In fact, the historic Loew's will show, this coming Tuesday the 28th at 7:45 p.m., the 1939 Oscar-winning film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington directed by famed filmmaker Frank Capra and starring screen legend Jimmy Stewart - at the 1929 admission price of 35 cents.
The following weekend, it will continue celebrating with screenings of such classics as Spartacus and High Noon.
But what will also be celebrated are the efforts of the Friends of the Loew's (FOL), a volunteer group that saved the Loew's Jersey Theatre from being turned into an office complex by Hartz Mountain Industries in 1987 with an awards ceremony to take place before the screening.After several years of legal battles, the Friends and Hartz came to an agreement and an effort began in earnest to restore the theater in 1994. The Friends since that time began renovating the massive structure, which seats 3,100 and is as large and ornate as a church inside.
But there is one issue that has not been cause for celebration - the recent struggle between the FOL and the city to come to terms on a lease agreement that would allow the Friends to manage the operation of the Loew's for twenty-five years while the city funds capital improvements in the first couple years of the agreement to bring the theater up to code. The Friends have been in a year-to-year licensing agreement with the city since they took over in 1994.
The issue of the lease agreement had plagued the last few months of late Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham's administration. Now, it is Acting Mayor and City Council President L. Harvey Smith's problem.
When Cunningham was alive, the lease agreement was caught in the middle of a feud between the mayor and the City Council, including Smith, regarding the legitimacy of the agreement. Cunningham had opposed it on the grounds that it was approved by the council without his authority and that the agreement would make the city fully liable for the theater's improvements as well as allows a volunteer group to manage the theater. Also, Cunningham was looking to put in "professional management" that could make the theater profitable but would have diminished the role of the FOL in the day-to-day operation of the theater.
The FOL and the City Council disagreed with the mayor, pointing out that the Friends of the Loew's deserved to be the sole management of the theater for all the years of hard work and dedication to restoring the theater to its former glory.
The resolution authorizing the lease agreement was approved by the City Council at a March 24 meeting by a 6-2 vote, but late mayor Glenn Cunningham then vetoed the lease only to have the council override the veto by 6-1 vote at the council meeting on April 14.
But the resolution authorizing the lease agreement has never been signed by neither Mayor Cunningham, who passed away on May 25, nor Acting Mayor Smith, as his legal counsel is still studying the lease for any legal questions that may affect the city.
That means the Friends of the Loew's do not have the legal authority to officially manage the theater and fundraise on a larger scale in order to accelerate the restoration of the theater.
It especially effects the 75th anniversary season, according to FOL president Patti Giordan, as she has had to cancel events because the FOL are not officially in place as the theatre's management.
A new lease on Loew's
Giordan said last week that the lease is not in place because "When Mayor L. Harvey Smith came to the Loew's for the lease signing, he said that there was some legal technicality that needed to be corrected."
Giordan is referring to the June 10 press conference held at the Loew's where Giordan, FOL founder Colin Egan, and other members of the Friends of the Loew's gathered to see Acting Mayor Smith along with Giordan and Egan signed the lease agreement that would authorize the FOL to manage the day-to-day operations of the theater and do fundraising.
Instead, Smith announced to the crowd that the signing couldn't take place because of legal issues that need to be settled.
It was also at that event where Hope Blackburn would appear in public for the first time. Blackburn had been hired by Smith a few days before the event as his legal counsel. She would eventually take over the position of city corporation counsel in late June when former corporation counsel Karen DeSoto was terminated from her position. Smith also announced at the event that Blackburn would be studying the lease, and if there weren't major legal hurdles, then it would be approved by the next council meeting on June 23.
Giordan said that assigning the lease to Blackburn has only created more obstacles.
"The new corporation counsel decided that she didn't like the terms of the lease....there began the merry chase of what she did not like, what she felt was legal and wasn't legal," said Giordan. "We have never got anything in writing of what were the problems. The most she did was send an e-mail."
Giordan said that Blackburn may have had concerns about the lease since it was not written like a standard lease, as the city was held responsible for the upgrades. The lease was structured so that the two-year period that was designated to do all the upgrades would not start until the money was available.
According to Giordan, Blackburn explained to her that there has to be a definitive time frame for the upgrades, whether there's money or not.
"One of the things is, she was concerned about defaults," Giordan said. "What would happen if the city didn't have the funding, then the time clock for starting the upgrades wouldn't tick. Once there is money, the work will start and the clock will tick."
Blackburn said last week that the city could not enter into an agreement where they would have to be responsible for the upgrades. Blackburn also said that there were other issues with the lease that she questioned.
"There was a series of legal issues, what the funding plan is, whether or not the elements are complied with...the lease has to definitely comply with state bidding laws and state finance laws," said Blackburn.
The compliance with state bidding law pertains to the FOL's day-to-day operation of the theater, which Blackburn could be seen as illegal by the state since they might have to advertise publicly for concessionaires and other theater operations.
Blackburn said there must be further meetings before the issue can be decided.
Still showing films
As the FOL try to hammer out their future with the theater, they will celebrate its past.
In the first half of the century, Journal Square was the theatrical hub of Hudson County, with at least five theaters.
The Loew's Jersey Theater at 54 Journal Square looks more like a palace or a church than a theater. It was constructed back in 1929 for the then-enormous sum of $2 million.
The theater was the brainchild of Marcus Loew, one of the founders of MGM Studios, who was building "Wonder Theaters" throughout the New York City area.
Designed by the premier movie house architects of their day, Rapp and Rapp, the Loew's can be easily recognized from a distance by its clock tower on top of the building, with a statue of St. George on horseback slaying a dragon.
Visitors can enter into a three-story lobby, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and two curving staircases leading to the second floor landing and balcony.
"Every time I enter into this theatre, I am always finding some new architectural design or figure," said Colin Egan, a founder of the Friends of the Loew's.
The stage, 72 ft. long and 33 ft. wide, provided the space where legendary performers like Bing Crosby and Duke Ellington packed the house.
The theatre continued to function as an entertainment center into the mid-1980s. It evolved from a one-screen cinema to a three-screen movie house to compete with the multiplexes that were coming into vogue.
In August 1986, the Loew's closed its doors. The property was sold to Hartz Mountain Industries, who intended to turn it into an office complex. But a group of local residents led by Egan and Patti Giordan were interested in preserving the theater as a historic landmark and would eventually be known as the Friends of the Loew's (FOL).
After several years of legal battles, the FOL and Hartz came to an agreement, and an effort began in earnest to restore the theatre.
Since 1994, over a thousand volunteers have offered their time and sweat to undertake the massive cleanup - including taking down the walls that were erected in the 1970s to transform the theatre into a triplex; cleaning the upholstery that was soiled with layers of dust and smoke, and restoring the projection booth.
Last year, the Loew's held a weekend of Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland films. They hope to host more cultural events.
But there is still the uncertainty of the theatre reaching its goal, as officials in the Jersey City municipal government contemplate whether the theater should continue to run under the FOL or if the city should take it over. Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
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