Southside Theatre
11243 S. Vermont Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90044
11243 S. Vermont Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90044
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Architects: Clarence J. Smale
Functions: Church
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Nearby Theaters
Opened on September 21, 1949 with Burt Lancaster in “Rope of Sand” & a Sneak Preview movie". The Southside Theatre auditorium was constructed with a Lamella timber roof (similar to a Quonset Hust style). It was operated by Franchon & Marco. All seating was on a single level.
It is currently a church in the southwest area of Los Angeles.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 21 comments)
A familiar sight on my way to work:
http://tinyurl.com/5ewb94
That’s my recommendation for the style.
I had my first make-out session there in 1963 with Chris Obradovich, we were both kicked-out so we continued the sloberfest on the curb across the street (we weren’t theatre savvy enough to go to the back row). I don’t have a real good memory these days, but that’s the kind of stuff you don’t forget; the curbside affair was just as fun, we were bound to miss the movie anyway. The picture brings back fond memories!
I wouldn’t call this a quonset hut theater. A true quonset hut has no walls, but has the arc of its roof extending all the way to the ground like this. The term quonset hut refers to a type of construction rather than to an architectural style, anyway. I’d just as soon see Cinema Treasures drop “Quonset Hut” as a style
What most of the theaters identified at Cinema Treasures as quonset huts really had were what are called barrel vault or tunnel vault roofs, on top of standard, if sometimes low, walls (and judging from the photos the Southside’s walls don’t appear to be any lower than the walls of most other single-floor theaters.) Given the period during which barrel vault roofs were common, most theaters that had them got modern or art moderne decoration.
Many of the theatres that had true quonset huts for their auditoriums were hybrid buildings, in any case, like the Avon Theatre in Bothell, Washington, which had a boxy and decidedly modern entrance. Others, like Star Theatre in La Puente, California, were entirely quonset hut buildings which had little more than a bit of moderne detailing and signage attached to their facades. Still, such theaters have quonset style construction, but modern architectural details.
Read William’s description of the Southside in his comment of December 16, 2003, above. The style of the theater as he describes it sounds modern to me. The entrance depicted in the photo looks modern, too.
Here is a photo taken last night:
http://tinyurl.com/c6w48p
Here are some June 2009 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/l8ne3y
http://tinyurl.com/lpkf5g
I got a ticket on Imperial after leaving the church, which I am forwarding to Ross Melnick to pay.
The Southside was the last time I saw Dennis Burnham which would be around 1964-5. He was wearing his usual forest green sweater and surfer look. They said he’s in Hawaii still surfing.
This opened on September 21st, 1949. Grand opening ad posted.
ad:
Southside Theatre opening Wed, Sep 21, 1949 – 38 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com