Avalon Theatre

5258 S. Avalon Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA 90011

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Functions: Church

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Avalon Theatre

The Avalon Theatre is one of many independent theatres that once lined the streets of Los Angeles. It opened in 1935 and was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres for many years as an African-American theatre. It was closed on March 31, 1951 with Ray Milland in “Golden Earrings” & Charlton Heston in “Dark City”.

Contributed by William Gabel

Recent comments (view all 6 comments)

HarryLime
HarryLime on October 23, 2003 at 3:09 am

Old site said 450 seats. One of the so-called “Negro” theatres, it was a district 3 Fox house.

William
William on May 14, 2004 at 9:09 am

The above comment is for the Avalon Theatre in Wilmington, Ca.. The Avalon Theatre in Los Angeles was one of the so-called “Negro” theatres, not the Wilmington, Avalon house.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on June 23, 2007 at 9:34 am

I drove by the site yesterday. Apartments are there now. No trace of the theater.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 11, 2008 at 8:44 pm

No theaters are listed on this stretch of Avalon Boulevard in the 1929 City Directory, but the Avalon Theatre is listed at 5244 Avalon Boulevard in the 1936 directory, and at 5258 Avalon in the 1938 directory, then at 5256 Avalon in the 1942 directory.

None of these addresses are currently in use, but the building at the northeast corner of Avalon and 52nd Place has an address of 5224, so something numbered 5244-5258 would probably have been on the southeast corner of Avalon and 52nd Place, a lot now listed as 5250 S. Avalon and occupied by a building (currently containing a church) built in 1936. The residential complex south of it, built in 1985 and occupying three lots, has an address of 5270 S. Avalon. In the 1956 Los Angeles Street Directory, 5250 Avalon is listed as the Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, and the next address south of it is the Avalon Fountain Grill, at 5260 Avalon. There is no Avalon Theatre listed.

It seems that there’s been some adjusting of addresses on this block over the years, and it’s possible that the church at 5250 S. Avalon is located in the former Avalon Theatre, (even though the building now doesn’t look much like a theater in the Google Maps street view.) If this is true, then the Avalon must have opened in 1936, the year this building was erected, and is not demolished. Also, it’s a pretty small building, so the 450 seats mentioned by Harry Lime in the first comment above would be more likely than the 650 currently given.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on November 11, 2009 at 6:49 pm

The Avalon was advertised consistently in the LA Times from 1942 to 1950, all at 5258 S. Avalon. The last ad was 11/23/50.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on November 1, 2020 at 3:27 am

Advertisements for the Avalon appear as of 1935. The Avalon Theatre closed at the end of its lease on March 31, 1951 with a double feature of “Golden Earrings” and “Dark City.” The building was offered for sale and was finally demolished in late summer of 1964.

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