Golden Gate Theatre

WhiteOrchid on June 26, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Wow … I Used To Come Here As A Child With My Parents And Later Brougt My Oldest Son A Couple Of Times To Watch Movies Before It Closed … Nice Memories .

dctrig on November 9, 2010 at 4:44 pm

I made it a point to visit as many old movie theaters in LA-Orange County before they closed and managed to see “Top Gun” at the Golden Gate in 1986. The long walkway from Whittier Boulevard to the box office was reminiscent of the Egyptian in Hollywood.

There was an old stationery store nearby that I used to patronize.

svaldez724 on May 8, 2010 at 11:21 am

i live not far from this historic theater. i grew up in echo park (Los Angeles) but remember that theater well. someone mentioned another theater further down whittier blvd. that would be the garmar theater in montebello, also closed down. today – may 2010 the garmar is now a bank; sprctrum bank but it too is a local community landmark. i believe the community must rise up like in the days of old to restore these iconic places like the golden gate and put them to good use.

shilo07 on May 7, 2010 at 3:01 pm

ipassed by the theatre in 2004 and it was torn down and there was a sign saying comming soon discount shoe warehouse

shilo07 on May 7, 2010 at 12:03 pm

the theatre was torn down in 2000. they built a discont shoe warehouse there.

MJuggler on November 2, 2009 at 1:10 pm

They are meeting gin about the Golden Gate Theater so there is still time to get letter written. The Commission is not very happy to alter the interior of the theater BUT would rather do that then see it sit empty for more years to come. We at the LAHTF hope the owner will get a renter in there that will turn in back into a theater again not a CSV. More info View link

Please write to and we will take your letters to the Planning Commission personally on Nov. 4th.

My father worked there as a teenager so I grow up with many stories about the place but never got to go myself. It was a church by the time I was around then empty for to many years.

garnnikkis on September 28, 2009 at 8:50 pm

Well, the planning commission will decide on October 21st whether to approve or deny the CVS going into the theater. Basically the Charles Company want to build a box within the theater stating they will not threaten the theater’s architectural features. If the Planning Commission approves the CVS, the Vega building which once wrapped around the theater will never be rebuilt. East Los Angeles deserves their theater back and needs a cultural landmark to revitalize the area. A drugstore will do the opposite. We need as many people as possible to show up on October 21st to voice their opinion. The location: 320 West Temple Street, rm 150, LA, at 9 am
Los Angeles, California 90012320 West Temple Street, 13th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90012320 West Temple Street, 13th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90012320 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, California 90012

kencmcintyre on May 17, 2009 at 8:50 pm

I read that LA Times story today, a couple of days late. I was logging on to the site about ten minutes ago when we had a pretty good earthquake. A strong jolt that lasted about ten seconds.

drb on May 14, 2009 at 12:14 pm

View link
[quote]Future of 1927-era East L.A. theater in question
8:00 AM | May 14, 2009

Preservationists and developers are wrangling over the future of an abandoned theater in East Los Angeles that is historically significant and represents a Spanish-baroque style rarely found in the city.

Activists, developers and local business people presented two starkly different visions Wednesday of what could be done with the abandoned Golden Gate Theater near Whittier and Atlantic boulevards.

At a hearing before the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission, some advocated converting the building into a CVS pharmacy, complete with alcohol sales and a drive-through pharmacy window. Others want to return the theater, built in 1927, to its original purpose.

The theater’s entrance replicates the portal of the University of Salamanca in Spain and is built in the Churrigueresque style, a Spanish baroque form of architecture. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We don’t want to see the building torn down or changed,” resident Mark Martinez told the commission. “It would be a shame if they did this to this building.”

Martinez, who lives near the theater, attended the hearing in downtown Los Angeles to protest the proposed pharmacy.

Officials with the Charles Company, which owns the property, said they would not demolish the building and they would preserve its architectural elements if they were allowed to use it for commercial purposes.

“We specialize in very challenging sites,” said Sarah Magaña-Withers, a spokeswoman for the Charles Company.

The Golden Gate Theater has been “vacant for more than 20 years,” she said, and a CVS could help revitalize the area.

County staff members were directed to conduct more research into the matter and include more information in an environmental impact report on the pharmacy proposal. Anita Gutierrez, a regional planning assistant, said staff would present a final report to the commission Aug. 19, when the panel could vote on whether to approve or deny the pharmacy project.

— Ari B. Bloomekatz[/quote]
Photos:
View link
View link

William on May 12, 2009 at 11:25 am

That’s the east side marquee of the theatre.

ouiserfox on April 19, 2009 at 11:14 am

Does anybody remember seeing Ritchie Vallens and Kathy Young, along with others perform there at the 1958 Midnight holloween show???

kencmcintyre on April 11, 2009 at 12:23 pm

The Vega building that fronted the theater was demolished in 1992, following the 1987 Whittier earthquake, according to this LA Times excerpt from May 1993:

The county Regional Planning Commission recently approved plans for renovating the old Golden Gate Theater, clearing the way for contractors to draw up architectural plans for a restaurant and offices on the lot. El Gallo Giro will build a restaurant at Whittier and Atlantic boulevards, where the old Vega Building once stood. The building will have a tower resembling the one that highlighted the Vega Building, as well as skylights.

Work is expected to begin in late May or early June, said Michael Rose, project manager and director of construction for El Gallo Giro Corp., which has a 45-year lease on the site. He expects renovations and construction on the $2-million project to be complete by Christmas. “We hired an architect who was involved in the City Hall (renovation) to preserve the historical integrity of the project, which are the facade and a number of interior aspects,” Rose said. “We sat down with community leaders because we were interested in community input, especially with this site.”

The Vega Building served as an arcade to the theater until the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake rendered it uninhabitable. The building was demolished in December to make way for construction. The vaulted floor of the theater, which has an ornate gold-leaf interior and was built in 1927, will be leveled to allow for community use such as meetings, weddings and quinceaneras celebrations, Rose said.

The company will also restore the courtyard between the two buildings and convert the theater lobby into offices, which will become El Gallo Giro’s corporate headquarters, Rose said. Carrie Sutkin, planning deputy for Supervisor Gloria Molina, said residents were especially concerned about improving the appearance of that lot, which was boarded up since the earthquake.

“Everyone wanted to save the theater and they wanted to restore Whittier Boulevard because it’s been so blighted,” Sutkin said.