NuWilshire Theatre
1314 Wilshire Boulevard,
Santa Monica,
CA
90403
1314 Wilshire Boulevard,
Santa Monica,
CA
90403
26 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 261 comments
The barriers and scaffolding are now down (looks like we’re stuck with the indifferent color). The glass is in place, and you can see into the building where they are still working. The marquee still needs to be cleaned up, however.
The terrazzo is back in place, and the entire building has been painted a color somewhere between grey and mint green. Since the scaffolding is still up in front, I’m hoping this is just a primer layer or something. But I don’t have high hopes. The insets above the retail spaces on either side of the marquee have some details painted in more normal shades of green.
Here is a photo taken this weekend:
http://tinyurl.com/lh7zzm
They’re turning it into retail space. Early on, there was talk of Lucky Jeans moving in there, even though they’ve already got locations on the Promenade and on Montana.
What exactly is the developer building here?
Ted Mann bought the troubled National General Theatres chain in 1973. The twining happened at the Wilshire during the Mann Theatre operations in the 1970’s. In the 1990’s Landmark picked up the former Mann Theatre and revamped it. From the last years Mann operated as a move-over house from the Criterion and other Santa Monica houses. “Cabaret” opened at the New ABC Century Plaza Twin Theatres. Could it have been that you saw the movie when it went city wide or on a reissue?
I lived in Santa Monica from 1968 to 2001 and went to the Wilshire many times. One day when there was a double feature in each theatre, (and I wanted to see all four films), I timed it so I could see the double feature in the left theatre then walked into the right theatre for the second double feature. There were plenty of people in the lobby so no one noticed. I wanted to see if I could do it and I was pretty sore and exhausted by the time I got out. I no longer remember the films except that I believe one of them was “Cabaret.” If that’s true, and one souce lists a February 1972 release for the film, then the theatre was twinned before 1972. I’ve only noticed two comments on the twinning, one suggesting the 1990’s and a later one giving the decade as the 1970’s. Anyone have any better information on this?
This really saddens me. I grew up and Santa Monica and attended this theatre when it was a single screen as a child. Now with the nearing of the end of the Bruin and Village it really stings.
According to the SM Conservancy guy I’ve been talking to, the exterior of the building is protected and will be restored.
Gary, I’ve been in many LA cinemas, but don’t recall this one from my part of one day in Santa Monica. But, I can root for it. Can you please clarify, does the exterior have legal protection or not? I thought it did, but then a comment suggested otherwise.
From your account above, it sounds like the exterior is being retained, and restored.
Howard: I share your relief!
Whew! 1st I read that terrazzo was departing, then I read 2 comments asserting it will return. That’s better.
A volunteer with the SM Conservancy confirmed to me that the terrazzo was removed to protect it from the heavy equipment going in and out, and will be reinstalled.
Having read the Daily Press article posted above, I am going to have to amend my comment about the terrazzo. Putting the clues together—the sawing of the terrazzo into sections rather than just jackhammering it, and an earlier comment that they had “set it aside,” plus knowing as I do that a skilled terrazzo contractor can indeed set a whole pavement back and match and fill the resulting seams to near-perfection—I do believe this is what has happened, and I applaud it. At least the entrance will have its old floor. Now, here’s hoping that they will reconstruct the original entry ceiling.
I was in Santa Monica Saturday and stopped by the (Nu)Wilshire and walked all around it, looking in the entrance and backstage doors. Lots of construction is underway inside, and there is not a trace of historic interior left, except for about one third of the original ticket lobby ceiling which was above the later one. It was pink plaster with grey bands around the edge. Holes were still visible where the cables had been hung through it to suspend the later ceiling. It looks as if the marquee is being kept. Also, vertical ribbed walls which were uncovered behind the poster cases are in the process of being recreated. Workmen were busy smoothing a new concrete sidewalk surface in front of the building. Sadly, I noticed that the green and black terrazzo floor of the entranceway had been sawn into squares, presumably for removal. No changes whatsoever were evident in the overall design of the facade itself. I looked up into the fly tower, and only the main steel braces for the stagehouse grid are still there. The concrete proscenium opening is very evident, but not a scrap of decoration remains. An auto entrance has been cut into the side of the theatre from the alley to the East of the building. This opens to a ramp leading into a basement parking garage.
Well, they got rid of the entrance of the theatre and all. Now it’s just a flat entrance in the front.
The last Daily Press article linked above, in March, states the exterior is legally protected. No? is there a more recent article to link here?
NuWilshire as of July 21st, 2009
View link
Wow, well the NuWilshire was being worked on just a few days ago and here is an image of the action that’s been going on. It’s a shame that they gutted the entire place. I read recently that the owner in charge of the construction (I want to break his neck) said that he knows the theatre is important to this city and that he is going to preserve the outside and make it likable to everyone. Well, this is not the case. If that were the case, he would have let the National Landmark Committee let the theatre be preserved and untouched on the outside. However, the Daily Press said that he was able to stop the passing at like the last minute so now he can change whatever he see’s fit. He says he will keep the marque to proove his love for the theatre. Please…
Here is a 1930 photo from the LAPL, at the opening of the theater:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics18/00028809.jpg
Don, protection for the exterior only is what I guessed, and now confirmed. The interior photos link that I added some time ago doesn’t show ornate features inside (with exception of last photo).
It IS a shame it won’t continue as a movie house.
I can’t stand what that guy said about the theatre! He could care less about how wonderful and important it is to preserve it. He’s getting what he wanted. Also, isn’t it ironic that all of a sudden he is talking to the press, when he declined to speak about it back in November 2007?
Article and photo of the rehab on the front page of the Santa Monica Daily Press today.
http://www.smdp.com/pdf/032009.pdf
Also, inside is a photo of the Mayfair. I’m on my way over now to see if I can get some good photos of the place.
Howard, I got a reply tonight. They said that the “envelope” of the building is protected, but not how the space inside is laid out.
Telephone…..not email…..