Detailed Information

The 4,100-seat Paramount opened with the film Manhattan Cocktail (1928)  starring Ethel Doherty and George Marion Jr. The theatre was designed by renowned Chicago-based theatre architects Rapp and Rapp.

Long Island University (LIU)  purchased the building for part of its Brooklyn campus in 1960 and converted the theatre into a gymnasium that opened in 1962. The space was ultimately known as the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Athletic Center and the building was referred to as Metcalfe Hall, after the university’s first president, Tristram Walker Metcalfe.

In April 2015, LIU announced a 49-year lease of the Paramount to a company controlled by Bruce Ratner and Mikhail Prokhorov, owners of the Barclays Center and basketball team the Brooklyn Nets. They planned an extensive $50 million renovation to convert the auditorium back to a live events space. Many of the original Rapp & Rapp architectural details remaining would be preserved, as would the Wurlitzer theatre organ. The project experienced some delays around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was announced in July 2023 that Live Nation Entertainment  had taken over the development and that the venue was scheduled to open in 2024. The first performance at the venue was held at the end of March 2024, hosted by Damian and Stephen Marley. Capacity is 1,350 seated or 2,800 standing.

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