A New York Times story  published today appeared to signal movement afoot in the long winding and tragic tale of the famed 1928 R.K.O. theater located in downtown Flushing.  While the Times article was scant on new developing details the gist of the piece signaled a tragic ending to the landmark theater which was designed by the famed architect Thomas Lamb in 1928.

The story titled and sub-titled  "A Classic Queens Movie Palace Faces Its Final Curtain - Once a theater of staggering beauty, the long-shuttered RKO Keith’s in Flushing may soon be demolished" summarized how the theater, which was granted landmark preservation status in the 80's has been flipped by a string of developers in the ensuing years. 

Prior to the many purchases and sales of the landmarked property, a former site owner, Thomas Huang illegally demolished some of the interiors in a move that netted him felony charges and put the theater back on the market.  Sadly, the theater has beenin a neglected state of disrepair since the demolition and local preservationists and community activists are in a pitched battle to ensure that any new development maintains the landmarked grand foyer and ticket lobby.

A Beijing real estate outfit named Xinyuan purchased the theater in August 2016, which was brokered by Cushman Wakefield.  A Xinyaun  spokesperson in 2016 stated that “the location for this project in downtown Flushing is ideally situated particularly as there is a shortage of inventory in the higher-end condominium segment,” Xinyuan chairman Yong Zhang said in a statement. “Given the location of this project, we expect it will be appealing to both local and foreign buyers and investors.”

Ultimately, time will only tell whether the landmark provisions that are tied to the famed theater will be incorporated into the final execution of any new development.  Architectural drawings on file with Landmarks Department  indicate that Xinyuan have considered a conservation strategy for using the existing ticket lobby and grand foyer as the entry for the residential building.  That said, many preservationist in the Flushing community have been pushing for even further conservation efforts.