Rex Theatre
1405 19th Street,
Bakersfield,
CA
1405 19th Street,
Bakersfield,
CA
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Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
During the 40’s the Rex Theatre was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres along with the nearby California, Fox, Kern and Nile Theatres.
The Rex Theatre building was torn down in the 1950’s and was on the corner of 19th and L streets. The location is now a parking lot.
The Kern County Museum has an image of the Rex Theatre: http://www.kcmuseum.org/stories/storyReader$1249
From what I found the 800 seat Rex Theatre opened in 1914 and closed in 1952.
The Rex might have been finished off by the 1952 Tehachapi earthquake. An item about the nearby Virginia Theatre in Boxoffice of January 31, 1953, said that the Virginia had reopened just before Christmas, but that the Rex was still surrounded by steel scaffolding while engineers continued to inspect it. Perhaps the damage to the Rex turned out to be too costly to repair.
Boxoffice of April 17, 1948, had said that Fox West Coast had renewed its long-term lease on the Rex and several other theaters. The length of the lease was not mentioned. I haven’t found the Rex mentioned in Boxoffice after the 1953 item.
The correct address for the Rex is 1305 19th Street. A huge parking garage now covers that whole block along 19th Street.