National Theatre
10925 Lindbrook Drive,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
10925 Lindbrook Drive,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
64 people
favorited this theater
Showing 301 - 325 of 757 comments
Howard, There is no longterm legal protection, even for a landmark building in LA. The added multiplex is not what “saved” the Cinerama Dome. Regardless of the public outcry, Pacific fully intended to ruin the Dome and engulf it in the new multiplex. What saved the Dome was a proposed lawsuit against the city, which would have stopped the money Pacific wanted to build their new garage.
The Village, Bruin, Rialto and Crest haven’t any more chances of surviving a greedy developer than the National does. But MAYBE if the hearing on Thursday gets some attention, people might become a little more aware of what they’re losing… so that MAYBE the next endangered theatre might have a better chance.
I’m not in LA. When I have visited LA, the National was one of my very favorite theaters to see a movie in. If only more people had attended movies here instead of Century City and elsewhere…..!
You can’t save the National, though. The general public,and those who govern, won’t understand. It isn’t a Golden Age Hollwyood, 1920’s, 1930’s movie palace, with an architectural style and history that IS appreciated by the general public.
Even if you could “save” the National as architecture, and I’m unsure if ANY buildings built as recently as the National get legal protection anywhere, you wouldn’t save it for movies- not daily, not ever. Other uses would be in the building. Way too few people attended for movies in its last years and it won’t get reused for entertainment.
Built almost two decades earlier, with exterior arctitecture more easily grasped, and a longer history of movie premieres, was the Cinerama Dome. That was saved, with a megaplex added- on land that was available.
In my humble opinion, I’d suggest people in Los Angeles work hard to preserve entertainment including a movie series in the recently closed Rialto in South Pasadena. The public can appreciate that historic theater.
And, I’d suggest people start to work to ensure that entertainment including a movie series and film premieres continue at the Village & Bruin. In 3 years, the lease is up, and Mann leaves. They are not profitable, even with the revenue of film premieres. If they are not going to have a megaplex added to them, they won’t continue as daily movie houses. And, they likely won’t have a megaplex added to them. So, work so live shows, concerts, etc. can be hosted, with a film series as stated. Or, those legally protected buildings will become retail stores, restaurants, whatever, but no more movies! Like the Rialto, the general public and government can appreciate why people would want the historic interiors preserved and continued for entertainment, of the Village & Bruin.
And, ATTEND movies at the Majestic Crest in Westwood if you’d like that jewelbox to continue! The decor was added, it isn’t historic, won’t be protected, but if enough people attend movies there, and the existing operator wishes to continue, it should.
Just got an e-mail saying that the National is scheduled for Demolition to buiild condos, and that there is a City Hall meeting to stop this on THURSDAY, Nov 1 at 10:00AM. Looking for more info on Monday. I’m toold that updates will be posted at View link
Anyone with media contacts, pass this on… This news should be in the trade papers, and on TV news ASAP.
In reference to Joe Vogel’s email, the rendering is for the South Coast Plaza Theatre in Costa Mesa. That venue has has been vacant since 2000. Alan Hess went by it the other day an informed me that the interior appears to have been gutted. The Valley Circle Theatre was demolished in 1998. Levitt designed a number of theaters for the National General chain, but as they were mostly single screen venues most appear to have been lost while a few may have been multiplexed. There is no question that the National may have been his greatest theater design for sound quality if nothing else. Still, it stands, at least for the moment, as a pristine example of a true Modern Movie Palace of the type we will never see again.
Levitt’s work is finally being recognized as one of unique quality in the Late Modern period. Unfortunately this recognition may not be in time to save his great theater designs.
Not trying to argue with you, as it is probably just a misprint, but you couldn’t buy tickets for “3:10 To Yuma” online at the National either.
If you try to buy a ticket on that website, for that movie at this theater, it won’t let you, because the National is closed.
Moviefone.com lists “Saw 4” as playing at the National this evening at 7:00 PM. Could this be correct? I know it’s also playing at the AVCO.
Since Mann did not own the building the landlord may have turned down the idea too about converting it. Cineplex converted the former National Theatre in Times Square into a tri-plex and the landlord forced them to turn it back into a twin.
Yes Mann was toying with the idea of Stadium-izing the National for a while. One of their managers told me they were simultaneously considering either a multiplex or an overhaul of the National. I think they abandoned both ideas a while ago.
This theatre was designed by the Los Angeles firm of Harold W. Levitt & Associates. Their successor firm, Levitt & Moss, maintains on its website this memorial page for Harold Levitt. It doesn’t feature any information about the National Theatre, but it does feature a rendering of an unnamed theatre and a photo of the Levitt-designed Fox Valley Circle Theatre in San Diego.
Another interesting thing I’ve run across is on the website of Behr Browers Architects, the firm which did the plans for the renovations of the Criterion in Santa Monica and the Chinese in Hollywood, as well as renovations of the Mann Village and Bruin theatres in 1999. In a section of their website called “Plan Room”, subsection “historic renovations”, there is a mention of construction documents prepared for the Mann National Theatre in Westwood. Maybe Mann intended to renovate the National but the project didn’t pencil out?
Silver, that’s a good question. I don’t know all the facts, but I would guess that what happened to the National was not a surprise to anyone involved. You can send a question to the webmaster over there, or post a comment on the message boards…
PS: as an Ex New Yorker, I can’t go anywhere near Westwood without a stop at Lamonica’s.
Roadshow, What a terrific article. (BTW, totally concur about Lamonica’s New York Pizza. Good stuff!)
However, this needs explaining:
“When it reopened, we learned that the National was being leased to a man who also operates the former Mann theatres in Culver City. We were told by a National staffer that he held a year lease on the National until spring 2008…"
But later on: "On Sunday, October 7 2007, with no advance warning, the National Theatre was quietly closed.”
Did the “National staffer” do some fibbing to the article’s author?
Or maybe that supposed one year lease had a hell of a termination clause…
Bummer
The Premiere room is now part of the manager’s office. Doesn’t look much different. Was in there within the past 4-5 years or so.
Thanks for the excellent article. Has anyone who posts here ever been in that Premiere Room? Also, does anyone know if the ladies room remained the same over the years. The photo in the article looks pretty fancy. I guess one of us should have snuck in to take a pic.
Thanks for sharing the article. I had a good time when I ran the National.
The National in its infancy and a proper goodbye… View link
“To all those that showed up, let’s think of that last Thursday night screening of Shooter as the true final night of this great theatre. We gave it a proper farewell, and though the film was mediocre at best, the sound was cranked up and it looked great on that big screen.”
Good thinking—-would you really want “Feast Of Love” to be your final memory of the National anyway? They could crank up the sound as much as they wanted and I’m sure that sappy movie would still stink. I’ll be glad to take “3:10 to Yuma” with me as the last film I saw there, and I saw many. It was a solid movie that looked awesome on that giant screen. While “Shooter” wasn’t great, at least better to have the taste of that film in your mouth as the sendoff for the National instead of “Feast Of Love”.
The Vine Theatre did not get Dolby Stereo (“A”, not SR) till around 1998-9. Pacific Theatre ran it barebones in mono in it’s day as part of their chain.
i didn’t knoww the Vine closed. Glad I dipped in after work a few weeks ago. Shots are on Cinematour. Sound was horrible!!!!!!
quote: <<So does that mean when the NuWilshire closes it will be split into half church and half temple? :–) >>
Going even further, if some tri-plex were to close, it could become a combined church, synagogue, and mosque- with interesting relations between the religions! ;)
Seriously, my comment was of course tongue-in-cheek about a church in the National.
I realize that whoever owns that land will be sending in the wrecking ball and building yet another office building or some kind of retail shopping center. Ugh. Even a parking structure would probably make more $$ than the National has in recent days. And adding insult to injury, it will make that intersection a mess for the years of construction.
sigh
The Rialto closed too? Sigh I knew it wouldn’t last long, every time i went it was empty. I’m sure the Academy in Pasadena will be next. Those are my favorite places, the empty forgotten theatres, i HATE all the crowded modern plexes with parking garages. I hate modern crowds and shopping complexes, I feel completely disassociated and detached with this hideous time we live in. I’m like a bitter anti-social curmudgeon living in the wrong time, lamenting the 70’s. I can occasionally be seen shouting madly on street corners like crazed schizophrenic, like in the film “Reflections of Evil”, made by some lunatic filmmaker (don’t recall his name) Frankly i don’t see how ANY cinema’s have much of a future, other than the most frequented mega-plexes. Attendance has dropped so much, go to any late eve or early matineee show during the week, maybe 2-3 people in the theatre most of the time.
To all those that showed up, let’s think of that last Thursday night screening of Shooter as the true final night of this great theatre. We gave it a proper farewell, and though the film was mediocre at best, the sound was cranked up and it looked great on that big screen.
Seeing Feast of Love at the National would have brought back none of the fond memories we all have. In fact, it’s the type of film that actually is hurt by playing in such a cavernous theatre.
I just wish I had gotten tickets for that Transformers screening.
Mark, you would know better than I about the Seattle Cinerama because I have yet to attend a film there. I may do so in the next few weeks. The Eastgate was a real treasure, especially auditorium 1. I think it may have had as many as 1,300 seats at one point. In the advertising they always billed it as the largest screen and auditorium in the state with wording such as, “Experience the force on Oregon’s largest screen…,” for “Star Wars”. Incidentally, it is now being used as a church similar to what SilverCamaro proposed for the National. Although, having someone occupy the National would obviously be better than seeing it demolished believe me, what the church has done to the Eastgate is a CRIME! I do not know, I really have no room to talk since I never got the chance to visit the National. All I can say is from what I have seen and read of the place, I mourn the loss along with you guys!
So does that mean when the NuWilshire closes it will be split into half church and half temple? :–)
SilverCamaro, a developer can generate a greater revenue stream from a retail project than from a church. Besides, how tacky would that type of church look in the center of Westwood Village.