About This Episode
In this episode, I chat with Colin Egan, who shares the remarkable story of saving Jersey City's Loew's Theatre from demolition through a 30+ year grassroots effort that transformed this movie palace from an abandoned building to a vibrant cultural center through volunteer dedication and community persistence.
Meet Colin Egan
Colin Egan is the founding director of Friends of the Loew's, the non-profit organization that has led the preservation, restoration, and operation of the Loew's Jersey Theatre since 1987. Born in Jersey City and raised in Union City, Colin became involved in historic preservation through his grandmother's stories about local history and early experiences advocating for the Lincoln Park Fountain.
Connect with Friends of the Loew's:
Instagram: @loewsjerseyfriends
Facebook: Friends of the Loew's Jersey Theatre
Key Insights
The Loew's Jersey, built in 1929 as one of five Wonder Theatres, was slated for demolition in 1987 after closing in 1986.
Colin and his friends were inspired by preservation pioneer Ted Conrad, whose advice to "never let them wear you down" became the guiding principle of their efforts.
Community organizing in the pre-social media era relied on neighborhood association meetings, printed flyers, newspaper coverage, and face-to-face conversations.
Volunteers contributed over a million dollars worth of labor, from dismantling multiplex walls to patching the roof, fixing plumbing, and restoring ornate plaster details.
The theater organ restoration brought back an identical twin to the theater's original Wonder Morton organ, reassembled by volunteers over several years.
The city purchased the theater for $325,000 in 1993 after a dramatic city council meeting, with Marilyn Roman casting the decisive vote after a 40-minute speech.
Movie palaces were designed as democratic spaces - bringing the grandeur of European palaces to ordinary citizens in an era when architecture typically reinforced class divisions.
"Preservation isn't just about saving a building but preserving its spirit" - the idea that everyone deserves beauty and grandeur in their lives.
Visual Documentation
Watch The Strokes- Under Cover of Darkness video filmed in the Loew’s Jersey Theatre
Related Resources
Garden State Theatre Organ Society - The group responsible for finding and restoring the Loew's Wonder Morton organ
League of Historic American Theatres - Resources on historic theaters and movie palaces across America
Jersey City Redevelopment Agency - Information on the current state of restoration of the Loew’s Theatre
Explore Further
Subscribe to my Substack Newsletter for an upcoming expanded photo essay documenting the transformation of the Loew's Jersey Theatre through volunteer work, and reflections on what this preservation success story means for Jersey City's future.
Coming Up Next
Join me for the next episode where I'll be speaking with Irene Christodoulakis, a true Jersey City native who is a screenwriter, gallery assistant and works on major film productions.
Connect with Nat
Website: natkalbach.com
Substack: natkalbach.substack.com
Instagram: @natkalbach
Email: podcast@natkalbach.com
Music: Our theme music is "How You Amaze Me," composed by Jim Kalbach and performed by Jim Kalbach, Bryan Beninghove, Charlie Siegler, and Pat Van Dyke.
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Nat's Sidewalk Stories explores the intersection of place, community, and storytelling through conversations with practitioners, community leaders, and local changemakers. New episodes release on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month through August, with a break in September before Season 2 begins in October.
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