Galway Theatre
514 S. Main Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90013
514 S. Main Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90013
1 person
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If you look at the two pictures above, 512-516 is the third building down from the corner of 5th and Main. The building is still there today, but the ground floor offices are occupied by a homeless services program. I took some photos from across the street today as one of the customers was being arrested by the LAPD in front of the building.
518 S. Main is a small building, probably too small to have been a theater. I will post the photos soon.
Here is a brief article from the LA Times dated 11/3/67:
A petition for a writ of mandate which would have forced the police commission to issue a permit for operation of the Galway Theater, 514 S. Main, was denied by Superior Court Judge Benjamin Landis. Max B. Gardens, the theater operator, complained that when the commission denied him a new license in 1964 it violated his constitutional rights of free press and free speech. The commission contended that the type of films shown had led to many morals arrests.
Here are two LAPL photos from 1973 and 1930, respectively. I will take some pictures of the current site tomorrow:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics09/00014125.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics09/00014120.jpg
An article in the December 1915 LA Times discusses the imminent opening of this theater. The Loewen brothers were the builders, and the theater was to be called the Sherman after General Moses Sherman. I don’t know if the theater opened as the Sherman or the Galway.
Listed in the 1967 LA city directory at 514 S. Main.
If anyone’s interested, the Galway Theater is shown briefly at the beginning of an x-rated movie called Hot Lunch that was made in 1978.
Joe;
We need that address to track down the Admiral Theatre. I have run out of options in my collection here. Anyone out there with any past Los Angeles newspaper with theatre listings over the years which has the S. Main St. Admiral Theatre, please let us know. Thanks
I have just posted up all missing theatres downtown on Main, Spring, Broadway and Hill Streets on this site that I know about.
MagicLantern;
My e-mail is on my profile.
I definitely recall seeing the Galway listed in the theatre guide in the Los Angeles Times, at least as recently as the late 1950s, maybe the early 1960s. Although I walked along that part of Main Street once in 1960, and quite a few other times begining in 1962, I don’t remember seeing the Galway. It may have been another of those theatres that lacked a big, noticeable marquee.
Also, we are still missing Main Street’s Admiral Theatre, unless it is listed under another name. I wish I could find my 1963 issue of the L.A. Sunday Times Calendar section. It might have the address listed.
Did you take the Broadway theatre tour on the weekends? Thanks for the offer of help – let me know your email address and I’ll shoot you some names.
I spent 2 days walking up and down S. Main, Spring, Broadway and Hill Street, locating theatre sites and what’s there now (and loved every minute of it!). I still have to update listings on this site for Spring, Broadway and Hill St’s in downtown. Currently S. Main is pretty well up to date now>>>unless anyone knows more?
If you get stuck on solving any of the 50+ mystery theatre’s let me know, I may be able to help, besides I love solving mystery’s and will be back in LA in June.
I found the information originally in an old theatre directory at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences library, and am still researching locations of about 50 more mystery theatres in Los Angeles. Sorry about missing you in Los Angeles, Ken – looks like you followed up on a lot of mysteries yourself!
Thanks MagicLantern, that puts it on the opposite side of the street of the block occupied by the Optic (#523) the Star (#529), the Gaiety (#533) and the Art (#551). It was on the same side of the street as the Morosco (Burbank) which was at #548.
That is 6 theatres in the 500 block of S. Main St.
Did the Galway Theater ever show movies? I have no record of a theatre of that name in the Film Daily Yearbooks, or on the database currently being set up by the Los Angeles Conservancy (theatre sub-committee).
This theatre was located at 518 South Main Street, actually.