Reported on Sept. 23, 2009

Once faced with imminent closure, the Alpine Theater in Bay Ridge is expanding, adding a new screen and completing renovations that began years ago.

The marquee at the Alpine Theater, which will soon open a new 3-D screen. Photo: Chris Geier

In 2005, the Alpine, then part of the Loews chain of theaters, was scheduled to close its doors permanently after more than 80 years in operation. A public outcry caught the attention of Nicholas Nicolaou, owner of two other theaters in the New York, who eventually bought the Alpine, the only movie theater in the neighborhood.

“It was another victim of theater closings in the city,” said Nicolaou. “The people in Bay Ridge made such a big fuss, I was touched. These people deserve to go see a movie in their own neighborhood.”

Since then, Nicolaou has wrangled with complicated renovations, frustrating city bureaucracy, rising property taxes and an economic recession as he reshapes the Alpine in the image of his ideal independent theater. He hopes to make good on the reported $6 million he spent to buy the theater, which does not include the funds he has poured into renovations.

The box office was not up to his standard, so he rebuilt it, but was fined by the city for working without approval.

“How could I wait,” Nicolaou said. “It was basically falling down.”

He noticed the lines that fed the soda fountains were in a state of disrepair, so he persuaded Coca-Cola to replace the entire system. Still unhappy with the soda, he installed two water-filtration systems to ensure only the cleanest of water is used to make the soft drinks.

The heating and air conditioning units in the theater were 50 years old. The entire system was rebuilt, with 10 new units installed on the roof.

Despite the major alterations, the Alpine’s seven current screens have remained open throughout the rebuilding process.

“We do the work now. It is expensive, but the neighborhood people will see the difference,” Nicolaou said.

His most ambitious renovation is converting the original 1921 stage area, which has functioned as storage space for decades, into a state-of-the-art 3-D digital auditorium, giving the Alpine a total of eight screens with a seating capacity of more than 1,500.

“This will be the most comfortable theater in New York City. Money back guarantee,” Nicolaou said, as he took a break from helping the renovators and sat, covered in paint and dust, admiring the 88-year-old dome-roofed space that will be his theater’s crown jewel. “We could fit 275 seats in here, but we’re only installing 160. It’s like flying business class.”

The former storage space is still a symphony of sawing, spackling, and hammering as decades of neglect are reshaped into a new auditorium, but the new 3-D screen will open around Christmas, Nicolaou said, and should attract new customers who are looking for the latest technology.

“Many movies now come in 3-D,” said Mahubub Bari, 48, the Alpine’s manager. “That’s what people want to see. When we get 3-D, more people will come here.”

Moutasim Ayesh, 19, who works at the concession stand, agrees. “A lot of people complain that we don’t have 3-D. It’s the new thing.”

Despite the costly improvements, and real estate taxes that he said rose more than 30 percent over the last year, Nicolaou takes pride in the low prices at all of his theaters, and he enthusiastically pointed out that many of his concessions are a fraction of the price of similar items at chain theaters. For example, he noted that at the Regal Cinema in Union Square, a small popcorn costs $6. At the Alpine, it is $2.75.

Popcorn prices are not the only difference between the Alpine and the bigger chain theaters, says Steven Lovejoy, the theater’s projectionist, who used to work for one of the large theater companies. “At my old theater, it was all about the bottom line. Here, the management is more focused on the movies,” Lovejoy said.

As the Alpine evolves, it continues to please customers like David Lopez, 30, a longtime Alpine patron, who along with his daughter and aunt, recently saw “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” “The theater has changed a lot,” Lopez said. “It’s better.”