‘The introduction is a bit bewildering. That section of Los Angeles is hardly “long lost.”’
I thought the long lost referred to the theater district, not the actual area. Another thing that has changed is that it’s largely Hispanic now, not black.
I went inside this building today, it’s being remodeled into a health club. The man supervising the work was surprised to learn of the building’s origins; but he had heard that a building across the street had once been a theater (that must be the Aloha you’ve been talking about).
The terrazzo extends inward halfway through the lobby. There’s two steps down, then you’re in the former theater space. The man said there were two office/rooms over the lobby which probably were projection and maybe something else. Any projector ports had long since been sealed up.
900 seats seems generous for the space I saw. From the pattern on the terrazzo in the lobby, I could see that they had built to enclose some space, possibly on both sides. I wondered if they had extended the projection booth and lobby room into the auditorium, but the way the roof beams connected to the wall appeared original and was consistent all around the room.
The lamps that Joe pointed out appeared to me to possibly be anchor points for the marquee — maybe a decorative chain or something.
I walked around this building today and agree with Joe. It looked like the theater entrance was by the tower (there was even a circle design molded in the sidewalk there, with faint remnants of paint), and the theater ran behind the retail space. There was a narrow walkway between the two buildings, except where the lobby would have connected to the theater.
November 13th, 10:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation will be hosting an “All About” the Music Box Theater at 6126 Hollywood Blvd, followed by a walk through of the nearby Hawaii, which has been a Salvation Army church for decades.
This event is free to LAHTF and Hollywood Heritage members; $7 to the general public.
They’ve dropped Henry Fonda from the marquee and name. It’s just The Music Box now.
As for restoring the theater, they’ve done quite a bit of work in the past year. Thaddeus Smith gave us a tour the other day and pointed out several areas where they had uncovered the original stencils, lobby ceiling, the “speakeasy,” etc., and in a few places they have preserved these as they are so people can see the history. Other changes they have made are easily reversible. The best of adaptive reuse.
The LAHTF will be presenting an All About on November 13th, 10:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to this event. We are also trying to arrange to go into the old Hawaii a block to the east (this is now a Salvation Army church).
The good news is that they’re very busy (36 events booked in October alone; 81 for the next 3 months), which will make it easier for them to preserve the building.
To William and tlsloews, the lobby is not “missing.” It’s simply with the remodeling necessary to turn the theater into a store, that space is now the least recognizable.
Here’s a SaMo Secret: park at the library on Santa Monica and Sixth. It’s never full. There are a couple of parking structures like that on the edge of downtown, and the city is looking at ways to even out the demand so the Promenade parking isn’t so slammed.
As far as knocking down a parking structure for a new theater — they’re talking about building a new one on land the city owns at Arizona and 5th.
“they can keep The Grove, Santa Monica Promenade and all those overcrowded modern mega-complexes, hip or not.”
The Promenade doesn’t have an overcrowded modern mega-complex. It has two theaters (four and six screens, respectively) that were shoehorned into the footprints of old single screeners, and a seven screen theater. They’re all circa late 80s/early 90s, and the conventional wisdom of the people who run the Promenade is that viewership is down, and they can’t compete with Arclight, etc. They’re talking about knocking down/closing one or two of the existing theaters and building the type of monstrosity you describe, and probably sacrificing one of the parking structures on Fourth Street to do it.
By the way, on the 5th we will learn more about the new owners of the Crest and their plans. LAHTF attended a media brunch the other day and the news is a bit surprising. They asked everyone not to print/post anything until the 5th. Stay tuned.
I think part of the problem is that Westwood has become exactly what the local residents want: a sleepy little forgotten part of town. It’s not that they don’t give a damn about Westwood, it’s that they don’t give a damn about you, your cheap parking, your crowds or your noise.
“Danny, I think that you and others miss the point: attend the Crest and other historic theaters even when you are not crazy about the current showing.”
Can I skip the movies I don’t want to see and just send him an envelope full of cash?
I am curious about how Carmike is going to counteract the negatives this theater has, negatives that did in previous owner/operators.
Plus I think you missed a point: the Crest is not an historic theater. It’s an old theater dressed up in new, retro clothes. When Hollywood does come out with a movie I want to see, I prefer to see it at the Village, Chinese, Vista, El Cap, or even The Dome.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Crest. But I’d like to think there’s a better plan to make it profitable than “pound money into it and hope for the best.”
How would you like to get a personal tour of the El Capitan while it was a work-in-progress by designer Joe Musil? Now, thanks to Matt Spero, you can. Part one of two:
There was already new carpet in the auditorium when we held the All About. It’ll be nice when they get the carpet and walls and decorations all matching. Right now the place looks a bit odd.
‘The introduction is a bit bewildering. That section of Los Angeles is hardly “long lost.”’
I thought the long lost referred to the theater district, not the actual area. Another thing that has changed is that it’s largely Hispanic now, not black.
I went inside this building today, it’s being remodeled into a health club. The man supervising the work was surprised to learn of the building’s origins; but he had heard that a building across the street had once been a theater (that must be the Aloha you’ve been talking about).
The terrazzo extends inward halfway through the lobby. There’s two steps down, then you’re in the former theater space. The man said there were two office/rooms over the lobby which probably were projection and maybe something else. Any projector ports had long since been sealed up.
900 seats seems generous for the space I saw. From the pattern on the terrazzo in the lobby, I could see that they had built to enclose some space, possibly on both sides. I wondered if they had extended the projection booth and lobby room into the auditorium, but the way the roof beams connected to the wall appeared original and was consistent all around the room.
The lamps that Joe pointed out appeared to me to possibly be anchor points for the marquee — maybe a decorative chain or something.
I walked around this building today and agree with Joe. It looked like the theater entrance was by the tower (there was even a circle design molded in the sidewalk there, with faint remnants of paint), and the theater ran behind the retail space. There was a narrow walkway between the two buildings, except where the lobby would have connected to the theater.
You’re fast, Hollywood — I just got home from the event! Great pictures, by the way.
November 13th, 10:30 a.m., the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation will be hosting an “All About” the Music Box Theater at 6126 Hollywood Blvd, followed by a walk through of the nearby Hawaii, which has been a Salvation Army church for decades.
This event is free to LAHTF and Hollywood Heritage members; $7 to the general public.
Ah, Ken Roe did post that the Monica started life as a cinema, so that answers your question.
It opened in 1940 as the Monica Theater. Nothing on the Studs page to indicate if it was legit or cinema. Why would you ask that here?
Corey, the link goes to a Fox Theater sign in the Las Vegas boneyard…
Here’s our Insider’s Peek of the Music Box.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96-4Aud_c4
They’ve dropped Henry Fonda from the marquee and name. It’s just The Music Box now.
As for restoring the theater, they’ve done quite a bit of work in the past year. Thaddeus Smith gave us a tour the other day and pointed out several areas where they had uncovered the original stencils, lobby ceiling, the “speakeasy,” etc., and in a few places they have preserved these as they are so people can see the history. Other changes they have made are easily reversible. The best of adaptive reuse.
The LAHTF will be presenting an All About on November 13th, 10:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to this event. We are also trying to arrange to go into the old Hawaii a block to the east (this is now a Salvation Army church).
The good news is that they’re very busy (36 events booked in October alone; 81 for the next 3 months), which will make it easier for them to preserve the building.
Bruce, we get that you’re disappointed about the neon. You don’t have to post the same message every year!
Still available as a filming location.
To William and tlsloews, the lobby is not “missing.” It’s simply with the remodeling necessary to turn the theater into a store, that space is now the least recognizable.
I noticed # of seats given as 696, but next to the ticket window there’s a sign that says “Occupancy 360.”
El Cap is the most successful single screen theater in the country and Disney is totally committed to it, so I don’t think it’s in any danger.
Here’s a SaMo Secret: park at the library on Santa Monica and Sixth. It’s never full. There are a couple of parking structures like that on the edge of downtown, and the city is looking at ways to even out the demand so the Promenade parking isn’t so slammed.
As far as knocking down a parking structure for a new theater — they’re talking about building a new one on land the city owns at Arizona and 5th.
The theater can be seen in the title sequence for the new run of Elvira’s Movie Macabre TV show.
“they can keep The Grove, Santa Monica Promenade and all those overcrowded modern mega-complexes, hip or not.”
The Promenade doesn’t have an overcrowded modern mega-complex. It has two theaters (four and six screens, respectively) that were shoehorned into the footprints of old single screeners, and a seven screen theater. They’re all circa late 80s/early 90s, and the conventional wisdom of the people who run the Promenade is that viewership is down, and they can’t compete with Arclight, etc. They’re talking about knocking down/closing one or two of the existing theaters and building the type of monstrosity you describe, and probably sacrificing one of the parking structures on Fourth Street to do it.
By the way, on the 5th we will learn more about the new owners of the Crest and their plans. LAHTF attended a media brunch the other day and the news is a bit surprising. They asked everyone not to print/post anything until the 5th. Stay tuned.
I think part of the problem is that Westwood has become exactly what the local residents want: a sleepy little forgotten part of town. It’s not that they don’t give a damn about Westwood, it’s that they don’t give a damn about you, your cheap parking, your crowds or your noise.
“IMHO, the only negative this theatre has is the lousy parking all around Westwood.”
I would say that tough competition in the area for booking is another negative.
“Danny, I think that you and others miss the point: attend the Crest and other historic theaters even when you are not crazy about the current showing.”
Can I skip the movies I don’t want to see and just send him an envelope full of cash?
I am curious about how Carmike is going to counteract the negatives this theater has, negatives that did in previous owner/operators.
Plus I think you missed a point: the Crest is not an historic theater. It’s an old theater dressed up in new, retro clothes. When Hollywood does come out with a movie I want to see, I prefer to see it at the Village, Chinese, Vista, El Cap, or even The Dome.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Crest. But I’d like to think there’s a better plan to make it profitable than “pound money into it and hope for the best.”
Now a 99 seat Equity Waiver theatre.
How would you like to get a personal tour of the El Capitan while it was a work-in-progress by designer Joe Musil? Now, thanks to Matt Spero, you can. Part one of two:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_EMwrbURzI
You can find links to these and other theater videos on LAHTF’s YouTube channel.
There was already new carpet in the auditorium when we held the All About. It’ll be nice when they get the carpet and walls and decorations all matching. Right now the place looks a bit odd.