I suspect that the reason Google Maps is putting its pin icon several blocks from this theater’s actual location is either because of the “or” in the address, or because the zip code is wrong. Changing it to 237-239 E. Center St., Pocatello, ID 83201 might help.
I’ve moved Street View to the correct location. The interesting detailing on the side wall near the front of the building is probably a remnant of the original design. The facade must date from the renovations after the 1939 fire.
The June, 1954, bulletin of the IATSE, district 1, said that the Crest Theatre had just installed CinemaScope, inaugurating its new screen with “Knights of the Round Table.”
The address listed here doesn’t match up with the description of the theater. The address of the bridal and formal wear shop mentioned in the introduction as being on the theater’s site is 149 N. Main Street. The address 165 N. Main is the corner building, which most recently housed a restaurant called Annie’s Subs, Salads and Pizza, which is now closed.
I’m a bit confused by the description. Was the Capitol’s auditorium in the brick building still standing along Lewis Street? If it was, then the destruction wall with the pilasters along the parking lot must have been the interior wall of the Orpheum Theatre’s auditorium.
The Dallas Public Library’s Interstate Theatres Collection includes 15 sheets of plans for the Cameo Theatre in Plano. They are dated June 16, 1969, and November 3, 1969. The architect was Jack H. Morgan.
The Dallas Public Library’s Interstate Theatres Collection includes 16 sheets of plans for the Westwood Theatre by architects Bridges, Campbell & Associates, dated March 24, 1966. John M. Bridges, Jr and George F. Campbell, Jr, were the principals of the firm, according to the 1962 AIA Directory.
The Dallas Public Library’s Interstate Theatres Collection includes four sheets of plans for the Medallion Theatre in Dallas, by architect Jack H. Morgan. They are dated October 24, 1968, so construction probably began not long after that date.
Like many of the multiplexes built by the Consolidated Theatres chain, the Majestic 20 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Birkdale Stadium 16 was originally operated by the Eastern Federal circuit under the name Movies @ Birkdale. It opened in May, 2001, and was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects. The Eastern Federal chain was taken over by Regal in 2005.
A Glendale movie house called the Lincoln Theatre was mentioned in the June 2, 1928, issue of Exhibitor’s Herald & Moving Picture World, and Cinema Treasures contributor BillCounter found the Lincoln listed in a 1928 telephone directory with the address of 129 N. Brand. That would be one of the storefronts adjacent to the Palace Grand’s entrance, so Lincoln Theatre must have been a late AKA for the Palace Grand. The operators might have been using the storefront as an office for the theater.
I don’t know in what year the name Lincoln was adopted. The West Coast Theatres circuit was formed in 1920, and bought the holdings of the Turner, Dahnken and Langley circuit in 1923, by which time the Palace Grand was known as the TD&L Theatre. C. L. Langley continued with West Coast as a partner in several theaters in Glendale, Pasadena, and perhaps Orange County, and built the Alexander Theatre in Glendale in association with West Coast in 1925.
William Fox bought an interest in West Coast at least as early as 1925, and had taken control of the company by 1929. The name change from TD&L Theatre to Lincoln Theatre might have taken place during the West Coast period or during the Fox West Coast period.
It’s possible, and even likely, that Henry Jensen retained ownership of the Palace Grand building, and that Turner, Dahnken and Langley operated it under a lease. After building the Alexander, West Coast-Langley Theatres might have simply let their lease on the Palace Grand run out.
A staff report published by the City of Glendale, dated October 25, 2010, (Google cache here– see page 2) contains information I’m sure is wrong. It says:
“The Palace-Grand Shops, also known as Jensen’s Arcade, was completed in 1923 and featured a drugstore, jewelry shop, and post office, along with one of Glendale’s most cherished historic businesses, the Egyptian Village Café. The basement, called the Glendale Recreation Center, had a barber shop, billiards hall, and bowling alley. The Arcade was built on the site of an earlier Jensen development, the Palace Grand Theater, an early vaudeville and movie house that was built in 1914 but forced to close in 1920 due to competition from the more modern Glendale Theater.”
More likely, 1920 was the year the house was renamed the TD&L Theatre. This ca.1925 photo (previously linked in my first comment on this theater) shows the TD&L sign on the building, and next door is a two-storey building with what appears to be a large set of skylights covering much of the roof. That neighboring building must have been the Palace Grand Shops, AKA Jensen’s Arcade, built in 1923. It’s possible that, after the theater closed, probably in 1928, its building was incorporated into the arcade, but the theater was definitely in operation through most of the 1920s.
Thanks for the information on the Majestic, Bill. A card in the L.A. Library’s California Index says that the Majestic was designed by architect Paul V. Tuttle. (He also designed Glendale’s Carnegie Library, opened in 1914 and demolished in 1977.)
The L.A. County Assessor’s office lists a big lot at the northwest corner of Broadway and Maryland with three buildings on it, one of which was built in 1912, with an effective construction date of 1970. The other two date from 1921 and 1990, but all three have been remodeled to have a unified facade style. The 1912/1970 structure has 13,110 square feet. The Majestic’s building was 70x94 feet, according to the California Index entry, which would give it about 6,580 feet on each floor, or a bit over 13,000 square feet. The current address 115 E. Broadway is in that building, which, judging from Google’s satellite view, has a frontage of about 94 feet on Broadway and is about 70 feet deep. I’m pretty sure this is the Majestic’s building, still standing, but altered beyond recognition.
I think you must be right about the name Lincoln being an AKA for the Palace Grand. I’ll leave a comment on Cinema Treasures' Palace Grand page, noting this new AKA.
Scott, you’ll probably be interested in three items mentioning Claude Langley in various 1916 issues of The Moving Picture World, available in this scan from Google Books. They name Langley as directing manager and treasurer of the Turner & Dahnken circuit, so his association with them clearly predates his partnership with them in the various Southern California theaters they operated.
(Note: Google Books has changed the way it functions, so to see all three of the magazine items mentioning Langley you’ll have to hit the “clear search” link, then re-enter the terms Turner Dahnken Langley in the search box and hit Go.)
A card in the California Index cites a January 29, 1923, item from the Glendale News Press which said that West Coast Theatres had bought the entire TD&L chain, so Langley’s association with West Coast began no later than that. An early 1923 article about the West Coast takeover in The Film Daily said that the TD&L circuit consisted of fourteen theaters, “…five theaters in Los Angeles, three in Pasadena, two in Glendale and one each in Huntington Park, Taft and several other towns.”
I had thought that what was left of the building on the Liberty Theatre’s lot was to have been demolished as part of the LAPD’s new garage project, which now occupies most of this block, but Google Street View shows the garage completed, and the corner building is still there, too. The building no longer has a Main Street entrance, but a door has been punched in the side wall, with the address 103 E. 3rd Street.
The L.A. County Assessor’s office says that the building was built in 1910, with an effective construction date of 1926. As there’s a record of an organ being installed in the Liberty in 1907, it’s possible that the theater was destroyed within a couple of years of opening. It’s also possible that the assessor’s office is wrong about the original construction date, and that the building on this site now is indeed the remnant of the Liberty Theatre.
The building is currently occupied by a business called US Wholesale Outlet Inc., and the 3rd Street wall of the building sports an array of product logos from Newport Cigarettes, to Kodak, to Tylenol. I don’t know if just anybody can wander in off the street, but somebody in the area could give it a shot. I doubt if any trace of the Liberty’s interior decor remains in this building, assuming that it is the Liberty’s building, but the auditorium space itself would probably still be intact.
The name on the theater’s marquee is “Beyond the Stars Palace.” Googling that full name you can find the theater’s official web site.
The Los Angeles County assessor’s office gives the construction date of the building on this parcel as 1938.
BillCounter: If you still have access to any old Glendale city directories, could you look up two theaters that appear to be missing from the Cinema Treasures database? There was a Lincoln Theatre, mentioned in Exhibitor’s Herald & Moving Picture World of June 2, 1928, and the Majestic Theatre, which was to be opened on February 3, 1912, according to the January 21, 1912, issue of the Glendale News. The Majestic was located on 4th Street (since renamed Broadway) east of Brand.
I suspect that the reason Google Maps is putting its pin icon several blocks from this theater’s actual location is either because of the “or” in the address, or because the zip code is wrong. Changing it to 237-239 E. Center St., Pocatello, ID 83201 might help.
I’ve moved Street View to the correct location. The interesting detailing on the side wall near the front of the building is probably a remnant of the original design. The facade must date from the renovations after the 1939 fire.
Here is a photo of the Auditorium as it originally appeared, from a book published in 1908.
This web page has some information about the Auditorium Theatre and a colorized postcard depicting it.
The June, 1954, bulletin of the IATSE, district 1, said that the Crest Theatre had just installed CinemaScope, inaugurating its new screen with “Knights of the Round Table.”
The address listed here doesn’t match up with the description of the theater. The address of the bridal and formal wear shop mentioned in the introduction as being on the theater’s site is 149 N. Main Street. The address 165 N. Main is the corner building, which most recently housed a restaurant called Annie’s Subs, Salads and Pizza, which is now closed.
I’m a bit confused by the description. Was the Capitol’s auditorium in the brick building still standing along Lewis Street? If it was, then the destruction wall with the pilasters along the parking lot must have been the interior wall of the Orpheum Theatre’s auditorium.
The Dallas Public Library’s Interstate Theatres Collection includes 15 sheets of plans for the Cameo Theatre in Plano. They are dated June 16, 1969, and November 3, 1969. The architect was Jack H. Morgan.
The Dallas Public Library’s Interstate Theatres Collection includes 16 sheets of plans for the Westwood Theatre by architects Bridges, Campbell & Associates, dated March 24, 1966. John M. Bridges, Jr and George F. Campbell, Jr, were the principals of the firm, according to the 1962 AIA Directory.
The Dallas Public Library’s Interstate Theatres Collection includes four sheets of plans for the Medallion Theatre in Dallas, by architect Jack H. Morgan. They are dated October 24, 1968, so construction probably began not long after that date.
Like many of the multiplexes built by the Consolidated Theatres chain, the Majestic 20 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Muvico Village 12 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The correct address is 227 Griffith Street.
Our Town Cinemas was created in renovated retail space. The project was designed by Charlotte, NC, firm ADW Architects.
The EpiCentre Theaters project was designed by the Charlotte architectural firm ADW Architects.
Consolidated opened the White Oak Stadium 14 in 2006. The project was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
Mayfaire Town Center Cinemas 16 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Birkdale Stadium 16 was originally operated by the Eastern Federal circuit under the name Movies @ Birkdale. It opened in May, 2001, and was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects. The Eastern Federal chain was taken over by Regal in 2005.
The New Town Cinemas 12 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Commerce Center 18 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Columbiana Grande was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
Southpoint Cinemas was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Palladium Cinemas 14 was designed by the Charlotte, NC, architectural firm ADW Architects.
The Ayrsley Grand Cinemas 14 was designed by the Charlotte architectural firm ADW Architects.
A Glendale movie house called the Lincoln Theatre was mentioned in the June 2, 1928, issue of Exhibitor’s Herald & Moving Picture World, and Cinema Treasures contributor BillCounter found the Lincoln listed in a 1928 telephone directory with the address of 129 N. Brand. That would be one of the storefronts adjacent to the Palace Grand’s entrance, so Lincoln Theatre must have been a late AKA for the Palace Grand. The operators might have been using the storefront as an office for the theater.
I don’t know in what year the name Lincoln was adopted. The West Coast Theatres circuit was formed in 1920, and bought the holdings of the Turner, Dahnken and Langley circuit in 1923, by which time the Palace Grand was known as the TD&L Theatre. C. L. Langley continued with West Coast as a partner in several theaters in Glendale, Pasadena, and perhaps Orange County, and built the Alexander Theatre in Glendale in association with West Coast in 1925.
William Fox bought an interest in West Coast at least as early as 1925, and had taken control of the company by 1929. The name change from TD&L Theatre to Lincoln Theatre might have taken place during the West Coast period or during the Fox West Coast period.
It’s possible, and even likely, that Henry Jensen retained ownership of the Palace Grand building, and that Turner, Dahnken and Langley operated it under a lease. After building the Alexander, West Coast-Langley Theatres might have simply let their lease on the Palace Grand run out.
A staff report published by the City of Glendale, dated October 25, 2010, (Google cache here– see page 2) contains information I’m sure is wrong. It says:
More likely, 1920 was the year the house was renamed the TD&L Theatre. This ca.1925 photo (previously linked in my first comment on this theater) shows the TD&L sign on the building, and next door is a two-storey building with what appears to be a large set of skylights covering much of the roof. That neighboring building must have been the Palace Grand Shops, AKA Jensen’s Arcade, built in 1923. It’s possible that, after the theater closed, probably in 1928, its building was incorporated into the arcade, but the theater was definitely in operation through most of the 1920s.Thanks for the information on the Majestic, Bill. A card in the L.A. Library’s California Index says that the Majestic was designed by architect Paul V. Tuttle. (He also designed Glendale’s Carnegie Library, opened in 1914 and demolished in 1977.)
The L.A. County Assessor’s office lists a big lot at the northwest corner of Broadway and Maryland with three buildings on it, one of which was built in 1912, with an effective construction date of 1970. The other two date from 1921 and 1990, but all three have been remodeled to have a unified facade style. The 1912/1970 structure has 13,110 square feet. The Majestic’s building was 70x94 feet, according to the California Index entry, which would give it about 6,580 feet on each floor, or a bit over 13,000 square feet. The current address 115 E. Broadway is in that building, which, judging from Google’s satellite view, has a frontage of about 94 feet on Broadway and is about 70 feet deep. I’m pretty sure this is the Majestic’s building, still standing, but altered beyond recognition.
I think you must be right about the name Lincoln being an AKA for the Palace Grand. I’ll leave a comment on Cinema Treasures' Palace Grand page, noting this new AKA.
Scott, you’ll probably be interested in three items mentioning Claude Langley in various 1916 issues of The Moving Picture World, available in this scan from Google Books. They name Langley as directing manager and treasurer of the Turner & Dahnken circuit, so his association with them clearly predates his partnership with them in the various Southern California theaters they operated.
(Note: Google Books has changed the way it functions, so to see all three of the magazine items mentioning Langley you’ll have to hit the “clear search” link, then re-enter the terms Turner Dahnken Langley in the search box and hit Go.)
A card in the California Index cites a January 29, 1923, item from the Glendale News Press which said that West Coast Theatres had bought the entire TD&L chain, so Langley’s association with West Coast began no later than that. An early 1923 article about the West Coast takeover in The Film Daily said that the TD&L circuit consisted of fourteen theaters, “…five theaters in Los Angeles, three in Pasadena, two in Glendale and one each in Huntington Park, Taft and several other towns.”
I had thought that what was left of the building on the Liberty Theatre’s lot was to have been demolished as part of the LAPD’s new garage project, which now occupies most of this block, but Google Street View shows the garage completed, and the corner building is still there, too. The building no longer has a Main Street entrance, but a door has been punched in the side wall, with the address 103 E. 3rd Street.
The L.A. County Assessor’s office says that the building was built in 1910, with an effective construction date of 1926. As there’s a record of an organ being installed in the Liberty in 1907, it’s possible that the theater was destroyed within a couple of years of opening. It’s also possible that the assessor’s office is wrong about the original construction date, and that the building on this site now is indeed the remnant of the Liberty Theatre.
The building is currently occupied by a business called US Wholesale Outlet Inc., and the 3rd Street wall of the building sports an array of product logos from Newport Cigarettes, to Kodak, to Tylenol. I don’t know if just anybody can wander in off the street, but somebody in the area could give it a shot. I doubt if any trace of the Liberty’s interior decor remains in this building, assuming that it is the Liberty’s building, but the auditorium space itself would probably still be intact.
The name on the theater’s marquee is “Beyond the Stars Palace.” Googling that full name you can find the theater’s official web site.
The Los Angeles County assessor’s office gives the construction date of the building on this parcel as 1938.
BillCounter: If you still have access to any old Glendale city directories, could you look up two theaters that appear to be missing from the Cinema Treasures database? There was a Lincoln Theatre, mentioned in Exhibitor’s Herald & Moving Picture World of June 2, 1928, and the Majestic Theatre, which was to be opened on February 3, 1912, according to the January 21, 1912, issue of the Glendale News. The Majestic was located on 4th Street (since renamed Broadway) east of Brand.