Los Angeles Theatres: The Westlake Theatre

Thursday, March 7, 2013

The Westlake Theatre

The Westlake, in the MacArthur Park area, opened in 1926 as a West Coast Theatres operation.

Lately it's been owned by the local redevelopment agency which means that it's in limbo. Here in a Michelle Gerdes photo taken during its swap meet days we get a look at some organ grille plasterwork. The theatre is currently vacant. Check out Michelle's full Westlake Theatre set on Flickr.

This is just one of a number of new items on our Wilshire Theatres website devoted to the Westlake Theatre.

2 comments:

M GerdesMarch 9, 2013 at 11:26 AM
Always fun to see my name on this site. Thanks Bill for keeping all the info in one place. I has past there a few week back and still nothing going on. Wish I could get inside for a photo shot.
Also wish we could reopen it.
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B CounterMarch 9, 2013 at 11:54 AM
Thanks for all the great work, Michelle! Yes, it would be fun to see something happen with this one!
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News and Events in the historic theatres of L.A.

There are 3 organizations very active in preserving the remaining historic theatres in Los Angeles. Check out their websites:

Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation
This group holds monthly free "All About" sessions at selected historic theatres both downtown and in other areas of the city. These usually include a booth to basement tour and a discussion of the history of the theatre by theatre historian Ed Kelsey. There are also film screenings and downtown architecture walks sponsored by the LAHTF. Join the group's contact list so you won't miss any fun events.

Los Angeles Conservancy
The conservancy is active on a number of preservation fronts with the downtown Los Angeles movie palaces high on the list of priorities. The Conservancy sponsors walking tours of the downtown theatres, an annual film series in classic theatres and other special events.

Bringing Back Broadway
This is a partnership between the City of Los Angeles and the Broadway theatre district property owners to promote a renewal of the district by upgrading the streetscape, working on a Broadway streetcar project and providing incentives for property owners to get suitable tenants using the theatre buildings once again. It's a long term project and along the way there are lots of tours and events. Subscribe to the e-mail newsletter and you'll be kept informed.

Other Pages to Visit

All of the pages for individual theatres have sources listed for more information. You might want to also visit several pages I've done that will provide you with many more ideas for exploration:

The Los Angeles History page, in addition to a listing of some websites of interest, also has a list of blogs about life in Los Angeles.

The Theatre History resources page lists many photo collections and sites covering the Los Angeles Theatres. It's on the Los Angeles Movie Palaces site.

The Wilshire History page has a number of items especially focused on the history of that Boulevard.

The Hollywood History page points you toward some good sites about the Hollywood area.

Happy exploring! Please e-mail me if you're looking for something elusive.

-- Bill Counter

Los Angeles Theatres

Thursday, March 7, 2013

The Westlake Theatre

2 comments:

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Los Angeles Theatres

Thursday, March 7, 2013

The Westlake Theatre

2 comments:

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Search Our Los Angeles Theatre Sites [ then click on "Linked From Here" ]

Posts by Category

BLOGS WE LIKEABOUT LOS ANGELES

News and Events in the historic theatres of L.A.

Other Pages to Visit

BLOGS WE LIKE
ABOUT LOS ANGELES