Cozy Theatre

The Cozy Theatre was across the street from Grauman's Million Dollar. As noted, it was small and narrow, but it was clean and well maintained by its owner, a Mr. Levinson. In the early 1950s I met its then projectionist, an elderly gentleman named Mr. White, and he taught me to be a projectionist and coached me so that I passed the gruelling Los Angeles City propjectionist's lilcense text in my first try! The neat-as-a-pin booth had the latest Brenkert projectors, sondheads and Enarc lamps.

The Killer That Stalked New York is a 1950 film about a woman with the bubonic plague loose in New York City. Much of it was filmed there. But the finale, in which the woman, played by Evelyn Keyes,
is out on the ledge of a building, threatening to jump, was filmed on South Broadway in Los Angeles, right above the Central Theatre,
and in the same block as the Cozy. Although the Central is not easy
to identify, the flashing neon of the Cozy is unmistakenly visible
in several scenes. There's also a shot of emergency vehicles whipping around the corner onto Broadway and you get a glimpse of
the Million Dollar marquee as well.

It's now a Tu Musica record shop.

Not demolished in the 1960s, but it was about then that the Cozy was renamed the Astro. I think that in the '80s, the Astro was still operating, showing Spanish language movies. I didn't like the new marquee signs on the Astro. The old Cozy marquee was one of my Broadway favorites- very small, but with the theatre name in big chunky letters that had a very 1930-ish streamline modern quality.

The status of the Cozy needs to be changed to 'Closed'. Function 'Retail'. Other name 'Astro'

The building appears to have been built in the 1920's

Here is a map, circa 1950, which shows the location of the theater on Broadway, next to the Central Theater:
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/subwayarea.htm

There is a theater on the east side of Spring, between 3rd and 4th, in this 1908 picture. The theater is not on my 1950 map, above. If anyone can fill me in on this, I would appreciate it. I chose the Cozy as the nearest in proximity:
http://tinyurl.com/pwptw

Ken: Did you notice the theatre's ad just above the Owl Cigar ad on the wall of the building a few doors north? It gives the address as 344 S. Spring. The other thing I can tell from the picture is that the theatre's name ends in "ss", which is clear on both the wall ad and on the sign above the theatre entrance, and partly visible in the rooftop sign. I can't make out the rest of the name though.

The small sign above the word theater looks like it reads "hotchkiss".

That's what I was referring to, Joe. As this is a 1908 photo, that may have been a live theater.

Good eye, LM. I didn't see that before.

LM- You must be right, but there's a surprise. The L.A. Library's California Index contains a couple of cards which refer to a Hotchkiss Theatre, which was also called the Casino Theatre and the (second) Los Angeles Theatre. I know that the first Los Angeles Theatre was the Spring Street house which later became the Lyceum, but I'd thought the second Los Angeles Theatre was the big one still standing on Broadway. Apparently, that's at least the third of the name.

The theatre next to the Hellman Building was apparently built 1903, opened as the Casino, and was designed by architect Abraham Edelman (announcement in the L.A. Times of 7/19/1903.) I don't know if it ever ran movies under any of its names, or how long it survived.

So far I haven't found anything on a Hotchkiss theater. The building in the photo that Ken linked to is the Herman W. Hellman building. When I do a search for that building I find the following:
"Banco Popular, originally the Herman W. Hellman Building (1903), 354 S. Spring St. This building is a historic landmark".

When I searched for a Casino theater, I found this:
"Jacob E. Waldeck Theater Scrapbook, 1903-1904 (Boxes: 1 ov) Scrapbook contains clippings about manager Jacob E. Waldeck's, Casino Theater (334 S. Spring St., Los Angeles), and the performers who appeared there".

Could the Casino theater have been another theater near the Hotchkiss theater, or is the 334 S. Spring St. address given for the Casino theater incorrect? Its also possible that the Casino theater became the Hotchkiss theater for a brief period when the photo was taken in 1908 and then changed its name again. I didn't see anything listed for 344 S. Spring St. Maybe Ken can find a photo of just the Hotchkiss theater itself.

LM- The entrance to the Hotchkiss Theatre shown in the photo of the Hellman Building is too close to the south end of the block to have an address as low as 334. It's possible that the L.A. Library made a mistake and the three names did not belong to one theatre at different times but to two different but nearby or adjacent theatres.

The Library's photo collection contains a picture (undated) of the interior of the Casino Theatre, and the auditorium looks too wide to fit behind the narrow facade of the Hotchkiss. (The building could have widened out at the back, of course.)

I guess the whole question is up in the air until somebody finds more detailed information from other sources.

To get this page back on its subject, here is a 1939 picture of a fire which destroyed the Gray Building, a few doors south of the Cozy. (The file is huge, and not recommended for those on dial-up connections.) At the far left of the picture, though they are blurry and much obscured by smoke, it's possible to make out the marquees of two theatres which must have been the Cozy and its neighbor the Central.

Here is a January 2007 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y28ayu

ken: That's the 400 block of Broadway in your picture, isn't it? The Cozy was in the 300 block. It was in that building which now includes among its tenants Goleth's Beauty Salon, depicted in the photo you just linked to from the Central Theatre page.

Right you are. Here is the correct picture:
http://tinyurl.com/ylj9ld

There was a fire in the 300 block of S. Broadway the other day, on the east (even number) side. The LA Times article stated that much of the original architecture was revealed when the fake fronts were destroyed. I haven't been downtown since the fire, but I will check it out.

I think 320 is to the far right of this 1973 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2ywmzh

Joe Vogel...awesome pic.

ken mc a free belt with 2 levi's thats a good deal.
any idea if they were bellbottoms?
kinda curious here, ofcourse CT isnt about fashionspeak!

Features at the Astro on 9/15/74 - "Campeones Justicieros" and "Enfriar Madido". The first means Champions of Justice. The second is unknown. "Enfriar" means to cool, but I don't know what "madido" means. It might be a name.

'madido' means 'the way' so I think the translation could be 'cool way'.

I still don't know if there is a page for the Casino/Hotchkiss but here's a map showing the entrance. It's hard to see but it was most likely at 344 S. Spring. There are newspaper articles listing it there also. Its misleading because the entrance was to the south of the auditorium.

http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1362497126&size=o

No, there is no page for the Casino/Hotchkiss. There was a conversation about it on the page of another theatre but I can't remember which one.

The Hotchkiss was also the second Los Angeles Theatre, taking the name after the first Los Angeles Theatre became the Orpheum Theatre. I recall a reference somewhere saying that it was also called the Empress Theatre for a while, but I can't find that now either.

D'OH! The long conversation about the Hotchkiss is above, on this very page!

Seeing vokoban's map, which shows the way the Hotchkiss was configured, it seems possible that when it opened (in 1903, as the Casino Theatre at 334 S. Spring) the entrance could have been at the north end of the building, and then before it became the Hotchkiss it was remodeled (that huge property room along the side of the auditorium looks as though it could have been part of an an addition to the building) and a new and larger lobby opened up at the south end of the building.

Joe, this might be an example of musical doors again. Here are dates and names for the other addresses in front of the auditorium. I can't imagine that the Empress & Los Angeles would have been as small as they appear on my map (nos. 12 & 13). From what you said above, I think these were entrances to the large balconied area that says Hotchkiss at various times. Something strange...in 1916 338 S. Spring shows up as the Empress under motion picture theaters and 340 S. Spring shows up as Quinn's Empress under 'theaters'. Maybe they had two entrances. One for stage shows and the other for movies. Also note that other than 1916, none of the names or dates overlap and there is no Hotchkiss or Casino. I have a feeling that all of these theaters are the same place with many different front doors.

338 S. Spring
Novel [1920 City Directory]
Capitol [1925 City Directory]
Empress [1916 City Directory]
340 S. Spring
Los Angeles Theatre [1909 City Directory]
Loewe’s Empress [1915 City Directory]
Quinn’s Empress [1916 City Directory]

(May 5, 1907)
Mary A. Jauch to John Rebman, alterations to Hotchkiss Theater, $5100.

It doesn't look that small on the map, at least to me....

(June 3, 1907)
The little Hotchkiss theater is scarcely large enough to pay in such vaudeville as the syndicate proposes to establish. The new theater being planned by Adolph Ramish and Philip Wilson, on the site of the Panorama building, is for melodrama. John Blackwood will be the manager, and his policy is outlined.

(April 17, 1920)
Spiritualist.
DO THE DEAD RETURN?
See Edward K. Earle, of the Angelus Spiritualist Temple, in his wonderful demonstrations of Independent Slate Writing, Sealed Questions Answered, etc., April 17, 18, 19 and 20.
NOVEL THEATER, 338 S. Spring St.

And if the dead return, do they have to buy another ticket?

I don't know but I make a lot of tip money by doing independent slate writing as I ride the bus to work.

You're right. I've tried to contact the dead while I'm on the 405, but there's too much static. I should try public transportation.

People don't tip on the 405. Plus, your hat keeps flying off the hood of the car. So, shouldn't this theater have a page? I'll let Joe pipe in when he gets a chance....

You should add the Hotchkiss Theater. The only thing missing is a DNA sample. :)

Do we know if the Hotchkiss showed films or just vaudeville shows?

The place definitely showed films as the Empress, and it was almost certainly only one theatre under different names (unless perhaps there were also small nickelodeons in two of the storefronts at various times- but that would be difficult to confirm at this late date.) I'd say there's enough information now to justify adding the Hotchkiss, though probably under one of its later names, since as the Casino and the Hotchkiss it appears to have been entirely or primarily a live theatre.

Still looking for the DNA....I'm going to add this theater but don't know what name to use. I guess I'll use the Capitol since that's the last name I've been able to find for the place.

Returning to the Cozy once again, I find that the building in which it was located, including addresses 318, 320, and 322 S. Broadway, was erected in 1905 according to the report generated by the city planning department's zone information system.

I saw a photo of the Cozy today in one of the Images of America books. It was on the first floor of the office building that you cn see in a few of the pictures already posted. It had a triangular marquee, nothing out of the ordinary. The Central was also visible a few doors to the north.

The Cozy and the Central to the north can be seen in this 1955 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/369yjh

I decided to check this building out after work today. The middle business in the photo below is clothing. I asked the owner if I could browse the merchandise, subsequently I began wandering around the store. The interior has a drop ceiling, so no evidence of any theater is visible. At the very back was an entrance which looked promising as it appeared to lead to a large space. Unfortunately, the owner caught me peeking and pretty much harassed me out of her store. I did tell her that her $110 Dodger jackets were overpriced.
http://tinyurl.com/ysdyko

It appears that the architect was Albert C. Martin.

Post the source for the information.

LM: The source for Martin as architect of the Cozy must be the caption to the 1955 photo linked from his previous comment. However, given the questions that have arisen about the accuracy of the information in the caption for a photo of the Regent Theatre in what appears to be the same book, a corroborating source would be nice-- especially given the fact that the assessors info for the Cozy's building gives a construction date of 1905. If the theatre opened in 1927, it must have been only a conversion of existing space.

I did say "it appears". Not citing as the gospel truth.

I'm no expert, but that doesn't look like a 1905 building to me, unless it was completely done over in the twenties.

If the architects name comes from the text with the photo, I'll wait for another source. I'm not saying that Albert C. Martin wasn't the architect, I'm saying that I would like another source to verify that information. The photos are fine, but the text with the photo hasn't been one hundred percent accurate so far

BTW...appears doesn't count for much in this "business". Either it is or it isn't true. The person that wrote the captions for those photos should have done their homework a little better.

Right. I could say nothing, or I could make a qualified statement and then hopefully get some corroboration. I wouldn't have said "Please change the architect to Albert C. Martin". I thought it was enough to raise the question and then go from there.

"Could someone verify if Albert C. Martin was the architect of this theater"? Thats one way to get the ball rolling. Anytime that your not sure of something, post it as a question and don't give the impression that the information is fact. That takes you off the hook if the information turns out to be wrong.

There are times when I find information on theaters that I can't confirm. Sometimes I post the information as a question. Other times I post nothing.

This building was remodeled some time after 1939, losing its original fancy cornice. In this view of the 1939 fire which destroyed the nearby Gray Building, the cornice is still there. The wide Chicago windows look to have always been there.

I'd say A.C. Martin is certainly a possibility as architect of the theatre, the building, or both. He was born in 1879, and is known to have designed theatres in the 1910s & 1920s. The Cozy would have been a pretty small project for a guy who was in 1927 part of the team designing L.A.'s new city hall, though.

I wrote a letter to AC Martin Partners inquiring about the architect of this address. If they respond, I'll post it.

http://www.acmartin.com/nav_page.html

Joe....Albert C. Martin Sr. and Albert C. Martin Jr. were both architects. Albert C. Martin Sr. is credited with designing the building that housed the Million Dollar Theater while William Lee Woollett is credited with designing the theater itself. Albert C. Martin Sr. is also credited with the Boulevard Theater. So far, I haven't found any mention of this theater being designed by him. If the Cozy/Astro was designed by Albert C. Martin, it would have been the senior Martin since junior didn't join the firm until around 1936.

That is a great idea vokoban. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Hopefully they can help to solve this mystery.

Well, they might not even respond....but its worth a try! The first movie listing I can find so far for this theater is in 1937...has anyone seen earlier listings?

vokoban: It's entirely possible that the caption writer got the year wrong, and that the Cozy didn't open until 1937.

LM: Martin also remodeled for Lou Bard the commercial building which became Bard's Hill Street Theatre in 1920. A Southwest Builder & Contractor item of May 30, 1921, credits Martin with the design of an amusement complex on Sunset Pier in Venice which was to include a 1200 seat movie theatre. In addition, the California Index contains a card citing an article in Architect & Engineer of August, 1918, naming Martin as the architect of a theatre to be erected at the corner of 8th and Broadway in San Diego.

I've also found some cards I've not seen before in the Index, regarding the Million Dollar project, but I guess I'll post about those on that theatre's page.

I guess they do read their email. Here is a response to my inquiry. I won't publicly post the name of the person who responded. If you'd like it, email me and I'll send it. This doesn't totally negate any possibility of the AC Martin connection, but its probably unlikely:

Dear Jeff,

Albert C. Martin was the designer for the Million Dollar Theater located
at 317 S. Broadway, however, I don't find any records for the Cozy
Theater located at 320 S. Broadway. Good luck in your search.

Best regards,

It was nice of them to respond even if it doesn't solve the mystery. I wonder where the person that wrote the caption for the 1955 photo got their information from. Its possible that an associate from the firm of Albert C. Martin designed this theater and not Albert C. Martin himself. Right now, I really have no idea.

Here is a photo taken today:
http://tinyurl.com/5m7b8o

I guess we can accept the opening date of 1927 for the Cozy, as it's listed in the 1929 Los Angeles City Directory. Still no more word on Albert C. Martin as the architect of either the 1905 building or the later theater conversion, though.

Still around in January 1960, per the LA Times. "Always Three Big Hits". Phone number was MA8-3176.

Here is a June 2009 view of the theater building:
http://tinyurl.com/le92m2