.
Action taken
The building was leased to World Changers Church International New York.
Aftermath
The former theater operated as a church until the congregation vacated in 2020.
2005
Reopen as an event venueStrategyBackground
After closing in 1994 and remaining vacant for more than a decade, the property required a use beyond conventional cinema exhibition.
Action taken
Gerald Lieblich completed renovation work and reopened Paradise Theater for events.
Aftermath
The building returned to active use, although not as a regular movie theater.
1970
Convert the auditorium into a multiplexStrategyBackground
The theater faced long-term changes in the cinema market and declining use of large single-screen movie palaces.
Action taken
The auditorium was subdivided repeatedly during the 1970s and 1980s, ultimately creating four screening rooms.
Aftermath
The building continued to function as a cinema for a period, but the conversion changed its original architectural and operational format.
Sources1 sources
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