Tulare Theatre
229 E. Tulare Avenue,
Tulare,
CA
93274
229 E. Tulare Avenue,
Tulare,
CA
93274
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James Rupert Miller was the second architect listed in the 1926 architectural plans and renderings.
T. & D. Jr. Enterprises took over operation of the Tulare from Paul Reardon effective September 1, 1923.
Dallasmovietheaters, the Turner and Dahnken Circuit sold their leases, properties and other interests to West Coast Theaters, Inc. in January 1923, the deal was finalized in March. The corporation was dissolved and the monies from the sale were divided between Hattie Turner (widow of James Turner), Fred Dahnken and his wife, and the Turner and Dahnken children. Any activities associated with former T&D properties after March 1923 were carried out by West Coast Theaters, Inc. West Coast sold to Fox in 1928.
This theater’s roots date back to its launch as Electric Theatre in 1908. Its name was changed to Theatre Tulare in 1909 and then the Tulare Theatre on March 4, 1916. The T&D Circuit took on the venue closing it in December of 1923 for new projection and a refresh. The New Tulare Theatre was built in late 1926 opening in March of 1927 with former Tulare Theatre owner Paul Reardon continuing as the projectionist for another thirty years.
The Theatre was closed by the United Artists Circuit after showings on August 26, 1975. A major architectural plan was unveiled in 1977 to revitalize the theatre. But a bank purchased the theatre and demolished it in 1980 for a new bank building.
The Tulare theatre held a reopening on November 8th, 1940. Grand opening ad posted.
This opened on March 18th, 1927. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
The twin towers of the Tulare Theatre still had their Moorish grillwork when this photo from the Huntington Digital Library’s Southern California Edison Company collection was taken by photographer G. Haven Bishop on October 6, 1936.
I Have fond memory’s of the Tower Square Cinemas, i was about 10 yrs old when it opened, heck i can even remember when the big clock was finished and i could hear it chime from home almost a mile away but they soon turn the VERY HUGE speakers down. I can remember very well riding my bicycle or walking with friends/family.
i loved going to the movies and if i didn’t have money i would just ride my bicycle around the Tower District, when ever i had enough money i would go eat at round table “now VIP” then head to the theater, yes i still bought the popcorn and soda LOL. just around the corner you could walk right up to the glass at B95 = KBOSS and request a song.
CinemaTour has three photos of the Tower Square Cinemas (the vertical sign seen in one photos just says Tower Cinema) at 50 N. Tower Square in Tulare. The photos are dated 1999. CinemaTour doesn’t give the number of screens, but Mike Rivest lists it as a triplex. I haven’t found it mentioned in Boxoffice Magazine.
A couple of web sites say that the former Tower Square Cinemas building was converted into an indoor paintball venue in 2008, but I can’t find a listing for it on the Internet. Maybe it didn’t last long.
In addition to the Tulare, State, and Tower Square, Tulare had a theater called the El Rey operating from at least 1940 into the 1950s, and a small twin (2x180 seats) opened in the Town and Country Village shopping center in 1973. I found a single reference to a Lake Theatre in Tulare in a 1944 Boxoffice item, but that might have been a misplacing of a Lake Theatre somewhere else— perhaps the one in Corcoran.
There are also a few items about theaters in Tulare that appeared in Southwest Builder & Contractor as far back as 1912, and one of these was probably the first Tulare Theatre, but I don’t know which of them it was. Other projects the magazine announced might never have been built.
Tulare now has a multiplex called the Galaxy Tulare 10, opened in 2004.
I have submitted an entry for Tower Square Cinemas; it should appear soon.
Does anyone remember a multi-screen house in Tulare called the Tower Square Cinemas? I think it had four screens. The manager’s name was Randy Schull. I was sent there a couple times for service calls by Mr. Tate of Walnut Properties/Pussycat Theatres (and no, the Tower Square Cinemas never showed porno as far as I can recall. Walnut Properties/Pussycat Theatres did have some houses that were not porno).
With regard to the photo of the State, a couple of 1973 issues of Boxoffice said that the former State Theatre in Tulare was being refurbished for use as a retail shop. The address was 225 E. Kern Avenue. Today there’s a photo studio and frame shop called Gainsborough Studio operating at 227 E. Kern, which appears to be in the theater building, though the facade has been substantially altered.
This is supposed to be the State Theater in Tulare, in 1942. I would like someone to confirm that this theater was actually in Tulare before I add it, since the source is prone to geographical errors.
http://tinyurl.com/plcyra
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has a number of drawings by Timothy Pflueger that can be seen on-line, including some depicting the Tulare Theatre. Enter Tulare in the search box. You can also search on Pflueger and then select the resulting “works by” link to see drawings of some of his other projects.
Also, the “firm” listing on this page should show Miller & Pflueger.
Here is a May 1940 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dgkxwe
Here is part of an article dated 7/13/75 from the Fresno Bee Republican:
Her Glory Days Gone, Tulare Theater Hangs By X-Rated String
TULARE â€" Over the years the Tulare Theater has frequently been called the “white castle” and the “magic white towers.” It looks like a castle, an old one now. When constructed in 1927 it was one of the most elegant movie houses between Los Angeles and San Francisco. “A monument to the silver screen,” people said. “Getting Gertie’s Garter'‘ was its first silent movie offering.
Alas, the once proud and splendorous baroque castle with her ornate rococo grandeur, is today a brooding landmark to the old days of downtown Tulare. She sits at the fringe of a vast redevelopment project, her future uncertain.
The other day as I looked upon her, imagining lines of people down the block waiting to see the newest Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald spectacular, I could not help but think of fallen honor. Alas, she was now playing a lascivious “adults only” double feature. Remember how we thought “The Outlaw” was rotten because Jane Russell wore her blouse unbuttoned? “You will go to hell for sure if you go to see that rotten movie,” my mother said.
This is the only one of the eight theatres designed from scratch by Pflueger to be demolished. The facade derived much design influence from the Ishtar Gate of ancient Babylon. The auditorium featured rich sculptural ornamentation, an unusual undulating ceiling, and a large face over the proscenium.
For quick reference, the other Pflueger theatres are:
CASTRO, San Francisco
ALHAMBRA, San Francisco
STATE, Oroville
SENATOR, Chico
EL REY, San Francisco
PARAMOUNT, Oakland
ALAMEDA, Alameda
Older theatres remodeled by his firm include:
METRO, San Francisco
ROYAL, San Francisco
NEW MISSION, San Francisco
NEW FILMORE, San Francisco