Pussycat Theatre
793 E. Santa Clara Street,
Ventura,
CA
93001
793 E. Santa Clara Street,
Ventura,
CA
93001
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 30 of 30 comments
There is now little hope for the Mayfair. Those leading the effort to somehow preserve the theatre’s important architectural elements are looking for financial donations and/or crane donations, truck donations, contractors, welders, a storage location.
If you can help contact:
The demolition permit for the Mayfair Theater was issued recently. Sadly, none of the existing facade elements will be retained in the new design. A local organization, the Ventura Visual Art Net, is inviting Ventura County artists to come out Saturday May 1, 2004 between 7:00am (when light is good) and Noon Saturday and bring cameras, sketchbooks, or easels to record this important Streamline Moderne Theater. A competition to be displayed in tandem with Ventura Architectural weekend in downtown Ventura, November 7th to 9th and the Downtown Harvest ArtWalk November 13th will be held with categories related to the theater art.
During its last day as a movie theatre it was run by Pussycat Theatres. It was located at 793 E. Santa Clara Street.
Just over a month ago (late Aug. ‘02) I drove by the still-empty shell of the Mayfair. Mounted on it was a sign stating that housing was going to be built at the site. The way it was worded, the sign seemed to indicate that this will take place within the shell of the old theatre. Hopefully this will be the case, and not simply demolition. The streamlined exterior and original marquee are worth keeping.
After an attempt to use the Mayfair as both a live venue and a specialty movie house in the mid-1990s, the theatre closed. A couple of years ago a fire gutted the building. I was last by there in Fall of 2001, and the empty concrete shell of the building was still standing, with marquee, box office, and terrazzo intact.