Another ‘Palace of Mold’ in the making. Who stole all the mezzanine railings? Hopefully preservation efforts will begin before the theatre deteriorates beyond the financial breaking point of restoring it. Nicely designed theatre that needs a lot of love.
The intentions are good to try and save this theater at the last minute. However, it’s such a waste of money to now order new evaluations and more reports. Why wasn’t this done initially? If the building was so significant, why didn’t the preservationists raise a flag before demolition was already in motion. I’m all for preserving old theatrers but these efforts seem a little too late and wasteful.
“J. Euclid Miles, a prominent realtor and civic leader was one of the creators of the Mayfair Theatre (214 Santa Monica Blvd., originally called the Majestic Theatre), which was made uninhabitable by the Northridge earthquake and remains condemned."
Is this theatre still abandoned?
Incredible images on the Library of Congress site. Unbelievable how large and elaborate this place was.
Was not familiar with this theatre. What a loss for Chicago.
I lived in Ottawa from 1986-1992 and only remember the Rialto, The Sommerset, The Elgin, the Capitol Square 3, The Mayfair and The Bytowne. The Mayfair and Bytowne are still repertory theatres and the Rialto (demolished early 90’s) showed independent and foreign films.
Thanks William for the info. To think the Mayan was an X rated theatre. What a waste. But I suppose it’s what kept some of these places from being destroyed. Have spent some time in LA and have poked around most of the old theatres. I was thrown out of the Los Angeles when it was showing first run movies for not getting permission to take pictures! I hope something good is done with the Pacific. The city/state should give these places a tax break to get them up and running again.
The article is pretty uninspired. I must agree the the Egyptian auditorium itself is a disappointment; other than the bits of original ceiling left. The exterior is worth the trip however.
Everyone has forgotten about the Pantages. The Palace is nearby , although now the Avalon nightclub, the interior is somewhat intact and huge. And finally, not the biggest theatre around but has the best programming, The NUART in Santa Monica.
By the way, does anyone know what theatre was in the building that is boarded near the Henry Fonda and the Florentine Gardens on Hollywood Blvd.? It’s painted all white and has been shuttered as long as I can remember.
Recently renovated after being closed down for major repairs. Saw the film The Cooler there recently. The auditorium looks fresh and clean. Projection and sound was good. Now an independent run neighborhood repertory cinema, formely part of the Festival Cinema chain. Solid programming of second run and independent films and documentaries. Worth checking out again if you were turned off by the aging, rundown interior and sticky floors. One of the larger single screen cinemas left in Toronto along with the Royal. Nothing beats seeing those big, gold drapes go up before the movie starts!!! Tickets still sold from the original ticket booth outside. 3$ weekday early bird screenings. A blast from the past worth supporting.
Great facade but looks like it is slowly falling apart. Seems like it is unique enough to save. It’s historical link to the World’s Fair and the Trylon symbol is a great marketing tool in itself. Wonder if the last operator removed the projection equipment?
Another cherished but currently unused property in the downtown district will soon be revitalized. The City’s Community Development Agency has reached an agreement with the owners of the Village Theatre to revive the landmark facility and operate it for the next 20 years. The current owner is negotiating a lease with a new operator that would show first-run movies at the theatre. Once an operator is selected, plans to renovate the interior will get underway.
The theatre has graced Orange Avenue since opening night in 1948. Sold to new owners in 1950, the theatre was open for business until 2000, when it was temporarily shut down. Over the years, the 600-seat facility was improved and repaired on several occasions. In 1968, the standard two projector operation was replaced with an automated projector. Stay tuned for more information later this year.
Mar 25, 2004
NEW YORK (AP) A 21-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg during a movie at a theater complex in Times Square, police said.
The man, Anthony Clarke, was watching “Dawn of the Dead” at AMC Empire 25 when he was shot by the .25-caliber handgun at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
Clarke, of Brooklyn, was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his left leg, police said.
Police said they were charging him with criminal possession of a weapon.
Lots of flash with no substance. A tacky and forgettable multiplex experience provided by Famous Players. From the same company that declined to upgrade and closed the historic Eglinton and Uptown theatres.
Jake, the building definitely seems worth preserving. The sign is great and worth relighting in itself. (even if the building is used for an alternate purpose) Mr. Olsen needs to be convinced of the importance of preserving this building. It is often difficult to convince people that post-war theatres are equally as important as early examples.
Great theatre with a well designed website. The clickable cross section and seating plan views are a great feature. That place is huge. Even seats in the corner of the upper most balcony seem to have a good view. Doesn’t look like they reinstalled projection equipment to have any film events which is unfortunate. If only other cities would take care of their Cinema Treasures like Albany.
Seeing the title Car Wash almost made me fall out of my chair. Earthquake in Sensurround…now that was a crazy experience. The Odeon in my hometown even had nurses and ambulances on stanby for the premiere screening. When the theater started to shake (with the help of huge speakers installed in the auditorium), my best friend promptly threw up in the seat next to her. She was immediately ‘treated’ in the lobby by the medical staff. That beautiful theater is now closed and abandoned.
2001: A Space Odyssey was released three times at the Washington Uptown?
This project has good intentions but with poor results. Why not keep the theatre as the largest screen of the multiplex? Gutting it for a lobby is a pretty uninspired tradeoff by the developers.
Another ‘Palace of Mold’ in the making. Who stole all the mezzanine railings? Hopefully preservation efforts will begin before the theatre deteriorates beyond the financial breaking point of restoring it. Nicely designed theatre that needs a lot of love.
Doesn’t look like it’s in very good condition. The exterior has been completely stripped of a marquee and signage.
The intentions are good to try and save this theater at the last minute. However, it’s such a waste of money to now order new evaluations and more reports. Why wasn’t this done initially? If the building was so significant, why didn’t the preservationists raise a flag before demolition was already in motion. I’m all for preserving old theatrers but these efforts seem a little too late and wasteful.
“J. Euclid Miles, a prominent realtor and civic leader was one of the creators of the Mayfair Theatre (214 Santa Monica Blvd., originally called the Majestic Theatre), which was made uninhabitable by the Northridge earthquake and remains condemned."
Is this theatre still abandoned?
Incredible images on the Library of Congress site. Unbelievable how large and elaborate this place was.
Was not familiar with this theatre. What a loss for Chicago.
Coudersport Theatre
Feature films Friday-Monday 7:30 p.m. Call for special presentations
11 N Main Street, Coudersport, PA
814-274-8580
I lived in Ottawa from 1986-1992 and only remember the Rialto, The Sommerset, The Elgin, the Capitol Square 3, The Mayfair and The Bytowne. The Mayfair and Bytowne are still repertory theatres and the Rialto (demolished early 90’s) showed independent and foreign films.
New website for the Eglinton Grand (formerly the Eglinton Theatre and no longer functioning as a cinema).
http://www.eglintongrand.com/home.html
Thanks William for the info. To think the Mayan was an X rated theatre. What a waste. But I suppose it’s what kept some of these places from being destroyed. Have spent some time in LA and have poked around most of the old theatres. I was thrown out of the Los Angeles when it was showing first run movies for not getting permission to take pictures! I hope something good is done with the Pacific. The city/state should give these places a tax break to get them up and running again.
The article is pretty uninspired. I must agree the the Egyptian auditorium itself is a disappointment; other than the bits of original ceiling left. The exterior is worth the trip however.
Everyone has forgotten about the Pantages. The Palace is nearby , although now the Avalon nightclub, the interior is somewhat intact and huge. And finally, not the biggest theatre around but has the best programming, The NUART in Santa Monica.
By the way, does anyone know what theatre was in the building that is boarded near the Henry Fonda and the Florentine Gardens on Hollywood Blvd.? It’s painted all white and has been shuttered as long as I can remember.
Recently renovated after being closed down for major repairs. Saw the film The Cooler there recently. The auditorium looks fresh and clean. Projection and sound was good. Now an independent run neighborhood repertory cinema, formely part of the Festival Cinema chain. Solid programming of second run and independent films and documentaries. Worth checking out again if you were turned off by the aging, rundown interior and sticky floors. One of the larger single screen cinemas left in Toronto along with the Royal. Nothing beats seeing those big, gold drapes go up before the movie starts!!! Tickets still sold from the original ticket booth outside. 3$ weekday early bird screenings. A blast from the past worth supporting.
Great facade but looks like it is slowly falling apart. Seems like it is unique enough to save. It’s historical link to the World’s Fair and the Trylon symbol is a great marketing tool in itself. Wonder if the last operator removed the projection equipment?
Thanks Michael for reposting the same moronic comment 2 ½ months later. We didn’t care the first time.
Village Theatre to be Revived
Another cherished but currently unused property in the downtown district will soon be revitalized. The City’s Community Development Agency has reached an agreement with the owners of the Village Theatre to revive the landmark facility and operate it for the next 20 years. The current owner is negotiating a lease with a new operator that would show first-run movies at the theatre. Once an operator is selected, plans to renovate the interior will get underway.
The theatre has graced Orange Avenue since opening night in 1948. Sold to new owners in 1950, the theatre was open for business until 2000, when it was temporarily shut down. Over the years, the 600-seat facility was improved and repaired on several occasions. In 1968, the standard two projector operation was replaced with an automated projector. Stay tuned for more information later this year.
So much for cleaning up Times Square…
Mar 25, 2004
NEW YORK (AP) A 21-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg during a movie at a theater complex in Times Square, police said.
The man, Anthony Clarke, was watching “Dawn of the Dead” at AMC Empire 25 when he was shot by the .25-caliber handgun at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, police said.
Clarke, of Brooklyn, was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his left leg, police said.
Police said they were charging him with criminal possession of a weapon.
Link for this theatre:
http://www.historiclapeer.com/Pix.htm
Lots of flash with no substance. A tacky and forgettable multiplex experience provided by Famous Players. From the same company that declined to upgrade and closed the historic Eglinton and Uptown theatres.
Jake, the building definitely seems worth preserving. The sign is great and worth relighting in itself. (even if the building is used for an alternate purpose) Mr. Olsen needs to be convinced of the importance of preserving this building. It is often difficult to convince people that post-war theatres are equally as important as early examples.
A 1971 (January 5) interior photo of the Elgin Theater (attributed) appears in the new Diane Arbus photography monograph ‘Revelations’ on page 215.
The Pantages was renamed IMPERIAL in 1930. The Imperial SIX closed in 1987.
Great theatre with a well designed website. The clickable cross section and seating plan views are a great feature. That place is huge. Even seats in the corner of the upper most balcony seem to have a good view. Doesn’t look like they reinstalled projection equipment to have any film events which is unfortunate. If only other cities would take care of their Cinema Treasures like Albany.
Michael, you should take your bad attitude, your repeatedly dumb symphony hall comments and step in front of the next moving vehicle.
As to photos of this theatre, can someone post them online and add a link here?
Seeing the title Car Wash almost made me fall out of my chair. Earthquake in Sensurround…now that was a crazy experience. The Odeon in my hometown even had nurses and ambulances on stanby for the premiere screening. When the theater started to shake (with the help of huge speakers installed in the auditorium), my best friend promptly threw up in the seat next to her. She was immediately ‘treated’ in the lobby by the medical staff. That beautiful theater is now closed and abandoned.
2001: A Space Odyssey was released three times at the Washington Uptown?
Amazing theatre and unique interior…and what do you know Michael, it’s home to the Tulare County Symphony…can you believe it!!
This project has good intentions but with poor results. Why not keep the theatre as the largest screen of the multiplex? Gutting it for a lobby is a pretty uninspired tradeoff by the developers.