Brooklyn Paramount

On November 24, 1928, Brooklyn Paramount introduced the most immersive entertainment experience the world had ever seen. Crowds stretched around the block to leave the world behind for a baroque palace of overwhelming spectacle and groundbreaking performances. Emboldened as ‘America’s first movie theater built for sound,’ Brooklyn Paramount set the stage for a storied saga of beginnings. Starting on opening night, it premiered the long-lost jazz-era cinematic masterpiece ‘Manhattan Cocktail’ by Hollywood’s sole female director of the time—Dorothy Arzner. In 1931, Duke Ellington and his orchestra introduced big band jazz to Brooklyn, paving the way for a wave of revolutionary musical genres including R&B, doo-wop, and soul. In the 1950s, Brooklyn Paramount fearlessly showcased barrier-breaking black rock ‘n’ roll musicians to desegregated audiences—an unlikely platform for that generation’s quest for equality. Now, after 60 years since its last curtain call, this palace of entertainment is being revived as a multigenre sensory spectacle of state-of-the-art sound.

For its second act, Brooklyn Paramount is elevating a new generation of boundary- pushing performers, restoring its place in the hearts—and imaginations—of fans as an unforgettable Brooklyn legend.