Work crews descend on Roaring Twenties landmark
Work is in full swing transforming the former Bow Tie Cinema in Port Washington into a roaring ’20s-inspired live entertainment and dining venue — and its new owners say they’re aiming to open sometime next year.
After purchasing the long-shuttered theater at 114 Main St. in 2024, Louis Branchinelli and Brad Thurman began construction in 2025 to restore and reimagine the historic 1926 Beacon Theater as a multiuse space blending old-world glamour with modern technology.
While dismantling the former movie theater — which closed in 2018 after decades under Clearview Cinemas and later Bow-Tie Cinemas — Branchinelli uncovered a trove of original art deco details, including gold-leaf columns, ceiling medallions and decorative cartouches, shifting his vision from a simple dinner theater to a grand, Gatsby-inspired venue.
“As we’ve gotten to know the building, we continue to change what the landscape looks like out here,” said Leya Mata, project liaison and development consultant.
From corporate to personal
Before turning his focus to Port Washington, Branchinelli, owner of Lou B Industries, worked on entertainment programming and investor development for Ocean Casino in Atlantic City during its renovation. After the casino was sold in 2021, he began searching for a new venture.
“When he thought about what his next project was going to be, he really didn’t want it to be so corporate,” Mata said. “He wanted it to be something personal.”
The idea came from Branchinelli’s sister, who alerted him to the vacant theater.
Once inside, Mata said, he saw potential in its “old Hollywood” feel and began envisioning a space where guests could “feel special” while enjoying live entertainment and dining.
Over the course of 2023, before knowing if the project was financially feasible, Branchinelli met with engineers, contractors and conducted traffic studies as plans took shape.
A Gatsby-style experience
— Renderings come courtesy of Gail Cipriano Design Studios
The reimagined Beacon is designed primarily as a live entertainment and dining venue, with flexibility for private events such as weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, corporate gatherings and community functions.
“The live entertainment’s going to vary,” Mata said. “Some nights you’re going to have a Frank Sinatra impersonator, some nights you’re going to have a comedian — maybe even a really well known one.
“Anything and everything is possible.”
The main space — now called the grand ballroom — was created by removing a wall that once divided two movie theaters. The sloped floor will be leveled, with movable tables and chairs allowing the room to be reconfigured for fashion shows, conventions, yoga retreats or seated performances.
“So if we wanted to put a runway down the center in order to have a fashion show, or if we wanted to do a convention with booths, or if we were doing a corporate yoga retreat where we’d lay out yoga mats, we are able to clear the tables and chairs,” Mata said.
Two adjacent rooms may serve as green rooms or bridal suites.
Behind the stage, a high-tech control system will power lighting, projection and an LED screen capable of displaying 3D video without glasses.
“So old-world elegance meets the most modern technology you’ll find,” Mata said. “So you’re going to have a spotlight — in every color — controlled by joysticks, you can project a hologram, and we’re going to have an LED screen back here with the ability to show 3D video without the 3D glasses.”
Mata said the screen could also support “fork and film” events and display sign language interpretation as part of a broader accessibility focus.
“There are needs for certain types of venues and one is a fully accessible venue,” Mata said. “There are very limited amounts of venues that can say they’re fully accessible — not only for patrons, but for employees and performers.”
Speakeasy and upstairs lounge
The lobby will evoke 1920s Hollywood glamour and lead to a password-protected speakeasy, complete with space for live jazz and private events. An underground room accessed from the speakeasy may become a recording studio, wine cellar or exclusive club space.
“So if you’re an up and coming artist or if you’re an established artist, how cool would it be to say ‘I recorded music in this historic, hundred-year-old building with a Gatsby-like setting’,” Mata said.
Upstairs, a 100-seat balcony overlooking the ballroom will feature “Vegas-style booths with a table in front,” Mata said, along with both a general kitchen and a dedicated kosher kitchen to meet community demand. A soundproof enclosure will allow simultaneous events upstairs and downstairs.
Restoring the grandeur
Interior designers Gail Cipriano and Taylor Giamanco of Gail Cipriano Design Studios are restoring the theater’s beaux-arts character, drawing on French renaissance influences while incorporating modern finishes in creams and gold.
“You go to Europe and you see these buildings built with incredible detail and we lack that now,” Giamanco said. “So it’s really, really exciting to bring back the European influence in the moldings, in the tile designs, the mosaic work — which is going to be all custom.”
Originally considering reducing the stage, the design team pivoted after discovering ornate plaster reliefs.
“Once we saw how grand and beautiful the stage was and how it is historic, we pivoted our design to keep the stage, use it as a main focus, and respect what was originally there,” Giamanco said.
Community backing
Mata said the response from residents has been overwhelmingly supportive.
“When we went for our business owning administration approval for the permits of the building, we had over 500 letters of support from the community, which were incredible,” she said.
Branchinelli has hosted tours throughout construction and said feedback directly influenced additions such as the kosher kitchen and expanded accessibility.
“Anybody who has questions on what we’re doing with the parking, the building, the entertainment, everything, we have been very transparent,” Mata said.
Looking ahead
Branchinelli said the next construction phase will focus on plumbing, HVAC, sprinkler systems and structural improvements, along with soundproofing to minimize impact on neighbors.
“We did a lot of work and we are taking the next steps forward to try to get this place open within the year,” Branchinelli said.
Mata said the venue is intended to serve not only as an entertainment hub, but as a resource for local nonprofits and a driver of tourism for Port Washington’s downtown.
“I hope people will come the first time for the novelty, but continue to come back because our service is impeccable,” Mata said. “Whether it’s a Tuesday afternoon club sandwich or a steak dinner or whatever it is, we want you to feel happy and taken care of and give you that feeling of luxury.”
Top: Framing is underway for the upstairs balcony overlooking the Beacon’s grand ballroom. (Credit: Ben Fiebert)
