American Theatre
530 E. Main Street,
Ventura,
CA
93001
530 E. Main Street,
Ventura,
CA
93001
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Opened January 26th, 1919. Grand opening ad posted. (Should read January 26 not January 6)
I believe this was called the Ventura Theatre in 1930. I just added a photo from then, which has that name on the vertical sign. It definitely has the same street presence as 530 E. Main Street does today. But I believe the original theatre building that was three stories, has been replaced with a two story building. Or had the top floor removed. The current structure has modern looking I beams exposed. Searching “Buffalo Exchange Ventura California” will get you to the outside street view. Once you turn around in the image. The corner building down the same side of the street is identical to the 1930 photo I posted.
The American Theatre’s final showing fittingly was on July 4, 1950 with “The Kid from Texas” and “Chicago Deadline.” In August of 1950, the theatre was home to Ventura for Christ Church. In 1952, the theatre was retrofitted for retail becoming home to a stationery store.
The American Theatre was in operation by 1923, when this brief notice appeared in the September 8 issue of The Moving Picture World: “The Apollo Theatre will be opened shortly at Ventura, Cal., by the owners of the American Theatre.”
The principal owner of the American was Charles Corcoran, later a local partner with West Coast Theatres in the Ventura Theatre. The partnership predated the construction of the Ventura, as noted in this item from MPW for March 6, 1926: