Fox Theatre

It’s still there. I took a batch of photos in August 2007, which are posted above. The building was for sale last September, per the preceding comment. Right now the building is unused.

The Fox Theatre is for sale at $1,800,000. At this writing, the following is posted on the commercial real estate website www.loopnet.com

Property Use Type: Investment
Primary Type: Retail
Street Retail
Building Size: 12,090 SF
Lot Size: 0.25 Acres
Price: $1,800,000
Price/SF: $148.88
Year Built: 1949
Date Last Verified: 8/30/2007
Property ID: 14913144

Property Description:
This 12,090 square foot building stands as a historic, art deco landmark along Inglewood’s scenic downtown thoroughfare, Market St. This theater served as one of the main sites for Hollywood premiers in the 1950’s, with stars such as Marilyn Monroe and the Three Stooges gracing its plush seating and grandeous interior decoration. Situated on a larger parcel than most other buildings in the area, approximately 11,247 square feet, this vacant former movie theater provides a rare redevelopment or renovation opportunity. The property is in a redevelopment district with the flexible C1 zoning and an FAR of 6:1. This building offers a developer the opportunity to build almost any type of mixed use commercial/residential project. In addition to this offering, both buildings on either side of the Fox, including the signalized corner, are for sale through Sperry Van Ness as well. The property also benefits from having alley access at the rear of the building and public parking nearby.

Location Description:
Since 2000, the city of Inglewood has focused its efforts on revitalizing this section of its city through facade improvement programs and landscaping. The art deco buildings from the early 1900’s, landscaped medians, fountains and access to public transportation make this a desirable location for retailers. The dense population of over 48,000 people within a 1 mile radius, with an average household income of over $47,000, is expected to grow more than 5 percent over 2005-2010. The subject property is within a mile from the Forum and Hollywood park, which are at the center of redevelopment plans for the city since the 378 acre site was purchased by Bay Meadows in 2004. The Renaissance housing development, located at the NE corner of Hollywood Pak, has proved the strong demand for new housing in the area. Within close poximity are national tenants such as Walgreens, Big 5 and Vons, two major hospitals, LAX, the 405 Freeway and Inglewood City Hall.

ken mc, The Fox Cinema II was the old United Artists Inglewood Theatre at 148 N. Market Street.

There is a photo of a Fox Cinema II on the same site. It doesn’t look like the Ritz. Any ideas as to where this theater was?
http://tinyurl.com/2c8vo9

You’re right. An incorrect assumption on my part based on faulty photo review. Apologies.

Here are three photos from the LA Library dated 1987, 1938 and 1925, respectively. The last shows the Granada in place of the Fox:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics43/00041301.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics20/00019999.jpg
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics01/00020001.jpg

My wife and I lived in Inglewood during the 1990’s riots and, when it was finally “safe” to go outside, we managed to gain an authorized entry to take photographs.
A very kind lady managed to switch on a few lights for my old Kodak Brownie camera. If only digital cameras were out then I’d have some decent prints… sorry folks

Hi friends! Just FYI, The Academy of Independent Cinema Arts & Artists is looking into purchasing this theater and restoring it to its grand luster of the late 1940’s. Development inspectors are going to look at it on Friday 06/29 to see what damage there is. I’ll post some photos when I get them.

Just drove past the Fox in Inglewood today. How striking it is, even like that. Oh, I wish I had 1.8 Mil!

We took a drive today that started out at Crenshaw and Adams at Phillips Barbecue, and then meandered down Crenshaw to Manchester where we drove past the Academy Theatre and then into Inglewood where we drove past the Fox.

I was struck by all the buildings along Crenshaw that looked like they once were theatres. i’m going through the site now to see which ones I saw.

The L.A. Weekly article can be viewed by doing a search for it’s title, “Welcome to Inglewood-Leave Your Aspirations Behind”

Is there anyone even talking about restoring or saving it?

Is the big FOX vertical still there?

This theatre is one of some 200 that could be described as “Skouras-ized For Showmanship” which is the title of the ANNUAL of 1987 of the Theatre Historical Soc. of America. In the late 1930s through the 1950s, there occurred on the west coast of the United States a phenomenon known as the ‘Skouras style’ in recognition of the oversight of the Skouras brothers in their management of several cinema chains. They employed a designer by the name of Carl G. Moeller to render their cinemas/theatres in a new style best described as ‘Art Moderne meets Streamlined.’ The then new availability of aluminum sheeting at low cost was the principal material difference to this style allowing for sweeping, 3-dimensional shapes of scrolls to adorn walls and facades in an expression that would have been much more expensive and not at all the same in plaster. With the use of hand tinted and etched aluminum forms, the designers could make ornaments in mass production that allowed much greater economies of scale. The ANNUAL also show in its 44 pages how some 20 theatres were good examples of this combining of aluminum forms with sweeping draperies heavily hung with large tassels, and with box offices and facades richly treated with neon within the aluminum forms. Few of these examples survive today, but it was a glorious era while it lasted, and this collection of crisp b/w photos is a fitting epitaph by the late Preston Kaufmann.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either “Marquee” or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on their first page the link “PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List” and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The “Marquee” magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall (‘portrait’) format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long (‘landscape’) format, and are anywhere from 26 to 44 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to lend it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]

Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.

Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at:
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)

Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM—4PM, CT)