The tale of the Metro Theater, a historic Art Deco landmark located between 99th and 100 street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is not unlike that of Sleeping Beauty. As the fairy tale goes, princess Aurora fell into a deep slumber only curable by true love’s kiss. Our modern-day princess, the Metro Theater, was once more regal than Aurora herself, boasting a light pink terracotta facade, a shiny central medallion with theatrical masks, and jet-black marquees sparkling with neon lights.

Upon the theater’s grand opening, those sparkling lights were symbolically accurate because the Metro, then called the Midtown Theater, served as a bright light for Americans amid a period of darkness. Designed by Hyman Paris and Russell Boak, the single-screen theater opened in 1933 during the height of the Great Depression. People flocked to it en masse to watch melodramas, comedies, and romance movies. Crain’s New York Business magazine notes that people turned to movies like The Goose Step, The Marx Brothers comedies, and The Seventh Veil as a form of escapism.

Unfortunately, by the 1970s, the Metro Theater had escaped its own morals. A princess tale is unavailing without a wicked antagonist. For Aurora, Maleficent played the role, while for the Midtown Theater, it was a private group of theater operators who administered evil decisions, choosing to screen mainly pornographic cinema during this decade.

Then, in 1982, a series of revival, art, and foreign films graced the theater’s single screen. It was in this year that theater operator Daniel Talbot took over the lease and renamed the space the Metro Theater. Additionally, he invested $300,000, a grand sum of money at the time, into renovations.

New York Cinemas followed up these renovations in 1986 after purchasing the theater from Talbot. Evidently, the group took heed of the proverb “Two is better than one” when they decided to invest in a second screen and to rename the theater ‘the Metro Twin.’ What was once the balcony became the second auditorium, and beautifully intricate ornamentation adorned both sections of the theater.

Albert Bialek entered the picture just one year later, in 1987. He was the leader of the Broadway Metro Associates, an organization that owned the Metro Theater for several decades. In purchasing the theater, Albert Bialek and his wife, Sheila Hoffman Bialek, hoped to transform the space into an arthouse. They were skeptical of its ability to survive as a theater, with Albert Bialek telling a reporter at The New York Times “The old twin theater was obsolete. We just couldn’t compete with the megaplexes.”

Bialek’s concerns about the Metro becoming an outdated antique were not unfounded. After all, it was the only theater that had survived of the eighteen that existed between 59th Street and 110th Street on Broadway in 1934. Although Bialek was skeptical of the Metro’s aptitude for permanence in a modernizing world, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) had a plan to ensure the theater’s legacy did not die. In 1989, the LPC designated the Metro Theater an official landmark.

But, what does landmarking mean for a building’s future? I asked Yiwen Xu ’25, a Bronx Science student, what came to mind when she heard the words ‘landmarked buildings.’ Immediately, she responded, “I think of modern skyscrapers like the Empire State, the Chrysler, and the Flatiron buildings.” Then, she thought about the question some more, appearing gradually more conflicted, and continuing, “But, I also think of those older, shorter apartments that cannot be built taller because of the landmark laws.” When New Yorkers think of landmarked buildings, these two possibilities likely come to mind.

When the LPC landmarked the Metro Theater in 1989, it joined the ranks of over 37,000 other landmarked sites in New York City. Among these are indeed the Empire State and Chrysler buildings. However, in recent years, the Metro Theater has unfortunately leaned more towards the latter category that Xu mentioned: old, withering, and unprofitable.

Sixteen years after the Metro earned landmark status, no new tenants lay claim to the space and its doors shut indefinitely. With no lovers for his theater in sight, Bialek approved the demolition of the Metro Twin’s interior to make space for potential retail tenants in 2005. The theater maintained its external beauty as it slept, as its unique Art Deco style façade was protected under the landmark designation.

In 2009, the first potential suitor for the Metro made its way into this tale. Urban Outfitters claimed it was gearing up to sign a 20-year lease. Unfortunately, that blossoming relationship failed shortly after Urban Outfitters’ CEO, Ted Marlowe, told Women’s Wear Daily “It’s [the Metro Theater] not the easiest space to work with. We still have some work to do.”

The next failed love story for the Metro came in 2013. The Alamo Drafthouse, a cinema chain based in Austin, Texas, that serves dinner and beer alongside art films, made some promising statements. They had already begun renovating the Metro’s interior and planned to convert the two-screen theater into a five-screen one. The New York Times even published photos of the ongoing construction, and Alamo released a draft of their menu. This relationship ultimately fell through too because construction costs were too high in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

By 2020,after numerous unsuccessful lease attempts, Bialek tried to make the space more appealing to new suitors, and converted the Metro Theater into a general retail space. Bialek submitted a proposal to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) to accomplish this, but his request was denied. The sleeping beauty was not to be tampered with.

Despite this setback, help was on its way. On July 17th, 2020, an organization dedicated to reviving the theater, called the New Friends of Metro Theater (NFoMT), announced their formation. People from all walks of life–musicians, actors, film directors, artists, and politicians–came together to show their undying support for Bialek’s theater.

With their assistance, Bialek managed to re-enter negotiations with the Alamo Drafthouse in 2022. On October 20th, 2023, the president of NFoMT, Liza Cooper, had exciting news to share with the West Side Rag, an online newspaper that covers the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Bialek told Cooper over the phone that they were “99% there with reopening the Metro Theater” and “the Department of Buildings had approved all construction proposals.”

Nine days later, tragedy struck. Albert Bialek passed away peacefully at the age of 89. In Bialek’s absence, Cooper was determined to honor his legacy, telling the West Side Rag, “we won’t slow down until Metro Theater reopens.” 

Now, it appears as though the theater may have just found its Prince Phillip. On April 4th, 2025, a nonprofit group called Upper West Side Cinema (UWSC) purchased the Metro Theater for $6.9 million from the Bialek Estate, represented by Albert Bialek’s nephews. The UWSC is headed by Ira Deutchman, a film producer, and Adeline Monzier, the former U.S. representative for Unifrance (a French film promoter).

I interviewed Ms. Monzier to get a better understanding of the nonprofit’s future plans and rise to fame. She explained that, at first, people were skeptical of UWSC’s decision to purchase the theater. Yet, she continued “We had already had an article in The New York Times in August 2024. Following that article, Steven Spielberg’s foundation contacted us and […] pledged to support the project, so when we signed the purchase agreement, we knew we already had that even though we couldn’t publicly use Spielberg’s name until the full amount had been raised.” 

Still, raising 7 million dollars in 5 months would be no small feat. Monzier explained that the UWSCC started “organizing the first small fundraising events” with the goal to raise $100,000 from the community within one week for the theater’s down payment. They proceeded to do “a lot more fundraising events throughout the fall” and eventually convinced another big donor, the Klingenstein-Martell Foundation, to contribute.

By December of 2024, the UWSC felt like they had run out of steam. “We had reached out to everyone we knew […] but we still hadn’t raised more than half the amount we needed and the closing date was in January.” Then, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal came to the rescue, offering “$500,000 support from his discretionary funds.” Hoylman-Sigal also worked with New York State Representative Micah Lasher to contact New York State Governor Kathy Hochul about additional funding. At first, the State had said they could potentially “help with the build-out phase,” but contributing during the purchase phase seemed pretty much out of the question. 

That is why, when Governor Hochul ultimately did “give 3.5 million dollars to the nonprofit so we [UWSC] could finalize the purchase,” it was “really unexpected.” 

Monzier also offered insight into why she believes the State ultimately came through with the deal. “Trump had just been elected and people were kind of depressed in the city, so this was a way for New York state and local officials to show that they were very active […] and could deliver some positive news at the local level.” Due to the governor’s pledge of support, the initial January 10th deadline to purchase the theater was extended.

Since the grand purchase, UWSC has not wasted time in spreading the word. According to Monzier, they are “doing a pop-up screening series that started in early May” for which they “have teamed up with various venues in the Upper West Side, Harlem, and Upper East Side” including “Symphony space, JCC Manhattan, JCC Harlem, the Maysles Documentary Center, the Lycée Français, and also the Columbus-Amsterdam BID for an outdoor screening.” By “creating a series that celebrates the love for cinema,” UWSC hopes to show the public that “even if we [they] didn’t have a space that was already up and running, we [they] were already building our [their] audience and offering films[…] that we [they] are already collaborating with existing cultural organizations.” 

Looking ahead, Upper West Side Cinema has big plans and big names backing their project. Hollywood stars Ethan Hawke, Martin Scorsese, and Frances McDormand are all advisors to UWSC. They support the group’s plans to turn the Metro Theater into a vibrant five-screen independent arthouse cinema. Regarding the layout, two of the screens “will have between 150 and 180 seats. Three will be smaller ones with 50 seats each. One of them will be really tailored toward education.” 

Monzier spoke enthusiastically about her nonprofit’s plans on the education front. “The idea is to have a very comprehensive film education program whether it’s bringing schools on field trips to the cinema to watch films and meet filmmakers, working with teachers on curriculums aligned with film, or bringing films to the classroom. We also want to have some after-school programs dedicated to film education like film clubs for different age groups.”

As per the new theater’s programming, Monzier hopes to screen “a lot of international cinema, American independent cinema, and also classics.” Beyond first-run films, they also plan to screen “some thematic series repertory films” and to host many events because “events are a really good way to attract audiences whether it is filmmakers, guest speakers, academics, professors, or […] editors.” 

UWSCC’s vision is to create a cinema center that brings “the best of American and International cinema to a very diverse community […] , making everyone feel welcome.” They want the space to “feel like a neighborhood cinema–like a cinema that belongs to everyone.” 

While many of us, including Monzier, are eager to see the theater reopen, we must remember that patience is a virtue. “It is going to take a few years, because we need to raise the funds first, and the actual renovations will take two and a half years. We are hoping for late 2027, 2028.” 

Of course, some are doubtful this project will come to fruition given repeated past failures. Yet, considering the group managed to raise almost $7 million in less than five months, things are looking promising so far. If they can gather an additional $15-25 million for interior renovations, the UWS Cinema Center may soon reopen and sing the famous tune of Sleeping Beauty: “You’ll love me at once, the way you did, once upon a dream.”

UWSCC’s vision is to create a cinema center that brings “the best of American and International cinema to a very diverse community […] , making everyone feel welcome.” They want the space to “feel like a neighborhood cinema–like a cinema that belongs to everyone.”