Los Angeles Theatres: El Centro / Cast Theatre / Chaplin Stage / Circle Stage

804 N. El Centro Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038 | map |

Opened: The building was constructed in 1910. This 2019 view from Google Maps shows the original brick look of the nickelodeon. It had been wearing a coat of stucco for decades. On the right is the newer building that became part of the theatre in 1946.

By 1914 the building housed a movie theatre called the El Centro, one of Hollywood's earliest. By 1915 had become the Ivy Theatre. It's still listed as the Ivy in the 1916 and 1917 city directories. It's also been known as the New Theatre. Later it became a garage.

In 1946 the theatre and a store building south of the original theatre (which had been a vitamin factory) were turned into a legit operation called the Circle Theatre. Scott Collette comments:

"The Circle was once considered 'the meeting place of Hollywood’s avant-garde,' and was frequented by celebrity visitors like Groucho Marx, Katharine Hepburn, Edward G. Robinson, Harpo Marx, and Charlie Chaplin. It was founded by a troupe of UCLA students that included Chaplin’s son Sydney as well as Kathleen Freeman and future SAG president William Schallert, who had all been performing shows in a friend’s living room when they decided to get a space of their own. So, they took over space from an old grocery store, in a building that'd actually been home to one of Hollywood’s earliest moviehouses known as the El Centro in 1914."

The group was called the Circle Players. Charlie Chaplin reportedly donated props on occasion.

A 1946 story about the new theatre. The El Centro Theatre had this clipping from an unidentified paper on the their now-vanished website in 2010.

In 1974 the original film theatre space became the Cast Theatre with the Circle Theatre continuing under separate management in the corner storefront space.

Later the complex reverted to the El Centro name with the two venues under single management. The original theatre space was then known as the Chaplin Stage of the El Centro Theatre, a 45 seat legit venue. The storefront space seated 99 and was branded as the El Centro Circle Stage.

The complex was sold in 2012 and was again to be known as the Circle Theatre. The new tenants (and owners) at the time were the theatre companies Black Dahlia and Red Dog Squadron. Perhaps they never got open. Neither of these two theatre groups seems to be active any longer.

Renovation work began in 2014. Something called SLG was using the corner space in 2015. Work appeared to be complete by 2022. It's unknown what the intended use was going to be. It could be a theatre complex again but there are also entitlements in place for multifamily housing.

Status: As of the middle of 2024 the property was for sale. Want to buy the place? Call Rami Meheraban at Feder & Associates/Peak Commercial, 323-471-4747. See a PDF of the offering.

A main floor plan of the two buildings from Feder & Associates. The original building also has a small mezzanine. Both buildings have a basement. That's El Centro Ave. on the left, Waring Ave. along the bottom.

Interior views:

The theatre in the corner building in May 1949. It's one of many unpublished photos taken by Loomis Dean for Life. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating the set of photos and including 22 of them in a Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook post. He also has ten of them on Instagram. He comments:

"While it took some digging to figure out the show here (it’s Moliere’s 'The Doctor in Spite of Himself,' starring John Crawford, and directed by Mabel Albertson), the most exciting part of this was to discover the array of famous faces in this audience, and I don’t think I have them all."

"Elizabeth Taylor is sitting with Bob Precht, who won a contest to get to take her to prom, and who would go on to become Ed Sullivan’s producer. On her right, a young Roddy McDowall with glasses "

Another Loomis Dean "The Doctor in Spite of Himself" shot. Scott comments:

"Charlie Chaplin is in the middle row, two seats from his wife Oona, and possibly Gene Tierney between them. Henry Wilcoxon and Joan Woodbury are in the left end of the front row. Sunglasses [in the back row] may be Tallulah Bankhead."

A Loomis Dean shot from another production at the theatre. Scott comments: "Circle Players William Schallert and Kathleen Freeman on stage with two others."

An improvised dressing room. Photo: Loomis Dean / Life - 1949. Thanks, Scott!

Looking into the original 1914 theatre. A narrow mezzanine is along the house right wall with a larger area at the former screen end of the space. Photo: Feder & Associates

Looking back to the street. Photo: Feder & Associates

The inside of the corner building, turned into a theatre in 1946. Photo: Feder & Associates

More exterior views:

A 1946 construction view, readying the building to be the Circle Theatre. The photo once appeared on the now-vanished website for the El Centro Theatre c. 2010.

The crowd assembling before a performance of Moliere’s “The Doctor in Spite of Himself" in May 1949. It's a Loomis Dean photo taken for Life. Thanks to Philip Mershon for locating this one for a long-vanished post on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. The corner building had been renovated in 1946. The original theatre building to the north became support space.

An actor running around the corner to make an entrance during the 1949 production of "The Doctor in Spite of Himself." It's one of the 22 Loomis Dean photos located by Scott Collette for his Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook post. He also shared ten of them on Instagram. See the set for several other views with different performers rounding the corner.