The curtain will ring down for the last time at the Central Theater â€" now a motion picture house but once one of Oakland’s foremost legitimate theaters â€" within the next three months the 1,500-seat auditorium will be ripped down and replaced with a parking lot. Five stores fronting on Franklin St. also will be torn down for the same $30,000 project. Henry Trevor, San Francisco real estate man and agent for the owners of the theater and other buildings, announced yesterday that the auditorium and store buildings will be demolished to make way for a 100-car, semiprivate parking lot.
Only the lobby of the Central Theater, fronting at 1424 Broadway, will remain standing. It will be converted into a store, according to Trevor. The theater opened as Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904,
with Harry W. Bishop as manager. The first of the scores of legitimate theater productions on its stage was “A Bachelor’s Romanceâ€. In 1933 the theater was converted for the exclusive showing of motion pictures and was re-named the Central Theater. The event was marked by a parade down Broadway. The Central has remained a motion picture theater since that time. It is now operated by United-California Theaters, Inc.
Twenty-one persons are employed at the theater, which is managed by Dick Scott. No closing date has been set. The new parking lot will front on Franklin St. Termination notices already have been sent to lessors of the stores on Franklin. They are the California Coin Shop at 1315 Franklin; Peck’s Cocktail Lounge at 1417 Franklin; Dr. Jonas Herman, optometrist at 1425 Franklin; the California Hearing Aid Center, 1429 Franklin; and the Chat and Chew Cafe at 1433 Franklin.
The Redevelopment agency announced yesterday it has acquired the Warner theater building, 343 State Street just east of Lafayette Street, in the “core” area of the State street urban renewal project. A deed on file In the town clerk’s office listed the purchase
price at $160,000. James H. Tobin, manager of the theater (and also of the Merritt theater on upper Main Street) said the Warner will close its doors after the final film presentation on Sunday night. A co-feature of the presentation is “The Last Sunset.”
Personal equipment, such as projectors, sound equipment and office furnishings, will be removed from the Warner theater within a month after the closing on Sunday, it was indicated. Purchase of the Warner theater, announced by Redevelopment Coordinator Joseph M. Dearborn, was made from the Connecticut Theatrical corporation, formerly the Warner Brothers Theaters, Inc.
Fire raged through the landmark structure housing the Des Plaines
Theater and three other shops Sunday afternoon, destroying two businesses and causing more than a half-million dollars damage.
About 30 patrons were evacuated from the theater, 1476 W. Miner St., as the blaze flashed across a common basement area in the half-block long building. No one was reported injured. The cause of the fire was undetermined. The three-alarm fire burned for nearly three hours and Des Plaines firefighters called in engine companies from five suburban departments.
Smoke was reported pouring out of the Mar-El Discount shoe store, 1480 Miner, about 2:30 p.m. just as the afternoon showing of the movie “Taps” began playing In the 63-year-old theater, firefighters said. The shoe store, Rappoport watchmakers and jewelers, the theater and Wlndy’s restaurant are located in the same building and share a common basement and roof, according to firefighters. Moviegoers praised the action of John Praught, the theater manager on duty when fire broke out next door.
Here is a 1975 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2aht39
Here is a 1970 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/ypbtt7
Here is a 1970 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/yo4el6
Admission was 20 cents in 1940:
http://tinyurl.com/3dhl2e
Here is the 1940 photo I mentioned on 6/23/07:
http://tinyurl.com/3yrfvp
Here is the ad I was describing above:
http://tinyurl.com/2g74re
That was easy enough. Thanks.
Here are some recent photos:
http://tinyurl.com/2vtjto
http://tinyurl.com/2n367t
http://tinyurl.com/2ztjzg
http://tinyurl.com/2joda2
http://tinyurl.com/2r8dpr
http://tinyurl.com/2s7pw8
I’m still researching. Give me a few days.
Great. I assumed that I needed a password. I will check it out.
This was in the Oakland Tribune on 2/3/60:
Curtain Coming Down for Theater
The curtain will ring down for the last time at the Central Theater â€" now a motion picture house but once one of Oakland’s foremost legitimate theaters â€" within the next three months the 1,500-seat auditorium will be ripped down and replaced with a parking lot. Five stores fronting on Franklin St. also will be torn down for the same $30,000 project. Henry Trevor, San Francisco real estate man and agent for the owners of the theater and other buildings, announced yesterday that the auditorium and store buildings will be demolished to make way for a 100-car, semiprivate parking lot.
Only the lobby of the Central Theater, fronting at 1424 Broadway, will remain standing. It will be converted into a store, according to Trevor. The theater opened as Ye Liberty Playhouse in 1904,
with Harry W. Bishop as manager. The first of the scores of legitimate theater productions on its stage was “A Bachelor’s Romanceâ€. In 1933 the theater was converted for the exclusive showing of motion pictures and was re-named the Central Theater. The event was marked by a parade down Broadway. The Central has remained a motion picture theater since that time. It is now operated by United-California Theaters, Inc.
Twenty-one persons are employed at the theater, which is managed by Dick Scott. No closing date has been set. The new parking lot will front on Franklin St. Termination notices already have been sent to lessors of the stores on Franklin. They are the California Coin Shop at 1315 Franklin; Peck’s Cocktail Lounge at 1417 Franklin; Dr. Jonas Herman, optometrist at 1425 Franklin; the California Hearing Aid Center, 1429 Franklin; and the Chat and Chew Cafe at 1433 Franklin.
Ah, but you didn’t know the month, did you? Or that it was replaced by a parking lot? All the facts must be gathered.
The Globe was demolished in June 1957 to make way for a parking lot.
This was in the Bridgeport Telegram on 5/30/63:
Theater Sold by Warner
The Redevelopment agency announced yesterday it has acquired the Warner theater building, 343 State Street just east of Lafayette Street, in the “core” area of the State street urban renewal project. A deed on file In the town clerk’s office listed the purchase
price at $160,000. James H. Tobin, manager of the theater (and also of the Merritt theater on upper Main Street) said the Warner will close its doors after the final film presentation on Sunday night. A co-feature of the presentation is “The Last Sunset.”
Personal equipment, such as projectors, sound equipment and office furnishings, will be removed from the Warner theater within a month after the closing on Sunday, it was indicated. Purchase of the Warner theater, announced by Redevelopment Coordinator Joseph M. Dearborn, was made from the Connecticut Theatrical corporation, formerly the Warner Brothers Theaters, Inc.
This is from the Chicago Daily Herald, 3/8/82:
Fire raged through the landmark structure housing the Des Plaines
Theater and three other shops Sunday afternoon, destroying two businesses and causing more than a half-million dollars damage.
About 30 patrons were evacuated from the theater, 1476 W. Miner St., as the blaze flashed across a common basement area in the half-block long building. No one was reported injured. The cause of the fire was undetermined. The three-alarm fire burned for nearly three hours and Des Plaines firefighters called in engine companies from five suburban departments.
Smoke was reported pouring out of the Mar-El Discount shoe store, 1480 Miner, about 2:30 p.m. just as the afternoon showing of the movie “Taps” began playing In the 63-year-old theater, firefighters said. The shoe store, Rappoport watchmakers and jewelers, the theater and Wlndy’s restaurant are located in the same building and share a common basement and roof, according to firefighters. Moviegoers praised the action of John Praught, the theater manager on duty when fire broke out next door.
Paging vokoban – it looks like the loophole has been closed on the LA Library archive. Let me know if there’s another way in. Thanks.
Here are two recent photos:
http://tinyurl.com/33umko
http://tinyurl.com/2r6nvd
Here are some photos from July 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/2n3pkt
http://tinyurl.com/2sdru2
Here are some photos:
http://tinyurl.com/2oh97b
http://tinyurl.com/2unhcz
It’s actually Greystone the Steakhouse. My misteak. Here are some recent photos:
http://tinyurl.com/32824j
http://tinyurl.com/3ybt8z
http://tinyurl.com/3bwxqu
I think you can remove the “renovating”. Here are some recent photos:
http://tinyurl.com/2dq5xo
http://tinyurl.com/ys7dz3
http://tinyurl.com/2z7ydt
http://tinyurl.com/2gx37a
Here are some July 2007 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/ytuv47
http://tinyurl.com/29pxt5
Here is the current occupant:
http://tinyurl.com/24jhyr
Here is a July 2007 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2dljzt
Here is a July 2007 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2hxrz6