Pipe Organ Database

From cinematreasures.org: Opened on February 5, 1922, the large Forest Hills Theatre is located around the corner from the more famous (and still operating) Midway Theatre in the Queens, New York neighborhood of Forest Hills. It was designed by architect Kenneth M. Murchison. It was equipped with a Smith 4 manual 17 ranks organ (the largest instrument manufactured by Smith Organ company). The Forest Hills Theatre was remodeled in 1937. It was renovated in 1961 to the plans of architect John J. McNamara. It was twinned on December 18, 1981.

After seven decades of showing movies, the theatre was closed on November 18, 1998 and was sold, along with the Midway Theatre, by United Artists to a local developer. On August 28, 1999, the Duane Reade opened, with the theatre’s façade restored. The original building beyond the façade was demolished for construction of the Duane Reade drugstore. In July 2015 a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant opened in the upper section of the front of the building. That closed down on October 31, 2020. The project was given a local design award – ostensibly for the meticulously preserved exterior. The interior, however, is now part of Forest Hills' history.