Linda Lea Theatre

My former employer, The Grace Company, owns this property that is located behind their main office on Spring Street. It has been used as a storage space. At the time of my employment I was unaware of this fact. They are currently looking to sell this property for potential use as a performing arts space and a space that could be used to screen films to tie into nearby Little Tokyo and the developing arts district.

This article about the LINDA LEA THEATRE appears on this site: http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2004/06/07/news/news03.txt
Since the article may be removed at any time, it is reproduced here:
COMING SOON TO THE LINDA LEA

Encore Performance in the Works for Historic Main Street Theater

by Kathryn Maese

The Linda Lea Theatre has been closed for nearly 30 years, but for its former patrons, memories of Sunday afternoons spent watching the latest samurai drama churned out by the Toei film company are as vivid as ever.
The Linda Lea Theatre at 251 S. Main St., which once screened Japanese films, has been closed since the 1980s. Photo by Gary Leonard.

In its heyday in the 1960s, the Linda Lea at 251 S. Main St. was one of only three theaters in Los Angeles to screen Japanese language films. But like the economy, the theater eventually fell on hard times, and was shuttered in the '80s.

Now, a faded plastic marquee with pastel renderings of a geisha and butterflies flitting among bamboo branches reminds passersby of the once vibrant movie house.

But like any good plot twist, the curtain may rise once again thanks to a new cast of characters. The Grace family, which owns the Metropolitan News Company and bought the theater in the mid-'80s for storage, is looking for a new owner or long-term operator to bring the 7,700-square-foot space back to life.

To bolster the effort, the Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corp. (LTSC) plans to apply this summer for grants from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment to help launch a $1.5 million renovation of the space.

"[Jo-Ann] Grace expressed her desire to renovate it as opposed to having someone buy the property from her just to pave over it and landbank it," said Ron Fong, who is spearheading the project for LTSC. "We see the theater as a longtime cultural community resource. We'd love to help bring it back, but we don't see ourselves as an arts programmer."

Sandy Bleifer, a broker whose firm Downtown Enterprises is listing the property, said the LTSC's involvement in the project provides a "unique window of opportunity" to restore the Linda Lea, since most theater operators cannot afford costly historic renovations.

"The owner has always wanted to bring that theater into the life of the community," Bleifer said. "It would cost so much for power to use the theater and most groups can't pay rent. If we can get tenant improvements at no cost to the owner, then we have an operating theater and a place where events can take place."

As part of the deal, the new owner or tenant would be required to offer film screenings, theater productions or community events at least once a week, most likely on Tuesday or Wednesday, and one weekend a quarter. Bleifer said the LTSC would oversee programming.

So far, the LTSC has received several inquiries from potential operators, and Bleifer said she is considering holding a competition for proposals.

Across the street, Inshallah Gallery owner Kjell Hagen has eyed the theater for some time. Hagen opened his gallery five years ago, and has slowly built momentum for a Downtown arts community. Last month, the city granted Hagen and partner Nic Cha Kim permission to create Gallery Row, a 26-block area along Main and Spring between Second and Ninth streets.

As part of an effort to continue the neighborhood's growth, Hagen said he plans to submit a proposal to screen independent films in the space, with theater performances several times a year.

"We would show all different types of films, without boundaries," he said. "We would make the theater into a sort of collapsible accordion stage. In the concessions stand, instead of selling traditional candies and popcorn, we would have Japanese sweets and edamame. We also want to serve Japanese beer and sake."

Curb Appeal


The renewed interest in restoring the Linda Lea is part of a larger restoration occurring on the block. The theater lies at the entry point to Gallery Row, and is surrounded by new loft and condo buildings, the soon to open Little Tokyo Branch Library, and the former St. Vibiana's Cathedral, which is being converted into apartments and a performing arts venue. The Smell nightclub is in the alley directly behind the theater.

"This project dovetails nicely and is in the ideal location," Bleifer said. "It weaves together the surrounding districts like Little Tokyo, the Civic Center and Historic Core rather than balkanizing them."

The Linda Lea, built in the mid-'20s, is one of only two theaters left along Main Street (the other is the Regent Theatre). At the time, Main Street boasted nearly 20 small to medium theaters, ranging in size from the 248-seat Novelty to the 2,100-seat Hippodrome. Most of the larger, more ornate movie palaces are two blocks away on Broadway.

The theater's white facade is covered with grime, and iron gates close off the ticket windows. Cracked signs with missing letters announce the schedule for long-gone matinee and evening showings. Inside, stained stucco walls are hung with iron wall sconces that once cast a glow on the 500-seat space. Though the original chairs were removed long ago, stacks of old metal seats Bleifer salvaged from the Orpheum Theatre await restoration. Upstairs, the whine of the projector is quiet, as is the "crying room" where mothers tried to shush restless children.

"There's an interesting combination of historical layers here," Bleifer said. "It's not just that this theater was built in the '20s when there was a boom in this area, but it has an important social element where Japanese films were screened."

page 1, 6/7/04
**********
As one of the few Japanese-themed theatres in the nation, this venue is of interest alone; let us hope it finds a sympathetic restorer/operator. There was also a color photo of the main facade along with the above article.

This theatre was called the Aztec Theatre at one point in the 1940s. The Smell (an all-ages club situated directly next door) was planning to expand into the Linda Lea space but perhaps this is not the case now. Rather it be a theatre, though!

The Linda Lea was opened as the Arrow Theater, at 251 S. Main Street. The architect was John Kunst, and the original owner was a Mr. George Carpenter. The plans were for a theater to seat 500 people, and two stores. This information is from the announcement of the completion of the plans in Southwest Builder and Contractor issue of 9/19/1924. The listing of the contracts for construction were published in SB&C issue of 10/17/1924.

From Downtownnews.com:

"The projector will roll once again in the long-dark Linda Lea Theater at 251 S. Main St., as part of a partnership between a new owner and a group of community arts leaders.
Plans are underway to reopen the Linda Lea Theater. The space at Second and Main streets has sat vacant since the 1980s. Photo by Gary Leonard.

The Little Tokyo Service Center Development Corp. (LTSC), along with local arts leaders who will operate the space, plan to revive the 500-seat theater with independent film screenings, film festivals, community events and possibly a rooftop bar. In keeping with the theater's Japanese history, a concessions stand will include items such as Japanese sweets, edamame, sake, soju and beer.

"It will be an independent theater, but we're not going to try and compete with places like Laemmles," said Nic Cha Kim, co-founder of Gallery Row, a collection of art exhibition spaces along Main and Spring streets. "We want to make the theater itself an experience."

Broker Sandy Bleifer of DownTown Enterprises represented the seller, the Los Angeles-based Grace family, and the buyer, an undisclosed family foundation. Escrow closed in late December. The purchase price was not released.

"We had maybe half a dozen interested parties, but because of the special nature of the project, the Graces were very attached to the property," Bleifer said. "They always wanted to see it come back to life. One of the things that attracted the new owners to the property was the opportunity to have an ongoing relationship with the Little Tokyo Service Center."

Kim will serve as artistic director, and will operate the theater along with fellow Gallery Row founder Kjell Hagen, and partners Jared Hungerford and James Kirst.

The 7,700-square-foot Linda Lea, which closed in the 1980s, was one of only three theaters in Los Angeles to screen Japanese language films. During its heyday in the 1960s, visitors would flock to see the latest samurai drama produced by the Toei film company.

"I always thought it was a beautiful building. Who wouldn't want it?" said Kim. "We've had this project in our minds for five or six years, and drew up plans to renovate it long before it was for sale."

The LTSC and the operators are applying for a $1.5 million grant from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment. The deadline is April. The dilapidated property is in need of extensive renovation, Hagen said, and the team is in the process of determining a timeline for completion.

"We're currently trying to get support behind us from many different angles, from the city to the L.A. Conservancy," said Hagen. "

Very exciting. I would love to watch an Ozu or Kurosawa at this theater...

The Theater has been renamed the King Hing.

Excuse the ring. Wrong theater.

Wow what great news, shows a theatre can find life again after 20 years.

I do hope someday my film shown here...

I have seen this theater many times in my travels through downtown Los Angeles. Given the current renaissance, such as it is, I would like to see some use made of this interesting property.

a favorite building in los angeles

Here is a photo, courtesy of you-are-here.com:

http://www.you-are-here.com/theatre/linda_lea.html

A July 2005 photograph here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cgcampillo/27473713/

Good news- construction has finally begun on this theater! The current owners of the building have partnered with ImaginAsian Entertainment, a conglomerate that owns The ImaginAsian theater in New York City as well as a cable network, ImaginAsian TV, to completely renovate the theater and open it back up. The name will be changed to The ImaginAsian Center or The ImaginAsian Center at Linda Lea (I've read both), and the programming will be all Asian and Asian American films. All films will be subtitled in English. There will also be multiple festivals and live events.

The theater will be completely gutted, and a new wall-to-wall screen installed. There will be deluxe stadium seating, as well as a VIP section. All new projectors and Dolby Digital EX surround sound will be installed, and the theater will be THX-certified. Beer and wine will be sold, and there will be a rooftop smoking deck/beer garden.

I'm excited- I moved into a condo on the block recently, and there's a distinct lack of anything to do after dark. I was hoping someone would reopen the theater, but I'm delighted that it will maintain the asian roots of the original Linda Lea. I spoke to a representative of the owner in front of the theater last week- and they told me there were going to be all kinds of special events here, including a $2 kung fu matinee on the weekends!

She said opening was likely to be sometime this fall, as they first had to gut the building because it was all rotten inside after years of disuse.

I hope they keep that wonderful signage in front and maybe they can show Anime Movies as well as Asian Films. I hope they'll offer Sapporo too.

This is a recent photo of the Linda Lea Theater.

Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/o9nus

This is a February 2006 article about the Linda Lea Theater.

And this article is a little newer dated April 22, 2006 .

Here is a recent close-up of the Linda Lea.

Any news on this rennovation? We are now in Fall 2006 and the Linda Lea still looks as dilapidated and forgotten as it did when I was thinking "someone should turn this into something" back when I walked by a few years ago.

This is another recent photo of the Linda Lea Theater.

Can't wait! Can you guys keep uploading the current pics here? I'm out of the country!

Here are two photos from January 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/yja6b5
http://tinyurl.com/ykkvln

I work for the contractor, FP Contracting, who has actually started the renovation of the Linda Lea Theater. The owners, Cinema Properties Group, are completely renovating the building and will reopen it this year (2007) as a modern stadium style movie theater. The Linda Lea will be renamed 'The ImaginAsian Center Theater' and will feature Pan-Asian movies and events. ImaginAsian Entertainment of New York City (www.iatv.tv) will manage and provide the movie content when the building is completed.

Great news.

The marquee has already been taken down.

Here is a photo taken February 20th,2007.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27932541@N00/397861035/

Gone like the wind, according the LA Times. I guess replacement would be a better word than renovation. I will take a look the next time I'm downtown, but I think the Linda Lea is a memory.

They use the word 'demolished' a few times in the article, so I think this theater is gone. Here's the article:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lindalea3mar03,0,6154840,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines

You beat me to it, vokobab! But I agree with you, it sounds like the theatre has been demolished and they will build on the site.

I was going to go down there today and take a picture, but the marathon had a bunch of streets closed.....I'll try next week.

The front is gone and only the side walls are left which are being propped up with beams. The roof is gone as well so although I can't see it I'm sure the entire place is gutted and there is a skeleton of something which may have been the stage area visible inside. These look like the only remaining pieces of the original

I will be down there tomorrow - I'm curious to see what they've done.

Here are some photos of the demolition:
http://tinyurl.com/2lvfeh
http://tinyurl.com/3ypz6f
http://tinyurl.com/2tffu9
http://tinyurl.com/2ztngc
http://tinyurl.com/34fewx
http://tinyurl.com/2w5cmr
http://tinyurl.com/2vnq8a

I wonder what became of the black metalwork around the facade that was uncovered in the early stages of the demolition, as seen in the photo linked by FPCInc on February 20th? When they didn't save the Japanese style facade from the post-WWII remodeling, I expected they might at least preserve what was apparently the original 1924 decoration from the Civic Theatre.

I don't think we've seen this photo before. It's circa 1920, and you can see the Linda Lea framework clearly. The LAPL caption mentions the Arrow theater at that location:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics35/00067229.jpg

any recent pics?

See the pictures I took on March 24 - demolition was ongoing.

Really not much left except the two outside walls and a couple of metal trusses along the roofline.

I believe they are doing this to keep this project within the realm of a "renovation" rather than "new construction." I don't know why, is it zoning regs? To get tax breaks? Couldn't tell you, I'd just be guessing.

Not much action as far as new building yet. Just the tearing down so far. Where's the old marquee? I wanted it for my rec room!

They say it should be completed by late summer, that's like 3 months away. Postponed again? Who's in charge of the new place? That Orange County Developer or ImaginAsian? Hope the new dig has Wi-Fi installed.

They say it should be completed by late summer, that's like 3 months away. Postponed again? Who's in charge of the new place? That Orange County Developer or ImaginAsian? Hope the new dig has Wi-Fi installed.

"The ImaginAsian Center, will be an ultra-modern one-screen movie house that will show first-run and classic Asian films". This is a recent article about the Linda Lea.

I don't think late summer is feasible. More like November or December.

There has been some construction progress. New red iron is being welded. I didn't have my camera with me to capture the progress. Maybe I'll get out my camera, take a picture and post a link to it here as soon as I can get motivated enough to do it.

It's a very small theater so maybe it could be done in three months if they keep moving.

I'd love to see some current photos of the theater. Later this year, huh? Seems like far away...

They have basically destroyed the theater except for the two side walls which are stripped down to the brick and part of the roof structure. I saw cement trucks backed into the rear on Saturday, so I assume they are pouring a new floor or something. Somebody need to define 'demolition', 'remodel', and 'restoration' to these people.

I just talked to my friend the oter day, he said he stopped by there and there was nothing at all in the area.

This article was in the LA Times, 12/25/15. The Western would have been a few doors down from the Arrow/Linda Lea. Maybe Joe Vogel can tell us if there's another name for the Western.

BY WAY OF CLIMAX

A film depicting a fat woman slugging a tall, thin man exploded in the Western motion picture theater, No. 255 South Main Street, yesterday, causing a temporary panic among several hundred patrons who were deep in giggles when the alarm occurred. The flames shot from the machine cage.

The crowd made a rapid exit, and the loss was confined to $300 by the quick work of the house attaches. W.B. Allan, in charge of the projecting machine, averted serious damage by closing the door to the cage as he escaped.

ken mc: KenRoe recently added the theatre at 255 S. Main St. under its 1910 name, the Union Theatre.

The Union Theatre was located at 255 S. Main Street. Here is its page:
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/10539/

Thanks to both.

This is a pic from last week.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1219/528478232_777b383e39_o.jpg

They have started replacing the roof that they demolished. If you look at okoku's photo, the only original things are the two side walls and the arched ceiling beams at the far rear. Unless they saved some of the architectural decoration and intend to display it somehow when the new theater is complete, the Linda Lea is gone. This is basically a new theater built on the same footprint leaving the two side walls.

I vote for closed/demolished. The new theater can be entered on its own.

The new owners could be making tons of money by now had they turned it into a parking lot, what idiots!

Except for the enormous parking lot across the street (see Hippodrome).

The main framework is pretty much done. And 4 new apartment/condos are open this year in this area as well as a new strip club last month.

wondering if ImaginAsian has a deadline...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_ImaginAsian_Center

An article in the LA Times dated 11/20/40 describes a scene when a car crashed into the front of the theater, then known as the Azteca (as opposed to the Aztec). There is a nice photo of the theater and the marquee which unfortunately I can't reproduce here. The theater was showing Spanish films at that time.

The fact that this theater had a large box-type marquee makes me wonder if the Azteca at 249 was a neighbor of the Linda Lea at 251. Other pictures of the Arrow don't show this marquee. Just wondering.

AUTO CRASHES THEATER FRONT
Passenger Injured; Box Office Cashier Jarred by Impact

The one-in-a-million odds of fate sent a man to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital yesterday afternoon and probably saved the life of a cashier at the Azteca Theater, 249 S. Main Street. Clyde Dean Hansen, 38, was treated for a fractured arm when his car, driven by an unidentified stranger, crashed into the front of the theater.

Witnesses told police the driver, apparently unhurt, disappeared in the crowd. Hansen said he had met the man earlier in the afternoon and did not know his name. Eleanor Valenzuela, theater cashier, was jolted about the box office as the auto rocked it back and forth, but escaped with nothing more than a bad case of nerves.

Police were told by witnesses that Hansen's car was hooked on the right bumper by a passing Pacific Electric car. The impact sent the car against a power line pole and into the theater. Both the machine and the theater front were damaged badly.

new article from variety.com

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Lifestyle&jump=features&id=2609&articleid=VR1117967434

The LA Times consistently advertised the Linda Lea Theater at 1st and San Pedro in the 1940s. This seems a bit of a hike away from 2nd and Main, so I imagine it was another theater. Perhaps it was a chain.

1st and San Pedro was the original location of the Linda Lea. The theatre on that site (324 E. 1st ST.) dated to 1925 and was opened as the Fuji-kan. It closed during the war and reopened as the Linda Lea on February 10, 1945, with a stage show and movies. The reopening story is briefly recounted on this page at the Bronzeville website. The architectDB has this page for the original Linda Lea, but gives the reopening date as 10/30/1947. The Bronzeville page is surely right about the reopening being in 1945, as they display a printed ad from that time. The 1947 date given by the ArchitectDB might actually be the date the operation moved to the Main Street location.

That solves that. Thanks.

Maybe I'm interpreting the Linda Lea bio wrong on the Bronzeville page, but it sounds like it was an African-American theater when it re-opened in 1945.

Ken: It undoubtedly was an African-American program. The neighborhood remained predominantly black for some time after the Japanese began to be released from the camps. In any case, it would have taken incredible chutzpah for the few Japanese-Americans dribbling back into the neighborhood early in 1945 to start showing Japanese films.

It occurs to me that the reopening date of October 30, 1947, given at the ArchitectDB site, might be the date the theatre returned to showing Japanese films. Another interesting thing is that the name Linda Lea was apparently given to the theatre by its African-American operators (it would be interesting to know the exact origin of the name) but was then kept by the Japanese-American management when the operation went back to its old policy. Maybe the name Fuji-san was considered too obviously Japanese for the early post-war years.

woqndering if there is any new photo...

I took a couple of photos the other day. The framework is coming along. I also took some pictures of the old Higgins building across the street at 244 S. Main. There was some debate about that site on another page, but I don't remember which one.

i'd love to see those....

ken mc, didn't somebody say they wanted to tear down the building across the street? I think I heard that somewhere but I don't remember where either.

It was on one of the other pages as I recall. I think someone was talking about demolition. I will add the photo when I post the pictures of the Linda Lea, if anyone wants to see what the Higgins building looks like. Actually there is another much larger Higgins building at 2nd & Main which is now lofts. I got inside that building in 1997 when it was a derelict.

I remember now....the lady who owns the new Metropolis Books on Main between 4th & 5th told me that the building was going to be demolished.

I've been one of her better customers since she opened the store.

Me too...she's really nice and I found out she's also an author.

The confusion is that the building across the street houses the "MJ Higgins Gallery." But that's not the formal name of the building, which is a squat, one story brick building which probably dates to the 1890's. Only one other building on that end of the block. The building 1/2 block away is formally known as "The Higgins Building" which is huge, about 10 stories tall, 200 feet on each side, built around 1910, and was converted to condos about 5 years ago. That building is not going anywhere.

The MJ Higgins Gallery is going to be torn down very shortly. That end of the block will have a huge concrete garage constructed on it for the Los Angeles PD Motorpool. The new LAPD HQ building (about 12 stories) is being built about 1/2 block away, across 2nd Street from the Higgins Building. They claim the building will have rentable storefronts in it facing the sidewalk, which is somewhat of a giveback to the residents in the area, but, I am still skeptical.

Anyway, getting back to the topic of this entry, the old Linda Lea Theater. It should be open by the end of September 2007. Here's a link to a story with some renderings of the outside and inside of the project.

http://blogdowntown.com/blog/2781

It will look NOTHING like the old theater, but at least it will still remain as a theater. Right now, Downtown has only one operating theater, the Laemmle Grande 4, on the other side of Downtown. That's not enough for a district where 30,000 residents live, though a new multiplex is coming to LA Live, across the street from Staples Center.

Here are some July 2007 photos. The last one is the Higgins Gallery:
http://tinyurl.com/ytgrm7
http://tinyurl.com/2da7cq
http://tinyurl.com/yqsay4

Here is the 1940 photo I mentioned on 6/23/07:
http://tinyurl.com/3yrfvp

Thanks for the pics. I'm just wondering if the construction is being on hold or something because I think I have seen these pics last month... One more thing. Is there any abandoned movie theatre in Chinatown, Los Angeles? I'm talking about the one owned by Harrison Ford, not Quentin Tarantino. I've heard they are planning to renovate the whole Chinatown so I thought there'll be a new theatre in that area....

This is a 1954 photo from the CA state library. The theater is already showing Japanese films. It looks like the marquee is in place that is seen in the 1940 photo above. I can't make out the name of the theater on the marquee, though:
http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/laco/2005-0145.jpg

Here is a March 2006 article about the history of the Linda Lea:
http://tinyurl.com/ywovkq

Yes, there are about two other abandoned movie theatres in L.A. Chinatown besides QT's Sing Lee Theatre. One of them is called the Kim Sing Theatre on Figueroa Street. The other is the former Royal Pagoda/Cinemaland Theatre on North Broadway. I never heard anything about Harrison Ford being the new owner of either of those two former theatres. Maybe you're talking about San francisco Chinatown?

Also, did the Linda Lea Theatre used to show any Japanese ninja movies or Godzilla movies during the '70's?

Maybe the Toho La Brea did....

The Kim Sing Theatre has been converted to a living space/furniture showroom by a designer who now owns it. It was featured in one episode of the HGTV show What's With That House? I remember seeing the Kim Sing before it was called the Kim Sing, back when Chinatown had not yet expanded as far west as Figueroa Street. It was running Mexican movies at the time, and I believe it was using the name Alpine Theatre (it was on Figueroa at the corner of Alpine Street.)

As the first Godzilla movie came out in 1954, and I recall the La Brea still being a Fox house at that time (it was across the street from my doctor's office), I suspect that the Japanese language version of the movie would have first been shown at the Linda Lea, either in 1954 or 1955. It would probably have been run with English subtitles, as most of the movies shown there were. After Toho acquired the La Brea (in the late 1950s, I think), that theatre ran many of the company's "arty" films, leaving the more popular stuff for the Linda Lea or to a Japanese language theatre (can't remember the name) that opened up in the West Adams area. I think there might have been a Japanese movie theatre in Gardena in those days, too.

Okay, Chinatown would be entirely renovated by 2009. Hope they have new movie theatre there, and Koreatown has a new one this past spring and another one soon. New Linda Lea would be completed next month according to Cinema Properties's latest plan. So, is there any new pics? One more thing, does this new theatre have any parking space beneath?

Okoku, maybe I don't understand your enthusiasm or I'm just confused, but this website is titled Cinema Treasures-Discover.Preserve.Protect......The Linda Lea has been demolished. There's no preservation or protection there unless you count the two side walls. I would call the situation the opposite of the idea of this site. Also most or all of the original Chinatown was demolished to build Union Station back in the 30's. I don't know if there were any theaters there.

The Azteca was listed at 249 S. Main in the 1942 city directory, but after thinking about it I don't believe there were two adjacent theaters.
http://tinyurl.com/38wwl6

Do we have any theaters listed on the east side of Main between 2nd and 3rd? The 1914 city directory has the Denver Theater at 238 S. Main. If not, I will add it.

I think I have some more but they are on a list at work...I'll look tomorrow.

Listed as the Arrow in the 1939 city directory at 251 S. Main. Note that in 1942 it was the Azteca at 249 S. Main.

ImaginAsian will open more theatres somewhere. Awesome.

Unless the building moved around over the years, the address should have remained constant. How accurate are those city directories?

The building didn't move around but the name did. Also, sometimes when there where spaces for other businesses at the street they changed the lobby entrance from one to the other and the address changed and confused everything more.

Here is an LA Times ad from February 1942:
http://tinyurl.com/28ddhy

Going back to the 1954 photo of 8/6/07, I believe it says Linda vertically and then Lea across the bottom of the sign. This would make sense as the theater was already showing Japanese films by that time.

I agree with Ken about the marquee. Says "Linda" vertically. Also love the giant rooftop sign that says "Japanese Films." I wonder if that was neon.

From this photo we can guess that the theater's renovation with the orange/yellow sign that remained up until this year, was constructed some time after 1954.

Also the Ateca was running burlesk shows? Was is common for theatres to mix live burlesk and films? I was under the impression they usually only ran one or the other, not both, but what do I know, that was before I was born. Anybody have any idea about that?

Scott, see the Aztec ad I posted on 8/23/07.

This address went from flowers to Burlesque:
(Sept. 16, 1890)
Last evening a meeting of about seventy-five men interested in flower culture was held at No. 251 South Main street, when the Los Angeles Floral Society was organized.

Anyone need their feather curled?
(July 21, 1892)
Gloves Cleaned, Feathers cleaned, dyed and curled.
No. 251 South Main st.

Flowers, Feathers, Bars...
(Jan. 5, 1895)
The saloon at No. 251 South Main street was also entered in the same manner, by removing a pane of glass from a rear door. In this case the burglars got about $50 from the bar till. The police think the same men did all three robberies.

I wish telephone numbers still had only two digits....
(July 8, 1895)
Fuller & Lewis.
All other furniture, carpets, drapery, etc. new and nice, at one-half the prevailing prices. A carload of brand new stoves, tinware and crockery just received from Chicago. Brace yourselves before asking prices on any of these goods. They are so low they will certainly take your breath. See our solid oak suits at $15.
Fuller & Lewis, 251 South Main street, Telephone 57.

(October 19, 1924)
A.A. Laisy & Co., have the contract for a one-story theater and office building to be erected at 251 South Main street. It will have a seating capacity of 500 people and two stores.

Is this the theater that was Talley's Broadway next to Hamburger's?
(Nov. 1, 1908)
The Royal Arcanum Minstrels gave an entertainment last night in Hamburger's Arrow Theater, under the auspices of the Hamburger Employees' Benefit Society.

(Dec. 31, 1928)
Film Shows Boxing Oldest Of Sports
It shows the thrills, high spots and knockouts in fifteen world's championships, including all the title battles of Jack Dempsey. The picture opens tomorrow at the Arrow Theater, Main street.

I wonder when it was called the Civic?

I don't know but for some reason its on my list of names for this address. It's really hard to search for the name Civic because the word is used along with theater for other reasons.

I asked because I haven't seen any reference to a Civic Theater in the directories or in the LA Times database. Perhaps it was a very brief incarnation.

I haven't seen it in any directories or advertisements either. There must be some reason its listed here as a previous name and I also have it on my list from HTC for Main street theaters.

Here's a card catalog from LAPL. I'll have to go downtown to look at the magazine.

THEATERS--LOS ANGELES--ARROW THEATRE.
"Architect John Kunst...is completing plans for a theater and store building to be erected at 251 South Main St for George Carpenter; it will have an auditorium to seat about 500 people and two stores; Reinforced concrete..." SOUTHWEST BUILDER & CONTRACTOR 9/19/24, P. 53,col. 2
see SOUTHWEST BUILDER & CONTRACTOR 10/17/1924, p. 52, col.1 (contracts listed)

I don't think this has been posted yet...there's a nice photo of the Linda Lea before the demolition.

http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2007/01/01/news/news06.txt

It should be completed in 2 weeks.... Can't wait!

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/tfr/418661485.html

any recent photos?

This photo gives a date of October 9, 2007.

In case anyone is wondering, "No Age Weirdo Rippers" is not the name of the company doing the demolition work on the Linda Lea. They are a musical group. LOL

Perhaps Main Street is the new Melrose Avenue? That would be interesting. The old Melrose gave up the eclectic ghost as soon as the first Gap opened.

It looks like the same pic I saw 3 months ago.... Hope it opens this month as planned.

It opens in December.
http://www.theimaginasian.com/la/

I think after this place opens it should be on a separate page since its not the same theater at all. It's the same situation with the Tower Theater replacing the Garrick Theater on the same footprint.

Once the theater opens, we can add it as a separste page. It looks like they are putting in a large glass facade. I was by there today.

December 7th is the day!

Seriously? They're opening on December 7th?

December 7th?

Who said irony was dead.

maybe they should rename the theater the PH.

Remember the Linda Lea!

A rebuilding that shall live in infamy!

http://www.pulpmovies.com/f11/2007/11/imaginasian-center-in-la-opens-with-midnight-eagle-december-7th/

Thanks okoku.....I put in my two cents worth on that silly site.

Sorry....seems like December 1st is the opening day.
http://oscarpatricklee.blogspot.com/2007/11/big-huge-to-imaginasian-downtown-la.html

I don't think so. It didn't look ready a couple of days ago. I vote for the Linda Lea as closed/demolished as opposed to closed/renovating.

I agree wholeheartedly.

That is a good point. This theater should be considered demolished and a new page should be started for the ImaginAsian Center.

No, we know they had the grand opening December 1, with "dignitaries" in attendance.

http://blogdowntown.com/blog/2980

They are currently screening films for free, (December 2-6) but December 7th remains the "official" opening date. They will start charging admission on that date. Put a fork in the Linda Lea, she's done.

Time for a new entry.

The ImaginAsian opened on December 1, 2007 followed by a Fuji Film Series beginning on December 2, 2007 which was free to the public for a week.

According to the contractor, who I spoke with several times, the old Linda Lea was rotting from the inside out and the marquee hanging over the city sidewalk was falling down.

I say a re-opened screen by any name is a win for all...at least this movie house which has been renamed several times is indeed open to the public as a real theater- popcorn and all!

If that's the case then they should use that terminology in press releases and news stories.....not terms such as 'remodel' and 'restore'. I see no difference here than in the Garrick and the Tower each having their own pages.

I agree. Kind of a moot point as the new theater now has its own page. I will miss walking by the Linda Lea with its distinctive marquee, though.

I was watching the pilot episode of Baretta tonight, and there was a night shot of the Linda Lea with the marquee lit up. Very nice.

Their 'modus operandi' is actually to destroy an historic theater and rebuild it as a Logan's Run whorehouse looking thing:

http://downtownnews.com/articles/2008/05/19/news/news_briefs/at02.txt

The downtown real estate market is pretty soft right now. I wonder if the investors in the large residential complex on 4th and Main are wondering what the demand will be when it's finally built.

Here's a detailed new USC archive photo taken in 1939 of the Arrow theatre:

http://digarc.usc.edu/assetserver/controller/view/whit-m1144/DW-B5-52B-1-ISLA

Wow....great photo. I've never seen that one. Maybe they've added some new material to their archives.

That's an excellent view of Main Street. Thanks.

USC Archives just recently added the "Whittington Studio Collection" of photos. Do a search on "Whittington Main" and you'll find about a dozen or more great shots of Main Street all taken around 1939!

Absolutely. The first photo I clicked on shows a great new view of the Rosslyn Theater.

I wonder who is going to post them.

Negative Nancy.

I guess that leaves you out.

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain, now once again....

What key would that be in?

I no longer crack on that high F over middle C.

Wow, that 1939 photo posted by tkpepper seems the perfect picture to post at the top of this Linda Lea CT page. Maybe blow it up a tad, and crop off all but the theatre. It also seems the oldest representation of The Arrow in reference to it's original opening.

I've often wondered why of all the theatres profiled on Cinema Treasures, CT doesn't just use one of the many photos posted during discussions, as the main header establishing photos.
Instead of keeping the "No Photo Available" image up.
Is it a photo copyright's issue or something? Just wondering.

Silly me, I guess I should have read the "Add A Photo" criteria first.
I wasn't critiquing Cinema Treasures, just curious that if accurate photos were already posted in discussion, why couldn't they just be chosen & moved to the top. I had no idea of the volume of additional photos CT receives.
Like I should talk with my lowly WebTV.

Is ImaginAsian dead or what? How come the theatre is now called the Downtown Independent?

I hope its dead after they destroyed the Linda Lea.

http://www.downtownindependent.com/

"a new film and event facility located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles."

Hmm. :-/

Here is a 1983 photo.
http://tinyurl.com/dz2bv6

Here is a 1939 photo from USC:
http://tinyurl.com/dkxtqj

Another interesting street photo.

This is a 1951 color photo that shows the businesses between the theater and the Higgins building at 2nd and Main. No theater visible in this photo, but still an interesting view of Main Street at that time.
http://tinyurl.com/pwylop

Here is a July 1956 item from the Pasadena Independent:

The other night I drove down to the Linda Lea Theater on S. Main Street in Los Angeles, bent on seeing the movie “Seven Samurai”. Parking in the theater's free lot, I was accosted by a grizzled ancient who wanted to charge me for parking because he wouldn’t believe that I was really going to see a Japanese film. Well, I didn’t believe he was employed there, so I muttered my entire Japanese vocabulary of twelve words to him and walked away.

The manager of the Linda Lea is a genial, red haired chap who used to manage the old Tower Theater in Pasadena. I used to work in a movie house myself, so while waiting for the break we chatted about the crazy business. In the meantime a large crowd was accumulating in the lobby and the foyer. The manager, cognizant of my early theatrical training, asked if I would help to control the people until the auditorium was cleared. I said sure.

The audience disgorged, I helped usher in the new mob. When they had all been seated, I got the best seat that was left—first row, next to the wall. Seeing a three-hour movie with English subtitles from this angle is somewhat of a strain, but I managed to move back to a good seat during the intermission, readjusted my eyeballs to their normal sunken position and began to really enjoy the picture.

The Google photo is not exactly current:
http://tinyurl.com/kprj29

The map link might be current:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=251%20S.%20Main%20Street%2C%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20CA%2090012%20United%20States&hl=en

Here is part of a December 21, 1956 article in the LA Times:

Another of those Japanese cinematic objets d'art in the superb tradition of "Rashomon" and "Gate of Hell" was previewed Wednesday night at the Linda Lea Theater. Entitled "47 Ronin", the film-in that prize-winning Eastman color-is based upon Jiro Osaraga's novel of feudal Japan in the 18th century.

The photography is as delicate as watercolor but there is nothing pastel about the performances. "47 Ronin" will begin its run at the Linda Lea on New Year's Day.

Here is a February 1942 item from the LAT:

Tracy LaValle, statuesque dancer at the Aztec Theater on Main, offers to give free lessons to dancers who aspire to learn the technique of burlesque dancing.

That sounds like a great deal. Too bad that I missed it.