Fox Florence Theater

While living within a couple blocks of Hooper Avenue and Florence Avenue, I went to the Fox Florence Theatre many times in the 1940's. As stated above, it had a courtyard, and the doors to the showing part of the theatre were large, I would say at least four of them. There were pillars indoors just below the balcony. I don't know how many balconies it had, but it was a grand theatre, and had some live acts come on stage at different times. One person told me that Milton Berle was there once in the late 1940's. This theatre served a much diversified clientele. Saturday was kids day. Serials, give-aways and the like.

The theatre was located on the south side of Florence Avenue, about a half to three quarters of a block east of Hooper Avenue.

The Fox Florence Theatre was located at 1536 E. Florence Ave. and it seated 1707 people.

Seeing movies at the Fox Florence was a real treat for me as a youngster, mainly due to the impressive styling and the fish pond in the forecourt. My strongest memory of this theater is seeing 1947's "The Red House," starring Edward G. Robinson, and being very scared by that woodsy-noir thriller (I was eight or nine at the time). I also saw "Casablanca" there but it must have been a re-release, a popular distribution gimmick around the time of the Korean Conflict.

The Fox Florence Theater opened on 8th April 1932 with Leo Carrillo and Lupe Valez staring in "The Broken Wing".

Corrections required to the headers for this theater:
I have never heard of Architect; S. Charles Lee working with the Firm; Rapp & Rapp. The Architectural Style should read; Spanish Colonial Revival. There was only one balcony in the theater.

Here is a short bio from a Fresno website. Apparently the architect worked for Rapp and Rapp at an early age. I couldn't tell you if they are correct.

http://historicfresno.org/bio/lee.htm

From the LA Library:

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics46/00042593.jpg

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics46/00042592.jpg

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics46/00042591.jpg

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics46/00042590.jpg

For some info about the Fox Florence and its architect, see Maggie Valentine's book "The Show Starts on the Sidewalk: An Architectural History of the Movie Theatre Starring S. Charles Lee." He did indeed work for a time for Rapp and Rapp.

I am writing an architectural history Masters thesis on California theatres with courtyard entrances, using the Fox Florence, SB's Arlington, and Palo Alto's Varsity Theatre as examples. Right now the discussion rests upon the convergence of Spanish Revival style trends and exotic theatre design in CA in the later '20s and early '30s, local architectural context, and practical conditions for the use of courtyards (ie to place auditoriums farther back on the lot, works with climate, etc.). Any insights into this seemingly rare typology would be welcomed.

Here is an interior photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2e2cag

Two from the CA State Library on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/2vztln

Here they are:
http://tinyurl.com/2775vu
http://tinyurl.com/2yxuqn

There is a Rite Aid store on the site now.

Opening date was 4/8/32.

Listed as the Fox West Coast in the 1938 city directory.

There was another Florence Theatre, built in 1921 on Moneta Avenue (South Broadway) near 72nd Street. It was listed under that name in a 1924 city directory. I don't know if it's on CT under another name or not.

I don't think it's listed. Is that one also called the Florencita?