I believe the Peppertree/Five Star suffered some damage in the Northridge Quake in 1994 and closed due to that like many businesses in the area. For whatever reason, they simply didn’t re-open.
The theater wasn’t all that great shakes — and it certainly was narrow! — but for the price, even in the early 1990s, it was a good place to catch second-runs.
When I lived in Pasadena in the ‘80s, I saw several pictures at the Academy including Ghandi. At that point, it was very much the streamline moderne look, the Egyptian stylings long gone. After the theater was divided into six screens (and even the unique features of Moderne disapeared under white stucco, I didn’t go back as there were other theaters in town that were better suited to multiple screens. I did, however, continue to patronize the beauty salon on the corner until I moved to the Valley in the early 90s.
I just stumbled across this listing. I worked at 425 S. Main for years (yes, RTD) and I vaguely remember the Main Street Gym being just down the block for the first year I was there — the building had caught my notice because the architecture was somewhat distinctive compared to the stuff remaining around it. It was soon gone, though and we often parked our cars on the site.
I had no idea there had once been a theater there.
There was an additional, smaller Loew’s on Main Street next to the Sears, but I don’t have much information on it other than seeing “Lost Horizon” and “Godspell” there in the ‘70s.
As for the Loew’s downtown, most of what I know of the theater is from my mother’s memories, as this was one of the theaters she often saw movies at as a child and teenager. In 1972, when they were preparing to demolish it, there was a sale of fixtures and she purchased some of the green velvet stage curtains for an absolute pittance. The stuff was hideously dusty and occupied a corner of our living room for several weeks (much to the consternation of my father and enjoyment of the cats) while she sorted through them. Much of the material was rotten and had to be disposed of, but there was enough for her to make a number of stuffed frogs from, including one rather large one that was big enough to serve as a support if you were sitting on the floor and watching television.
I believe the Peppertree/Five Star suffered some damage in the Northridge Quake in 1994 and closed due to that like many businesses in the area. For whatever reason, they simply didn’t re-open.
The theater wasn’t all that great shakes — and it certainly was narrow! — but for the price, even in the early 1990s, it was a good place to catch second-runs.
When I lived in Pasadena in the ‘80s, I saw several pictures at the Academy including Ghandi. At that point, it was very much the streamline moderne look, the Egyptian stylings long gone. After the theater was divided into six screens (and even the unique features of Moderne disapeared under white stucco, I didn’t go back as there were other theaters in town that were better suited to multiple screens. I did, however, continue to patronize the beauty salon on the corner until I moved to the Valley in the early 90s.
I just stumbled across this listing. I worked at 425 S. Main for years (yes, RTD) and I vaguely remember the Main Street Gym being just down the block for the first year I was there — the building had caught my notice because the architecture was somewhat distinctive compared to the stuff remaining around it. It was soon gone, though and we often parked our cars on the site.
I had no idea there had once been a theater there.
There was an additional, smaller Loew’s on Main Street next to the Sears, but I don’t have much information on it other than seeing “Lost Horizon” and “Godspell” there in the ‘70s.
As for the Loew’s downtown, most of what I know of the theater is from my mother’s memories, as this was one of the theaters she often saw movies at as a child and teenager. In 1972, when they were preparing to demolish it, there was a sale of fixtures and she purchased some of the green velvet stage curtains for an absolute pittance. The stuff was hideously dusty and occupied a corner of our living room for several weeks (much to the consternation of my father and enjoyment of the cats) while she sorted through them. Much of the material was rotten and had to be disposed of, but there was enough for her to make a number of stuffed frogs from, including one rather large one that was big enough to serve as a support if you were sitting on the floor and watching television.