Deeply unsettling but still a little glamorous, the Disco Ball Rite Aid was something of a local landmark, but unfortunately, it has now been demolished.
The Disco Ball Rite Aid building had a long life before becoming a Rite Aid.
For years, the land that the lot resides on belonged to the prominent Meserole family, who arrived in Brooklyn in 1663, according to Brownstoner. The Meserole Theater was constructed on that land in 1921 and remained that way for over 50 years. Swept up in the 1970s’ roller disco craze, the theater closed and opened as a roller rink in 1979, which lasted until the mid-1980s.
In March 2020, the Rite Aid closed and was set to rebrand as a Walgreens.
Earlier in 2021, Greenpointers reported on how residents pushed for the building to be recognized as a historical landmark, though those efforts were unsuccessful as a developer purchased the space.
As for the fate of the lot?: “A developer plans to partially demolish the former roller disco turned pharmacy, a two-story building at 723-725 Manhattan Ave., to make way for a five-story development that will include a daycare, retail space and 50 residential units, according to records from the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB).”
They’ve ruined our lovely area
Typical of a person who did not grow up in Greenpoint. It was never the disco ball Rite Aid. It was always Meserole Theater. It’s a disgrace that they tore down. The writer to do a little bit better investigating before we write stories.
You neglected to mention the period when the Genovese drugstore served the neighborhood for years, before RiteAId replaced it, and was in turn taken over by Walgreens, which moved across the street into a miniature version as this building was sold to greedy developers & gentrifiers –who dream of remaking the Greenpoint community into condos for the wealthy, unaffordable retail & rising rents for both residents and businesses, and noisy nuisance bars on every corner that degrade and destroy our quality of life.
I wonder what happened to the large disco ball that used to be a unique & beautiful fixture in the domed ceiling. Discarded and disposable no doubt, just like the hard-working people of this beautiful community, that ar deemed disposable, along with their needs, and their very valid and often ignored concerns. Money doesn’t just talk, it shouts, and obscenely demands. Community voices must be heard and valued and listened to, above that din & distraction, or else we’ll lose that community.
We tried to save it for generations to come. To save a deep seeded piece of Greenpoint history where the original house of the Meserole Family used to stand. But Cash is King to some in this world.
No sense of history. Only money. What a poor state of affairs.
I only went specifically to imagine what the interior looked like in its heyday – loved how the floor sloped down and opened up into a greater space… yeah I’ve become that guy that walks around Williamsburg and Greenpoint and says “this used to be this, this used to be that” – sadly everything changes, even we do one day when we leave – I am trying to see that as a positive as I age, but that’s been difficult…