Circle Theatre
407 S. Main Street,
Corona,
CA
92882
407 S. Main Street,
Corona,
CA
92882
No one has favorited this theater yet
Information available in the local history room at the Corona Public Library says that Luis Cruz built the Teatro Chapultepec in 1924. The Riverside Press-Enterprise says that it was a major cultural center for the area showing English and Spanish films. It also offered vaudeville entertainment from Mexico and Los Angeles. If the Mexican community wanted to go to the other theatre in town, the Corona Theatre, they had to sit in a segregated section.
The Film Daily Yearbook of 1928 said it had 550 seats but by 1931 they had changed that to 350 seats. A 1936 Yearbook listing showed no Teatro Chapultepec but a Radio Theatre listed with 350 seats. A yearbook listing in 1938 had a Circle Theatre with 340 seats. No exact address could be confirmed for the Teatro Chapultepec but the Press-Enterprise noted that it was on the east side of Main Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets. The address of the Circle theatre was found to be 407 S. Main Street, so it is a good bet that the Teatro Chapultepec became the Circle Theatre. The Circle Theatre finally dropped out of the movie listings in the mid 1950s. The Press Enterprise said it was converted to a carpet store, with the carpets hanging from the former stage area.
A January 1970 news article announcing its pending demolition said the theatre was built in 1914 instead of 1924.
The other theatre in town, the Boller Brothers-designed Corona Theatre, is still in remarkably good condition and is being used as a church.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
An image of the auditorium (and a full house) can be found in Mary Bryner Winn’s book, “Corona,” part of the “Images of America” series.