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See inside the beautiful Kings Theatre before it reopens

After being shuttered 37 years, the 1920s movie palace has been immaculately restored

Written by
Dana Varinsky
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Once one of Brooklyn’s most elegant movie theaters, the Loew’s Kings Theatre opened in Flatbush as a movie and live performance space in 1929 but began to decline in the 1950s as multiplex cinemas became popular. The doors were closed in 1977, and the theater fell into disrepair. Now, after an elaborate $93 million renovation, the 3,074-seat theater is poised to reopen, its original glory fully restored. Click through the slide show below to see photos of the revamped space, as well as historical images of what it once looked like. The theater’s first show will feature Diana Ross, who performs February 3. (1027 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn)

Photograph: Wendy George

Photograph: Courtesy Matt Lambros

The inside of the theater before the renovation process began
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Photograph: Wendy George

Matt Lambros

The inside of the theater while under restoration
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Photograph: Wendy George

Photograph: Courtesy Loew's Collection

The marquee as it looked in the 1930s
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Photograph: Wendy George

Photograph: Wendy George

The celing of the theater as seen from center stage
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Photograph: Wendy George

New, wider seating was installed as part of the renovation. The space now holds over 3,000.
Photograph: Wendy George

A worker puts finishing touches on the second-floor balustrade.
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Photograph: Wendy George

Original and new components of the bannister blend seamlessly together, before the new component's color is changed to match the old.
Photograph: Wendy George

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Photograph: Wendy George

The theater's original drinking fountains are usable once more, with the inscription "Drink and be refreshed."
Photograph: Wendy George

The theater's lobby
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Photograph: Wendy George

Photograph: Courtesy Loew's Collection

The theater's lobby during its heyday
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Photograph: Wendy George

Photograph: Courtesy Matt Lambros

The lobby ceiling, before renovation
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Photograph: Wendy George

One of the theater's original spotlights still remains in the lofted tech booth.
Photograph: Wendy George

The theater's original movie projector will remain in the space now used to control lighting for shows.
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Photograph: Wendy George

The heads of many of the figures that decorate alcoves on the theater's main floor had been removed while it was closed. Molds were created from the ones that remained to recreate the faces. 
Photograph: Wendy George

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Photograph: Wendy George

The view from backstage
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