The Arnold and Marie Schwartz Center, home of LIU's volleyball and basketball teams, is always the topic of conversation for visiting schools, the press corps which covers them, and fans and alumni who sit in the stands.

The ornate and hallowed interior of the cozy 1,000-seat gymnasium, the former Brooklyn Paramount Theatre, was a glittering showcase for the stars of stage and screen and the celluloid epics from Hollywood from 1928-1962. The edifice has been retained yet adapted to the athletic, recreational, educational and social needs of the students and staff of Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus as well as the members of the surrounding community it serves.

The Paramount existed as a 4,200-seat theater for 34 years and featured shows of stage and screen from the day it opened its doors on November 24, 1928 to August 1962 when it dimmed the lights on its ten-story sign on Flatbush Avenue Extension. Such show biz immortals as Mae West, Bing Crosby, Eddie Cantor, Rudy Vallee, Little Richard, Fred Waring and Ginger Rogers appeared on its stage. In the 1950’s, Alan Freed’s rock ‘n’ roll shows whipped young fans into a frenzy. The Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ (a 1928 original), which provided background music to the silent films on the screen and pleasant interludes between shows, still produces marvelous sounds which rock the rafters.

Several concerts are held yearly and feature prominent guest organists assembled by the Theatre Organ Society of New York, which helps maintain the Wurlitzer.

The gymnasium has been the home of Long Island University’s Blackbirds since 1963. When the Paramount closed its doors, workmen began transforming the orchestra section into the basketball court. The lights rose again on November 30, 1963 as the men’s squad recorded a memorable 85-56 victory over Pace College.

A renovation and expansion of the gymnasium took place in the summer of 1975 when The Charles Hayden Foundation offered LIU a challenge grant. Immediately, contributions were received from the Brooklyn business community, loyal alumni of the Brooklyn Campus, LIU’s student body through self-assessment, and a generous gift from the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Fund for Education and health Research. In the past few years, the gymnasium has been elegantly decorated and cosmetically revived for dinners to raise funds for scholarships.

Under the leadership of current director of athletics John Suarez, Schwartz Center truly has become the friendly confines for LIU athletics with an overhanging scoreboard and accompanying message centers. An adjacent lounge area (“The Hall of Mirrors”) also has been refurbished within the past few years with new stair carpeting and its three-story wall mirrors have been polished. The efforts have recaptured the opulence and splendor that made the Paramount a palace and a feast for the eyes.