Esquire Theatre
419 N. Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
419 N. Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
5 people
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Showing 26 - 36 of 36 comments
I poked around upstairs the last time I was at Canters. It looks like the projection booth is being used for storage. I opened all the doors but only saw fuses and such.
Here’s an aerial view of the Theater:
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There are two parts to the restaurant. The northern part was the theater. The high ceilings are original, I believe. The southern part was an adjacent building with low ceilings that was added on after the restaurant opened. I couldn’t tell you if the walls are original or not.
Anyone know of any interior photos of the Esquire? I passed it the other day when driving on Fairfax, near CBS Studios. Does anyone know if the original ceiling and walls exist in the restaurant?
The first comment about the Esquire being an art house is probably correct if you look at the photo of the Esquire hanging in the restaurant. The picture was a French film, title unrecalled.
Two photographs I took of the former Esquire Theatre building in January 2005:
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/370817635/
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/370819448/
In addition to the Esquire photo on display at Canters, there is other evidence of its former life. The marquee out front and, if one climbs the stairs to the second floor, the original projection booth and rest rooms.
I was going to say that Canter’s is in Los Angeles, not Hollywood, but as Hollywood is not a city the difference is miniscule. I saw the picture of the Esquire the first time I went to Canter’s back in the mid-80s.
Southwest Builder and Contractor issue of 3/15/1937 says that architect Clifford A. Balch had prepeared the plans for remodeling an existing building at 417-419 N. Fairfax for use as a movie theatre.
There’s a very nice black-and-white photograph of the Esquire posted on the wall at the back of Canter’s.
When the Esquire was a theatre, it was operated by the Herbert Rosener Company. That chain included: The Laurel, Sunset and Studio Theatres.