Bob Baker Marionette Theater
4949 York Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90042
4949 York Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90042
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Bob Baker Marionette Theater (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Richard R.F. Lehman
Functions: Live Performances
Previous Names: York Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
213.250.9995
Nearby Theaters
The York Theatre was opened by August 1923 and operated by the John Sugar Amusement Co. Richard R.F. Lehman was the architect. In the 1930’s it was remodeled. It was closed around 1955 when it was screening religious films with a free admission. It later became a barber shop and the Artisan Organ Hall, an organ building & repair shop which occasionally had organ concerts playing to silent movies. In 1985 the former York Theatre housed the Pyong Kang Korean church, but they moved out and by October 2017, the building was vacant.
In February 2019 it was announced the building would house the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, which officially opened on November 29, 2019.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
I remember seeing a double bill of Ronald Coleman in Shangri La and another film starring the Lane Sisters aroung 1949 or 50. At that time the York showed older films, some very good. Diana Ellis
Here is an October 1955 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/yvnguy
heres a pic of the yorks signage with a lary car,its at the bottom of the page
View link
Here are some March 2008 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/ypzee7
http://tinyurl.com/2fwloh
http://tinyurl.com/2zl6ck
http://tinyurl.com/2et64o
http://tinyurl.com/yr3gfh
http://tinyurl.com/yweut5
http://tinyurl.com/yrc5ao
http://tinyurl.com/2anvjq
I live a few blocks away from this theatre and have always been curious about the history of it. Some fascinating pics from the 1950’s someone posted above. The whole area looked so different in those days, wow! what happened to our civilization, how quickly things deteriorate. I’m still curious about what films played here over the years during it’s operation as a cinema, especially in the 60’s/70’s. Someone posted an LA Times ad from the 50’s above (which is quite a curious ad, something about spaceships) and it looked like it was some kind of religious spot even at THAT time, weird
I recently visited this site. It appears the church has moved on and the space is vacant… Hmmm.
Is the Art Deco looking building(Reynolds) on the right of the above photo(now a pharmacy), used to be a theatre once(it looks like a theatre!!)?
The York will again be a theater, home to Bob Baker’s Marionettes. See artist’s rendering of the new facade I just uploaded.
The York theater has been hosting performances of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater for several months. The official grand opening will be held on November 29, 2019. The status of this theater should be changed to OPEN. Yea! http://www.bobbakermarionettetheater.com
I just uploaded a photo of the new marquee which I had the pleasure of designing. It was a great collaboration with the creative team at Bob Baker Marionette Theater, and the fabricators and installers at Signmakers. All real neon, with some animation!
I grew up walking by the York Theatre, and also went to the original Bob Baker Theatre when I was a little kid in the 1960s, so seeing everything come together and the theatre alive and thriving is quite wonderful!
There is a comment above about the original seating. Somehow, the original 1923 York Theatre seating was returned and is now used every day. I will upload a closeup of the seat standards, the “YT” for York Theatre is clearly visible. They also discovered sections of the original 1923 marquee. While it is currently hidden, it is still there underneath!