History of the Brook Arts Center By Bruce Doorly
	My last article was about the Raritan and Somerville buildings that once were theatres a century ago. But over in the town to the east, in Bound Brook, there is a building, built in 1926, “The Brook Arts Center”, that is still a theatre today. It is the only surviving Vaudeville and Silent Movie Theatre in Somerset County. It is just one of eight in New Jersey.
	The Brook Theatre, as it was called till 2003, was built by Alexander Morecraft. It was built in response to the rapidly increasing and evolving demand for theatre entertainment in both Vaudeville, (live acts of many types), and the feature films. Back then Bound Brook had an existing theatre, the Palace Theatre, right around the corner on Maiden Lane which had opened around 1911. But the theatre business was changing and this small plain theatre no longer was what the public desired.
	Alexander Morecraft, a resident of Bound Brook for 50 years, had previously built many other buildings in Bound Brook. His credits included the High School (1908), St. Joseph’s Parochial School and the Studebaker Building.
Alexander Morecraft - click for articles
	In 1926, he decided to build on property that previously had been used for coal, lumber and building supplies. On that property at 10 Hamilton Street, along with the theatre, he built a two-story building with enough room for six storefronts and with six offices above. It would be called the Morecraft Building. The Brook Theatre would be L-shaped with the entrance on Hamilton Street opening to a large foyer with the theatre on left running parallel to the road.
The foyer today
	Alexander Morecraft was not just the builder of the theatre, but he owned the theatre business. For most of the years he let others manage it, however, the property, the building, and the business ownership remained with the Morecraft family till 1986.
Ad from 1929 - click for full view
	The Brook Theater was considered an architectural masterpiece of its time. It had fancy designs along the top of the walls, rich soft carpets, and a fireplace in the lounge area. It featured comfortable seats identical to the Capitol Theatre in New York which was the top theatre in its day. For sound, it had a state-of-the-art Wurlitzer organ that would be played during the movies which were still silent in 1927. Talking films started to be produced in mid-1927 and slowly over the next three years all movies had talking. The Brook Theatre had anticipated the coming of sound, thus speakers were initially built in to await the arrival of sound.
The inside of the theatre today. No photos exist of the inside in the early days.	Opening Night - click for article
	The theater’s opening night was January 19th 1927. It was a grand affair. After brief ceremonies five vaudeville acts were followed by two short movies. A six-piece orchestra was on hand to provide music. The local newspaper writer had an interesting observation, stating that “if there was a criticism of the theatre that one could make it was that such a grand theater does not belong in Bound Brook.” But in Bound Brook it was. With the train station a block away, the Brook Theatre quickly became a popular regional venue and an intricate part of the entertainment and social life of Bound Brook. As one writer, Kathy Bugman said “It drew women in glittering gowns and men in tuxedos from the surrounding towns.”
	Some of the performers at the theatre included WC Fields, Jack Benny, Sophie Turner, and Benny Goodman. In 1943, Babe Ruth on a war bond tour and visited the theater. Throughout the next decades the Brook Theatre continued to have various live entertainment and movies. The amount of vaudeville and live shows would be reduced over the years, and in the 1960s and 1970s the Brook became mostly a movie theatre, with an occasional live show.
	When this author posted to the Bound Brook Facebook site for memories about the theatre, I received over 100 comments. Most fondly recall the afternoon matinees from the 60’s and 70’s that had cartoons and “Three Stooges” short films before the feature movie. There were many comments about how inexpensive the snack bar was. Those were different times indeed! The theatre had a chandelier in the center. Nancy Higginbottom recalls “There would be a perfect circle of empty seats under that humongous chandelier. No one wanted to be under it if it fell!”
	Kathy McKibben recalled “I loved the grandeur of it. The red velvet, the chandeliers. The giant screen. It felt like home. Even the bathroom was fancy.” Many remember the Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night”. How there were long lines going around the block to get tickets. Once inside the girls were screaming as if The Beatles were there live.
	In 1986, the Morecraft Family sold the Brook Theatre to entertainment promoter and producer Phil Neri who brought back many live shows to the theatre. On July 8th 1989, Tony Bennett appeared for two shows. Other performers included Chuck Mangione and the Shirelles. In the late 1990s the Brook Theatre phased out the regular showing of movies.
Phil Neri - owner 1986-2003	Click for articles from the 1980s about Phil Neri's plans.
	Hurricane Floyd 1999 On September 17th 1999, Hurricane Floyd caused extensive flooding in Bound Brook. The theatre at the lowest depth by the stage was under 14 feet of water. The seats, the carpeting, the organ, were all destroyed. Dozens of volunteers cleaned up the initial mess. The theatre was fortunate to receive a 2.3-million-dollar grant for restoration. In 2003, the Non-Profit organization the “Brook Arts Center” purchased the Brook Theater from Phil Neri for $600,000. The name of the theater now became the “Brook Arts Center.” In September of 2006, seven years after the flooding, the Brook Arts Center reopened.
	Second Major Flood On April 10th 2007, a Nor’easter storm flooded the Brook Theatre again just seven months after reopening. At this point no one could blame the owners for giving up - condemning the theatre to an appointment with the wrecking ball. But the volunteers were passionate and determined to save the Brook Arts Center. Once again funds were found and the theatre restored. And in September of 2009 the Brook Arts Center opened again after a major restoration / renovation.
	Today The theatre hosts live concerts, comedy shows, open mic night, and it is even available for private rentals (mostly by dance schools for recitals.) Presently there are an estimated 60 live shows and 30 private rentals each year. This is all made possible by volunteers who staff the theatre during the events. The Brook Arts Center struggles to break even financially, but so far since 2009 they have remained “above water.”
	Today the original marquee, updated with an electronic message board, still proudly hangs in the front. Inside an original 1927 seat and original ticket box can be viewed in the lobby. Much of the 1927 fancy décor on the walls is still in the lobby. A few of the original smaller chandeliers remain in the theater. The public should visit their website which is www.brookarts.org, to see the vast array of events that are held there.