It weathered the Great Depression, WWII, Bobby Sox and CinemaScope, and best of all, the theater avoided the wrecking ball. Now Suffern’s Lafayette Theatre celebrates its 90th birthday with 25 cents admission to Sunday’s gala, featuring a special screening of The Wizard Of Oz in 3-D.
The Lafayette officially opened its doors on March 3, 1924, and is now one of the oldest movie houses in the country still screening first run and classic movies. The theater’s spacious interior seats 1000 and includes Opera Boxes along the side walls. Under the management of Nelson Page in the lean late 1990s and early 2000s, the Lafayette began interior renovations, adding an ornate chandelier that helped mark the theater’s return to its classic look.
Under the current ownership of Robert Benmosche, President and Chief Executive Officer of American International Group (AIG), the Lafayette has accelerated renovations as well as stregthened the public/private partnership between the Town of Ramapo and the Benmosche Family. In December of 2013 the theater installed a new silver movie screen and just this week completed another successful BANFF Mountain Film Festival.
Sunday’s Gala 90th Anniversary Celebration features:
• 25 cents Admission to the Theater, the same as it was in 1924
• The screening of the 75th Anniversary Edition of The Wizard Of Oz in 3-D!
• Live performance of Abbott & Costello’s Classic Comedy Skit “Who’s on First”
• A video glimpse of Suffern in the 1920’s
A special note on the passing of longtime Lafayette organist and artist Jeff Barker, who passed away suddenly on the final day of 2013. Barker was best known for playing the Mighty Wurlitzer organ Saturday mornings before the Big Screen Classics shows.
Following is a tribute to Jeff from the Garden State Theatre Organ Society and the Lake Placid Film Forum.
All tickets for the March 2nd Celebration will be twenty-five cents at the door, with no pre-sale tickets available. Doors will open at 1:00 PM. The Lafayette Theater is located at 97 Lafayette Avenue, Suffern, N.Y.
