The Trylon Theater

Rego Park section of Queens, NY

From Michael Perlman:

My first preservation committee was the Committee To Save The Trylon Theater.

Experiencing the destruction of the Trylon Theater's Trylon-adorned mosaic ticket booth in July 2005 was what awakened the dormant preservationist state within. I was shocked that I would witness something with vast cultural and architectural beauty and significance being destroyed. I tried not to let my emotions go astray, and re-directed my feelings towards organizing my first preservation committee, and networking as much as possible. It was a moment that changed my life.

I learned the workings of the Landmarks Law, and that it grants the public the right to advocate for sites they believe merit a public hearing and landmark status, on the basis of its architectural, cultural, and historical qualifications. I also learned that the architect of the Trylon Theater was Joseph Unger, who also designed homes Queenswide and elsewhere. In summer 2006, I was able to track down and interview 1 of his 2 sons, Ronald Unger.

In late 2006, in response to the 100th anniversary of Forest Hills and Rego Park and the growing number of demolitions and insensitive alterations, I founded Rego-Forest Preservation Council, with a mission to advocate for the preservation and creative reuse of sites that exhibit historic character, and hopefully prevent such destruction through avenues such as city Landmark status, and State & National Register of Historic Places status.

It is our hope that if the Bukharian center would consider selling, they should sell it to potentially us or another preservation-minded film, performing arts, or preservation organization. They should also reconsider their views, and work with us towards restoring the Trylon Theater's 1939 World's Fair Art Deco elements that were lost in 2005, to pay homage to a true landmark's history and the sentiments of some national fans.