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NuWilshire still an eyesore…
posted by
Nushboy07
on
December 17, 2008 at 7:50 am
SANTA MONICA, CA — Well, the NuWilshire Theatre has not changed since its closing in November 2007. The theatre just sits there, with no lights, no updates, no nothing. It is just one of the many eyesores in Santa Monica. It’s hard to believe a theatre which has been open since the 1930s is now all of a sudden gone. I remember working there from May to November last year. It was such a wonderful, cozy little theatre. And I remember the owner of the complex (such a #$%#!) said he wanted to turn it into a Lucky Brand jeans store or something of the sort right after the closing of the theatre. But now, the theatre has just been there, vacant for officially a year now.
The city of Santa Monica said that they were going to update the front of the building, and declare it a City Landmark, but nothing has been done to it, and I doubt anything will be done to it. This was one of the greatest little art deco indie flick theaters ever in Santa Monica, and I can only hope that we, here at Cinema Treasures, can do what we can to help preserve it. Who knows, it may be a theatre again! Thanks for reading!
Nick Illes (ex-employee of the NuWilshire Theatre)
Comments (7)
I know how you feel. Here in New Jersey, we have a theatre, the Ritz, in Elizabeth, that the current owner spent 3 years restoring it to its former granduer, only to have it sit there, with only an occasional spanish show. This 2800 seat house is pergect for concerts, roadshows classic film festivals, but it just sits. And with todays economy, I doubt anyone will buy it. And if that happens, then they should apply for non-profit 501(3)c status.
Go luck out there, and lets hope it gets saved. We dont need any more treasures falling to the wrecking ball.
You might have to wait another year or so. With planning for a new layout in the building and having to go through the city red tape with what you can and not do. It’s going tobe a long road for this one.
I live around the corner from the NuWilshire, and I have to tell you that I’m so enthusiastic about having a Lucky Jeans store that close to me, I’m beside myself with civic pride. Of course, there’s one within walking distance on the Promenade, and another within walking distance over on Montana Avenue, but we can never have enough Lucky Jeans stores…
Lucky Jeans store!
Lucky Jeans store!
Lucky Jeans store!
(spit!)
Let’s not forget the collapse of our financial system. Any kind of big real estate project needs to be financed. Conventional wisdom would say that it must be difficult to get a deal done at this point in time.
I’m hoping that the guy who bought the theater, ran out the tenants, and planned to make big bucks in retail is kicking himself in the ass about now.
Meanwhile, the City Landmarked facade is slowly rotting away…
Kicking himself in the ass would require honest introspection, which is not something I have ever seen in your typical real estate guy. Generally they think they can climb any mountain…until the day they end up in jail.
Yeah, and I’ve seen this guy too. He’s a real pompus-ass. He drives a white Mercedes, goes around in a pink shirt and expects people to place a red carpet where ever he goes. I remember one time he came in during working hours, and he kept asking me to unlock the backdoor behind the state so the guys he brought along with him could see what was back there. I said I had to work.