Tower Theatre
976-982 East Main Street,
Santa Paula,
CA
93060
976-982 East Main Street,
Santa Paula,
CA
93060
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In 1940 the Lyric is listed as closed. The 338 seat Tower Theater is listed in 1945.
Listed as the 338 seat Lyric in 1935.
Not listed in the 1930 Film Daily.
It was the Columbia in 1930, according to this LA Times ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2erxqx
The Tower Theater is listed in 1950 with 348 seats.
We drove around Santa Paula yesterday. It’s an interesting little town. Here is a picture of the Tower:
http://tinyurl.com/6kvud6
This is a photo of the Tower Theater.
According to this 2007 post in the Santa Paula blog, the seats were removed from the Tower and the floor leveled sometime around 1993. The building is owned by the city of Santa Paula and the city’s plan is to have a retail shop or a restaurant in the building.
In a July, 2007 article in the Ventura County Star, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz was quoted as saying of the 1926 structure that “It’s not a historic building and it can’t be used as a theatre anymore.” He added “The only use it’s had is the 1950s neon marquee, where we put holiday messages at Christmas.” Maybe that signals an intent by the city to save the marquee. But the last I heard the building is still vacant.
Has Anybody seen it latley or know whats happen to the tower?
I was just wondering i maybe in that area in the next couple of day and was wondering if it was worth a look?
Here is a 1980 photo from the LAPL:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics41/00070197.jpg
There is (or was) a Tower Theater in Willows, CA. It should be added if it isn’t here under another name. Here is a picture from the UC Davis Collection:
View link
On a recent trip on the Filmore and Santa Paula Railway from Filmore to Santa Paula I had the opportunity to walk along Main Street in Santa Paula during the hour lay over. During the stay I noticed the Tower Theatre. The marquee was still intact but the entrance was entirely boarded up. There is not much to see of the theater but the train trip was enjoyable.
This theatre was renamed the Columbia sometime before April of 1931. The April 17th, 1931 issue of Southwest Builder and Contractor tells of a remodeling of the Columbia Theatre in Santa Paula, which had just been purchased by a Mr. J. Leslie Asher. New drapes, seats, projection and sound equipment were to be installed.