Los Angeles Theatres: Alvarado / Park Theatre

710 S. Alvarado St. Los Angeles, CA 90057 | map |

Opened: 1914 as the Alvarado Theatre. The location is on the east side of the street just south of 7th St. The photo is a 1936 Luckhaus Studio view of the facade before its remodel. It's on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers collection.

Architects: John C. Austin and Woodbury C. Pennell S. Austin later did all sorts of things including the Shrine Auditorium. Pennell was later the architect of the Fairfax Theatre. S. Charles Lee did a remodel in 1936.

The project had been announced in the November 8, 1913 issue of Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer. Thanks to Joe Vogel for locating this item:

"Brick Theater, Stores and Apartment Building, 6 rms, 50x148 ft, comp roof; 708-12 S Alvarado St, J L Murphey, own. Story Bldg; John C Austin and W C Pennell archts; Boman, Klarquist Co, bldr, Union League Bldg; $19,000."

In an article about several other projects the architects were doing, the L.A. Times issue of July 19, 1914 had this to say about the Alvarado:

"CLASSIC IN STYLE - New Alvarado Street Theatre Has Imposing Font -- Contains Auditorium and Stores, with Apartments. One of the handsomest of the many moving picture playhouses that have recently sprung up in various parts of Los Angeles is the new Alvarado Theater, on the east side of Alvarado street just south of Seventh. The place, which was planned by Architects John C. Austin and W.C. Pennell, is owned by Judge J.L. Murphy and is under lease to F.C. Randolph.

"The building covers a ground area of 50x150 feet and is of brick and concrete construction. The front of the structure is unusually imposing, being classic in design. Four tall columns and a recessed entrance are features. On the first floor, in addition to the theater auditorium, are two store rooms, while the front portion of the second story is given over to apartments."

Seating: 750, after the 1936 renovations.

A 1918 ad for the Alvarado. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it.

That's 7th St. running below the park in this detail from Plate 15 of the 1921 Baist Real Estate Survey Map from Historic Map Works. The Alvarado site, marked "Theatre," is seen in the lower center of the image. Up in the next block it's the the De Luxe Theatre, 656 S. Alvarado St. It's just below Orange St., the later location of Wilshire Blvd.

In an article in the February 7, 1924 issue of the Glendale Evening News that was mostly about Glendale's Alex Theatre, it was noted that the De Luxe Theatre and the Alvarado were both being managed by C.L. Langley, whose firm at the time was called Southwest Theatres, Inc. Soon that would be rebranded as West Coast-Langley and eventually made a part of West Coast Theatres, Inc, the chain that later morphed into Fox West Coast.

Sketches by S. Charles Lee for his remodel that appeared in a trade magazine in 1937. Note that he did a reverse slope on the main floor and raised the screen height. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for their post of this on Cinema Treasures.

A 1939 column of listings that included the Alvarado. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting this on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

A 1942 flyer for the Alvarado, at the time "Independently owned and operated by Carlin and Sinker." Thanks to Gerald DeLuca for locating this. The flyer, and the two 1950s Italian language ads below, were posts of Gerald's on Cinema Treasures.

The Alvarado was at least occasionally running Italian language films from 1955 until 1959. Thanks to Gerald DeLuca for sharing this December 16, 1955 ad he found in the newspaper L'Italo Americano di Los Angeles.

From about 1956 until 1966 Jay Bland and Barnie Ockrim owned the theatre.

A 1958 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting it.

A January 16, 1959 ad spotted by Gerald DeLuca in the paper L'Italo Americano di Los Angeles.

It was renamed the Park Theatre in 1966 after Shan Sayles acquired the house and gave it a renovation. Thanks to Mike Rivest for finding this April 6 grand opening ad. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

By 1968 the theatre had gone to gay porno, still under the management of Shan Sayles. Ken Roe notes that they also exhibited underground and experimental films including Jonas & Adolfas Mekas' "The Brig," Jack Smith’s "Flaming Creatures," Warhol’s "My Hustler" and a Kenneth Anger Trilogy.

The Park returned to mainstream fare by 1972, running as a 49 cent bargain house.

A February 6, 1972 ad located by Ken McIntyre.

A February 20, 1972 ad.

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing this April 1972 ad for the three Sayles Bros. bargain houses in a post for the Ken's Movie Page Facebook group. Dave Hunter comments: "I saw 'Lawrence of Arabia' at the Park around July 1972."

Closing: It closed in 1986.

The rebuild: The building was badly damaged in the 1992 riots. Wendell Benedetti, of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, notes that records from the city's Department of Building and Safety show that the walls and foundations were retained. It got a new flat slab at ground level to replace the sloped floor, a new second floor inserted, and a new roof. It was then used for two levels of retail.

Status: As of 2024 the building was vacant and available for lease.

More exterior views:

The columned facade of the Alvarado is seen in the center of this detail from a superb 1923 aerial view featured by John Bengtson on his Silent Locations post "Buster Keaton - Hard Luck, The Goat - Closeups At Westlake Park." John's post is about the filming in the area for the 1921 Buster Keaton films "The Goat" and "Hard Luck." He also discusses other films shot nearby. That's 7th St. on the left. Thanks, John!

Here's the full photo from the National Archives with the Alvarado/Park Theatre in the upper right. See a larger version on John's site where you can click on it to expand and pan around. That's 7th St. on the right. The building the Lake Theatre was in at 2118 W. 7th St. can be seen a few storefronts this side of Alvarado. In the upper center we get a view of the De Luxe Theatre, 656 S. Alvarado St.

A look at the corner of 7th & Alvarado in 1927. Langer's is now on the corner. Note the theatre over on the right with signage on its sidewall. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. Thanks to Robert Klaus for finding the image in the collection.

A detail of the theatre from the 1927 USC photo.

A 1936 Luckhaus Studio shot of the entrance. It's on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers collection.

The facade after the S. Charles Lee remodel. Note that they kept the marquee that had been on the building before the project. They're running "The Great Ziegfeld," a 1936 release. The Luckhaus Studio photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers collection.

A 1968 marquee shot. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it for a post on the private Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

A 1970 Corbis view looking north on Alvarado St. Here the theatre's been renamed the Park and is in the porno business. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the shot on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this early 80s view.

A view of the building after closing as the Park Theatre. It's a photo by filmmaker and cinematographer Gary Graver (1938-2006). Over several decades he took many photos of theatres in Los Angeles and Portland. More can be seen on his You Tube compilations: "Second Run - part 1" and "Second Run - part 2." Thanks to Sean Graver for use of the photo.

The former Alvarado Theatre building. There is nothing of interest left either inside or out. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

A 2014 photo of the exciting facade from Hunter Kerhart Architectural Photography. Thanks, Hunter!

A 2014 Hunter Kerhart shot looking north on Alvarado. That's the Westlake Theatre up the street. Did we mention that Hunter also has a Facebook page?

For lease again. "14,000 SQ FT RETAIL / OFFICE." Thanks to Wendell Benedetti for sharing his January 2023 photo. He's a board member of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation.

The Alvarado in the Movies:

There was a lot of filming in MacArthur Park and on the streets of the Westlake neighborhood in Guy Green's "A Patch of Blue" (MGM, 1965). Sidney Poitier stars as a young guy who befriends an isolated and unschooled blind girl played by Elizabeth Hartman. Here we get a look at the theatre running "The Americanization of Emily." Hartman is getting some instructions on how to cross an intersection. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a couple of shots from the film of the nearby Lake Theatre on 7th St.

4 comments:

UnknownOctober 6, 2020 at 4:02 PM
My father, Jay Bland, and my grandfaterh (my mother's father) Barnie Ockrim, owned the Alvarado from roughly 1956 - 1966 (or thereabout). When they bought it the area was still solidly middle class but within a few years it had gone completely downhill and that, plus television, destroyed it. They sold it to Shan Sayles who, of course, would turn it into one of LA's most prominent gay movie houses.
Louis BurchJanuary 6, 2022 at 9:00 AM
I WISH THERE WAS A VIEW A BIT FURTHER DOWN ALVARADO ( AERIAL ) TO SEE WILLIAM DESMOND TAYLORS COMPLEX.. SO MANY VIEWS BUT ALL SO CLOSE TO 7TH
AnonymousJune 14, 2022 at 5:16 PM
It is very sad that the theater was burned down during the LA Riots. Only thing remaining is the marquis. It served as an indoor swap meet for over 20 years and is now vacant, waiting for its next use. We hope that with the recent upgrades at the Park across the street, the area will begin to improve and we will have a suitable tenant to take over the entire building. The Netflix movie 'Bright' was partially filmed on the second floor of the building several years ago.