Cineograph Theatre

Oh the humanity! Where are the censors when you need them? I’m glad they didn’t have video games back then.

(Nov. 16, 1909)
SHOCKING FOR YOUNG EYES
Moving Picture Proprietor Must Stand Trial
-Charged with entertaining juveniles not accompanied by older persons-Burglary scene fascinates-Police say that’s how youthful bandits are made.

Willful violation of the ordinance prohibiting proprietors of theaters from allowing young children in their places, unless accompanied by a person of mature years, is charged against J.A. Browne, owner of the Cineograph Theater, No. 114 Court street.
The establishment is of the ordinary moving-picture show type. When Patrolman Robert Green entered the house Sunday afternoon, there were sixty persons being entertained. Of this number, he says thirty-four were youngsters, ranging from 5 to 10 years old.
With gaping mouths and staring eyes, the children were literally drinking in a burglary scene. With striking vividness was portrayed before them the entrance of a thief through a window and his subsequent flight with his loot.
It was such scenes as these the police believe, that incited the three young bandits to throw the neighborhood of St. James Park into a turmoil of excitement and terror, Friday night.
Browne was taken before Justice Frederickson yesterday and pleaded not guilty. He said he was unable to determine at that time whether he wished to be tried by the court or by a jury. The magistrate gave him until today to decide.
The arresting officer says that he will subpoena at least ten of the boys, who were in the theater, as witnesses, when the case comes to trial.

An interesting card turned up in the California Index, citing a Times article that announced the grand opening of the Tivoli Theatre at 16 Court Street on October 18, 1890. This is relevant to the Cineograph Theatre because it was some time around 1900 that Los Angeles changed its street numbering system which, until then, had always begun with single and double digit numbers in the first blocks east and west of Main Street and north and south of 1st Street. After the change, numbers still began at Main and 1st Streets, but started with three digit numbers, 100 and up. Thus, 16 Court Street (Court never extended east of Main and so didn’t need the appellation West) probably corresponded to 114 Court Street, the address of the Cineograph in 1902. The Cineograph was apparently the Tivoli, renamed.

I guess that didn’t last long:

(Dec. 18, 1890)
THE TIVOLI NO MORE.
The Tivoli Theater is no more. The place opened about two months ago under the management of the Perry brothers, who formerly ran the Club Theater, and Joe Manning, as a variety show, and was advertised on the bills as “a popular family resort.” The concern failed to “catch on,” however, and yesterday the furniture company who sold the chairs and tables, removed the property, and the place closed down. Joe Manning, one of the proprietors, claims to have sunk $8000 in the venture during its brief career.

This must be what Joe was referring to above:
(Sep. 16, 1889)
STREET NUMBERING
New System Required for Public Convenience.
The special committee of the Council on street numbering, consisting of Messrs. Bnsall and Shafer, met at the City Hall yesterday, together with School Superintendent Friesner, to consider the proposed change. The present system is very faulty, and has a tendency to mislead, and it is proposed to substitute what is known as the Philadelphia plan, that is, 100 numbers to the block, commencing with 100 instead of commencing with the unit 1, as at present, and then allowing them to go in a go-as-you-please fashion, according to the whims of individual owners. The adoption of the plan, however, in its entirety, will necessitate a good many more changes than would appear at first glance, and will cause more or less dissatisfaction, unless its disadvantages are made apparent. In brief, the plan proposed by the commitee contemplates an entirely different method for East Los Angeles, where Downey avenue will be adopted as the dividing line. On the west side of the river the dividing streets will be First for north and south, and Main for east and west. Commencing with First street, the streets will be numbered out to the corporate limits on either side. The principal objection to this will be the familiar names of Washington, Pico and other old streets will be changed to numbers, an innovation which the people will probably resent, but it is thought that this can be obviated by leaving these names as they are and skipping a number, but whether this will work in practice will have to be demonstrated. The names of the streets running north and south will not be changed. Superintendent Friesner has taken a great deal of interest in the matter, and thinks that it should be done at once, as it is impossible to tell, half the time, without consulting a map, in what school district children are when they apply for admission to the public schools.

Google Maps will never be able to fetch this location, as every trace of Court Street east of the Harbor Freeway was wiped out long ago. The pin on the Google map is about a mile northwest of the actual location of this theater.