Did the Burbank Theatre used to be called the Victory Theatre? Here’s a 1919 photo from CSUN: http://tinyurl.com/cdvudz
If that’s it, then this 1963 photo would be the marquee for the Burbank Theatre, now being used as an entrance sign for the Burbank Hotel http://tinyurl.com/cmohoz
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
Is the larger of the two upper screens worth going to, or is it the same (or worse) standard as the average mega-multiplex screens? I don’t remember ever seeing anything there that wasn’t in the big auditorium, and I haven’t been there since the split.
If you compare the buildings to the left and right of the theatre(s) in these two photos, I’m pretty sure the Paris and Hitching Post are the same location.
Some photos I took back in November 2000, when it had recently closed as a movie theater and its fate was uncertain. Sorry the first two aren’t the sharpest, early digital cameras were unpredictable things:
[quote]Saturday, March 21st, 10:30 am
Doors Open 10 am
ALL ABOUT THE
LOS ANGELES THEATER
ADMISSION IS FREE!
Los Angeles Theater
615 S. Broadway
Downtown Los Angeles
SEE! â€" the beautiful 1931 Los Angeles Theater
HEAR! â€" Theatre Historians tell the theaters story
TOUR! â€" get an insider’s look at this amazing theatre â€" from the Gallery to the Basement
DISCOVER! â€" how you can become actively involved with the LAHTF
PREVIEW! â€" a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres soon
LEARN! â€" how you can get experience in saving, restoring and programming great theatres
EXPLORE! â€" http://www.losangelestheatre.com
REPAST! â€" Join us at Clifton’s Cafeteria following the event to continue the discussion
SHOP! â€" Look for bargains in the nearby Garment District and in Broadway’s shops
Los Angeles Theatre (1931)
615 South Broadway
The most lavish and last built of Broadway’s great movie palaces, the Los Angeles was designed by legendary theatre architect S. Charles Lee. It was constructed in 1931 at an estimated cost of more than one million dollars. Patterned after the celebrated Fox theatre in San Francisco, the Los Angeles recalls the glories of the French Baroque. The façade rises five stories, decorated with huge columns and accented with urns, angels, and vines. Its majestic lobby features mirrors, fluted columns, sparkling chandeliers, finely detailed plaster ornament, and a sunburst motif alluding to France’s “Sun King,†Louis XIV. A grand central staircase leads to a crystal fountain.
In addition to its lavish decor, the Los Angeles originally boasted a number of unusual amenities. These included an electric indicator to monitor available seats, soundproof “crying rooms†(for parents with crying children) above the loge, a staffed playroom in the basement, and a glamorous ladies’ lounge featuring sixteen private compartments, each finished in a different marble. In the walnut-paneled basement lounge, a periscope-like system of prisms relayed the featured film from the auditorium to a secondary screen, allowing patrons to watch the film while socializing.
The Los Angeles has undergone a number of incremental improvements in recent years and is a popular filming and special-event location.
Another article about the continuing problems of the Globe’s “Club 740” vs. loft residents:
View link
[quote]Downtown L.A. residents not loving the night life
Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
Revelers hang out outside Club 740 in downtown Los Angeles at closing time. Residents have complained about club-goers who linger for hours and vendors who sell them food.
After complaints of noise and violence, Club 740 has been threatened with closure by the city. Now community members, police, business leaders and others must come up with a plan to help it survive.
By Cara Mia DiMassa
March 7, 2009
When Club 740 opened on Broadway in mid-2005, many saw it as solid evidence of the hip night life that downtown boosters had been trying to bring to the city center.
With the lure of pounding hip-hop, glass-walled VIP lounges and a massive dance floor, Club 740 managed to draw thousands of people to the old Globe movie theater, on a gritty street that also boasted swap meets and discount jewelry stores.
The club quickly distinguished itself — but not in a way that most people would boast about. Fights inside and outside the club, reports of sexual assaults and gang activity quickly garnered Club 740 a less-than-savory reputation. A man was stabbed in the parking lot behind the club in August 2006; last December, an intoxicated club-goer fell to his death from a third-floor railing.
Police officers and residents complained about the club, and the city began the process to shut it down.
The situation underscores the difficulties that sometimes come with trying to bring edgy night life into revitalizing areas. Downtown for decades was known as a district that pretty much closed down after dark. These days, however, the streets are teeming with night life from various clubs, eateries and bars.
Club 740 is one of several new downtown nightclubs to run into trouble.
Part of the problem is that downtown is becoming a residential area, with loft and condo dwellers who aren’t always excited about rowdy behavior well into the morning hours.
The Chapman Flats, a 168-unit apartment building, opened last year next door to Club 740. There’s a dry cleaner on the ground floor. Nearby, condos at the renovated Eastern Columbia building have fetched in the millions of dollars.
Club 740’s new neighbors quickly joined a chorus of others questioning whether a club that stays open sometimes as late as 4 or 5 a.m. belongs in the area. They complained about patrons who lingered in the parking lot behind the club for hours and vendors who hawked food and goods to those patrons.
Damian Jones, a spokesman for the club’s owner, Ralph Verdugo, said the club has taken steps to quell the violence and soundproof its property. He insists that Verdugo and the club are partners in the revitalization happening in the district.
“He has really cleaned up the area,” said Jones of Verdugo. “The club is a vibrant part of the bring-back-Broadway movement.”
But earlier this year, the Los Angeles Planning Department began proceedings to revoke the club’s conditional use permit. Criminal activities near the club “are jeopardizing and/or endangering the public health in the area,” said a report in preparation for the hearings, “… thereby constituting a public nuisance and contributing to the deterioration of the adjacent community.”
After a four-hour hearing on the matter, a zoning administrator ordered community members, police, business leaders and others to put together a plan for how the club might adapt in order to survive.
“A big part is working together, between the residents and the owners,” said Russell Brown, president of the Historic Business Improvement District, who has been involved in the negotiations.
Last year, police pushed to close Crash Mansion, which had seen its own share of criminal activity; eventually, that club folded after its liquor license was suspended and the Board of Equalization put a tax hold on it.
And Versus, which opened last November inside the old Los Angeles Stock Exchange building, was forced to close less than a month later after city inspectors required upgrades to its sprinkler system and bathrooms. The club’s website promised a reopening in February 2009, and a call to the club was not returned.
The zoning department’s investigation into Club 740 came after Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district includes that stretch of Broadway, pushed for an examination of the club after a string of violent incidents there.
“There was a time when Broadway was kind of forgotten in the evening,” he said. “So if you had incidents happening in a parking lot or outside a club, very few people would notice. It was kind of no-person’s land. There was no one to say that this activity is happening on these streets. A lot of the incidents didn’t even get reported to police. Now, with more residents living nearby, I do think it is getting on people’s radar.”
Tamara Kamci, resident manager of the Chapman, said residents were “not trying to close them down by any means. That’s not our thing. We just want to quiet it down, especially with the noise in the parking lot.”
Jones said Verdugo had already invested $1.5 million in making the old theater “a good, strong and successful venue for downtown.” He said that included posted roving security guards outside the club. But, he added, “at a certain point, there is only so much they can do. If the people are on a public sidewalk or in the parking lot next door, they can’t do everything.”
Several people familiar with the negotiations about how the club might adjust to suit its neighbors said they expected several conditions to be established in order to ensure the club’s ongoing operation. Those conditions would include limits on hours of operation, hours of alcohol service and the use of outside promoters, as well as mandatory training of employees and increased security.
Huizar said that as officials seek conditions from the club management, there is very little wiggle room for compromises. “If a club exists there, they have to comply with all the rules and regulations,” Huizar said. “They can’t be a nuisance. It doesn’t matter whether they are downtown or in Eagle Rock or elsewhere.”
Jones said that the management of Club 740 wants to work with Huizar’s office, the LAPD and neighborhood groups “to figure out how we can be a productive member of downtown.”
“There are issues when downtowns get revitalized,” he added. “Things need to get worked out."
[/quote]
What’s going on with the neon on the tower? First some of it was burnt out for the last few months without being repaired, but well over 75% of it was still working. Now, since around February 13th, the whole tower above the “leafy” shape at the bottom has been totally dark. The marquee and the tower base are fine, but it’s as if they gave up on the tower part completely. I hope it’s not a permanent cost-cutting measure. When it was lit, you could see that tower at night for quite a distance.
That 1973 photo was 354 S. Broadway, not 314. That’s one of the two that burned down in Feb. 2007, exposing their original façades that were hidden behind a late-‘70s remodel.
You can see the Cozy and the empty spot where the Central was in the background of another early ‘70s photo from that thread illustrating where the fire was. View link
I can’t find the info on the LAHTF’s website yet, but Chris Nichols posts this about their upcoming free tour of the Palace, along with dates of upcoming tours of the Los Angeles, Tower and Rialto. View link
[quote]The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation http://www.lahtf.org/
Invites You & Your Friends To Attend
All About the Palace
Saturday, February 28, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Palace Theatre * 630 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles http://www.losangelestheatre.com
FREE ADMISSION
SEE! â€" the beautiful 1911 Palace Theatre and a big screen presentation of rare photos of its past
HEAR! â€" Theatre Historian Ed Kelsey tell the Palace story
TOUR! â€" get an insider’s look at this amazing theatre â€" from the Gallery to the Basement
DISCOVER! â€" how you can become actively involved with the LAHTF
PREVIEW! â€" a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres soon
LEARN! â€" how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres
EXPLORE! â€" visit the Palace’s comprehensive website â€" http://www.losangelestheatre.com
REPAST! â€" Join us at Clifton’s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
SHOP! – Look for bargains in the nearby Garment District and in Broadway’s shops.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: ALL ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES, March 21
ALL ABOUT THE TOWER & RIALTO, April 18 [/quote]
Major parts of the Season 2 Torchwood episode “From Out Of The Rain” were filmed inside the Phoenix, although another building stood in for the interior.
The Metrolink station planning report identifies it as a “building of historic interest” under the original name of Perris Theater/Theatre (they spell it both ways), and says “The Perris Theater, which has rich design features and was built in the 1930s, is currently owned by the Perris Church of Christ.” It’s one of the few buildings they note and label on their map.
An article on a meeting to discuss the city’s Downtown Vision Plan mentions a suggestion to show classic movies, but it doesn’t sound like anything’s been decided yet.
Here’s a cool image of it, from before they removed the small marquee: View link
Here’s a photo from the LAPL that was mislabeled as being the Burbank (er… no). It says it’s from 1913.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics28/00033950.jpg
Did the Burbank Theatre used to be called the Victory Theatre? Here’s a 1919 photo from CSUN:
http://tinyurl.com/cdvudz
If that’s it, then this 1963 photo would be the marquee for the Burbank Theatre, now being used as an entrance sign for the Burbank Hotel
http://tinyurl.com/cmohoz
From the LAHTF’s email flyer:
Contact: Hillsman Wright – 310 403-0865
For immediate release â€" 4/7/09
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend
All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
From the LAHTF’s email flyer:
Contact: Hillsman Wright – 310 403-0865
For immediate release â€" 4/7/09
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend
All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
From the LAHTF’s email flyer:
Contact: Hillsman Wright – 310 403-0865
For immediate release â€" 4/7/09
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend
All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
Is the larger of the two upper screens worth going to, or is it the same (or worse) standard as the average mega-multiplex screens? I don’t remember ever seeing anything there that wasn’t in the big auditorium, and I haven’t been there since the split.
Here’s a page of photos:
View link
If you compare the buildings to the left and right of the theatre(s) in these two photos, I’m pretty sure the Paris and Hitching Post are the same location.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics21/00045003.jpg
View link
Here’s some photos of the Mayan from yesterday:
mayan_01.jpg
mayan_02.jpg
mayan_03.jpg
mayan_04.jpg
mayan_05.jpg
mayan_06.jpg
mayan_07.jpg
mayan_08.jpg
mayan_09.jpg
mayan_10.jpg
mayan_11.jpg
mayan_12.jpg
mayan_13.jpg
mayan_14.jpg
mayan_15.jpg
mayan_16.jpg
And some of the Belasco. since it doesn’t have its own page:
belasco_01.jpg
belasco_02.jpg
belasco_03.jpg
belasco_04.jpg
belasco_05.jpg
belasco_06.jpg
belasco_07.jpg
belasco_08.jpg
belasco_09.jpg
belasco_10.jpg
belasco_11.jpg
belasco_12.jpg
belasco_13.jpg
belasco_14.jpg
And one showing both:
mayan_belasco.jpg
Some photos I took back in November 2000, when it had recently closed as a movie theater and its fate was uncertain. Sorry the first two aren’t the sharpest, early digital cameras were unpredictable things:
11-29-00_star1.jpg
11-29-00_star2.jpg
11-29-00_star3.jpg
11-29-00_star4.jpg
11-29-00_star5.jpg
11-29-00_star6.jpg
This month’s tour is of the Los Angeles:
[quote]Saturday, March 21st, 10:30 am
Doors Open 10 am
ALL ABOUT THE
LOS ANGELES THEATER
ADMISSION IS FREE!
Los Angeles Theater
615 S. Broadway
Downtown Los Angeles
SEE! â€" the beautiful 1931 Los Angeles Theater
HEAR! â€" Theatre Historians tell the theaters story
TOUR! â€" get an insider’s look at this amazing theatre â€" from the Gallery to the Basement
DISCOVER! â€" how you can become actively involved with the LAHTF
PREVIEW! â€" a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres soon
LEARN! â€" how you can get experience in saving, restoring and programming great theatres
EXPLORE! â€" http://www.losangelestheatre.com
REPAST! â€" Join us at Clifton’s Cafeteria following the event to continue the discussion
SHOP! â€" Look for bargains in the nearby Garment District and in Broadway’s shops
Los Angeles Theatre (1931)
615 South Broadway
The most lavish and last built of Broadway’s great movie palaces, the Los Angeles was designed by legendary theatre architect S. Charles Lee. It was constructed in 1931 at an estimated cost of more than one million dollars. Patterned after the celebrated Fox theatre in San Francisco, the Los Angeles recalls the glories of the French Baroque. The façade rises five stories, decorated with huge columns and accented with urns, angels, and vines. Its majestic lobby features mirrors, fluted columns, sparkling chandeliers, finely detailed plaster ornament, and a sunburst motif alluding to France’s “Sun King,†Louis XIV. A grand central staircase leads to a crystal fountain.
In addition to its lavish decor, the Los Angeles originally boasted a number of unusual amenities. These included an electric indicator to monitor available seats, soundproof “crying rooms†(for parents with crying children) above the loge, a staffed playroom in the basement, and a glamorous ladies’ lounge featuring sixteen private compartments, each finished in a different marble. In the walnut-paneled basement lounge, a periscope-like system of prisms relayed the featured film from the auditorium to a secondary screen, allowing patrons to watch the film while socializing.
The Los Angeles has undergone a number of incremental improvements in recent years and is a popular filming and special-event location.
http://losangelestheatre.com
http://lahtf.org/index.html
View link[/quote]
Another article about the continuing problems of the Globe’s “Club 740” vs. loft residents:
View link
[quote]Downtown L.A. residents not loving the night life
Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
Revelers hang out outside Club 740 in downtown Los Angeles at closing time. Residents have complained about club-goers who linger for hours and vendors who sell them food.
After complaints of noise and violence, Club 740 has been threatened with closure by the city. Now community members, police, business leaders and others must come up with a plan to help it survive.
By Cara Mia DiMassa
March 7, 2009
When Club 740 opened on Broadway in mid-2005, many saw it as solid evidence of the hip night life that downtown boosters had been trying to bring to the city center.
With the lure of pounding hip-hop, glass-walled VIP lounges and a massive dance floor, Club 740 managed to draw thousands of people to the old Globe movie theater, on a gritty street that also boasted swap meets and discount jewelry stores.
The club quickly distinguished itself — but not in a way that most people would boast about. Fights inside and outside the club, reports of sexual assaults and gang activity quickly garnered Club 740 a less-than-savory reputation. A man was stabbed in the parking lot behind the club in August 2006; last December, an intoxicated club-goer fell to his death from a third-floor railing.
Police officers and residents complained about the club, and the city began the process to shut it down.
The situation underscores the difficulties that sometimes come with trying to bring edgy night life into revitalizing areas. Downtown for decades was known as a district that pretty much closed down after dark. These days, however, the streets are teeming with night life from various clubs, eateries and bars.
Club 740 is one of several new downtown nightclubs to run into trouble.
Part of the problem is that downtown is becoming a residential area, with loft and condo dwellers who aren’t always excited about rowdy behavior well into the morning hours.
The Chapman Flats, a 168-unit apartment building, opened last year next door to Club 740. There’s a dry cleaner on the ground floor. Nearby, condos at the renovated Eastern Columbia building have fetched in the millions of dollars.
Club 740’s new neighbors quickly joined a chorus of others questioning whether a club that stays open sometimes as late as 4 or 5 a.m. belongs in the area. They complained about patrons who lingered in the parking lot behind the club for hours and vendors who hawked food and goods to those patrons.
Damian Jones, a spokesman for the club’s owner, Ralph Verdugo, said the club has taken steps to quell the violence and soundproof its property. He insists that Verdugo and the club are partners in the revitalization happening in the district.
“He has really cleaned up the area,” said Jones of Verdugo. “The club is a vibrant part of the bring-back-Broadway movement.”
But earlier this year, the Los Angeles Planning Department began proceedings to revoke the club’s conditional use permit. Criminal activities near the club “are jeopardizing and/or endangering the public health in the area,” said a report in preparation for the hearings, “… thereby constituting a public nuisance and contributing to the deterioration of the adjacent community.”
After a four-hour hearing on the matter, a zoning administrator ordered community members, police, business leaders and others to put together a plan for how the club might adapt in order to survive.
“A big part is working together, between the residents and the owners,” said Russell Brown, president of the Historic Business Improvement District, who has been involved in the negotiations.
Last year, police pushed to close Crash Mansion, which had seen its own share of criminal activity; eventually, that club folded after its liquor license was suspended and the Board of Equalization put a tax hold on it.
And Versus, which opened last November inside the old Los Angeles Stock Exchange building, was forced to close less than a month later after city inspectors required upgrades to its sprinkler system and bathrooms. The club’s website promised a reopening in February 2009, and a call to the club was not returned.
The zoning department’s investigation into Club 740 came after Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district includes that stretch of Broadway, pushed for an examination of the club after a string of violent incidents there.
“There was a time when Broadway was kind of forgotten in the evening,” he said. “So if you had incidents happening in a parking lot or outside a club, very few people would notice. It was kind of no-person’s land. There was no one to say that this activity is happening on these streets. A lot of the incidents didn’t even get reported to police. Now, with more residents living nearby, I do think it is getting on people’s radar.”
Tamara Kamci, resident manager of the Chapman, said residents were “not trying to close them down by any means. That’s not our thing. We just want to quiet it down, especially with the noise in the parking lot.”
Jones said Verdugo had already invested $1.5 million in making the old theater “a good, strong and successful venue for downtown.” He said that included posted roving security guards outside the club. But, he added, “at a certain point, there is only so much they can do. If the people are on a public sidewalk or in the parking lot next door, they can’t do everything.”
Several people familiar with the negotiations about how the club might adjust to suit its neighbors said they expected several conditions to be established in order to ensure the club’s ongoing operation. Those conditions would include limits on hours of operation, hours of alcohol service and the use of outside promoters, as well as mandatory training of employees and increased security.
Huizar said that as officials seek conditions from the club management, there is very little wiggle room for compromises. “If a club exists there, they have to comply with all the rules and regulations,” Huizar said. “They can’t be a nuisance. It doesn’t matter whether they are downtown or in Eagle Rock or elsewhere.”
Jones said that the management of Club 740 wants to work with Huizar’s office, the LAPD and neighborhood groups “to figure out how we can be a productive member of downtown.”
“There are issues when downtowns get revitalized,” he added. “Things need to get worked out."
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I think the Vancouver Orpheum’s interior is the “Opera House” that keeps appearing in dream sequences in recent episodes of Battlestar Galactica.
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Saturday Matinee At Broadway’s Palace Theater
By WILL CAMPBELL
And the photos that accompany the article:
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(I still need to Photoshop mine)
What’s going on with the neon on the tower? First some of it was burnt out for the last few months without being repaired, but well over 75% of it was still working. Now, since around February 13th, the whole tower above the “leafy” shape at the bottom has been totally dark. The marquee and the tower base are fine, but it’s as if they gave up on the tower part completely. I hope it’s not a permanent cost-cutting measure. When it was lit, you could see that tower at night for quite a distance.
You can see the California Theater’s tower sign in this photo that was part of the 1959 time capsule that was recently opened:
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That 1973 photo was 354 S. Broadway, not 314. That’s one of the two that burned down in Feb. 2007, exposing their original façades that were hidden behind a late-‘70s remodel.
A thread at the L.A. ModCom preservation board, http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8572, has before and after photos of that building, and the L.A. Times article about the fire.
You can see the Cozy and the empty spot where the Central was in the background of another early ‘70s photo from that thread illustrating where the fire was.
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I can’t find the info on the LAHTF’s website yet, but Chris Nichols posts this about their upcoming free tour of the Palace, along with dates of upcoming tours of the Los Angeles, Tower and Rialto.
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[quote]The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation http://www.lahtf.org/
Invites You & Your Friends To Attend
All About the Palace
Saturday, February 28, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Palace Theatre * 630 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
http://www.losangelestheatre.com
FREE ADMISSION
SEE! â€" the beautiful 1911 Palace Theatre and a big screen presentation of rare photos of its past
HEAR! â€" Theatre Historian Ed Kelsey tell the Palace story
TOUR! â€" get an insider’s look at this amazing theatre â€" from the Gallery to the Basement
DISCOVER! â€" how you can become actively involved with the LAHTF
PREVIEW! â€" a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres soon
LEARN! â€" how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres
EXPLORE! â€" visit the Palace’s comprehensive website â€" http://www.losangelestheatre.com
REPAST! â€" Join us at Clifton’s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
SHOP! – Look for bargains in the nearby Garment District and in Broadway’s shops.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: ALL ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES, March 21
ALL ABOUT THE TOWER & RIALTO, April 18 [/quote]
Since I realized that I couldn’t find this information anywhere on this page, which is the natural place for someone to look:
This Orpheum was the fourth home of the Orpheum circuit in Los Angeles.
The first was at the Grand Theater on Main, now demolished, which housed the Orpheum from 1894 to 1903.
The second location was the Los Angeles/Lyceum on Spring, now demolished, which housed the Orpheum from 1903 to 1911.
The third was the Palace Theatre, which is still standing, that was known as the Orpheum from 1911-1926.
Revocation Proceedings Pit Club 740 Against Neighbors
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I wonder what the results of today’s hearing were?
The Orpheum made an appearance during the Super Bowl, in a cars.com commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt-hK-IzdJ8
Here’s where the UCLA photo moved:
http://tinyurl.com/bk2ej2
The Harold Lloyd “Safety Last” photo that Joe Vogel linked to back in Oct. 2005 is now here:
http://tinyurl.com/ccs7ds
And ken’s screencap from that movie that he posted in the Tally’s Broadway thread
http://tinyurl.com/52cj4v
The 1909 photo moved again, and is now here:
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and the side view, just past Silverwood’s, is now here:
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Were there two identical roof signs between this and the Tally’s Broadway, or was it moved from one location to the other?
Major parts of the Season 2 Torchwood episode “From Out Of The Rain” were filmed inside the Phoenix, although another building stood in for the interior.
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The Metrolink station planning report identifies it as a “building of historic interest” under the original name of Perris Theater/Theatre (they spell it both ways), and says “The Perris Theater, which has rich design features and was built in the 1930s, is currently owned by the Perris Church of Christ.” It’s one of the few buildings they note and label on their map.
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An article on a meeting to discuss the city’s Downtown Vision Plan mentions a suggestion to show classic movies, but it doesn’t sound like anything’s been decided yet.
Here’s a cool image of it, from before they removed the small marquee:
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And a couple good photos without the marquee:
http://flickr.com/photos/mr38/2596927260/
http://flickr.com/photos/mr38/2596925572/