The Metro theater, on Broadway between 99th and 100th Streets, has been closed for 17 years, showing its last movie in 2005. Its facade is landmarked, but its insides have been gutted — for “imminent” occupancy by a tenant who is “very special,” longtime Metro owner Albert Bialek has told the press many times over the past decade and a half (at least). Each time, the deal fell through.
Now, a group of neighborhood residents is seeking to change that pattern, and it’s gaining momentum. The goal of Friends of Metro Theater (foMT) is to see the Metro reopened as “a multi-purpose space with a film component,” said Debbie Rosenberg, secretary of the group. And they’re using social media to gather support, with a snazzy new website and videos like the one below.
formerly Mad Cornish Projectionist.