Greenport's historic Village Cinema, built as a movie palace in 1939, on the market for $5.5 million

At the historic movie theater in Greenport, Audrey Hepburn once graced the screen as an adventurous princess in “Roman Holiday,” and Frank Sinatra played a wild-card private in “From Here To Eternity."

Now the beloved Village Cinema multiplex on East Front Street, built as a movie palace in 1939, is being offered for sale or long-term lease. It is listed for $5.5 million.

John Eberson, an architect known for designing more than 500 cinemas, mapped out the Greenport theater. It was built by Prudential Theaters, replacing a movie palace that had been destroyed by the 1938 hurricane.

At approximately 16,000 square feet, the 632-seat theater contains a ticket booth, cafe, two upgraded bathrooms and four screens. There are three screens on the first floor and a fourth on the second level, which shares its auditorium with a stage.

“We attempted to serve everyone,” said owner Josh Sapan, former CEO of AMC Networks, “with an independent film in the smallest room, a family or mainstream film in the biggest room, then a mix in the other two theaters.”

Under Sapan’s ownership, a 23-foot neon sign that says Greenport graced the front of the theater.

“We tried to honor the architectural past,” he said.

Over the years, the site became more of a “cultural center,” Sapan said. He’s hosted free jazz concerts and used the space for photo galleries and art exhibits.

Sapan gave the theater a “post-COVID refresh” by repainting and sprucing up the carpeting. The new owner will take charge of the fully equipped cafe, which sells sandwiches, coffee and dessert, plus digital projectors in each screening room.

Some of the vintage décor and signage will remain, said listing agent John Catrambone of Dering Harbor Real Estate. That includes a banner that reads “Healthfully air-conditioned for your cool comfort.” In the theater’s early days, the sign was hung across the street to entice onlookers to buy a ticket, Sapan said.

Looking ahead, the venue could be used for all kinds of arts events.

“I hope that it really becomes just more fully realized as a cultural center,” Sapan said, “with film and art shows and photography. I think the time is right to actually bring it to the next level.”

By Rachel Weiss

rachel.weiss@newsday.com@RachMWeiss

Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.