Ritz Theater
313 E. Grand Avenue,
Escondido,
CA
92026
313 E. Grand Avenue,
Escondido,
CA
92026
4 people
favorited this theater
The theater opened in 1938 by Mr. and Mrs. John Johnson. It is 8,400 square feet. It showed three different double-features a night. Wednesday nights were 10 cents and had a keno game at intermission. It was highly successful until 1951 when a fire gutted the interior. It reopened in 1954, but because of television, it did not do as well.
It managed to stay open but around 1970 it became an X-rated movie house called the Pussycat Theater. The theater manager was arrested when a movie was thought to be “obscene”. The theater was reopened with family films in 1976 and renamed the Bijou Theater, but the venture failed. The theater was remodeled again in 1981 and featured Spanish language films. In 1993, the theater was renamed once more as the Big Screen Theater and showed art films, but that did not last long. In 2003 the theater was once more called by it’s original name the Ritz Theater, but the double bill only lasted nine days and the theater closed.
New owners Chuck and Leona Borough purchased the theater later in the summer, but as of yet, have not decided what to do with the building.
The theater is relatively intact. It needs to be restored to it’s 1954 appearance. The look of 1938 seems to be gone forever. It would make a marvelous venue for classic films because of Escondido’s active retirement age population. Grand Avenue is beautiful tree-lined street that thrives on it’s antique shops and coffee houses. There are two live theater venues within blocks of this theater. There also is a Friday night classic automobile “cruise-in” every Friday night that is well attended.
Contributed by
R. Christian Anderson
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Im trying to rent or lease this estabishment if any one can get me contact information it would be greatly appriciated.
ps. I have been keeping a track of this estabishment for a few years now and noticed when ever someone tries to open something up there it closes down pretty fast due to tragic events that have happened in the past, does any ony one know if this place is HAUNTED?
Hello DJ,
I don’t think the place is haunted…. it ran for many years just fine. It’s a great venue if someone were to put a little into cleaning it up. It’s in a great location with lots of drive-by traffic.
The new owners are Chuck and Leona Borough and the Chamber of Commerce or City Directory will have them listed. If you need more info, perhaps I can help a bit more.
A great 1951 photo of the exterior of the Ritz Escondido was printed in the San Diego Union Tribune on Dec. 18, 2005. Flames are soaring through the roof as the marquee displays “Fireball”. An art deco design (long gone) graced the facade of the building. The theater closed for 3 years following the fire. As of this date, the owners have spent $150,000 to clean up the theater, but no opening is on the horizon.
An article in today’s North County Times says that the Boroughs have spent $70,000 in repairs so far on the building in the 3 years they have owned it. Repairs were halted this past year while they did work on their 112 year old house, but they plan to resume renovation in a month. Their hopes are to make it a community owned theater.
Article link: View link
Advertised at 309 E. Grand in September 1979. Name was the Bijou. Feature films were “Wanda Nevada” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.
New book-length Pussycat Theatre history from the San Diego Reader:
View link
I’m reasonably certain that this is the theater building:
http://tinyurl.com/yb8rus5
A plan has been submitted to the Escondido City Council that would turn the Ritz into a cabaret dinner theater and events venue: View link
I believe the building in that Google link two posts above is an old drugstore. The theater appears to be to the right of that, one building in from the corner of Juniper Street.
Here’s a cool newspaper clipping showing all the movies playing in the general area back in 1975.
Newspaper Clipping
From this site: Valley Drive-In Blogspot