Loew’s Jersey Theatre

The Loew’s Jersey Theatre was designed by the preeminent theater architectural firm Rapp & Rapp and constructed from 1927 to 1929 as a 3,021-seat movie palace that could also host live shows. It is one of five “Loew’s Wonder Theatres” built in the New York metropolitan area and the only one built outside of New York City. From the mid to late twentieth century, the number of films it showed began to dwindle and by 1974 it had been converted into a tri-plex theatre. By 1986 the venue had closed and was in danger of being demolished. The Friends of the Loew’s (FOL) formed to save the theatre and then began restoring it in 1993 through volunteer efforts after it was purchased by the City of Jersey City. By 2001, enough restoration work had been completed and the theatre partially reopened for the first time in 15 years. In the subsequent 20 years, the Loew’s Jersey Theare hosted live performances, events and film screenings until its recent closure.

In 2021, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) entered into a lease agreement with the City of Jersey City to renovate and manage and operate the theatre.  In 2022, the theatre was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. Interior restoration work is ongoing with exterior restoration work expected to commence in Spring 2025.

This once-in-a-generation, multi-year restoration marks an exciting new chapter in the illustrious history of the Loew’s Jersey Theatre, and when completed in 2026 will restore the theatre to its original glory as the “most lavish temple of music and entertainment”¹ in the State of New Jersey.