Kips Bay groups rally to save AMC theater from closure
Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia
A coalition of Kips Bay neighborhood organizations is fighting to save its beloved AMC movie theater from closure. On Thursday, the Save Kips Bay coalition sent a letter to NYU Langone urging the hospital system to work with residents on an outcome that will spare the AMC Kips Bay 15 multiplex from shuttering by the end of the year. AMC confirmed the closure late last month, saying the property owner had terminated its lease before the scheduled expiration. The owner was later revealed to be NYU Langone, which purchased the property more than a year ago. A community board meeting is scheduled for next week, giving local residents and moviegoers a chance to speak on the closure.
Opened in 1999, the 15-screen theater at 570 2nd Avenue has grown into a favorite among New York cinephiles for its diverse selection of films and IMAX screenings. AMC took over the theater in 2006, and it is now the second-largest cinema in Manhattan after AMC Empire 25 in Times Square.
The theater is one of the few cinemas remaining on Manhattan’s East Side and one of the few in the city to screen films in IMAX. The property also houses a Fairway Market grocery store and a bank.
Rumors that the property had been purchased by NYU Langone were recently confirmed by Assembly Member Keith Powers, who said in a video posted to X that he had seen many movies at the theater. He also announced that he had written to NYU Langone requesting a dialogue with his office and the community.
In the letter, co-signed by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Council Member Harvey Epstein, and others, the elected officials expressed concern over the potential loss of “key neighborhood anchors,” and criticized the hospital for lack of communication regarding the transaction.
“Given your importance to our community, we have always sought to maintain a strong relationship and an open line of communication,” they wrote. “However, we were disappointed to learn that this acquisition took place without any notification of, or engagement with, local elected officials or residents.”
“As you are aware this property has drawn considerable public attention over the past week,” they added. “Despite that attention, our offices have received no communication about the future of the development, either before the transaction or in the days since.”
An online petition was also launched to save the theater and has garnered more than 8,300 signatures as of Thursday. Some local residents have also banded together to form SaveKipsBay in an effort to halt the closure.
The Save Kips Bay coalition includes the Alliance for Kips Bay, Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, Waterside Plaza Tenants Association, the Stuyvesant Town & Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, the Strauss Houses Tenants Association, 344 East 28th Street Tenants Association, Friends of Bellevue South Park, Manhattan East Community Association, and St. Vartan Park Conservancy.
In the letter, the neighborhood groups said NYU Langone should consider that closing the movie theater and grocery store, which many locals rely on daily, would also affect its employees who live, work, and raise families in the neighborhood.
“As NYU Langone moves forward with its plans for Kips Bay, we respectfully ask the hospital to commit to preserving our local retail businesses and to working with residents and community organizations toward an outcome that serves everyone,” they wrote.
Jessica Lavoie, vice president and chair of the Quality of Life Committee of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, said NYU Langone should consider the needs of residents.
“When a major institution becomes a property owner in a residential neighborhood, it also becomes a neighbor,” Lavoie said. “We’ve been hearing from many residents in Murray Hill and Kips Bay about how much Kips Bay Plaza matters to them.”
“Places like this provide the everyday uses that make a neighborhood livable, from groceries and restaurants to entertainment and places to gather,” she added. “We hope NYU Langone will consider those needs as it determines the future of this property.”
To give the public an opportunity to speak on the matter, Manhattan Community Board 6 will host a public hearing on the closure Wednesday, September 9, at 7 p.m. Locals can register to speak or submit written testimony by September 11 at 5 p.m.
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