Bijou Theatre
1229 Hermosa Avenue,
Hermosa Beach,
CA
90254
1229 Hermosa Avenue,
Hermosa Beach,
CA
90254
9 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres
Architects: Richard D. King
Functions: Bank, Office Space
Previous Names: Metropolitan Theatre, Hermosa Theatre, Cove Twin Cinemas
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Opened in 1923 as the Metropolitan Theatre. By June 1938 it was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres as the Hermosa Theatre. It was later twinned. It was renamed Bijou Twin Cinema on September 30, 1983.
After years of showing movies and name changes, it closed as the Bijou Theatre.
Now, however, the old Bijou Theatre building in Hermosa Beach, California has reopened for business – but without its once grand theatre.
Following a 3-2, 1999 vote by the Hermosa Beach City Council, the former Bijou Theatre’s floor was leveled and the theatre seats were removed to make way for retail use.
The building later housed an art gallery and office space. The art gallery closed and in 2013, the space became a bank.
Contributed by
Cinema Treasures
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Recent comments (view all 35 comments)
I’m not sure if the art gallery is still in the building.
Just went by today and there’s a banner up that says “Space Available.” Ken, next time you go by, take a look at what would have been the entrance/lobby. It looks like they restored the original ceiling.
In the early seventies I rented the doctor office that was above the theater. I had a large window in one room that looked out over the theatre. It was next to the Projection booth. I used it to set up the first lasers system used for concert tours with THE WHO, YES and PINK FLOYD. I could do the effects on the screen in the daytime and practice. At night the projectionist would come by and we would watch the movies a differant film every night. Sat midnight was the most fun to watch not the movie the audience we would watch the whole audience dancing, singing and acting out the whole Rocky Horror Picture Show every week. It was a lot of fun. A time I will never forget. The third floor was rented by a a strange artist who collected everything to use for art exhbits. There was a great helath food store downstairs part of the building next to theatre entrance. Great old theatre I worked in hundreds this was a fav.
Richard Borders
WWW.NextStar.TV
I remember this as the Cove Cinemas back in the early 80’s and was there a number of times.
Can anyone reconstruct the years that the various name changes occurred?
It certainly changed appearance from its original look in the photo at the top of this page, to the 1982 photo of The Cove linked to in the Apr 11, 2009 comment above…
I must have seen Rocky Horror Picture Show ab out 50 Times at the Cove between 1978-1982. Other Midnite shows were Rock n Roll High School, Dawn of The Dead, Eraserhead. It w2as the only in-door theater that I have ever been to where you could drink alcohol (BYOB) and smoke a joint. However, after a while the Hermosa Police would do a quick walk through from time to time.
I grew up in Hermosa Beach in the 70’s-80’s. The Cove, as I remember it best, holds some vivid memories for me. I saw Rocky Horror Picture Show and Rock N Roll High School too many times to count. Lets not forget the 70’s surf flicks! I also attended that Redd Cross punk gig where our anti-Reagan youth let loose on the theater and surrounding store windows. That might have been the last punk gig at that venue. However, what the punks did to the theater is nothing compared to what the city did by leveling the interior of the theater, behind the movie screens. It was an awesome sight, what a shame. Great reading these stories!
The space is now a Chase bank branch. It opened a couple of months ago.
Late `70’s Satirical cover added featuring the Cove Cinema, courtesy of Gail Bakke Donaldson.
1996 photo as the Bijou Cinemas added, courtesy of Mary Jo Brookes.
Reopened as the Bijou twin cinema on September 30th, 1983. Grand opening ad posted.