NYU Langone quietly purchased the site of the popular AMC Kips Bay that now faces closure more than a year ago, Assembly Member Keith Powers revealed Thursday.
Powers, who represents the surrounding community, made the disclosure in a video message posted to social media. The closure of the theater, at 570 Second Ave., has been shrouded in speculation and mystery since the news broke over the weekend, sparking a groundswell of community members and cinema fans rallying to “Save Kips Bay!”
“It’s just so clear how important this movie theater is to Kips Bay and the broader community,” Powers said in the video.
The revelation seemed to confirm rumors that immediately began swirling online about the beloved movie theater being displaced due to potential expansion of nearby NYU Langone Hospital.
But rather than speculating about why the theater’s lease was being cut short and exactly what Langone would use the space for, Powers and six other local representatives sent NYU Langone a letter asking about its plans for the space and requesting a meeting with community members.
But Powers’ letter, cosigned by U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, Council Members Virginia Maloney and Harvey Epstein, Assembly Member Micah Lasher, State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and Manhattan Borough President Brad Holyman-Sigal, also admonished the hospital system for making big real estate moves with virtually no communication.
“Given your importance to our community, we have always sought to maintain an open line of communication,” the letter said. “However, we were disappointed to learn that this acquisition took place without any notification of, or engagement with, local elected officials or residents.”
NYU Langone has not responded to requests for comment.
News of the beloved theater’s closure, a neighborhood staple for more than two decades, hit the neighborhood hard and outrage spread across the East Side and all over social media.
As of Friday, an online petition to save the theater has garnered more than 6,700 signatures. People in the surrounding neighborhood formed the group, SaveKipsBay, as part of an effort to stop the theater’s closure.
Organizers shared online that they want to protect their neighborhood’s only theater and questioned whether the university-affiliated hospital system, which operates 146 locations in Manhattan, needed that specific parcel of land on 2nd Avenue.
In their letter, the local elected officials asked NYU Langone to consider the impact closing the theater has had on the public, pointing to the recent outpouring of support for the theater.
“As you are aware, this property has drawn considerable public attention over the past week. Despite that attention, our offices have received no communication about the future of the development, either before the transaction or in the days since.”
