In a move to save the deteriorating Washington Theater-built in 1924 as the Southland’s first multi=use project (stores, offices, housing and the theater)-preservationist groups are applying to have the theater put on the local landmark list. (SGVN/Staff photo by Walt Mancini)
PASADENA – It was 1925, movies were silent, flickers were the latest entertainment sensation, and the Washington Theater opened its doors at Lake Avenue and Washington Boulevard.
It was never one of the lavish movie palaces that came later on, but it has its own historic distinction. The elegant Spanish Colonial Revival building designed by Altadena architect Clarence Jay is recognized as the first mixed-use structure of its kind in Pasadena, and possibly the Southland, according to Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage.
“There were four different uses in one building,” she said. “It had retail stores along the front, a 900-seat theater, offices – probably theater offices – above the shops and then housing in the back.”
But for the past 20 years or so, the empty, deteriorating and often-vandalized building’s fate had caused concern among preservationists.
Now, Pasadena Heritage and the Pasadena Neighborhood Coalition are banking that their nomination of the property for listing as a city historic landmark will help promote its long-term survival.
It has been declared eligible by city staff, and the City Council is expected to consider its listing next month, said Vicrim Chima of Pasadena’s planning department.
The property is tied in with the city’s earliest commercial history, Mossman said, and its place in a prominent corner of an emerging shopping and retail center in the 1920s is enough to support its historic designation.
But since its heyday, the property has had a “checkered history,” Mossman said.
In the 1960s the Washington Theater became Cinema 21, then closed in 1990 and never reopened as a theater. It was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Attempts in the early 1990s to run it as music rehearsal studios foundered when tenants complained of the noise, said Gina Zamparelli, who had managed the establishment at one time.
Washington Theater entrance, with a painting mural of a Mayan theme at its door entrance. (SGVN/Staff photo by Walt Mancini)
Reusing old theaters is a tough proposition, said Zamparelli, a theater consultant whose efforts to preserve the Raymond Theatre in Old Pasadena failed.
“It’s not as easy to make money in theaters as it used to be, but it could be used for performing arts, film location shoots, conferences,” she said. “You have to vie for many uses – anything you can potentially get going, do it.”
Zamparelli said she met with owners Gagik “Gary” and Jacqueline Buickians of San Marino a few years ago, after they acquired the property from Norman Fuhrman, who bought it in 1980. She said the couple had talked then about making it a movie theater again.
Jacqueline Buickians did not respond to several requests for comment on possible designation, or any plans for the property.
One previous attempt about two years ago to have the Washington designated a local historic monument – which covers interiors and exteriors – fell through when the Buickians decided not to go ahead, said Dale Trader, who made the nomination. Historic landmark designation covers only the exterior.
Trader, a member of the preservationist Pasadena Neighborhood Coalition, said the Washington Theater property could be important in positioning its Lake-Washington Village neighborhood as an arts and culture district.
Plans could include live-work and retail space for artists and artisans, affordable housing, and art galleries to bring 24-hour life and activity to the area, he said.
The theater, he said, could become a “niche” movie venue on the lines of the Silent Movie House, a regional draw that could show “noir” or classic movies and host film festivals or other arts events.
“Some people are skeptical. They don’t think old theaters can work,” he said, citing the recent closure of South Pasadena’s historic Rialto. “But it all depends of the programmer…and if they show something audiences want to see on the big screen in the company of other movie-goers.”
Mossman said preservationists hope to convince the owners that tax benefits and possible access to redevelopment area funds, plus the more flexible exterior-only designation, makes listing good business sense.
“They have faced many challenges, including most recently the economy,” she said. “But bringing the theater back on line would be a great boost to the whole area.”
I’m not convinced that it’s been demolished. LALife.com says that the auto body shop at 737 Brand Blvd that’s part of the car dealership was built in 1941. I think that’s the Vogue, or what’s left of it.
I’ve got some photos that I still need to edit and post from last year(sigh), showing the Alex together with its floral “Mini-Me,” but JustGlendale posted this video walk-around of the 2009 Rose Parade float version of the Alex parked in front of the actual Alex.
View link
[quote]Future of 1927-era East L.A. theater in question
8:00 AM | May 14, 2009
Preservationists and developers are wrangling over the future of an abandoned theater in East Los Angeles that is historically significant and represents a Spanish-baroque style rarely found in the city.
Activists, developers and local business people presented two starkly different visions Wednesday of what could be done with the abandoned Golden Gate Theater near Whittier and Atlantic boulevards.
At a hearing before the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission, some advocated converting the building into a CVS pharmacy, complete with alcohol sales and a drive-through pharmacy window. Others want to return the theater, built in 1927, to its original purpose.
The theater’s entrance replicates the portal of the University of Salamanca in Spain and is built in the Churrigueresque style, a Spanish baroque form of architecture. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We don’t want to see the building torn down or changed,†resident Mark Martinez told the commission. “It would be a shame if they did this to this building.”
Martinez, who lives near the theater, attended the hearing in downtown Los Angeles to protest the proposed pharmacy.
Officials with the Charles Company, which owns the property, said they would not demolish the building and they would preserve its architectural elements if they were allowed to use it for commercial purposes.
“We specialize in very challenging sites,†said Sarah Magaña-Withers, a spokeswoman for the Charles Company.
The Golden Gate Theater has been “vacant for more than 20 years,†she said, and a CVS could help revitalize the area.
County staff members were directed to conduct more research into the matter and include more information in an environmental impact report on the pharmacy proposal. Anita Gutierrez, a regional planning assistant, said staff would present a final report to the commission Aug. 19, when the panel could vote on whether to approve or deny the pharmacy project.
Seal Beach’s landmark movie house, the Bay Theatre, is on the market for $3.3 million, Jeff Collins reports in the Orange County Register. He says the theater is being marketed as a potential site for a market-savvy movie buff, but also could be converted into a restaurant, office or retail space. “It’s irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind real estate,†says CB Richard Ellis agent Joe Miller. “If someone has a vision, they can do something with it.â€
Since 1947, the Bay has stood near the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, an old-fashioned movie house with vintage seating and just one screen. The theater shows independent and foreign films and weekly screenings of classic films.
Glue magnate Richard Loderhose purchased the Bay in 1975 and installed his prized 1928-built Wurlitzer organ there. The final pipe organ concert at the Bay drew a packed house in 2007, when the owner’s family donated the organ to a retirement center in Phoenix. The Register says the theater has been on the market for three months.[/quote]
[quote]Partnership to Bring New Life to Main Street’s Regent Theater
By ERIC RICHARDSON
Published: Friday, April 24, 2009, at 01:51PM
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES â€" Those walking down Main street might notice something different at the Regent Theater: red letters on one side of the marquee were removed this morning, revealing the intact white neon tubing underneath.
It’s the first of many changes for the 1914 theater. Yesterday, developer Tom Gilmore and music promoter Little Radio inked a deal to partner on returning the venue to regular use.
Little Radio took over one of the retail spaces in the theater back in February, moving in a studio for the outfit’s online radio station and planning to build out a vinyl record shop. At the time, talks between Gilmore and Little Radio for the theater were in process, but no deal had been reached.
Little Radio’s Dave Conway said that new plans have both of those uses moving one door north, to the other of the Regent’s two spaces. A clothing store will temporarily occupy the southern space, and eventually Conway plans to turn the space into a cafe.
While programming in the theater will start quickly, and plans don’t call for any major renovation work, Conway does intend to do work that will make the space more functional and a better neighbor. The theater today has no barriers between the main room and the sidewalk, and a show earlier this year brought some complaints about noise. “I want people to know that we’re going to be making improvements,” Conway said, “not just throwing shows.”
Gilmore said today that he’s excited about the new partnership. “We finally found the right mix,” he said of his deal with Little Radio. “It feels natural.” Other operators were interested in the venue, but Gilmore connected with Conway’s vision for the space and how it fits into the neighborhood. “It was an easy decision,” he said.[/quote]
Actually, now that I look at it again, the second mystery photo probably says wATER instead of theATER. But what would the Santa Ana Theatre have been? It looks like 1910s, which would make it too old to have been Clune’s Santa Ana/Yost.
Could this be the original Princess, on the left? I’d think that the Model Ts would be later than 1923, but it looks like a different building than the other photo. Or is that even a theater?
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_14209499
[quote]Preservationist try to restore old Washington Theater by seeking historic designation
By Janette Williams, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/16/2010 08:53:49 PM PST
View link
In a move to save the deteriorating Washington Theater-built in 1924 as the Southland’s first multi=use project (stores, offices, housing and the theater)-preservationist groups are applying to have the theater put on the local landmark list. (SGVN/Staff photo by Walt Mancini)
PASADENA – It was 1925, movies were silent, flickers were the latest entertainment sensation, and the Washington Theater opened its doors at Lake Avenue and Washington Boulevard.
It was never one of the lavish movie palaces that came later on, but it has its own historic distinction. The elegant Spanish Colonial Revival building designed by Altadena architect Clarence Jay is recognized as the first mixed-use structure of its kind in Pasadena, and possibly the Southland, according to Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage.
“There were four different uses in one building,” she said. “It had retail stores along the front, a 900-seat theater, offices – probably theater offices – above the shops and then housing in the back.”
But for the past 20 years or so, the empty, deteriorating and often-vandalized building’s fate had caused concern among preservationists.
Now, Pasadena Heritage and the Pasadena Neighborhood Coalition are banking that their nomination of the property for listing as a city historic landmark will help promote its long-term survival.
It has been declared eligible by city staff, and the City Council is expected to consider its listing next month, said Vicrim Chima of Pasadena’s planning department.
The property is tied in with the city’s earliest commercial history, Mossman said, and its place in a prominent corner of an emerging shopping and retail center in the 1920s is enough to support its historic designation.
But since its heyday, the property has had a “checkered history,” Mossman said.
In the 1960s the Washington Theater became Cinema 21, then closed in 1990 and never reopened as a theater. It was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Attempts in the early 1990s to run it as music rehearsal studios foundered when tenants complained of the noise, said Gina Zamparelli, who had managed the establishment at one time.
View link
Washington Theater entrance, with a painting mural of a Mayan theme at its door entrance. (SGVN/Staff photo by Walt Mancini)
Reusing old theaters is a tough proposition, said Zamparelli, a theater consultant whose efforts to preserve the Raymond Theatre in Old Pasadena failed.
“It’s not as easy to make money in theaters as it used to be, but it could be used for performing arts, film location shoots, conferences,” she said. “You have to vie for many uses – anything you can potentially get going, do it.”
Zamparelli said she met with owners Gagik “Gary” and Jacqueline Buickians of San Marino a few years ago, after they acquired the property from Norman Fuhrman, who bought it in 1980. She said the couple had talked then about making it a movie theater again.
Jacqueline Buickians did not respond to several requests for comment on possible designation, or any plans for the property.
One previous attempt about two years ago to have the Washington designated a local historic monument – which covers interiors and exteriors – fell through when the Buickians decided not to go ahead, said Dale Trader, who made the nomination. Historic landmark designation covers only the exterior.
Trader, a member of the preservationist Pasadena Neighborhood Coalition, said the Washington Theater property could be important in positioning its Lake-Washington Village neighborhood as an arts and culture district.
Plans could include live-work and retail space for artists and artisans, affordable housing, and art galleries to bring 24-hour life and activity to the area, he said.
The theater, he said, could become a “niche” movie venue on the lines of the Silent Movie House, a regional draw that could show “noir” or classic movies and host film festivals or other arts events.
“Some people are skeptical. They don’t think old theaters can work,” he said, citing the recent closure of South Pasadena’s historic Rialto. “But it all depends of the programmer…and if they show something audiences want to see on the big screen in the company of other movie-goers.”
Mossman said preservationists hope to convince the owners that tax benefits and possible access to redevelopment area funds, plus the more flexible exterior-only designation, makes listing good business sense.
“They have faced many challenges, including most recently the economy,” she said. “But bringing the theater back on line would be a great boost to the whole area.”
626-578-6300, ext. 4482[/quote]
Article about improvements being made to the Alex, starting with reupholstering the seats:
View link
Is it a live theater? It seems to just be a rental hall.
The South Pasadena float in the Rose Parade included a miniature version of the Rialto.
View link
I’m not convinced that it’s been demolished. LALife.com says that the auto body shop at 737 Brand Blvd that’s part of the car dealership was built in 1941. I think that’s the Vogue, or what’s left of it.
I’ve got some photos that I still need to edit and post from last year(sigh), showing the Alex together with its floral “Mini-Me,” but JustGlendale posted this video walk-around of the 2009 Rose Parade float version of the Alex parked in front of the actual Alex.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQhTYEP0Lkk
Here’s hoping this leads to something good.
View link
From the San Buenaventura Conservancy site:
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If the top of the tower was removed after an earthquake in 1932, why is it still there in the 1951 photo?
http://saveave.org/
View link
Looking good with the neon relit:
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[quote]Future of 1927-era East L.A. theater in question
8:00 AM | May 14, 2009
Preservationists and developers are wrangling over the future of an abandoned theater in East Los Angeles that is historically significant and represents a Spanish-baroque style rarely found in the city.
Activists, developers and local business people presented two starkly different visions Wednesday of what could be done with the abandoned Golden Gate Theater near Whittier and Atlantic boulevards.
At a hearing before the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission, some advocated converting the building into a CVS pharmacy, complete with alcohol sales and a drive-through pharmacy window. Others want to return the theater, built in 1927, to its original purpose.
The theater’s entrance replicates the portal of the University of Salamanca in Spain and is built in the Churrigueresque style, a Spanish baroque form of architecture. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We don’t want to see the building torn down or changed,†resident Mark Martinez told the commission. “It would be a shame if they did this to this building.”
Martinez, who lives near the theater, attended the hearing in downtown Los Angeles to protest the proposed pharmacy.
Officials with the Charles Company, which owns the property, said they would not demolish the building and they would preserve its architectural elements if they were allowed to use it for commercial purposes.
“We specialize in very challenging sites,†said Sarah Magaña-Withers, a spokeswoman for the Charles Company.
The Golden Gate Theater has been “vacant for more than 20 years,†she said, and a CVS could help revitalize the area.
County staff members were directed to conduct more research into the matter and include more information in an environmental impact report on the pharmacy proposal. Anita Gutierrez, a regional planning assistant, said staff would present a final report to the commission Aug. 19, when the panel could vote on whether to approve or deny the pharmacy project.
— Ari B. Bloomekatz[/quote]
Photos:
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The links in the article are worth checking out as well.
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[quote]Main Street scene: Bay Theatre for sale
Seal Beach’s landmark movie house, the Bay Theatre, is on the market for $3.3 million, Jeff Collins reports in the Orange County Register. He says the theater is being marketed as a potential site for a market-savvy movie buff, but also could be converted into a restaurant, office or retail space. “It’s irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind real estate,†says CB Richard Ellis agent Joe Miller. “If someone has a vision, they can do something with it.â€
Keep reading here.
Since 1947, the Bay has stood near the corner of Main Street and Pacific Coast Highway, an old-fashioned movie house with vintage seating and just one screen. The theater shows independent and foreign films and weekly screenings of classic films.
Glue magnate Richard Loderhose purchased the Bay in 1975 and installed his prized 1928-built Wurlitzer organ there. The final pipe organ concert at the Bay drew a packed house in 2007, when the owner’s family donated the organ to a retirement center in Phoenix. The Register says the theater has been on the market for three months.[/quote]
Now one block away.
The mandatory fire evacuation area is now only three blocks from the Arlington. Eek.
Christmas tree lighting in Pershing Square
View link
courtesy of LA Metblogs
View link
[quote]Partnership to Bring New Life to Main Street’s Regent Theater
By ERIC RICHARDSON
Published: Friday, April 24, 2009, at 01:51PM
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES â€" Those walking down Main street might notice something different at the Regent Theater: red letters on one side of the marquee were removed this morning, revealing the intact white neon tubing underneath.
It’s the first of many changes for the 1914 theater. Yesterday, developer Tom Gilmore and music promoter Little Radio inked a deal to partner on returning the venue to regular use.
Little Radio took over one of the retail spaces in the theater back in February, moving in a studio for the outfit’s online radio station and planning to build out a vinyl record shop. At the time, talks between Gilmore and Little Radio for the theater were in process, but no deal had been reached.
Little Radio’s Dave Conway said that new plans have both of those uses moving one door north, to the other of the Regent’s two spaces. A clothing store will temporarily occupy the southern space, and eventually Conway plans to turn the space into a cafe.
While programming in the theater will start quickly, and plans don’t call for any major renovation work, Conway does intend to do work that will make the space more functional and a better neighbor. The theater today has no barriers between the main room and the sidewalk, and a show earlier this year brought some complaints about noise. “I want people to know that we’re going to be making improvements,” Conway said, “not just throwing shows.”
Gilmore said today that he’s excited about the new partnership. “We finally found the right mix,” he said of his deal with Little Radio. “It feels natural.” Other operators were interested in the venue, but Gilmore connected with Conway’s vision for the space and how it fits into the neighborhood. “It was an easy decision,” he said.[/quote]
View link
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which has a link to this petition to save the Avenue Theatre:
View link
Actually, now that I look at it again, the second mystery photo probably says wATER instead of theATER. But what would the Santa Ana Theatre have been? It looks like 1910s, which would make it too old to have been Clune’s Santa Ana/Yost.
Could this be the original Princess, on the left? I’d think that the Model Ts would be later than 1923, but it looks like a different building than the other photo. Or is that even a theater?
http://www.santaanahistory.com/bk2pics/b2/zxv.jpg
View link (same photo, different scan)
The buildings across the way look to be the same ones that are across from the West Coast in this shot, which would put it at the correct address.
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Some photos from the Santa Ana History site :
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http://www.santaanahistory.com/bk2pics/b2/xzx.jpg
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http://www.santaanahistory.com/bk2pics/a8/Main & 3rd, Main St, Santa Ana, ca 1947001.jpg
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http://www.santaanahistory.com/bk2pics/a8/Main St looking S, Santa Ana-ps.jpg (barely)
And what would these have been?
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View link (1st Princess, I think)
Here’s a 1954 photo, pre-remodel:
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Here’s a 1955 photo:
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