Arlington Theatre
9666 Magnolia Avenue,
Riverside,
CA
92503
9666 Magnolia Avenue,
Riverside,
CA
92503
4 people
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The Arlington, a neighborhood theatre built in 1946, was a nice example of post-war modernism, with a brick exterior and clean straight lines. It was built about six miles away from the Fox Theatre in downtown Riverside and was always an independent. With the advent of multiplexes, it’s single screen finally made it obsolete and after several managements, it closed for good in 1987.
The Press-Enterprise says that in 1988 a developer gutted the building, removed the balcony and marquee and leveled the floor. Even then it found no success as a nightclub or antique mall.
In 1995 the city finally bought it for $530,000 and demolished it, with plans to build a library close to their 1909 Carnegie library. The city is still seeking funding for it. Another source says the address of the Arlington was five blocks away on the other side of the street. I will go with the local newspaper as my source. Their address: 9666 Magnolia Ave.
There are two other long-gone theatres listed in the Arlington neighborhood, the Airdome and the Chatterbox.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
I grew up in Riverside and saw several movies at the Arlington, including my first viewing of “Gone With the Wind” in 1962. I also saw “Quo Vadis” there at about the same time. It was a pleasant theatre, small and on one level.
1983 Photo
1984 Photo
I saw “The Gong Show Movie” here.
We saw Fox and the Hound Here, Lord of the rings animated and The Octagon, really good times.
Here is a brief item about the Arlington Theatre in Riverside, with a small photo of its recently remodeled front, from the September 7, 1957, issue of Boxoffice.