Arlington Theatre
1317 State Street,
Santa Barbara,
CA
93101
1317 State Street,
Santa Barbara,
CA
93101
25 people
favorited this theater
This Mission Revival/Atmospheric styled theater built for the Fox West Coast Theaters circuit in 1931 has been beautifully restored.
The Arlington Theatre seats over 2,000 and its Atmospheric style interior is just one part of its majesty. After walking past the free-standing ticket booth, under the marquee and through the spanish courtyard and fountains, visitors enter the small lobby on their way into movie paradise.
Entering the theater, the auditorium is flanked on both sides by faux-spanish villas while lanterns, windows and staircases adorn both walls. The ceiling is also filled with twinkling stars that give the illusion that the viewer is watching a film in an outside courtyard.
The Arlington Theatre is a can’t miss experience and a beautifully restored example of the great Fox palaces of the past.
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Recent comments (view all 80 comments)
This theatre has always been the Arlington from 1931 till now. It was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres and then by Metropolitan Theatres.
You speak of the theater as a business. I spoke of one building that has had, in my lifetime, two different uses, or businesses and, I spoke of one business that has been, in my lifetime, in two different locations. You are ignorant of personal experience with the two different buildings and both uses of the two buildings. Your aim is listings of theaters as tropies to show people. I live life without caring about people such as you.
Nice close up of the Box IOffice from 2009.
View link
Here’s a recent photo of the Arlington:
http://www.thewholeearthisfilledwithhisglory.com/theaters/165a.html
Here’s another recent photo of the Arlington:
http://www.thewholeearthisfilledwithhisglory.com/theaters/165b.html
In the 50s, while the now-Alington building was being stripped of the religious articles, the two owners of the building(and owners of the then-Arlington Theatre two blocks away) called and asked me to meet them in front of Grauman’s in Hollywood. They said to me they had noticed how I had created the front of the Santa Barbara Museum Of Art when I converted it from the old US Post Office to what it is then and now- but they liked the front of Grauman’s better and wanted my advice for the new Arlington. I gave it to them and they stayed with what they wanted- like the front of Grauman’s. They chose the same color as then of Grauman’s. They were so happy with their choice that I did not say that I had chosen the colors of the front of Grauman’s and had done the painting myself.
The current Arlington Theatre was built as a movie palace in 1931, not as a church.
I did not say the building was built as a church. I said the present Arlington Theatre was changed from a church use to the present theatre use. The Arlington Theatre business was in a narrow building 2 blocks away when it moved to the present buildingfollowing the use of a church. What the present building was before what I knew it to be a church I do not know.You and I are talking about two different periods of time.
As William pointed out, this has always been the Arlington Theatre so not sure what you mean by another one with the same name 2 blocks away, or your church references. There are “Nearby Theatres” linked here, FYI. You are an architect? a decorator?
As I said, at one time the owners of the Arlington two blocks away moved the business. Considering what you say it is possible that the Arlinton was moved from the present location to the other location 2 blocks away and then back again. Or the Arlington is another business but of the same kind as the original movie house.For how long it was- I was told by a Presbyterian minister that the original business in the present Arlington Theatre was closed under a Red Light law. Maybe not. The Red Light law of the State of California was very vague.