American Theatre
452 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90013
452 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90013
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I have a photograph of what is apparently the interior of the American Theater. In the bottom corner of the picture is an imprint with the name of H. Devorkin and 452 ½ S. Broaway, Los Angeles. If you have any questions please contact me at My name is Marc, from San Diego.
Ken – I recently found that my mystery building (in my posts above) was constructed in 1914. Do you have any archival info for that time frame?
Before it disappears for good, I saved it here. Thanks for finding the photo, Nick.
http://tinyurl.com/4wu8l6
The small theater near 5th on Broadway in that 1917 photo has an eagle (which looks to be covered in light bulbs) above the entrance, which would certainly fit with the name American Theatre. I have no doubt that it is the American Theatre, as it’s definitely in the building I cited in my comment of Sep 27, 2007, above.
The URL of the picture has changed, but pasting the call number CHS-9694 into the Digital Archive’s search box still brings it up.
Here’s what looks like a nickelodeon at left in this photo of 5th and Broadway in 1917. (CHS-9694, should the link change.) Could it be the American?
Here is a January 1948 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2eg9ze
A property report generated for 452 Broadway by the city planning department’s zoning information system gives the address as 450 and 452 S. Broadway, and says the building was erected in 1908. The small building at left in ken mc’s photo (linked in his comment of January 15) must be the former home of the American Theatre.
Here are a couple of photos of the venue:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmewuji/1565980/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/orrin/159679830/
Thoughts?
A preliminary search through the LA Times archives shows nothing at that address. I’ll keep looking.
Ken—
Do you or any others here, have a listing for L.A. theaters in 1920? In researching a venue in Silver Lake at 3037 Sunset Blvd (an ‘80s nightclub that I and others were fond of), it dawned upon me that it was probably once a theater; sure enough, I found a reference to the address being somehow related to silent films, in a 1920 census. I wonder if this is one of those L.A. “mystery theaters”. Recently it’s been gutted for retail space but the ancient facade is still there.
I have a couple photos too.
LA Times listed another American theater at 4227 S. Broadway in 1950. If it’s on CT under a different name, let me know.
Maybe closed/demolished?
Here is the theater line-up per the LA Times on 3/11/13:
Garrick
Clune’s Broadway
Tally’s Broadway
American
Banner
Isis
Picture
Mozart
Lyceum
Optic
College
The Chester Williams Building, now on that site, was built in 1926. The only option would be the one-story building to the left in that January 2007 photo posted by KenMC, housing the American Theater, if that building was renumbered to 450, that’s its number right now. Otherwise, the building is gone. Anyone have a photo of the theatre while it was open?
The 1939 LA city directory listed an American Theater at 4727 S. Broadway. I assume that theater is listed under a different name.
Here is a January 2007 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y28ayu
My grandfather, Jean Klossner was on the original Meyer & Holler construction crew that built the Egyptian, Chinese, Mayan and American theaters (among others) ….. After the opening of the Chinese, he performed the footprint ceremonies for over 40 years. He said Sid Grauman always wanted to open a complete chain, each theater with a different theme …. So different than the “Multiplex Giants” of today ……
The American Theatre was operating at this address in 1910 as a nickelodeon. Looking at the building in 2005 (in use as a L.A. Sports Shoe store), it appears the building could date from the 1920’s but could be earlier?
The American seated 500 and was a silent theatre operating in 1925.