Hoboken's Only Movie Theater To Be Sold To Local Church

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Grace Church, a non-denominational church that hosts community events such as an Easter Egg Hunt, said it's under contract to buy the vacant Bow Tie Cinemas on 14th Street — which was the mile-square city's only movie theater.

"We are currently under contract to purchase the building that previously hosted Bow Tie Cinema," said Eric Waters, a church spokesman, on Wednesday. "They had already vacated and were not returning."

Bow Tie Cinemas had closed and removed its posters during the pandemic, and never responded to messages from Patch about its future.

See the schedule of Hoboken's outdoor Movies Under The Stars here.

Located at 409-415 14th St. in Hoboken, alongside the 14th Street Viaduct leading to Union City, the theater will become a "more functional and multi-purpose building," the church said.

It will host nonprofits and concerts, meetings, graduations, and more.

In a press release announcing the transaction, the church said, "Hoboken Grace, a diverse and growing non-denominational church, is taking their community impact to new levels with a major building purchase. The investment is the result of The Home Initiative, a years-long effort focused on greatly expanding the ability of the church to serve and benefit the people of Hoboken, Hudson County, and beyond."

The church was founded in 2007.

In April, it entertained 2,000 children with a socially distant Easter Egg Hunt. READ MORE: 2,000 Hoboken Kids Enjoy Distanced Easter Egg Hunt

“We are so excited to establish this space for our community," said Chris High, the lead pastor at the church. "Since the founding of Hoboken Grace in 2007, we have never wavered from continually growing how we love Hoboken and this building will allow us to create an incredibly flexible space that can be enjoyed by those who live and work here. To be absolutely clear, this space is not just for Hoboken Grace. It will be an active and dynamic venue that will host nonprofit and other community partner events.”

"I can’t wait to take all of our current community events to another level,” he added. “Whether you’ve attended the Easter Egg Hunt, 1Day Hoboken, or the Christmas Exchange, you’ve seen our heart and this space allows us to do even more, even better.”

“The Home Initiative is the result of people coming together to pray about and financially support an idea that has the potential to fundamentally transform what it’s like to live in Hoboken,” said Anthony Reimer, care pastor.

The pandemic was tough on movie theaters, although some have gotten creative with outdoor drive-ins. Bow Tie Cinemas in Annapolis, Md. closed two weeks ago, Patch reported.

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