About Us

NEW Friends of Metro Theater is a dynamic group of arts and preservation-loving neighborhood residents that has come together to tackle the task of revitalizing the Metro Theatre and making our community whole again.

A once iconic art-deco landmark on the Upper West Side, the Metro Theater had its air-rights sold and its beautiful interior gutted, ravaging a jewel. What remains has been too long neglected and is rapidly falling into disrepair, bringing a struggling neighborhood along with it.

Additionally, the pandemic has leveled a blow to our restaurants, our public venues, our jobs and our sense of community.  Now is a time to rebuild. And we believe that a vibrant cultural center housed in this once pristine art-deco theater would generate significant energy and much needed revenue, as well as be a venue where we can come together and share the diversity and dynamism that has always defined the Upper West Side. 

Rather than be demoralized by what has been, it is time to be energized by what can be. Communities are defined by their culture. It is critical to provide a thriving locale that promotes cohesive, respectful, and joyful gathering. The Metro Theatre can be that place.  It would challenge any notion that we live in isolation from each other by providing jobs, a venue for young filmmakers and performers, and a stimulus to surrounding business, as well as a place of entertainment and exposure to new ideas.

To envision and successfully reconstruct a flourishing Metro Theatre will take all of us.  At present, we are 2000 strong and growing every day.  Together we can raise our voices.  And together we can make clear that the Metro Theatre deserves to be much more than an empty shell. Neither should it be a health club, nor a national chain pharmacy, nor any other random commercial enterprise. The facade is landmarked and it belongs to a theater.  It has a real and specific role to play in revitalizing our community.  Let us honor the past while building the future by reanimating this neighborhood gem!

Will you join us, so that the Metro Theatre will once again become the crown jewel that it was always meant to be?