Flames of undetermined origin destroyed the Granada Theater, 115 N. Market St., Inglewood early today, and also a cafe, candy store and gift shop in the same building.
The Cosmo was destroyed in a fire on 12/17/28, according to the Sheboygan Press. Presumably it was rebuilt:
300 Escape as Fire Destroys Movie Theatre
Fire starting from a stoker furnace Sunday afternoon destroyed the Cosmo Theater block here and drove more than 300 theater patrons, most of whom were children, into the street. The loss was estimated at $90,000. Today there was nothing of value to be found in the theater or the adjoining Belleview Cafe. The second floor of the showhouse had caved in when the flames shot up the walls and when the combined fire departments of Wausau and Merrill finally succeeded in gaining control of the fire. There was little left to salvage.
The fire started at about 2:50 p.m., Sunday and soon after that time the theater patrons smelled the smoke that arose from the basement. The children began to file out of the theater in an orderly manner and in a few minutes the place was emptied. The motion picture operator continued to run the picture on the screen in older to avoid a panic. The fire was not under control until 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the cafe, the building housed five business places and eleven apartments. In one section of the building is located the telephone office. Smoke poured into the latter place but the telephone operators stuck to their posts for two hours after the fire started. From 5 to 5:30 p.m., the city was isolated as far as telephone communication was concerned. One fireman was hurt in fighting the flames and he was removed to a hospital. Physicians said his injuries were not serious.
The Bennington Evening Banner reported on 2/10/59 that the entire Harte Theater block had been leveled in a fire the night before. I assume the theater was rebuilt after that conflagration.
I played a lot of miniature golf on the Boardwalk that summer. Also the rides at that big complex, I forget now what it was called. My great uncle was a night watchman at the complex, despite being almost ninety, and used to slip me rolls of free ride tickets. I was a very popular kid that summer.
The owners of the vaudeville-era Carlsbad Theater indicated this week that they have dropped plans to demolish the 63-year-old building and are negotiating to reopen it as a movie house showing classic films.
The Normandins threatened to seek a city demolition permit, believing that state law required all unreinforced masonry buildings like theirs to be strengthened by next year. The family argued that they couldn’t afford such expensive earthquake renovation and would lose their liability insurance on the property if they didn’t comply with the law.
Historic Theater Slated to Be Razed Glendale: Site built in the 1920s, now a target for vandals, is scheduled to make way for $25-million downtown shopping center next year.
But today, the Glendale Theater is a dilapidated, stripped-down building frequented by vandals. City officials said Monday that the theater and several other aging buildings are tentatively slated to be razed early next year to make way for a $25-million redevelopment project.
Several years ago, when the Glendale Redevelopment Agency began planning the project now known as the proposed Glendale Marketplace, the historical society asked city staffers to consider saving the theater and other old buildings and incorporate them into the development. But because the Glendale Theater’s architectural features had been drastically modified over time, the society instead focused its efforts on a well-preserved nearby office building, which it helped save from the wrecking ball.
The owners of the California Theatre-real estate investors and brothers Steve, Mark and Dennis Needleman-contend that they cannot rehabilitate the theater. They said they plan to convert the theater grounds at Main and 8th streets into a parking lot.
[Hillsman Wright]’s group disagrees. The foundation, which envisions the theater as part of a revived downtown entertainment district, argues that a rehabilitated California Theatre could spur economic growth in the surrounding neighborhood.
The California Theatre, the beaux-arts movie palace that was once a gem of the city’s downtown theater district, is to be razed late this week and the site used for a parking lot. Some preservationists believe the owners are not trying hard enough to save the structure at Main and 8th streets, above. But the owners contend it cannot be rehabilitated.
I found this on the LA Library database. I can’t add it as a new theater as they don’t provide the name:
http://tinyurl.com/2m6fvm
LA Times reported on 10/1/71:
THEATER IN WHITTIER DESTROYED BY ARSON
Fire destroyed the 50-year-old Roxy Theater in Whittier early Thursday despite the efforts of nine fire units from three cities.
The LA Times reported the fire on 12/19/45:
Flames of undetermined origin destroyed the Granada Theater, 115 N. Market St., Inglewood early today, and also a cafe, candy store and gift shop in the same building.
The LA Times reported that a fire swept the Bell Theater on September 14, 1944. Damage was $50,000.
The Cosmo was destroyed in a fire on 12/17/28, according to the Sheboygan Press. Presumably it was rebuilt:
300 Escape as Fire Destroys Movie Theatre
Fire starting from a stoker furnace Sunday afternoon destroyed the Cosmo Theater block here and drove more than 300 theater patrons, most of whom were children, into the street. The loss was estimated at $90,000. Today there was nothing of value to be found in the theater or the adjoining Belleview Cafe. The second floor of the showhouse had caved in when the flames shot up the walls and when the combined fire departments of Wausau and Merrill finally succeeded in gaining control of the fire. There was little left to salvage.
The fire started at about 2:50 p.m., Sunday and soon after that time the theater patrons smelled the smoke that arose from the basement. The children began to file out of the theater in an orderly manner and in a few minutes the place was emptied. The motion picture operator continued to run the picture on the screen in older to avoid a panic. The fire was not under control until 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the cafe, the building housed five business places and eleven apartments. In one section of the building is located the telephone office. Smoke poured into the latter place but the telephone operators stuck to their posts for two hours after the fire started. From 5 to 5:30 p.m., the city was isolated as far as telephone communication was concerned. One fireman was hurt in fighting the flames and he was removed to a hospital. Physicians said his injuries were not serious.
The Bennington Evening Banner reported on 2/10/59 that the entire Harte Theater block had been leveled in a fire the night before. I assume the theater was rebuilt after that conflagration.
Here is a photo:
http://tinyurl.com/33om3b
I played a lot of miniature golf on the Boardwalk that summer. Also the rides at that big complex, I forget now what it was called. My great uncle was a night watchman at the complex, despite being almost ninety, and used to slip me rolls of free ride tickets. I was a very popular kid that summer.
There are some pbotos on this page:
http://www.fiveflagscenter.com/history.html
There is a drawing of the Rex on this page:
http://www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca/white962.htm
You should rent “Fantasia”, if you haven’t already. Plenty of dinosaurs and classical music.
There are two photos on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/22pucr
I guess a million is appropriate, given the name of the theater.
Here is a photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2eordz
This is the same Tillmany photo as above but larger and thus more detail:
View link
There are some photos on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/yrqgee
Perhaps the Princess? Any ideas?
http://tinyurl.com/2btf36
They had a “for lease” sign out front a few months ago. I didn’t know all this renovation was going on inside. Who is paying for all this?
Here is another photo of the Roxy:
http://tinyurl.com/242aqm
There is another photo of the Avenue on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/2gnxur
Never been to Oil City. Sounds like a fun place, though.
There should be a limit on how many hyphens you can put in one address. Darn Canadians.
From the LA Times, 3/3/90:
Carlsbad Theater Won’t Be Razed
The owners of the vaudeville-era Carlsbad Theater indicated this week that they have dropped plans to demolish the 63-year-old building and are negotiating to reopen it as a movie house showing classic films.
The Normandins threatened to seek a city demolition permit, believing that state law required all unreinforced masonry buildings like theirs to be strengthened by next year. The family argued that they couldn’t afford such expensive earthquake renovation and would lose their liability insurance on the property if they didn’t comply with the law.
From the LA Times, 8/8/95:
Historic Theater Slated to Be Razed Glendale: Site built in the 1920s, now a target for vandals, is scheduled to make way for $25-million downtown shopping center next year.
But today, the Glendale Theater is a dilapidated, stripped-down building frequented by vandals. City officials said Monday that the theater and several other aging buildings are tentatively slated to be razed early next year to make way for a $25-million redevelopment project.
Several years ago, when the Glendale Redevelopment Agency began planning the project now known as the proposed Glendale Marketplace, the historical society asked city staffers to consider saving the theater and other old buildings and incorporate them into the development. But because the Glendale Theater’s architectural features had been drastically modified over time, the society instead focused its efforts on a well-preserved nearby office building, which it helped save from the wrecking ball.
From the LA Times, 9//5/90:
The owners of the California Theatre-real estate investors and brothers Steve, Mark and Dennis Needleman-contend that they cannot rehabilitate the theater. They said they plan to convert the theater grounds at Main and 8th streets into a parking lot.
[Hillsman Wright]’s group disagrees. The foundation, which envisions the theater as part of a revived downtown entertainment district, argues that a rehabilitated California Theatre could spur economic growth in the surrounding neighborhood.
The California Theatre, the beaux-arts movie palace that was once a gem of the city’s downtown theater district, is to be razed late this week and the site used for a parking lot. Some preservationists believe the owners are not trying hard enough to save the structure at Main and 8th streets, above. But the owners contend it cannot be rehabilitated.