In the early 1980s the K-mart mentioned above was a Zayre Department Store. The whole lot on which all this sat has been completely razed, and it is how a 1 ½ year old Home Depot and parking lot.
On August 22, demolition is to begin on three well-known Beverly Hills buildings.
First, and most importantly, is the 1923 dome-topped Beverly Theater. Next to City Hall and Rodeo Drive, this iconic structure — though dwarfed in recent years by taller buildings — symbolized old Beverly Hills. I live next door to the woman whose father built the theater. Fortunately, she won’t have to witness the demolition from her window. A massive Jerry Snyder “mixed use” project currently under construction now blocks the view.
The other two buildings slated for demolition include the old Canon Theater, which before it went legit showed movies as both The Canon Theater and, in earlier times, The Hitching Post. And next door to that, the Gucci warehouse, once a Bekins or Lyons storage building, also will fall. This building, by the way, was the first poured concrete structure to feature a “waterfall windows” facade.
Saw Elem Klimov’s Come and See here earlier tonight. The theatre looked slightly cleaner and brighter as I walked inside. Only in a few moments did I notice the cause – new (for the New Beverly, at least) SEATS! Wow. Not the whole auditorium, mind you, but only the middle section. The whole “stage left†section of the auditorium, row one, and the last few rows are still the old school New Beverly seats. As much as the news seats seem comfortable, I somehow felt the theatre lost a little bit of its charm.
Visited the Vine for a documentary screening over the weekend – decent enough, considering its condition. Sign at the boxoffice says it is rentable for $200 per screening.
I remember seeing a double-feature of Trading Places and 48 Hrs. when we lived just a few blocks in the early 1980s. Even then, the theatre was being rented for community events – remember attending a Soviet-era film or concert, as the surrounding area was heavily made up of Russian immigrants (myself included). Have an exterior photo or two taken during a 1999 trip back that I will post a link to as soon as I locate it.
The marquee on October 26, 2005
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Photo from October 27, 2005
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Photos I took on November 2, 2005, while driving through the city. Click on “all sizes” right above the photos for original size
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Taken on a drive through the city last month
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In the early 1980s the K-mart mentioned above was a Zayre Department Store. The whole lot on which all this sat has been completely razed, and it is how a 1 ½ year old Home Depot and parking lot.
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I hope to scan and post links to photos of the theatre itself soon.
After just over 18 years of operation (I want to say it opened in September of 1987), the AMC Century City 14 is closing tonight, December 13, 2005.
From:
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On August 22, demolition is to begin on three well-known Beverly Hills buildings.
First, and most importantly, is the 1923 dome-topped Beverly Theater. Next to City Hall and Rodeo Drive, this iconic structure — though dwarfed in recent years by taller buildings — symbolized old Beverly Hills. I live next door to the woman whose father built the theater. Fortunately, she won’t have to witness the demolition from her window. A massive Jerry Snyder “mixed use” project currently under construction now blocks the view.
The other two buildings slated for demolition include the old Canon Theater, which before it went legit showed movies as both The Canon Theater and, in earlier times, The Hitching Post. And next door to that, the Gucci warehouse, once a Bekins or Lyons storage building, also will fall. This building, by the way, was the first poured concrete structure to feature a “waterfall windows” facade.
Saw Elem Klimov’s Come and See here earlier tonight. The theatre looked slightly cleaner and brighter as I walked inside. Only in a few moments did I notice the cause – new (for the New Beverly, at least) SEATS! Wow. Not the whole auditorium, mind you, but only the middle section. The whole “stage left†section of the auditorium, row one, and the last few rows are still the old school New Beverly seats. As much as the news seats seem comfortable, I somehow felt the theatre lost a little bit of its charm.
Visited the Vine for a documentary screening over the weekend – decent enough, considering its condition. Sign at the boxoffice says it is rentable for $200 per screening.
I remember seeing a double-feature of Trading Places and 48 Hrs. when we lived just a few blocks in the early 1980s. Even then, the theatre was being rented for community events – remember attending a Soviet-era film or concert, as the surrounding area was heavily made up of Russian immigrants (myself included). Have an exterior photo or two taken during a 1999 trip back that I will post a link to as soon as I locate it.
Yes, I am pretty sure that it was a Laemmle before the AMC days.
As of the end of May 2005, the Plaza Theatre is no longer standing.