By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

Oct. 9, 2024: We are fast approaching the fourth anniversary of our wonderful Picture House Bronxville, and its dedicated board is gearing up for its annual appeal in November, but prior to there is a wonderful Village event on October 19 at 6 PM, “The Party on Kraft.”

This community celebration will feature margaritas and appetizers from La Casa, two of Westchester’s favorite food trucks, acoustic music, and an advanced screening of a feature film and dessert and coffee right in our historic theater. 

We would love you to join us to celebrate the fact that we are one of the very few communities left in Westchester with a vibrant movie house. After the movie, the festivities will continue on Kraft Avenue!

Click on this link to purchase tickets for the event: The Picture House – on Kraft-2024.

By way of background, the Bronxville theatre opened in what was called the Brick Row on Kraft Avenue in September 1926 with live shows as well as music, art and theatre. It started with a single screen with seating for up to 1,100 people attracting visitors from all over Westchester and the Bronx.

In the mid 80’s, it was taken over by United Artists who converted it into the triplex that we have today. Bowtie Cinemas took over post United Artists and sadly was caught in the Covid shut down which caused the viability of our iconic institution to be threatened. The sadness in the Village was palpable.

There is not a person in the Village who has lived here for a good stretch of time who does not reminisce about having a birthday party, a first date, a special memory (in some cases smoking in the balcony!!), as the Village theater has always been a part of the fabric of our small-town life.

Not only are the memories strong but having a theatre in such a small community is an incredibly attractive synergistic business as folks who come to the theatre often walk about, stop and shop or peer in store windows only to return later. Waiting for show time, they may have a coffee, an ice cream, meet for a pre or post meal or drink, thus frequenting our business community on so many levels. It truly is a beacon.

Covid threatened to end the storied history of our almost 100-year institution.

Looking around desperately for a White Knight, our theatre was truly rescued by the Pelham Picture House family and their supporters.

The Picture House’s very successful goal in Pelham of creating a shared community experience for diverse audiences through film, educational programming and unique cultural offerings is exactly what we had envisioned for Bronxville. We have truly found the perfect partner with the same goals – small town preservation so as to create an oasis of culture, conversation and arts education.

The revitalized theatre reopened to a capacity crowd in February 2022 for a launch party to introduce the Pelham Picture House Regional Film Center to incorporate our theatre into their Picture House family.

The relationship has been a synergistic success:

-Since the start of 2024, they have hosted over 98 birthday parties with 115 scheduled through the end of the year and still climbing! Additionally, they have held multiple film, video and arts education camps for local children and have partnered with the Bronxville Adult School to hold adult classes throughout the year.

-They also partnered with Bronxville Sprouts who use The Studio to offer 2-3 classes a day, 5 days a week for children and adults – estimating around 400 classes so far since April 2024.

-The Picture House donated The Studio space for the Junior League Stocking Stroll event in December 2023 – becoming the welcome stop for 50+ members and will host this event again on December 5^th and 6^th.

-It is home to a Saturday morning event for families called PJ’s @ The Picture House in collaboration with Village Design Studios and the Bronxville Chamber of Commerce that sold out with over 400 attendees. Another similar event will take place on Saturday, December 7^th.

-The Picture House hosted an advanced screening of Wonka with NY Presbyterian Westchester Hospital for 200+ guests.

-Ben & Jerry of ice cream fame in conjunction with Greystone Bakery welcomed a screening for more than 200 guests with appearances from Ben and Jerry themselves!

-They collaborated for multiple Sip n’ Shops with J. McLaughlin Clothing Store.

-Acted as home to the annual Sarah Lawrence Short Film Showcase on May 6, 2024 for more than 200 students.

-Provided school rentals for Eastchester, St. Joseph’s and Bronxville Schools including Spring into the Arts and various environmental screenings for Bronxville middle schoolers.

-The Picture House has truly embraced our community not only with incredible generosity, but perpetuating a thriving cultural opportunity not only for everyone who joins, but your membership enables free programming to underserved audiences.

However, success of the theatre as an independent arts center does not come easy and not without sustained support. Currently the theatre has approximately 445 Bronxville members compared with 631 in Pelham.

When The Picture House launches its annual appeal next month, it is important that we emulate our neighbors in Pelham and keep supporting and rejoining the theatre or through donating as we do all other treasured nonprofits in the Village.

On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I send thanks to The Picture House team and all of our Villagers who have already stepped up with incredible support for our Picture House partners.

Our goal is to be able to have the next generation of residents and visitors and our children to be able to say, “Meet me at the movies in Bronxville.”