I grew up on Mt. Washington and now live in Highland Park, just a few yards from the Highland. The Highland, as well as the Rialto in South Pasadena, were built for Clyde M. Church, who was a local banker. They were both then set up on lone term leases with a predicessor to the Mann corporation. I know that Church’s heirs still own the land under the Highland and I believe they also own the land under the Rialto. I wrote the Los Angeles City Monument nomination for the Highland in 1990 and also participated in the nomination for El Portal, in North Hollywood. When I was 10, several friends and I walked down the hill and went to the Highland to see the James Bond thriller, “Thunderball”. That was my first experiance in the original Moorish interior of the theatre. It was very impressive. I was extremely disappointed when the later operators butchered the interior around 1980. At the time of the nomination, the original chandaleir was lying on the upper balcony which is not used at this time. I’ve heard rumors that it has since been sold. Ah, that someone with both money and vision could restore this wonderful venue.
I grew up on Mt. Washington and now live in Highland Park, just a few yards from the Highland. The Highland, as well as the Rialto in South Pasadena, were built for Clyde M. Church, who was a local banker. They were both then set up on lone term leases with a predicessor to the Mann corporation. I know that Church’s heirs still own the land under the Highland and I believe they also own the land under the Rialto. I wrote the Los Angeles City Monument nomination for the Highland in 1990 and also participated in the nomination for El Portal, in North Hollywood. When I was 10, several friends and I walked down the hill and went to the Highland to see the James Bond thriller, “Thunderball”. That was my first experiance in the original Moorish interior of the theatre. It was very impressive. I was extremely disappointed when the later operators butchered the interior around 1980. At the time of the nomination, the original chandaleir was lying on the upper balcony which is not used at this time. I’ve heard rumors that it has since been sold. Ah, that someone with both money and vision could restore this wonderful venue.
-Charlie Fisher, , 323-255-2849