Trojan Theatre
931 W. Jefferson Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90007
931 W. Jefferson Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90007
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The November 22, 1913, issue of Moving Picture World featured an article about the University Theatre (scroll down just a bit) with a small photo of the original facade. J.O. Canfield and C.J. Wagner were the operators of the house.
The theater’s mirror screen, the first of its kind in Los Angeles, was 12x16 feet. The programs consisted entirely of movies and music, the stage being only six feet deep. The 48x104-foot auditorium originally seated about 600. The University Theatre was open only in the evenings, except for one Saturday a month when free shows were presented for children.
Advertised as the Realart Theater in a 1923 Paramount ad, so that should be another AKA.
Listed in the 1929 Los Angeles City Directory as the University Theatre.
I worked part time at this theatre while attending USC, and I was chief chef and bottle washer till it closed in December 1952. I was partially responsible for the closure as I wanted to go home to Honolulu for the holidays. The owner, Bess Midnick (who also owned the La Tosca) didnt’t want to work the boxoffice, etc for the two weeks and decided to close till I came back. When I returned she told me she was renting the space out to a dental supply company. It was used for commercial purposes till finally being torn down – probably in the 80’s. It was very plain, and resembled many other small LA nabs.
This is a mini-mall now. No trace of the theater remains.