Southside Theatre
11243 S. Vermont Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90044
11243 S. Vermont Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90044
2 people
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ad:
Southside Theatre opening Wed, Sep 21, 1949 – 38 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com
This opened on September 21st, 1949. Grand opening ad posted.
The Southside was the last time I saw Dennis Burnham which would be around 1964-5. He was wearing his usual forest green sweater and surfer look. They said he’s in Hawaii still surfing.
I got a ticket on Imperial after leaving the church, which I am forwarding to Ross Melnick to pay.
Here are some June 2009 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/l8ne3y
http://tinyurl.com/lpkf5g
Here is a photo taken last night:
http://tinyurl.com/c6w48p
I wouldn’t call this a quonset hut theater. A true quonset hut has no walls, but has the arc of its roof extending all the way to the ground like this. The term quonset hut refers to a type of construction rather than to an architectural style, anyway. I’d just as soon see Cinema Treasures drop “Quonset Hut” as a style
What most of the theaters identified at Cinema Treasures as quonset huts really had were what are called barrel vault or tunnel vault roofs, on top of standard, if sometimes low, walls (and judging from the photos the Southside’s walls don’t appear to be any lower than the walls of most other single-floor theaters.) Given the period during which barrel vault roofs were common, most theaters that had them got modern or art moderne decoration.
Many of the theatres that had true quonset huts for their auditoriums were hybrid buildings, in any case, like the Avon Theatre in Bothell, Washington, which had a boxy and decidedly modern entrance. Others, like Star Theatre in La Puente, California, were entirely quonset hut buildings which had little more than a bit of moderne detailing and signage attached to their facades. Still, such theaters have quonset style construction, but modern architectural details.
Read William’s description of the Southside in his comment of December 16, 2003, above. The style of the theater as he describes it sounds modern to me. The entrance depicted in the photo looks modern, too.
I had my first make-out session there in 1963 with Chris Obradovich, we were both kicked-out so we continued the sloberfest on the curb across the street (we weren’t theatre savvy enough to go to the back row). I don’t have a real good memory these days, but that’s the kind of stuff you don’t forget; the curbside affair was just as fun, we were bound to miss the movie anyway. The picture brings back fond memories!
That’s my recommendation for the style.
A familiar sight on my way to work:
http://tinyurl.com/5ewb94
Here is a 1949 photo from the LAPL:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics49/00074307.jpg
Perhaps the style is quonset hut? Here are two May 2008 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/5lw2aa
http://tinyurl.com/6rsuxl
The LPAL has a slightly larger version of the photo at the top. I will take some pictures of the church soon.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015453.jpg
it is now a church ,and might i ad it is near imperial.the only thing that has changed from the pic is the larwy tracks,and the signage.
Interesting case from 1955 involving 3-D pictures:
http://tinyurl.com/2wrfws
The last film I saw there was “Sweet Sweetback’s Badass Song” in 1970. I used to live not too far from the Southside and the neighborhood did make a radical change for the worse in the mid-to-late 1960s. It was converted into a church the last time I saw it.
I always thought that this was either a theater or a bowling alley. Thanks for the info.
My grandmother lived around the corner from the theater at 1107 W. 112th St. As children during the early and mid sixties, my two brothers and I frequented the Southside theater, usually on Saturdays. What impressed me the most was found in the lobby area as you entered the theater. I remember large, etched glass panels that depicted a scene out of the making of a film – there was a director, cameraman and camera, and actors, as I remember. It was a beautiful work of art, and I hope that someone had the foresight to ensure it was preserved. I recall the theater as massive as a child, and I remember that the ceiling featured an ornate, gold, oval-shaped cornice that reminded me of a race track of sorts. While waiting for the main feature I would lay my head way back and follow the oval track with my eyes as if following invisible athletes around and around that track. In later days the theater had less of a draw to us as the neighborhood changed racially and the message was clear to us that we were no longer welcome as whites. But that beautiful theater generated great childhood memories, and we saw many of Hollywood’s epic films there.
Thank you, William.
The Southside Theatre was designed by Clarence V. Smale for the Southside Theatres, Inc.. Which was operated by Franchon and Marco of the Paramount stage show fame. When the new 1466 seat Southside Theatre opened it was designed to cater to amiddle class area with a seven day subsequent run of films. Therefore it was desired to accomplish a theatre that was imposing enough to command respect and efficient enough to operate economically. Designed around the use of a Lamella timber roof lined with asbestos limpet on gypsum board, this large theatre follows a construction principle that has become very popular on the West Coast. The bearing walls are buttressed concrete with brick masonary fillers. The lobby has a chartreuse ceiling with walls of chocolate brown and deep green. Carpeting is in a philodendron pattern carried out in beige and maroon, and all lighting is indirect.
Walls of the auditorium are blue green with large philodendron leaves and the ceiling is gold. The proscenium wall is draped from side to side with coral festoons and chartreuse hangings. The traveler curtain is yellow. lighting is through indirect lighted central ceiling coves and side coves. The ladies louge is particularly attractive with silver foil paper covered walls adorned with black and red butterflies.
An edge-lighted trap mural depicts a conventional , motion picture themes.
The Southside Theatre had 6 stores built on the Vermont Ave. frontage.
The address of the Southside Theatre is 11243 S. Vermont Ave..
what is the address