New York, New York · Founded 1964 · Building: 1898; converted to cinema 1963–1964
A Greenwich Village art cinema opened in a converted 1898 firehouse in 1964 and run by the Nicolaou family since the 1980s.
Cinema Village opened on October 5, 1964, in the former Engine Company 5 firehouse at 22 East 12th Street. It became a Greenwich Village repertory and art-film fixture, later expanding from one screen to three. Nicolas “Nick” Nicolaou has owned and operated the theater since the 1980s, and his children now help manage the family business.
The building at 22 East 12th Street was constructed as a firehouse for Engine Company 5, designed by Horgan & Slattery.
Source: Village Preservation, “22 East 12th Street”; Village Preservation, “22 East 12th Street: From Firehouse to Movie House”
The former firehouse was converted into a cinema, with plans prepared by architect Alexander Zamshnick.
Source: Cinema Treasures, “Cinema Village”; Village Preservation, “22 East 12th Street: From Firehouse to Movie House”
Cinema Village opened to the public with Ingmar Bergman's All These Women.
Source: Village Preservation, “Past Village Awardees: Movie Theaters and Playhouses,” February 26, 2026; Cinema Treasures, “Cinema Village”
The cinema initially operated as a single-screen theater with approximately 310 seats.
Source: Cinema Treasures, “Cinema Village”
Fifteen-year-old Nicolas “Nick” Nicolaou began working at Cinema Village.
Source: Wikipedia, “Cinema Village”; The Projectionist documentary materials
Nicolaou became Cinema Village's general manager at age eighteen.
Source: Wikipedia, “Cinema Village”
Nicolaou purchased Cinema Village and became one of New York City's independent neighborhood-theater owners.
Source: Village Preservation, “Past Village Awardees: Movie Theaters and Playhouses,” February 26, 2026; The Projectionist documentary materials
Cinema Village was expanded from one screen to three, creating the present three-auditorium layout.
Source: Cinema Village history page; Cinema Treasures, “Cinema Village”
Abel Ferrara's documentary The Projectionist premiered, profiling Nicolaou's life and his work operating independent New York cinemas.
Source: Apple TV, The Projectionist; Cinema Village, The Projectionist listing
Cinema Village temporarily closed during New York City's COVID-19 theater shutdown.
Source: ABC7 New York, “Movie Theater Revival: Small cinemas look to thrive post pandemic,” July 7, 2021
Cinema Village reopened during the summer after pandemic restrictions lifted, with Nicolaou describing the theater's struggle to survive independent-cinema economics.
Source: ABC7 New York, “Movie Theater Revival: Small cinemas look to thrive post pandemic,” July 7, 2021
Village Preservation described Cinema Village as family owned and operated, with Nick Nicolaou's children managing the theater's day-to-day business.
Source: Village Preservation, “Past Village Awardees: Movie Theaters and Playhouses,” February 26, 2026
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
Village Preservation, Art House New York, and the theater itself all describe Cinema Village as Greenwich Village's oldest continuously operated cinema. This research found no competing Greenwich Village cinema with an earlier documented operating history, but did not locate a complete comparative inventory of every former and present neighborhood cinema.
The former firehouse was converted during 1963, but Village Preservation and Cinema Treasures document the public opening as October 5, 1964. The correct description is a 1963–64 conversion and a 1964 cinema opening.
Cinema Village temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening in summer 2021. Its historical longevity is substantial, but literal uninterrupted daily operation is not accurate.
Village Preservation identifies Nicolaou as Cinema Village's owner and operator since the 1980s, while the 2019 documentary The Projectionist profiles his career as one of New York City's remaining independent theater owners. Village Preservation reported in 2026 that his children now manage the family business.
Cinema Village opened as a single-screen, roughly 310-seat theater in 1964. It was later subdivided and expanded into its present three-screen configuration.
No significant haunted reputation, named paranormal investigation, television episode, or published evidence review specific to Cinema Village was located. The former-firehouse history alone is not evidence of a haunting.
Cinema Village opened in 1963.
The conversion of the former firehouse began in 1963, but Cinema Village opened to the public on October 5, 1964.
Source: Village Preservation, “22 East 12th Street: From Firehouse to Movie House”; Village Preservation, February 26, 2026; Cinema Treasures
Cinema Village has operated without interruption since 1964.
The theater temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening in summer 2021. Its longevity claim reflects its continuing historical identity and operation over decades, not uninterrupted daily screenings.
Source: ABC7 New York, July 7, 2021
The building was constructed as a movie theater.
The building was constructed in 1898 as Engine Company 5's firehouse. It became Cinema Village after a 1963–64 conversion designed by architect Alexander Zamshnick.
Source: Village Preservation, “22 East 12th Street”; Cinema Treasures, “Cinema Village”
Cinema Village survived because Nick Nicolaou kept it independent and flexible while much of Manhattan's neighborhood-cinema network disappeared. The theater moved between repertory, foreign, documentary, independent, festival, and event programming rather than competing directly with multiplexes. Its survival also depends on family management and on its unusually adaptable identity: a three-screen commercial cinema that can host specialized releases, private events, and film-festival programming while retaining a human scale.
Cinema Village opened to the public on October 5, 1964, with Ingmar Bergman's All These Women. The former firehouse was converted during 1963, which explains why some accounts mistakenly give 1963 as the theater's opening year.
Cinema Village occupies the former Engine Company 5 firehouse at 22 East 12th Street. Village Preservation states that Horgan & Slattery designed the firehouse in 1898 and that it remained in firehouse use until its 1960s conversion into a cinema.
Nicolas “Nick” Nicolaou is the current owner of Cinema Village. Village Preservation reports that he has owned and operated the theater since the 1980s, while his children now manage the family-owned business.
Cinema Village is widely identified as the oldest continuously operated cinema in Greenwich Village, with an opening date of October 5, 1964. This research found no older currently operating neighborhood cinema, though it did not locate a comprehensive historic-cinema inventory that independently certifies the claim.
Cinema Village currently has three screens. It opened in 1964 as a one-screen theater of roughly 310 seats and was later divided into a smaller three-auditorium configuration.
Yes. Cinema Village temporarily closed during the COVID-19 theater shutdown and reopened in summer 2021, according to ABC7 New York. The closure means its “continuously operated” claim should not be interpreted as literal daily, uninterrupted operation since 1964.
22 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
(212) 924-3363
Cinema Village's significance lies in its small-scale independent programming and firehouse setting. Check the schedule closely: programming often includes foreign films, documentaries, independent releases, festivals, and private events.