The Tracy was still standing in the Summer of 1973. It had a rusty, wedge shaped marquee which had later supplanted the one in the photo. Many of the window panes on the arched facade were broken, and the entrance was boarded up.
This theatre—without that colossal vertical sign—was still standing, though closed, in 1998. I believe it has since been demolished. It stood across from the Fox.
I last saw this theatre still standing in the Spring of 1981. The next time I visited Ocean Ave., in the Summer of 1983, it was gone, though the Roxy, State, Imperial, and Fox West Coast, and the Palace,on Pine, were still standing.
It has been a couple of years since I was by this building, but when I last saw it in 1996, the facade still appeared as it does in the photo, without sign or marquee, and there was a sunburst patterned terrazzo sidewalk going out from the former entrance to the curb.
The animated neon on the reopened Del Mar is now a restored must-see for all theatre enthusiasts. It can be argued that the Del Mar now possesses the finest display of theatre neon in any California Coastal city between San Francisco and Los Angeles (with the exception of the Fremont in San Luis Obispo).
The three-story, mansard-roofed facade shown in the photo still survives, without marquee and vertical sign. The grand auditorium on the lot behind is gone.
A charming touch about this theatre are the witty comments the management has been putting underneath the movie titles on the marquee for the past several years. Sometimes they are quotes from the movie, sometimes terrible puns on the movie title or plot premise. Sometimes you have to know something about the movie in order to get the joke, other times not. Now THAT’S true arthouse showmanship!!
It is interesting to note that the two allegorical deco incised relief panels depicting UNITY and ARTISTRY on this and the other UA houses noted here, may be also seen on the facade of the United Artists in Berkeley, but switched, so from left to right it reads, ARTISTRY, and UNITY. The theatre in Berkeley still functions as a 7-plex, with the lobby spaces well preserved.
The architect of the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, NEVADA chose to imitate almost precisely the still-extant facade of the Warner. Definitely a conscious decision, as it makes for a great casino entrance.
Good comments on the Center. One correction, however regarding theatres in what is now Fremont. The Center was not the first in the area. There were two theatres built in Niles (one is now a photography studio, the other burned), and the Leal Theatre in Irvington, long ago converted to office and retail, but with facade mostly intact, still stands.
Even when new, it can be argued that the Orinda was one of the finest theatres built in the Bay Area during the 40s. It is one of only two theatres I know of which drew their exterior inspiration directly from the Court of the Moon towers at the 1930-1940 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island (the other theatre to do so was the Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, a 1939 remodel of a 1920 theatre—still standing as an office/retail building, but minus its tower). The architect of the Orinda was Alexander Aimwell Cantin. The theatre is in beautiful shape, inside and out, and is currently operated by Renaissance Rialto Theatres. Two additional screens were added in a deco bank building next door, utilizing elements from other lost theatres, most notably the gutted Garden Theatre in San Jose.
I attended this theatre once during its brief reopening during 2000. Though a bit dirty and waterstained, the interior is nearly all original, with very fine murals including scenes of Apollo in his chariot.
The Orange Theatre is now a church. It appears virtually the same as in the photograph today except that the vertical sign has been replaced by a large neon-lit plastic cross. The marquee shown in the photo is still on the building, but painted a single dark color and there are illuminated “dove of peace” symbols where the name ORANGE used to be. All ornamental neon is gone. Other than these changes, the exterior remains as it was.
According to my late father, former Disney animator Ed Parks, the Los Feliz was used a number of times for special screenings by the Disney Studio. Thus, it often was reequipped with the very latest in screen and sound presentation technology. These screenings would have taken place during the timeframe of the 40s and 50s, the time when my father worked for Disney.
The Tracy was still standing in the Summer of 1973. It had a rusty, wedge shaped marquee which had later supplanted the one in the photo. Many of the window panes on the arched facade were broken, and the entrance was boarded up.
This theatre—without that colossal vertical sign—was still standing, though closed, in 1998. I believe it has since been demolished. It stood across from the Fox.
I last saw this theatre still standing in the Spring of 1981. The next time I visited Ocean Ave., in the Summer of 1983, it was gone, though the Roxy, State, Imperial, and Fox West Coast, and the Palace,on Pine, were still standing.
It has been a couple of years since I was by this building, but when I last saw it in 1996, the facade still appeared as it does in the photo, without sign or marquee, and there was a sunburst patterned terrazzo sidewalk going out from the former entrance to the curb.
The animated neon on the reopened Del Mar is now a restored must-see for all theatre enthusiasts. It can be argued that the Del Mar now possesses the finest display of theatre neon in any California Coastal city between San Francisco and Los Angeles (with the exception of the Fremont in San Luis Obispo).
The three-story, mansard-roofed facade shown in the photo still survives, without marquee and vertical sign. The grand auditorium on the lot behind is gone.
A charming touch about this theatre are the witty comments the management has been putting underneath the movie titles on the marquee for the past several years. Sometimes they are quotes from the movie, sometimes terrible puns on the movie title or plot premise. Sometimes you have to know something about the movie in order to get the joke, other times not. Now THAT’S true arthouse showmanship!!
It is interesting to note that the two allegorical deco incised relief panels depicting UNITY and ARTISTRY on this and the other UA houses noted here, may be also seen on the facade of the United Artists in Berkeley, but switched, so from left to right it reads, ARTISTRY, and UNITY. The theatre in Berkeley still functions as a 7-plex, with the lobby spaces well preserved.
The architect of the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, NEVADA chose to imitate almost precisely the still-extant facade of the Warner. Definitely a conscious decision, as it makes for a great casino entrance.
Good comments on the Center. One correction, however regarding theatres in what is now Fremont. The Center was not the first in the area. There were two theatres built in Niles (one is now a photography studio, the other burned), and the Leal Theatre in Irvington, long ago converted to office and retail, but with facade mostly intact, still stands.
errata: My comment above SHOULD say, “Court of the Moon towers at the 1939-1940 (NOT 1930-1940) Golden Gate Exposition…”
Even when new, it can be argued that the Orinda was one of the finest theatres built in the Bay Area during the 40s. It is one of only two theatres I know of which drew their exterior inspiration directly from the Court of the Moon towers at the 1930-1940 Golden Gate Exposition on Treasure Island (the other theatre to do so was the Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, a 1939 remodel of a 1920 theatre—still standing as an office/retail building, but minus its tower). The architect of the Orinda was Alexander Aimwell Cantin. The theatre is in beautiful shape, inside and out, and is currently operated by Renaissance Rialto Theatres. Two additional screens were added in a deco bank building next door, utilizing elements from other lost theatres, most notably the gutted Garden Theatre in San Jose.
I attended this theatre once during its brief reopening during 2000. Though a bit dirty and waterstained, the interior is nearly all original, with very fine murals including scenes of Apollo in his chariot.
The Orange Theatre is now a church. It appears virtually the same as in the photograph today except that the vertical sign has been replaced by a large neon-lit plastic cross. The marquee shown in the photo is still on the building, but painted a single dark color and there are illuminated “dove of peace” symbols where the name ORANGE used to be. All ornamental neon is gone. Other than these changes, the exterior remains as it was.
According to my late father, former Disney animator Ed Parks, the Los Feliz was used a number of times for special screenings by the Disney Studio. Thus, it often was reequipped with the very latest in screen and sound presentation technology. These screenings would have taken place during the timeframe of the 40s and 50s, the time when my father worked for Disney.