A historic gem in Montclair is getting a new lease on life. In the May 2025 issue of
NJ Municipalities magazine, Janice Talley, PP, AICP, the Director of Planning and Community Development for Montclair, wrote about
Montclair’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and its accomplishments in town.
One of the efforts she reported was how Montclair’s HPC hosts an annual awards ceremony celebrating outstanding achievements in historic preservation. “These awards recognize development that exhibits outstanding preservation of historic buildings and individuals that provide extraordinary contributions to better understand the Township’s history and the preservation of Montclair’s historic architectural fabric.”
The story discussed the recognition of the historic Bellevue Theatre with a recent preservation award from the HPC. The historic structure was originally built in 1922 and shuttered in 2019 but was expected to reopen. Now the J.H. Phillips-designed Bellevue Theatre will be an active part of the community again. The nonprofit Montclair Film announced that it signed a multi-year lease to operate The Bellevue Theatre, which will become a nonprofit cinema programmed and operated by Montclair Film, in concert with The Clairidge, another area entertainment space. Once reopened, The Bellevue will operate as a full-time cinema, featuring a focus on current releases and in-demand films.
Upgrades and operational capacity are scheduled to be in place by autumn of 2025, in time for the 14th annual Montclair Film Festival, taking place October 17-26, 2025. Full operation is scheduled to begin in early November 2025, in time for the holiday season.
“We are so excited to be able to bring the movies back to The Bellevue Theatre,” said Evelyn Colbert, President of Montclair Film’s Board of Trustees. “Our community has been clear in sharing their desire to see The Bellevue Theatre thriving again, and we are counting on that passion and enthusiasm to help us re-establish The Bellevue as a destination for new memories and experiences. Without an audience, there is no cinema, and we look forward to this new opportunity to expand upon our mission to transform our community through the power of film.”
Jesse Sayegh, the property owner of the Bellevue Theatre since 1996, is pleased to have restored and returned this long-standing and cherished landmark to the people of Montclair. He is excited to partner with the Montclair Film to help preserve and promote the arts in this vibrant community. “Not only do we honor the memories of so many patrons over the past 100 years of the theater’s existence,” he said, “but we now have the opportunity to continue that tradition and create new memories for years to come.”
“Community support is crucial to sustaining a nonprofit movie theater, and as the continued growth at The Clairidge has demonstrated, Montclair is a thriving community for filmgoing,” said Montclair Film Artistic Director Tom Hall. “The Bellevue Theatre will allow us to expand and diversify our programs, delivering more opportunity for filmmakers and distributors to share their films and offering us tremendous new flexibility to grow the impact of cinema in our community.”